Anyone know Christchurch?

[jon_bailey]

As I'm relatively new to this game could anyone help?

After pouring over new (small craft folio) charts of Christchurch harbour. I thought it would be worth giving it a try today with the rest of the family. Went down on Saturday to check slip (know by locals as Pontins) and everthing looked good.

Launch was no problem and as close to neaps and min depth through the bouyed channel of 0.6 metres above chart datum I thought, no problem.....especially as low tide at lymington quay was 0.9 m.

Problem was I had just entered the main part of the harbour when I ran aground and was stuck there for 90 mins. This was not in itself a problem as we had lunch and enjoyed the sun. I had my waders on board and decided to investigate and found that across the whole of the buoyed channel it was less than 450 mm deep i.e. just above my knees.

Questions are:

1) Is Christchurch ever dredged?
2) Is the channel particularly shallow at the moment?
3) Can anyone recommend a prop repairer!?
4) Are charts always this unreliable?

We still enjoyed ourselves, despite our dredging, but would like to try to avoid similar occurence elsewhere in the future.

Thanks for your help.

 

[Geoffs]

Yep you're right Christchuch is a bit shallow. My harbour pilot shows parts of the chanel at 0.1m. Low water at Mudeford was 12:09 and 0.7m, so in theory you should have had 0.8 metre at least. But that's theory, maybe pressure a bit high so less thsn 0.7m.

Doubt channel is dredged much, if at all. The sands at Mudeford are notoriuos for shifting.

A prop repairer, Steel Developments are good, they advertise in MBM and MBY etc.

Are charts unreliable? Navigating a shallow harbour at low water not a great idea. Even a small boat probable needs 0.5m, to bottom of prop, so 0.8m not a great safety margin. Try nearer high water next time .

I went up to Wareham today, at low water (not the best idea) and touched bottom at Redcliffe. Better on way back when tide had risen by 0.5m

Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'

 

[Guest]

Thought about going in many a time but always found other places to go, after talking to other owners of 40ft motor cruisers they all said go in or out as near to hw as possible certainly no earlier of later than 1 hour, as said before the channel is always on the move , it is best to talk to a local fisherman as they still use it in the winter when all the buoys are removed due to the bad weather, Geoff Elkins at Elkins boatyard near to the Priory will know it like the back of his hand, he also used to own the same boat as me some years ago, give him a try.

paul js.

 

[jon_bailey]

Thanks for the advice.

Just for clarification I have a Maxum 2100 SC so hardly a deep draft, and as I say I did walk across the whole channel so it wasn't as though I missed the deepest part.

Whilst I was beached I did not see any commercial fisherman go past (although there was they odd Chinese guy with a bag of green plants).

I've made a note to myself that in future there needs to be at least 1.2m of tide, taking into account the pressure, and even though I am still a bit peeved because I thought I did everything right (as taught on Level 2 Powerboating) I'll put it down to one of those learning experiences - I'm sure there will be others.

 

[Freebee]

Keep my boat next to pontins at Tuckton . No never dredged - sandbanks often move and are re marked by the locals. Awkward navigation off set by cheap mooring fees compared to nearby poole but all mo boats have battle scarred props!
for props I use steel developements!!

 

[Guest]

What everyone else said. No it's never been dredged. The chart shows the location of the channel pretty accurately, but we've learned to stick to HW+/-2hrs. Once you know where to go and what to avoid, Christchurch is a beautiful spot. Fortunately, the natural sea defences keep out the worst of the grockles.

Anyone know of a source of stainless duoprops, other than V*lv*? My ally ones are getting a bit dogeared from Christchurch harbour...