Chichester Bar

Racecruiser

Racecruiser

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I grew up sailing on Chichester Harbour but am out of touch as far as depth on the bar is concerned these days.

I'm thinking of taking advantage of the settled weather with a solo amble from Hamble and would most likely be coming over the bar just after LW on Saturday afternoon with a draft of 1.8m. Will be grateful for an opinion or two, what do the locals think?
 
Racecruiser said:
I grew up sailing on Chichester Harbour but am out of touch as far as depth on the bar is concerned these days.

I'm thinking of taking advantage of the settled weather with a solo amble from Hamble and would most likely be coming over the bar just after LW on Saturday afternoon with a draft of 1.8m. Will be grateful for an opinion or two, what do the locals think?
Click to expand...

You may want to have a read here.. http://www.conservancy.co.uk/notices/view/113/
 
Fantasie 19 said:
You may want to have a read here.. http://www.conservancy.co.uk/notices/view/113/
Click to expand...

Many thanks - so if there is at least 1 metre at chart datum and LW is + 1.2m according to Easytide there should be at least 2.2m at LW. But the bottom probably does move so I think I'll go for an hour after LW assuming minimal waves to be safe which is 16.09 or later.

If it was mud I would not be so concerned but I don't fancy bouncing up and down on hard sand. I remember sailing my Dad's boat over the bar with a bunch of friends when we were all in our teens and the bottom was very visible - bit worrying at the time but there was no depth sounder so I've no idea exactly how much water we had.

Any other input welcome!
 
I agree with leaving it a bit after LW, and moreso if any significant waves, like in a breezy Southerly wind against ebb; I knew a couple of heroes in a 27' fin keeler who got it wrong - this was years ago mind - and came ashore badly shaken, after being pounded on the rock hard sand and watching the bilges flex !

In reality you should have no problem at all in normal conditions; remember the shallows extending well off Hayling foreshore almost into the bee line from the Dolphin gap in the Southsea - Horse Sand Fort barrier, particularly so just East of Langstone entrance but also just West of Chichester entrance;itf conditions are lumpy it pays to be offshore a bit from the Dolphin and swing in an arc, giving Langstone a good distance off and approaching Chichester from the South a bit.

In calmer conditions one can set course straight from the Dolphin for Chi bar beacon, but I'd still aim South a little 1 mile W of the beacon - I'm the cautious type !

Chimet is always very handy if you have 'net access onboard.

On sunny days a Southerly sea breeze usually springs up along Hayling foreshore, but the wind might be completely different once inside Chi Harbour by HISC...

In reality you should have a great fun no hassle trip if doing it soon.
 
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SAPurdie said:
I just took a Centaur over in calm conditions at ~LWS. Had less than a meter below the keel but in the conditions that was ample.
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That's interesting and I'd think accurate after over 40 years there; which makes the current HM's predictions optimistic, as I suspected...

Best not try it in a fin keeler in a big swell except near the top of the tide !
 
This season, I've seen about 5ft below the outdrive (which is 3ft below the surface) in a couple of places at LWS, so 8ft in total.
It should be fine for most boats at any time of day in flat conditions: those that do run aground are almost always in the wrong place.
Different story in a swell, though, in which case I would wait for an hour or so either side.
 
It can be quite horrible on the ebb in anything above F4 from S or SE.
And note that the tide turns noticeably later than Portsmouth.
 
I'd just point out that the tide off the entrance starts going WEST about 1.5 hours before HW Portsmouth; and flows West over the Winner shoal - a bit - so care must be taken to keep an eye on one's track and a back-bearing on the beacon, for people not used to it; I suspect this is how that chap recently managed to insert Chi Spit beacon between his shrouds !

In a Southerly F6 against the ebb I'd say go elsewhere unless very seaworthy and a good reason to want to be in Chichester Harbour, above that I'd say stay away no matter what.

I once met an American singlehander in Braye, Alderney; on learning we were from Chichester, he - who'd just crossed the Atlantic - exclaimed " that's the roughest place I've ever seen - don't people get killed there ?! "

The answer being yes they do, but only very rarely if they are frankly asking for trouble.

However in normal conditions people would wonder what the fuss was about, a pussycat.
 
Seajet said:
In a Southerly F6 against the ebb I'd say go elsewhere unless very seaworthy and a good reason to want to be in Chichester Harbour
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I'm glad to hear that, in a way, as I made exactly that decision a few weeks ago. Top end of a six, gusts into seven, more south-west than southerly. Coming from the east, we'd planned to go into Chichester, but it would have been in the bottom third of the spring ebb as we got there. I decided to carry on to Portsmouth (not wholly popular with my crew, as it was getting late) to be on the safe side, but I did wonder if I was being overcautious - I've never seen Chichester entrance in anything but pleasant conditions so I was going on reputation only. Sounds like it was probably the right decision.

Pete
 
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This is it on a poor day (F7), taken a few weeks ago.
No boats tried it whilst I was watching.

IMG_0738.JPG
 
prv said:
I'm glad to hear that, in a way, as I made exactly that decision a few weeks ago. Top end of a six, gusts into seven, more south-west than southerly. Coming from the east, we'd planned to go into Chichester, but it would have been in the bottom third of the spring ebb as we got there. I decided to carry on to Portsmouth (not wholly popular with my crew, as it was getting late) to be on the safe side, but I did wonder if I was being overcautious - I've never seen Chichester entrance in anything but pleasant conditions so I was going on reputation only. Sounds like it was probably the right decision.

Pete
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F6-7 SW on a spring ebb - hmm ... pushing it IMHO.
F5-6 SW on a full spring ebb was doable, but not comfortable using full sail (although a reefed main would've probably helped!) and a 30' length, 6' keel - that was a good few years ago though ... it was good practice for surfing and feathering the tiller to keep the waterflow over the rudder. But then I'm local and practised in dinghy handling so happier with those sorts of conditions (for short periods).

At LWS I would only go in and out with a deep keel if it was calm, keeping a good eye on the depth gauge and having checked the conservancy report & survey first - although the sands do move ...
 
Thanks to the good folk who pitched in to this and I was hoping to report back with minimum depth encountered but for various reasons didn't make the trip. A day trip to Osborne Bay with a swim instead which was very pleasant!
 
With a quick read through, I'm not sure anyone actually mentioned the variety of depth depending on how close to the marks you are. It's not a simple "U" or "V" shaped channel into the harbour. We draw 1.8m, and I've nosed my way in at low tide on a spring, and about turned when it's read less than 1 foot. It might be possible to get in on a spring low, but you'd have to be dead on the deepest part of the channel. I check against the Chimet reading. If Chimet has at least 1.2 above datum, then I feel relatively happy...
 
One thing to beware of, I don't think Chichester entrance reliable to find in thick fog if the GPS is out; depthsounder, compass and log won't cut it, and once in that situation I anchored off Southsea away from the bee-line used by fishing boats etc through the Dolphin passage, waiting overnight for it to clear, which thankfully it did.

Unlike some harbours, there is no discernible contour and deeper bit for the depthsounder to find.
 
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