Could we see France?

[jaminb]

Beautiful sail thrashing round the Solent on Saturday. As we approached the entrance to Bembridge we could see a large stationary mass and some smaller bumps. According to my charts there are no islands off SE IoW. Was this France? Thanks

 

[Praxinoscope]

Very unlikely, Cherbourg for instance is over 60 miles from Bembridge assuming you were viewing from a position not very high off water level the curvature of the Earth would hide France from where you were.

 

[Rustyknight]

Crossing the channel once we could make out France behind us, and the IOW ahead, but it didn't last. At the weekend I was walking on Swyre Head near Kimmeridge, and could easily spot the Needles and all the way down to St Catherines Head, but due to a fog bank, Weymouth and Portland were invisible. Some might say thats no bad thing.

 

[Channel Sailor]

Could be the enormous container ship that was anchored out that way a few days ago.

 

[michael_w]

On one memorable evening sailing home from Cherboug I could see: Joburg, Alderney, Portland Bill. St Adlhelms's, Anvil Point, The Needles and St Catherine's all at the same time.

 

[sarabande]

Possibly anomalous refraction caused by certain conditions of air temperature and humidity. Parts of the Cherbourg peninsula are 180m above sea level, which gives them a horizon distance of 65km. Add your own height ASL, and odd temp and humidity, and it is quite possible you struck lucky in meteorological terms.

 

[jaminb]

Thanks all. I am convinced it wasn't a ship - it looked huge.

 

[Poignard]

On one memorable evening sailing home from Cherboug I could see: Joburg, Alderney, Portland Bill. St Adlhelms's, Anvil Point, The Needles and St Catherine's all at the same time.

An 8-point fix? ?

 

[Norman_E]

Possibly anomalous refraction caused by certain conditions of air temperature and humidity. Parts of the Cherbourg peninsula are 180m above sea level, which gives them a horizon distance of 65km. Add your own height ASL, and odd temp and humidity, and it is quite possible you struck lucky in meteorological terms.

I agree, there do seem to be odd meterological conditions that do let you see things that are further away than the curvature of the earth should allow.

 

[ashtead]

Clearly just St Helens fort at low tide

 

[jaminb]

Clearly just St Helens fort at low tide

My eye sight is failing with age but no we were next to St. Helens

 

[dovekie]

We were stood on top of Tory Island and could see St Kilda, 150 miles. Nothing else on that bearing from there.

 

[RJJ]

Reminds me of the old gag: You're on top of Scafell Pike looking out to sea on a clear day, what's the furthest thing you can see??

(thinks: Scotland? Isle of Man? Ireland?)

The sun.

 

[westernman]

Reminds me of the old gag: You're on top of Scafell Pike looking out to sea on a clear day, what's the furthest thing you can see??

(thinks: Scotland? Isle of Man? Ireland?)

The sun.

At night you can see much much further.

 

[RIBW]

From the Times few years ago
Cheers
Bob

 

[burgundyben]

From the Times few years ago
Cheers
BobView attachment 135868

Bonchurn Down is at the back of Ventnor, highest point on the Island, on a clear night Cherbourg is quite clear.

 

[johnalison]

Conditions near the horizon can often look very like land, especially mountains. Anomalous refraction might make it possible to see over such distances, but I think it would be pretty unlikely in daylight. There is a mirage called fata morgana that elevates images but I think that this requires the sort of settled weather that I don’t think we’ve had recently.

 

[KREW2]

Thanks all. I am convinced it wasn't a ship - it looked huge.

Nah!.....France isn't huge.

 

[[3889]]

A couple of years ago I was driving on the A55 toward Anglesey just before sunset. The Isle of Man, 75 miles away, was clearly visible, not as a smudge but as a well defined profile of the whole island with which I am familiar, with Snaefell prominent. It almost seemed to be above the sea surface, akin to the picture of the ship off Cornwall circulated last year. Never seen it before nor since. Sarabande's explanation makes most sense.