Am I too cautious

[CharlieAlpha]

On Saturday I was out taking some family friends out for a short trip with a bit of fishing. Around noon I was just East and ¼mile South of the middle gap in the submarine barrier which runs from the shore at Southsea to Horse Sand Fort. What do I see but a Sealine S41/42 going pretty much flat out and passes over the barrier W to E close to where it kinks to join up to the fort my heart sank and was waiting to go and help. Of course because it was mid tide there must have been a least at metre over it as I saw nothing at low water and of course nothing happened to the boat.

The charts and Yellow posts warn you of the danger, I for one would not do it but am I being too cautious?
Was the Sealine Skipper simply unaware, ie no chart or plotter or better prepared than me?

 

[benjenbav]

Something about there being old skippers and bold skippers but not many old and bold skippers...

Planing, with a metre of water over the blocks, probably get away with it but I wouldn't want to do it on a regular basis.

 

[Aardee]

I guess there's no way of knowing if the Sealine skipper was skilled or lucky (unless he's on here...), but for me you're not being too cautious in your approach. If you're not comfortable doing something, don't do it.

 

[rafiki_]

With a boat, and particularly my boat, caution wins every day.

 

[benjenbav]

With a boat, and particularly my boat, caution wins every day.

Good point! I confess to having sailed a rental close enough to the Cowes shore for the foredeck crew to collect an order of ice creams from the kiosk. I'm sure I'd have sent the dinghy if it had been my boat.

 

[neale]

From a third party point of view he could have been very experienced and, having undertaken a height of tide calculation before he set out, knew that he had plenty of water over the barrier, or he could have been a complete numpty who had no idea the barrier was even there and was lucky. We'll never know

I would echo the above sentiments that erring on the side of caution wins every time

 

[mm42]

With a boat, and particularly my boat, caution wins every day.

Exactly, nothing lost by being cautious on this occasion, and a lot to lose.

 

[Beyondhelp]

Spoke to a friend about this ages ago. I said I have passed it a few times between the markers, where (I may incorrectly assume) is safe to do so. He didn't even like to do that.

 

[[2068]]

Either an expert or an idiot.

I don't think I fall into either of the above categories, so I always either go around or use one of the two gates.

At mid to high tide, there is probably more than enough clearance over the outer blocks for a planing motorboat, but really not sure about inshore.

 

[KevB]

For me it's either through the Dolphins or around the fort. Can't imagine trusting my luck to go over the barrier.

 

[prv]

There's a bit about this in the Channel Pilot. The simple fact is that the blocks only just break the surface at very low springs, so if there's a four metre rise of tide then it's incontrovertible that a boat drawing a metre or two can pass safely over the top. We do that with other slightly-drying bits of geography without a second thought. Yet, as the book says, "nobody local ever crosses it" - myself included! Mr Cunliffe suggests that we are all scared of being "dragged to our doom by the shades of frustrated U-boats"

Pete
(And yes, I know that it's a sub-marine barrier, not an anti-submarine barrier, but apparently St Tom doesn't )

 

[julians]

Im not local to the area,but whats the purpose of the barrier?

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Im not local to the area,but whats the purpose of the barrier?

Put in out to both the forts after the WW1 U boat got into Scapa Flow and sank the Royal Oak via a shallow channel up there, IMHR.

Then the usual boom nets across the main and two inshore gaps

 

[southseaian]

The charts and Yellow posts warn you of the danger, I for one would not do it but am I being too cautious?
Was the Sealine Skipper simply unaware, ie no chart or plotter or better prepared than me?

I don't think you are too cautious.
Yes it's safe to go over it at near the top of the tide ( especially the outer part) but get your tides wrong and.......Same with going between the Needles be very careful with your calculations, dates etc.
I live in Southsea and walk our dogs in that area daily. I've seen lots of boats go over it but also seen boats against it. These are usually sea anglers who have drifted onto it with the tide.
Can't see the point unless you'r into cheap thrills which might just cost you rather a lot in repairs and pride.

 

[benjenbav]

Didn't one of the raceboats entered in the last Round Britain race come to grief on the submarine barrier just before the start of the race?

 

[southseaian]

Put in out to both the forts after the WW1 U boat got into Scapa Flow and sank the Royal Oak via a shallow channel up there, IMHR.

WW2 - 1939

 

[henryf]

Didn't one of the raceboats entered in the last Round Britain race come to grief on the submarine barrier just before the start of the race?

Not just any race boat / driver.....


http://www.mby.com/news/boat-sinks-on-first-day-of-round-britain-race-32741

Henry