Chichester Bar - Don't Cut The Corner!

emsworthy

emsworthy

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Here's why you really shouldn't try to cut inside the Bar Beacon when leaving Chichester Harbour!! :eek:

I took this series of pictures yesterday as a fleet of us were heading out to start a cruiser race from Hayling Bay. One competitor chose to take a bit of a short-cut to the start buoy. To be fair there was plenty of water but you clearly can't ignore the effect of the bar itself. It was the noise that first alerted me to what was a series of breakers, and trust me he was bl**dy lucky... they really were as big as they look in the pictures. :eek::eek:

Here it comes!!
P1000507-1.jpg

Whoah sh*t!!!
P1000508-1.jpg
 
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Saw those on the way back from Bembridge on the August bank holiday, had a chap on the boat that had never sailed into Chichester Harbour before he was quite surprised at how big they were lol :)
 
jetwake said:
Google earth shows this very well too. Nice pics..

Hope you did well in the race

D
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Thanks!

Let's just say we were ahead of a lot of boats that we shouldn't have been!! :)

Tough race though...for us lardy cruisers anyway - (before Flaming steps in and says it wasn't worth getting out of bed for!!;)). Most of the crews weren't used to pushing it in a northerly at 20kts, there were some pretty dramatic local effects off Hill Head too. We had a 90 degree header that actually tacked the boat and pinned us down until we got the genoa over! (Still got the bruises to prove it!)

Great fun all the same! :D
 
Chichester Bar

This is not a place to be with a strong ebb against a Southerly blow of anything more than F6.

I once met a singlehanded American sailor with a racy looking 30-34' boat in Braye, Alderney ( a place which puts the fear of wotsits into me ) and when he found we were from Chichester, he exclaimed " that's the roughest place I've ever seen ! Don't people get killed there ?!"

And he'd just crossed the Atlantic...

In fact there's no problem at all if one doesn't push luck.

As for the boat taking the shortcut, there used to be a swashway close inshore, but it was only for the brave or those lacking imagination; it disappeared years ago and there were notices to that effect, so either it's re-established itself or that boat was VERY lucky.

For mortals, go around the outer southernmost marker post - not the old beacon structure , south of that - , and dont't be spoofed into taking a direct rhumb line from the Dolphin passage ( a marked gap in the submarine barrier blocks from Southsea shore to Horse Sand Fort ) as the shallows extend far out from Hayling foreshore; go South and approach Chichester bar from that angle.

This - the line from the Dolphin, heading East - includes Langstone Harbour entrance, the shallows to the East extend well beyond the Fairway Bouy - keep well off !

This Southern approach to Chichester will often involve gybing, 'tacking downwind'.

The bar should be avoided at low water springs, especially if a swell is running and one has a deep keel boat, but a bit either side should be fine.

The shallowest part of the entrance is by the entrance beacon, it gets progressively deeper after that, to very deep just North East of HISC in the channel then shallow again, but by then one is sheltered and the channels are obvious.

Beware the Winner shoals to the East, which unlike most other places in the harbour ( soft mud ) are very solid shingle / sand, and claim at least one victim - usually just for embarassment when not knowing better - most weekends of the summer.

The channel markers are pretty obvious, don't be put off !
 
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Not Really That Scary

Having looked at my piccies again I thought, "if I were considering visiting Chichester Harbour, and all that it offers, would I be put off by these images?". To which the response was... you're damned right I would!!

Truth is, not only is Chichester Harbour a great place to visit, it is actually very easy to come in to. All the almanacs and pilots I've read make it sound like the gates of Hades! But remember it's home to a lot of sailors who have no choice but to enter, in all states of tide and weather.

So long as you at the very least stay south of Bar Beacon (and ideally West Pole) you will have a safe run in. It is well marked and at the very most it's a bit lumpy for a while and then you're free to explore a wonderful harbour.
 
I'll work out Photobucket soon... but this hopefully shows what the swell on the ebb was doing to the boat just astern of us. A Legend 33 I believe it is.
 
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Pilot books have a nasty habit of making places sound like death-traps, 99% of the time Chichester entrance is calm and no problem at all, it's only when pushing one's luck that things get hairy, as long as it's F5 or less and avoiding wind over tide, it's pretty flat water, certainly nothing to worry about.

Chichester Harbour has a lot to offer, and don't neglect the Western leg at the bottom of the Emsworth Channel, there's Northney Marina or take one's chance on a mooring ( they're not visitors', and one is not supposed to leave a boat unattended, but a bit of judgement suffices, ie don't pick one with a tender on - if anyone fancies a half tide, soft mud mooring to visit I'll say when mine is free ).

There are 2 good historic pubs at Langstone village, serving good food.

In the Eastern leg of the harbour, there are visitors' moorings off Itchenor where there's a good pub serving food, Bosham Channel - another case of picking up someone's mooring, with a good pub and lots of history ashore - or a bit further on there's Chichester Marina, which has a restaurant and chandlery, with a good pub serving excellent food a 15 minute walk down the road towards Chichester town.

I avoided the River Yealm for years as the Pilots made it sound awful, when I did try it in good summer weather it was as simple as it gets, and a truly lovely place.

This even applies to Portland Bill, where I had the most frightening experience of my life - made the mistake of trusting a forecast and committing to the inshore passage coming from Dartmouth, then it came up to F6-7 and I and novice girlfriend had a few hours watching the line of white water get closer - burst through and all was Ok but the build-up was horrible, that's a VERY short version - anyway I've always kept a big distance between self and Portland after that...

Top Tip, if passing Portland from the West, go at least 5 miles off and then head for Studland ( sod the seahorse huggers, I don't think the beasties object ) or Poole.

When I took a chum for a summer cruise, I had told him about this, and even 5 miles off had the boat and selves on 'yellow alert'.

It was a calm sunny day with basking sharks around, we had a favourable tide, and my chum asked " what's the fuss ? " !
 
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The sand to the east of the main channel tends to shift, so if you are tacking up the channel (why not?) do so with caution. Only a few weeks ago I was doing so, heading in a NE'ly direction, avoiding the charted shallow bits, I had put in my tack, and as the boat accelerated out of the tack, well it didnt, it decelerated to a stop! The chart said that there should be 3.2 metres of water above datum. Guess I should think myself lucky I was not sailing at the 6 knts I had moments earlier.
 
One has to be well over to the East to encounter shifting sands, tacking in might not be a good idea unless keen on very swift short tacks.

Best to think of the entrance as quite a narrow channel, especially at the outer part; if facing a Northerly, motor if possible.

As one gets closer in, there's a large starboard hand mark just S of HISC ( near the Hayling end ) which not only guides one to the entrance, but has a tide guage.

I have no idea if this is accurate today, I know the harbour and judge it myself, but it and the guage on the old bar beacon - a dolphin like structure on the way in after the southernmost marker -should be a good guide.

The harbourmaster is on VHF channel 14, but as you close you'll see you won't need to call, it's very plain & simple.
 
The original owner of my boat got into considerable trouble entering Chichester Harbour some years ago. He left Cowes in his Westerly Fulmar in a F3-4 and it was a full F5 when he tried to enter. He lost two people overboard one of whom died, the other rescued by the RNLI Inshore RIB.
He had the book thrown at him for failing to ensure all crew were lifejacketed, and for not filing a saiing plan beforehand, pertaining to weather/conditions. He was then Yachtmaster Examiner, and I believe was disqualified as a result.
The Lifeboat coxswain earned a medal for the rescue in the dangerous conditions, so were pretty bad then.

ianat182
 
ianat182 said:
The original owner of my boat got into considerable trouble entering Chichester Harbour some years ago. He left Cowes in his Westerly Fulmar in a F3-4 and it was a full F5 when he tried to enter. He lost two people overboard one of whom died, the other rescued by the RNLI Inshore RIB.
He had the book thrown at him for failing to ensure all crew were lifejacketed, and for not filing a saiing plan beforehand, pertaining to weather/conditions. He was then Yachtmaster Examiner, and I believe was disqualified as a result.
The Lifeboat coxswain earned a medal for the rescue in the dangerous conditions, so were pretty bad then.

ianat182
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That is tragic that a life was lost. To enter the harbour in a F5 is not so much of a challenge to threaten life, in normal conditions. However if that were a F5 southerly at 3/4 spring ebb, then there could well be conditions that could make the passage dangerous. But entering in a F5, I forget how many times I have done so.
 
There must be a hell of a lot more to that story.

F5 at Chichester bar in a Fulmar should be an absolute doddle, and only 'interesting' even with wind over tide.

Sailing plans filed ?

Either the RNLI are being their usual self-appointed officious selves ( until the collection tins start rattling ) - or the only 'plans filed' might be with the boat owner or a sailing school, if the skipper was acting for such, but a previous post said he was owner...

The usually cross-channel CG66 form would not seem to be relevant.

There was a case quite a few years ago with an instructor trying to set off from Chichester in stupid conditions, which he got canned for; I think a fatality was involved.

The case of the Fulmar though, seems on the face of it as if the crew were not firing on all cylinders, and if the instructor failed it was in not having them restrained on harnesses, and didn't manage a MOB manouvre when they went over the side.

I'll say it again, F5 in a handy, seaworthy boat like a Fulmar...more to this.
 
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Cutting the corner at Chi

Last week we saw a 32-ft-ish ketch leave the HISC moorings ahead of us, track a biscuit-toss away from the Hayling shore past the club, cut W of (inside) the new red buoy and set off towards Portsmouth about 100m off the beach. This was about 2 hours before HW, 4.5M tide.

Obviously he knew the short cut!

The wind was SE f3-4 and the bar was quiet.

Coming back, Tuesday evening, F4 SW, an hour after LW, the bar was like a millpond.

I have seen waves breaking on the sands/shingle on both sides of the channel, though. And I know someone whose engine failed in big swells (SE F4-5, start of the ebb) and who ended up on the beach (no-one drownded, boat OK).

In my view the thing to watch (assuming below F5-6) is the current which sets across the channel on a rising tide. It's easy to get pushed east of the direct line from West Pole to the entrance.

It also seems prudent to keep some sail set in case of engine probs.

Agree too that when entering with a W or SW wind it is well worth going a long way S of the entrance, gybing then coming up from a due S heading. If you take the direct course on an easterly heading the last three miles before the West Pole, where you lose the shelter of the Wight and the water is shallow, can be quite unpleasant.

Enjoy....
C
 
Ubergeekian said:
With whom does one file a sailing plan and what legislation makes it a legal duty to do so?
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You know full well that there is no requirement to file a sailing plan with any one, only to have prepared a passage plan and AFAIK that does not even have to be written down.
Anyway IIRC there is no need even for a passage plan within the Solent.

I reckon I have crossed Chi bar several times in f5 even in my little boat!

I used to use the swash way in the early days with my boat ... but I have seen waves breaking on Hayling beach throwing water into the air as high as the houses along the seafront even when there has not been enough wind to sail!

I think the swashway was officially "abandoned" after they stated flinging stuff up onto the beach to protect the properties along the seafront. Must have been at least 20 years ago.. it's in the "Harbour News" if anyone cares to read back through all the old ones!

Life jackets, safety harnesses, what are they ?
 
VicS said:
Anyway IIRC there is no need even for a passage plan within the Solent.
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That's correct, though I think "The Solent" is defined as the area within a line from Hurst to the Island in the West, and the spire of Saint Helen's church and the Mainland in the East.

So if you're going to Bembridge or Chi, get yer passage plan ready! :)
 
ianat182 said:
The original owner of my boat got into considerable trouble entering Chichester Harbour some years ago. He left Cowes in his Westerly Fulmar in a F3-4 and it was a full F5 when he tried to enter. He lost two people overboard one of whom died, the other rescued by the RNLI Inshore RIB.
He had the book thrown at him for failing to ensure all crew were lifejacketed, and for not filing a saiing plan beforehand, pertaining to weather/conditions. He was then Yachtmaster Examiner, and I believe was disqualified as a result.
The Lifeboat coxswain earned a medal for the rescue in the dangerous conditions, so were pretty bad then.

ianat182
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Is that a slightly garbled version of the Zoe-Anne incident in this report?

http://www.maib.gov.uk/cms_resources.cfm?file=/LCSD.pdf

If so, then it's recorded as F8-9 from the SW, which would be pretty hair-raising.
 
So who's going to insist on reading my mind for a 'passage plan' I've done hundreds if not thousands of times ?

I'd think the R.N. have better things to do, and anyway we Andersons in my club, based Chichester harbour, are pretty close to out-numbering the Navy for operational 'platforms' !

The same goes for the Coastguard, I'll take notice of them when they man lookout stations again instead of relying on public spirited volunteers.

Back to the point of the thread, it looks like the swashway has re-established itself ?

I haven't sailed this season due to illness in the family.

I don't fancy the swashway myself, seems like asking for big trouble, especially considering the offlying shoals...
 
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