Bristol Channel Quiz (26)

graham

graham

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To balance out all the Tropical Paradises mentioned in the Favourite Places thread this question is aimed at pointing out some of the places not to be.

Question is :Name 10 places in the B.C. that should be avoided in fresh wind against tide situations due to the likelihood of overfalls ,breaking waves etc. I dont know them all so the winner may have to be decided by everyone else.

I'll kick it off with one ,Coming up Channel I once came around the end of Brean Down a few hours into the ebb tide with a strong Westerly. pushing against the tide made it slow progress and it was horrendous with lots of breaking waves ,wash boards in etc. We could have slipped across to Barry but our friends were at Uphill in another boat ,we just got into the River with barely enough water. /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif Never again.
 
wranny is not a nice place to be,st govans, helwick pass. the bitches, any of the sounds ramsey ,jack.nash passag
 
Jack Sound, Pembrokeshire, espescially the southern end. Rather scary overfalls, pushing up triangular standing waves 10 feet high and more. Not the best place to be in a 20' motor boat, as we were once last year.
 
Sarabande thanks for the link, a really useful reference point but it took me a little while to work out where to look.

However this thread has made me distinctly nervous as BC seems to have more than it's fair share of hazards. Will spend lots of time passage planning and thinking about options.
 
On a related point, Louise and I have, over the years, dived all over the UK, South coast, Cornwall, Scotland, Red Sea, Sudan, Caribbean and way out in the Pacific. Every where we go we get told to watch out for strong currents which will wash us away to oblivion. I've never yet felt anything like the currents I regularly endure on the Gower and West Wales.

I've always found it comforting. If you can hack it here, it's really good experience when you go somewhere else.
 
It's called the Oyster and under certain weather conditions forms approx two miles off Croyde Point.

Big hole created by the Americans testing or destroying ordnance is apparently the cause

Surfers know about it, for some reason boaters don't - difficult to find despite the internet though!

There's another one at Newquay but very close in.

Yacht knocked down 3 miles off Hartland - unusual that's considered safe water on the ebb and flood. Was it the wave or the wind or both.
 
Oyster Falls is considerably nearer than 2 miles; if you are that far in you are quite close to land from a navigational point of view which is possibly why it is not charted? As far as I can work out with the sounder it is the continuation of Downend Point which marks the northern end of Croyde beach. It is a dangerous place in swell with the water dropping from 20 to 5 metres. It produces a truly huge wave which breaks left and right. Some of my mates use jet skis for tow in surfing. I have seen it breaking (from the channel in my RIB, NOT surfing it) on a big day and it is a good sight.
Nicki
 
Dont think anyone listed 10 places. Have to admit I had bnever heard of the Giant Wave .So will give that area a wide berth.

I think Mr bloto listed the most sxo next q is on you Tim.
 
IIRC the knockdown was in about F5 SW-ish, and the yacht (32' AWB sloop) said they were broad-reaching in a very sloppy sea, with two sets of waves. A very big wave suddenly reared up and put the spreaders in the water - everything in the cockpit went into the sea, except for the skipper who was clipped on (family were below and OK). He said he thought they were far enough offshore, and another boat in company didn't feel the same effects. Almost certainly wind with tide, and it "just came out of nowhere"!
 
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