bit wary.

lisilou

lisilou

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We've been doing this boating lark a couple of years now and love it more and more as each month passes however, still the furthest we've had the courage to go is Whitecliffe Bay which I'm sure sounds really tame to many :). We really fancy a trek to Poole and have done the chartwork etc but it's niggling at me that we may be biting off more than we can chew. Am I being over cautious here? Was thinking it may be wise to get someone to come with us first time round (Julie????:D). Thoughts people please?

Lisa
 
On a calm day the trip across the bay is lovely, no terrors, no real hazards once you get past either the Needles or the Inner Channel. The Inner Channel is quite close ot the beach and is a bit excting in rough weather but great fun when calm.

Poole is great, easy to naviagte and visitors marina in the centre of town is full of buzz.

Go for it!!
 
lisilou said:
We've been doing this boating lark a couple of years now and love it more and more as each month passes however, still the furthest we've had the courage to go is Whitecliffe Bay which I'm sure sounds really tame to many :). We really fancy a trek to Poole and have done the chartwork etc but it's niggling at me that we may be biting off more than we can chew. Am I being over cautious here? Was thinking it may be wise to get someone to come with us first time round (Julie????:D). Thoughts people please?

Lisa
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Always best to be over cautious and well prepared, nice to hear you have done your chartwork (and not just relying on chart plotter) then so long as you chose to go in the right weather for your boat then you will be fine, its just another step. Its those like you that set off without a care in the world you have to worry about!!
 
Pick some settled calm weather, (not easy at the moment!) and go for it. You'll love it when you get there. Usual precautions like making sure engine/boat all serviced and seaworthy. My son took his single engined 21' Fairline weekender across to Guernsey this time last year, no problems and had the holiday of a lifetime.
Just get on and do it!
 
hi

lisilou said:
We've been doing this boating lark a couple of years now and love it more and more as each month passes however, still the furthest we've had the courage to go is Whitecliffe Bay which I'm sure sounds really tame to many :). We really fancy a trek to Poole and have done the chartwork etc but it's niggling at me that we may be biting off more than we can chew. Am I being over cautious here? Was thinking it may be wise to get someone to come with us first time round (Julie????:D). Thoughts people please?

Lisa
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chose a calm day and go for it, if not pm me.
 
lisilou said:
We've been doing this boating lark a couple of years now and love it more and more as each month passes however, still the furthest we've had the courage to go is Whitecliffe Bay which I'm sure sounds really tame to many :). We really fancy a trek to Poole and have done the chartwork etc but it's niggling at me that we may be biting off more than we can chew. Am I being over cautious here? Was thinking it may be wise to get someone to come with us first time round (Julie????:D). Thoughts people please?

Lisa
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I'm not too familiar with the area so can't advise on the route you mention. We've found it best to just keep pushing the boundaries a little further when we feel comfortable and confident to do so. Many just go for it and end up frightening themselves and never daring to venture far after that. Baby steps is the key! If you decide you're up for it, wait for very settled weather, don't go if there's any doubt even if you have to wait for months. Don't put pressure on yourselves, remember we do this for pleasure!
Happy boating. :)
 
much appreciated.

Thankyou all. If I can get my confidence growing then I think sunday maybe the best bet. If not, Jules, I will PM you :). Oh and yeh, should've mentioned before, setting off from Hamble Point.
Will let you all know what happens :eek:
 
Take the North Channel past Hurst Castle and north of the Shingles bank for Poole rather than go all the way out to the Needles. If you are going to get any lumpy seas, they're most likely to be in the Needles Channel around the Bridge bouy especially on the ebb against a SW wind. Stay well off Hengistbury Head as there's usually a lot of pots around there
 
Deleted User said:
Take the North Channel past Hurst Castle and north of the Shingles bank for Poole rather than go all the way out to the Needles. If you are going to get any lumpy seas, they're most likely to be in the Needles Channel around the Bridge bouy especially on the ebb against a SW wind. Stay well off Hengistbury Head as there's usually a lot of pots around there
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Thanx. Will take your advice. Have to say, Hengistbury was one I don't wish to tackle just yet :).
 
Poole is a great place to visit. If you are going to visit brownsea, don't do what I did and try and go due south from cobbs quay - it doesn't work! Trundle round east then follow the line of moored boats instead. Pottering up towards Wareham amongst the reeds is also a must.
 
lisilou said:
We've been doing this boating lark a couple of years now and love it more and more as each month passes however, still the furthest we've had the courage to go is Whitecliffe Bay which I'm sure sounds really tame to many :). We really fancy a trek to Poole and have done the chartwork etc but it's niggling at me that we may be biting off more than we can chew. Am I being over cautious here? Was thinking it may be wise to get someone to come with us first time round (Julie????:D). Thoughts people please?

Lisa
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As others have said, pick a calm day and go and enjoy.

You will be amazed at how close you go to Hurst Castle, as others have said, it is the best route.

Keep a good lookout for pots in Christchurch bay, they tend to be well marked but you need to keep your eyes open. No drama though.

Whilst you are down there why not go into Studland or go and anchor at Swanage, nice sandy beach and good for a swim if the weather is nice and it looks like it will be on Sunday. Caution around Old Harry, more pots, less well marked.

Let us know how you got on.
 
The sense of achievement when you get to the other end will be fantastic!
But keep an eye on the weather and if in doubt turn back. No shame in that!
Good idea to go in company of another boat as it gives a feeling of security (I allways keep a good listening ear on the local VTS -a human voice!)

Good luck
 
Really appreciate all your advice and words of encouragement, thankyou. Having not taken her out for a while (been way too windy for my liking) thought I would take advantage of a reasonably quiet marina while the saily boats are strutting their stuff round the island and get a bit of 'parking' practice in. Wanted to reverse in as I'd never done it before, big mistake!! All I can tell you is my confidence is taking a real bashing at the moment...reversing in was looking like a disaster waiting to happen so abandoned that idea, then 3 bl**dy attempts with the boat being blown all over the place, finally got her into place. Gotta get back on the horse as they say but wow, really having a crisis of confidene here. :(
 
lisilou said:
Really appreciate all your advice and words of encouragement, thankyou. Having not taken her out for a while (been way too windy for my liking) thought I would take advantage of a reasonably quiet marina while the saily boats are strutting their stuff round the island and get a bit of 'parking' practice in. Wanted to reverse in as I'd never done it before, big mistake!! All I can tell you is my confidence is taking a real bashing at the moment...reversing in was looking like a disaster waiting to happen so abandoned that idea, then 3 bl**dy attempts with the boat being blown all over the place, finally got her into place. Gotta get back on the horse as they say but wow, really having a crisis of confidene here. :(
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Don't worry, everyone does it. A deep vee, single engined, sterndrive mobo is one of the most difficult craft to control when it's windy - if you can manage that, you can manage virtually everything. I regularly foul things up in such conditions, usually when I have an audience.

If you are really worried about it, why not hire someone like Julie (Powerskipper) for a day, to give you some own boat, pontoon-bashing tuition? I'm sure that even she would admit to not being infallible but she can show you some tricks and tips to help deal with challenging conditions. It's partly a question of luck, but the more you practice, the luckier you become :)
 
jhr said:
Don't worry, everyone does it. A deep vee, single engined, sterndrive mobo is one of the most difficult craft to control when it's windy - if you can manage that, you can manage virtually everything. I regularly foul things up in such conditions, usually when I have an audience.

Can't tell you how much better that has made me feel :). Have to admit I was thinking about grabbing a day with Julie to get some handling tips. If I'm still cr*p after that...then some rather large bow and stern thrusters might be ordered!!!:D:D
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I normally make a hash of at least the first three or so docking attempts at the start of each season, and then it gets better as the season progresses ... right up until someone is watching, when it goes back into "hash" mode.
 
Good to know I'm not alone. Just please remember your kind words if ever I have to berth next to one of you :eek: I'll be the one with beads of sweat rolling down my forehead whilst doing various twirling manouveurs!:)
 
Plenty of fenders + slow speed = :)

The really scary ones are those that try what I call "dambusters". Each pass uses more throttle than the previous attempt. The speed and the stress level rises. There is often a lot of shouting. After a "fail", they go around in an even bigger and faster loop to prepare for the next run ...
 
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