brighton to Chichester update

Powersalt

Powersalt

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Well today should have been our day for the trip but we abandoned due to lack of wind. Wind north 7 mph and possibly dropping would have menat a 10 hour motor on the outboard. Would the outboard stand 10 hours continuous use??? I actually dont know. I feel we need min of 15 knots to get her really moving and then we can cover ground at circa 6 knots, but under outboard 4 if we are lucky.

So lets hope next weekend brings some more wind???

If not then dont know whta we will do!!! maybe hire a 8 hp outboard??? would that be any better or get a tow !!! doesent bear thinking about

Whats your thought on 10 hours with outboard?
 
10 hours should be no bother at all, I've motored across the Channel Poole - Guernsey etc several times with Yamaha 4 & Mariner 5 2-strokes.

As I think your engine is on the transom, keep an eye it is staying properly immersed re coolant intake.

I get 2.5 hours per gallon near flat out - just under 5 knots in calm, or 6 with a hint of motor sailing - with a 22' lift keel boat.

If yours is stable keel up, that will add a touch of speed in genuine calms.

An 8hp engine will give a jaw-dropping increase in fuel consumption !

Hopefully you have a remote fuel tank ? Either way topping up should be via a splash-proof funnel with curled lip ( & filter guaze ).

I always stop the engine when topping up, and have a special foam fire extinguisher suitable for fuel fires handy...

An autopilot is worth its' weight in gold for long motoring trips like this.
 
Powersalt said:
Whats your thought on 10 hours with outboard?
Click to expand...

When we escorted a young dinghy sailor from Exmouth to Cherbourg we had a RIB with us. They ran their 250 hp outboard at close to tickover for 20 hours though it did suffer from low oil pressure at one time. I also met a crew who motored across Biscay in their Wharram cat with outboard- about 4 days and a hell of a lot of petrol. The only thing that would concern me is transferring fuel between cans at sea.

I don't recall the original thread - what sort of boat needs F5 to be worth hoisting sails?
 
No sorry didnet mean force 5 to hoist sails as such but the boat a first 21.7 sails like a dream with abit of wind but struggles along at 4 knots on the outboard. A bit of wind on the right quarter and we can see 7 or 8 knots sailing easy, so much better for passage making and the Brighton forecast was 3 to gust of 7 mph winds and at the time we just could not comtemplate motoring all that time. We also thought what if it broke down there is no harbour of refuge as such really and with such low winds we would be at the tides mercy.
 
Powersalt,

as I alluded to in my earlier post, just a hint of wind when motorsailing can give a remarkable increase in speed, also cuts fuel consumption a bit by reducing load on the engine; I suspect this would have been the case should you have gone today, never mind !

it's hard to rig something to hold the tiller effectively when motoring / motorsailing in such boats, but if you don't have an autopilot it would be worth taking likely stuff to try and cobble something up.

As speed will only really be known once out there on passage, one will have to be flexible and keep an eye on the plot, including tidal gates; in case you're not too familiar with hand GPS, take lots of Duracells, the things chew through them - my early handheld GPS gives about 3 hours per set of 4 X AA, though I think later ones are more frugal.

Bino's and working compass are of course essential.
 
That distance by outboard would drive me bonkers unless the outboard was very quiet.
Can you plan the trip to work the tides?
Can you make a plan to break the journey at Shoreham or Arun YC (Littlehampton) if there is no breeze? There are other places you could anchor and wait, but not sure where else you could leave the boat.

This afternoon in Langstone harbour there was adequate breeze for dinghy racing by the way!
 
Brighton to Chi

Hi Powersalt. Methinks you may have missed the boat, so to speak. On that passage a light Northerly or NE is ideal and in that boat you could certainly have made the most of it. I don't know what state your outboard is in but any decent outboard should run for 100 hours rather than being worried about it dying at 10. I have motored the route in flat calms in my Caprice with Seagull engines and very pleasant it was - although it has to be said that it is not the most interesting of passages, at least until you close the Mixon. The prevailing winds are SW and that is from whence trouble may come. Trying to motor against wind and tide at the Mixon to Street/Boulder gap is more likely to trouble your engine if it starts to pitch, cavitate and overheat. So if any North in the wind I would go, planning to take the Mixon with a favourable or slack tide. The tide along the coast past Shoreham is much less of a problem. The 8 hp outboard would not give you much more boat speed as it is a displacement hull - but as others have said you would certainly need a lot more fuel. I don't rate Litlehampton as a safe haven because of the bar. I would keep offshore and in the event of engine failure you have the sailing performance to pass south of the Owers if there is any wind at all, safer than getting in amogst the rocks and pots!

Bon voyage when next a window of opportunity arises.

Robin
Pleiades of Birdham
MXWQ5
 
Well I think you missed a perfect day, tides and weatherise but there will be others.
I have motored 36 hrs continuously 5hp. Would be amazed that an outboard, once running smoothly, should have any reason to stop until you switch it off, so long as the water inlet and prop stay reasonably weedfree.
 
In a small boat its difficult to get the right combination of wind strength,direction,good visability,tide times and not having other commitments and here in the Irish sea it doesnt take much wind to kick up a nasty uncomfortable sea that I would be inclined to undertake a cruise with to little wind even if it meant motoring for 10 hrs with an outboard,for a more relaxing experience.
 
Ye I guess everything is a compromise. But it was only 2 mpm at shoreham beach yesterday pm so no real chance of motorsailing, and anyway when you motorsail with outboard as soon as it heels the thing comes out the water, so not always a good idea.

Now looking ahead, Friday isnet too bad or Saturday could be a repeat of last weekend and as you say this time we must just go for it and make it happen one way or the other.
 
Dunno about 2mph, that may be pushing it, but remember once you get going there's the apparent wind; I've gone across the Channel in both flat calms ( a drag ) and with light breezes, when progress was surprisingly rapid even with just the main up.

If a lot of motoring looks likely, might be worth having a loud radio / CD type unit, with spare batteries - top tip, keep such things away from the compass; I know someone who made a very nice bracket for their 'ghetto blaster', on the other side of the bulkhead from the steering compass...
 
Agree about motor sailing, also things do change on route.

Depends if you want to be a candle light sailor or sailor?

I hate the Engine, but I wish I had the time and money to leave my boat away form its home berth for days on end.

Candle light sailor:

1) This candle is not flickering its not windy enough...

2) My candle blew out its obviously to windy...

My view take the rough with the smooth. Enjoy the flat passage no rolling pitching etc... Stop at Littlehampton make 2 days of it...
 
Hay Onesea,
You ever been into Littlehampton......lets just say its intresting to get in, difficult to get out and not the best of places to be moored up.
 
Powersalt said:
Hay Onesea,
You ever been into Littlehampton......lets just say its intresting to get in, difficult to get out and not the best of places to be moored up.
Click to expand...

Fair cop just looked, cannot remember Ops, keel (thought it could dry) but if suitable berth is available. Sounds like good weather to try if tides worked.

There is also Shoreham? not certain what the entrance/ berthing options are there either.

Still reduces the leg lengths slightly and is not a day wasted its a day learning the boat.

My point was more if you like sailing and wind is not with the plan, change the plan or you could be doing very little sailing.

My plans normally consist of:

The earliest I can leave is: XXXXXX.
The tides are good for A, B, C Places and I would like to go to D (one day).
I have to be back by: ZZZZZ
The weather forecast is......

But me and SHMBO dislike the engine so would rather not go far to sail..
 
Last edited:
onesea said:
Fair cop just looked, cannot remember Ops, keel (thought it could dry) but if suitable berth is available. Sounds like good weather to try if tides worked.

There is also Shoreham? not certain what the entrance/ berthing options are there either.

Still reduces the leg lengths slightly and is not a day wasted its a day learning the boat.

My point was more if you like sailing and wind is not with the plan, change the plan or you could be doing very little sailing.

My plans normally consist of:

The earliest I can leave is: XXXXXX.
The tides are good for A, B, C Places and I would like to go to D (one day).
I have to be back by: ZZZZZ
The weather forecast is......

But me and SHMBO dislike the engine so would rather not go far to sail..
Click to expand...

Yes know just what you mean. We were hoping for enough wind to sail, but I think we must get the boat to its new home and so might now be resigned to motor or sail it there this weekend whatever.
 
Powersalt said:
You ever been into Littlehampton......lets just say its intresting to get in, difficult to get out and not the best of places to be moored up.
Click to expand...

Powersalt

I've always given Littlehampton a miss on passage between the Solent and Brighton, preferring to do it all in a single hop. However, I have been telling myself that I ought to stop off one day and see what it is like.

Would you care to expand on your comment?

I know the approaches dry at low water and the tide runs quickly at the entrance, especially at mid ebb on springs (just as it does in Portsmouth). However, I presume none of this is a problem if you enter on the top half of the flood and leave early on the ebb. (I also wouldn't attempt it with a strong southerly wind, but I'd also avoid brighton in those same conditions).

Once in, it looks from the chart that there are places for even deep keels like mine (2.1m) to tie up and stay afloat.

I had read one or two adverse comments about people being rudely awakened by townsfolk slightly worse for alcohol, but that can also be said for a few other harbours I can think of on the south coast.

Is it really all that bad? :confused:
 
Angele said:
Powersalt

I've always given Littlehampton a miss on passage between the Solent and Brighton, preferring to do it all in a single hop. However, I have been telling myself that I ought to stop off one day and see what it is like.

Would you care to expand on your comment?

I know the approaches dry at low water and the tide runs quickly at the entrance, especially at mid ebb on springs (just as it does in Portsmouth). However, I presume none of this is a problem if you enter on the top half of the flood and leave early on the ebb. (I also wouldn't attempt it with a strong southerly wind, but I'd also avoid brighton in those same conditions).

Once in, it looks from the chart that there are places for even deep keels like mine (2.1m) to tie up and stay afloat.



I had read one or two adverse comments about people being rudely awakened by townsfolk slightly worse for alcohol, but that can also be said for a few other harbours I can think of on the south coast.

Is it really all that bad? :confused:
Click to expand...

I had a 22' fishing boat for several years at Littlehampton and then I wintered my UFO 34 and then Baraccuda there until the marina gave up with wind driven devices and I feel people are being a little harsh.

The bar dries on Springs so that you can walk up to your knees across the bar, I used to feel the fishing boat across the sand on flat with flat sea with oars dug into the sand.

At HW they still get 3/4,000 ton gravel ships in so plenty of water. The Arun is one of the fastest flowing rivers in England so entering on spring ebbs is not for underpowered vessels.

I have left and entered in SW F5 its a bit bumpy but not that bad. Not to be done if winds F5 SE or over.

Even at LW plenty of water to remain afloat for 45' yachts at the Harbour Master office pontoon (new development in past few years) or you can go alongside at the boatyard plenty of water again at LW on the lefthand bank just before the retracting footbridge. The wharfs are the otherside of the bridge and marina pontoons on left side with fuel. Only hastle is you need 24hours notice to get the bridge opened by the HM or slip through with a gravel boat.

All in all the place has been smartened up a lot since I was there but worth a weekend jolly for somewhere different from the Solent, still some good food pubs ( ie Arun View Inn ).

Brian
 
Powersalt said:
Hay Onesea,
You ever been into Littlehampton......lets just say its intresting to get in, difficult to get out and not the best of places to be moored up.
Click to expand...

I've only been there with dinghies, but Arun YC was pleasant and very welcoming.
The current in the entrance is quite strong, I think it's one of those places where it's nearly always going out, as the fresh water flows out over the incoming tide. Maybe not in recent alleged drought?
 
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