Chichester: West Pole Swashway 1

[Tom Price]

Last September Emsworthy posted this pic entitled “Don’t Cut the Corner”, a stark warning to those who ignore the clearly charted shallows on both sides of Chichester Entrance.

That shot, taken looking NW towards the Spinnaker Tower, shows the tops of incoming waves being blown off in a NNW F4 against the last of a big flood tide.

In the subsequent argy-bargy on here it was claimed that the swashway close to the beach had closed. But reading Havant Borough Council’s 2009 Study in Coastal Defences it is apparent that the littoral drift along the Eastoke Peninsular will always clear out a gully near the beach no matter how many tonnes of shingle are replaced every year under their Beach Replenishment Programme.

To start at the beginning, here is the East end of what can be seen at LW Springs. This is the first red post, no longer marking any groyne, with the old Eastoke Beacon seen to the left and the new Eastoke Buoy warning of nearby shallows

Had to paddle for this shot: No 2 is located on the end of a rock groyne while the first can be seen beyond

At the third red can, located on the end of a wooden groyne, the channel has passed the main hump of the West Pole and is located several boat-lengths to seaward

this S cardinal indiactes all clear. Course can now be set for the Isle of Wight, taking care to avoid the equally hazardous East Winner shallows off Langstone Harbour

On the beach red cans are replaced by green cones – although some seem rather tired!

Is there a Swashway? I know it’s still there

 

[Seajet]

Excellent photo's & info', thanks.

Now will someone remind me again re. Chichester Harbour Conservancy harbour dues revenue for the thousands of resident boats, visitors, & those who have already paid but still get charged as visitors at Itchenor etc, to watch speeding RIB's but sod all maintenance unless it's within rowing ( not that such a thing would happen ) distance of the harbour office ?

 

[brianhumber]

The Chart of sediment flows was interesting. Explains why the North Winner bank is creeping north little by little every year and channel getting narrower.
I have seen smaller yachts use the Swashway at HW and I and others use the shortcut direct from East Head to Chichester Pole avoiding the close encounter parties you get from HISC.

Re Chi Harbour Conservancy, all our harbour dues seem to go into new playtoys for the lads, the latest is that a very smart expensive launch with accomodation has appeared to go with the mega powered RIBs they roar about in.

Coupled to fencing harbour side ordinary footpaths and making mini roads out of them,( gravel surface with timber sides to a standard the London Parks would be pleased to aspire too), fancy new signs and posts and timber bike posts,( which I have never seen used) are you really surprised there is no dues money left to maintain navigation items.

Brian

 

[Fantasie 19]

There are a lot more people qualified to speak on this (ie the swashway as opposed to Harbour dues/revenues! ) than myself, but I would still be concerned about using it... it's very close to the beach, and those waves Emsworthy took the picture of (and I have seen for myself) are pretty big - they have to go somewhere, how far towards the shore do they break, and do they break before or after the swashway?

 

[Seajet]

Fantasie 19,

in my experience the waves there break to the West of the swatchway.

Let's put it this way, I know people who recommend it, but I saw the same people set off from Guernsey in fog with just RDF, and, quelle surprise, had a bit of a fraught time...

I knew another couple of hooligans who ran a fin keeler onto the Winner trying to shortcut into Chichester & outsmart Father Neptune; one told me later of watching the GRP bilges bulge in & out, then cracks appear, when they hit ( it's like granite ) - I for one can well do without excitement like that.

Though my boat only draws 2' or so keel up I have never thought the shortcut worth the risk, since launching her in 1978.

 

[benjenbav]

Great pictures TP and a really fascinating account. Challenging, you might say. I don't have my paper charts with me and was just looking at a Garmin chart on the pc. How can it be? I thought, the drying heights all around are 5.9 - 7.9 and yet, even on springs there's probably only 5m of tide there. Hold on, I had the chart set to feet rather than meters. It looked a bit more friendly when I reset it to metric. 12.36 BST tomorrow might be a good time to give it a go!

 

[Tom Price]

Swashway from the sea

One place to check height of tide is the gauge opposite Hayling Island Sailing Club – unless, of course, you have some gizmo on your mobile that enables you to read Chimet from afar. This was reading 4.0m as we left, an hour before a predicted Chichester HW of 4.4 metres - midway beween Springs and neaps

Seaward past the lifeboat station to round the new Eastoke red can keeping us away from the shallows which leave the old beacon high and dry at LW.
Most people know that beacon marks the end of the Harbourmaster’s jurisdiction and the 8-knot speed restriction. MoBos put the foot down - if they haven’t done so already- BUT there’s a 10-knot limit right out to MLWS stipulated by Havant byelaws. Fortunately they don’t police it!

The preferred course is very close to the first red where I found a depth of 2.6 m, but coming back I cut inside (it has no groyne to the shore) and found a foot more

Ahead can be seen the dogleg made by the three important red markers, with the Sly cardinal in the distance

The second red also is passed close to, after which everything calms down and depths increase as we move away from the shore and the cardinal.

Charted soundings of this area are wildly inaccurate: the hump shown on that Havant chartlet dried nearly 4 metres after the annual beach replenishment at Easter; now it has reduced to about 3.3 metres.
A spur extends South before curving SW to form an E-W ridge just inside the Bar Beacon, drying some 2 metres above datum. Another smaller ridge inside the West Pole tripod also runs E-W and dries a metre or so. In onshore winds these cause breaking waves which finally expend their energy on the hump, so often the swashway is quite calm – even if you are not!

Finally, that green marker has been repaired at last – I do have a certain personal interest . . .