Bembridge Ledge Saturday:

My point too. You can't miss it if you look at a chart and, if you do, the cardinal mark should at least make you think. It does make you wonder whether the peeps who end up there have the first idea about navigation
 
In my first season on the water in the Solent (this was before GPS chartplotters were common), I ended up with about 1ft underneath the props going round there. Ooops, depth alarm saved the day, and managed to retrace my course very slowly without touching anything. It's easy to misjudge if you're just trying to cut the corner, doing it by eye + chart and you're not sure where the sticky-out-bit actually is. Rather harder to understand if you can see a chartplotter, or are using compass chart & pencil properly.

These days I go just inside Bembridge Ledge and W.princess (chicken!).

dv.
 
The boat left PS about 1000hrs on Sat so guess would have anchored (if indeed he anchored before grounding) at say lunchtime or HW.

The rise and fall i guess is 10/12ft in this spot so matey looks at the sounder - sees 2.5m + and thats it. Completely forgets about the fall in tide.

As you will remember - at close to and at Springs in Newtown Creek this happens frequently as the depth below keel 'disapears'. Nice soft mud vs rock mind you.
Thats why if I arrive there on HW i hunt the couple of 5m patches.
 
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I've missed some news. When did you go raggie?

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Started on raggies early eighties. Twenty years later mid-life crisis resulted in a RIB (or two /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif). Now calming down and fancy going back to "t'other side" again (after the novelty of the motorbike wears off /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif A tourer I hasten to add not a "pocket rocket" /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif)
 
Love the picture! Heard them call Solent CG on Saturday. They sounded very sheepish on the VHF and we laughed our socks off when they actually asked SCG if the tide was going in or out! SCG's reply was rather restrained.
 
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and just past the gunnery range.

"Don't worry, Maud, they couldn't hit an elephant from that dist

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They could if they used normal rounds. They use reduced charge rounds on that range.
 
Am I the only person here that feels a bit sorry for them? I realise they've got it all a bit wrong, but nevertheless some of the comment here seems a bit harsh to me.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
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Am I the only person here that feels a bit sorry for them?

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Possibly, yes. If someone's got the cash to splash on a boat that size then you have to assume that they also had the smarts to make that sort of money. In which case, they really have no excuse for making that sort of mistake.
 
I agree with Jimmy, its rather easy to laugh at other peeps misfortune, BUT, some of these mistakes are easy to make!

There are so many things that can go wrong, and with an element of foolishness its possible to make a right mess of it!

Quite a few people must pinch themselves sometimes, and inwardly think, 'Christ We Were Lucky'......we got away with it! /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Jas.
 
Whether or not we feel sorry for them is one matter, I'm firmly in the camp that they bought it on themselves and only have themselves to blame.

But taking delight in someone elses mire is a bit off I reckon.
 
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Though not many of them manage to sit themselves over a well charted ledge and get a surprise when the tide goes out.

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Not quite the same, but have a read of the MAIB report on the RoRo ferry "Ursine" in Hull:

(PEC holder = P&O employee acting in lieu of a pilot)
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...Once the lock had filled, Ursine proceeded stern first towards the berth, with both men handling the controls. From the conning position, on the port bridge wing, neither of them could see the P&O terminal.

In the absence of any formal berth allocation, the PEC holder directed Ursine towards the berth which he assumed had been allocated to the vessel. This berth, 5 Quay Middle, was adjacent to the one regularly used by Pride of Bruges.

{...}

Ursine made sternway towards the P&O terminal, with the 2nd officer reporting the distances of the stern initially from 4 Quay and then from Pride of Bruges. When the distance between the two vessels had reduced to 20 metres, the 2nd officer’s reports started to increase in volume and pitch until he reported that the stern was just 8 metres from Pride of Bruges at which time he ran from the stern area, before reporting, at 1601 that impact had occurred. Immediately after the impact the PEC holder went to the starboard control console and, on seeing Pride of Bruges, expressed his surprise and dismay that she was occupying 5 Quay Middle.

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I bet "surprise and dismay" is a bit of an understatement. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

Andy
 
And that was my point exactly. We have all made mistakes and I have stuck my keel in the mud on a few occassions, but at least I knew if I would float off quickly or have an uncomfortable few hours. If I didn't know what the tide was doing I think I would have found out before asking the coastguard. That was the humour, not the fact that he is unfortunately stuck on Benbridge Ledge.
 
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