advice sailing isle of Wight to Plymouth

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Ads&Al

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Hey all,

My parter and I have a delivery to do from the isle of Wight to Devon

We have only.done tidal sailing in Gibraltar and Portugal so all advice will be appreciated :)

Thank you!
 
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Have a good read of Reeds. Lots of passage info there. as a starter for ten: Tidal gate at the Needles, also caution required under certain weather conditions - there are alternatives, but both have issues (all in reeds)... Not a gate, but caution required at St Alban head and Portland head, where strong tidal races occur, both exacerbated by weather. Both are avoidable although Portland most significant.
enjoy, might see you on the way!
 
Head west, then follow the warships or Brittany Ferries north into Plymouth.

Depending on time you could follow the coast there is some fantastic views on the way. As Foxy says Portland is the one thing to think about. Wave as you pass the Exe.
 
Not much to go on there. In general try and take fair tide round the headlands and foul tide in the bays.
For a boat making 5 or 6 knots you could wait for a fair tide at Studland or Poole and then carry it round St. Albans and Portland, put up with foul tide in Lyme Bay and take the next one round start point and on to Plymouth. If day sailing then Studland to Brixham or Dartmouth should be possible in daylight depending on tide times and weather. Leaving a fairly short hop round to Plymouth.
 
Is leaving east of the WIght an option - avoids the complications of passage through the Solent and the Needles channel?

Either way, once out of the Solent, keep well offshore to avoid headlands, tidal gates, overfalls etc. 10 miles from the nearest land should be enough.

As this is a delivery, don't hesitate to use the engine if it will get you there sooner. Also, as it is a delivery (not your boat) make sure that you are satisfied with the safety aspect, with the navigation charts and tools, that you know enough about the systems to fix anything that breaks, that there is an adequate toolkit aboard, etc.
 
I'd be intrigued to know what delivery company is hiring people with limited tidal sailing experience for deliveries on the South coast. (If I've understood the OP correctly)
 
I agree with DJE completely.

Have tried various methods / routes around Portland - and had my arse kicked when the wind came up more than advertised in the Inshore Passage !

If trying that route also watch out for lobster pot markers towed just under the surface by the tide.

Nowadays I go Lymington*, on to Studland, have a rest during the foul tide, then set off into the last of the east going tide and aim 5 miles off Portland to clear The Race - nb The Race is where they filmed ' The Cruel Sea ' with the warship pitching half out of the water, as they couldn't find anywhere else rough enough to look like the North Atlantic in winter !

* At Lymington one can pick up an outlying mooring for a quick getaway as long as you're already stocked up.

Hurst Narrows requires respect, and watch out for the waves at The Bridge if taking the Needles Channel; I almost always use the North Channel.

Portland is the bit to really watch out for though.

Hope you have a good trip,

Andy
 
flaming said:
I'd be intrigued to know what delivery company is hiring people with limited tidal sailing experience for deliveries on the South coast. (If I've understood the OP correctly)
Click to expand...

+1. If it was my boat being delivered I would be a little concerned by the level and lack of detail in the OP question.
 
If a delivery I'm assuming you want it done quickly so least number of stops.

Biggest issue is the tide - assuming a SW you need to have it with you down the Solent and through the Needles otherwise progress will be slow. Likewise round the major headlands, St Albans, Portland Bill and Start Point although all of those can be by passed by heading off shore.

I would suggest day one - stowage of gear sea trials & remedy any issues - wait at Keyhaven / Yarmouth on the buoys ( or Yarmouth inside / Lymington if minor jobs / purchases required.)

Next day - early, just before slack water head off ( Tides start to flow W about 1hr before HW Portsmouth - aim to be moving HW -1:30)

Aim 4-5 miles off Portland Bill and you should carry favourable tide till PB before turns against you. Duck in to Lyme bay for the foul tide as is much weaker in there.

If time on your hands - probably arrive in Dartmouth 12-15 hours after departure.

If in a rush - carry on for Plymouth - another 6-8 hours.
 
I should have explained it would be a trial for delivering the company's boats not private owners vessels. I say limited, my experience is limited. My parter has over 10000 miles in tidal and non tidal ranging from UK to Egypt
 
We have done that passage as a starting point to cross the Atlantic. As mentioned check the IOW tidal gate but the big issue is the prevailing winds are from the west so it's an upwind passage, a nightmare when the tide is against you but fast with it behind you. If possible wait for an easterly, which may not be possible, see below. However if the company wants a trial run day sails may not be sufficient to qualify for deliveries which are always non-stop and have a fixed start date so you have to take whatever weather comes along.
 
flaming said:
I'd be intrigued to know what delivery company is hiring people with limited tidal sailing experience for deliveries on the South coast. (If I've understood the OP correctly)
Click to expand...

Talulah said:
+1. If it was my boat being delivered I would be a little concerned by the level and lack of detail in the OP question.
Click to expand...

Sorry guys I should have explained better. I have a low level of experience (about 2000 miles) but my parter has over 10000 between UK and Egypt. We just have 0 combined knowledge of that passage. Or much on the south coast for a long time
 
Get Mark Fishwick's book.
Read the bit about Portland Bill.
Are you in a rush?
If so, I would favour getting to Yarmouth, night on a buoy outside, take the first of the westgoing tide out of the Solent, depending on progress head into Weymouth or crack on for Dartmouth.
Brixham is a useful fallback if wind does not quite look like you will make Dartmouth for last orders.
Obviously depends on size and speed of boat.

Key thing is tides on headlands, beating against strongest tide is just a waste of time...
 
Ok, that makes more sense.

I think it's dangerous to give specific advice for this passage. We do Solent to Dartmouth (and back) every year, and I don't think we've ever taken the same route down twice, the weather pays such a large part in this passage, as 9 times out of 10 the wind will be against you.

One year we dived a long way south to take advantage of a wind predicted to go from W to SW, the previous year we'd skirted portland bill and gone hard inshore in Lyme bay with a wind predicted to go NW! Last year there was almost no wind so we decided to go to the pub in Weymouth.
 
As usual in 'ere, there's a layer of good sea-sense half-buried under the 'overburden' of nonsense. I would add that one should be aware that each and every big headland along that route can and does generate tidal overfalls/tideraces which can be inconvenient if not hazardous at times. Not yet mentioned above is that off Start Point.

For each of these there is a nearby anchorage or haven/harbour, at which to await better conditions - i.e. slack water - if one is so minded. If one is ruled by the iPhone, however, and in a hurried schedule, then a very-slightly quicker but much less comfortable passage may be made by 'going for it' on every occasion, and by 'cutting corners'. That's also a well-tried way to make the acquaintance of the RNLI crews along the way....

I'd recommend the OP identifies/plots each of the 'good stops' along each leg, and identifies track/distance/time to the most relevant one, sequentially, as one progresses along the route. He could also usefully carry a list of the phone numbers of NCI Watch Stations along the way, and call up the one ahead to ask about actual sea/weather conditions before arriving at a big headland such as Portland. Most of these good folk also now have VHF Channel 65, should one care to make contact.
 
oldbilbo said:
As usual in 'ere, there's a layer of good sea-sense half-buried under the 'overburden' of nonsense. I would add that one should be aware that each and every big headland along that route can and does generate tidal overfalls/tideraces which can be inconvenient if not hazardous at times. Not yet mentioned above is that off Start Point.
Click to expand...

#10 ;)
 
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