Crossing Lulworth ranges, theory and practice

[matt8442]

Oops can’t add It, news reporting Lulworth ranges open this week 9:30 till 5:30pm Monday to Thursday and night firing on Tuesday and Thursday 8pm till midnight. On Friday it’s open 09:30 till 12:30pm from previous experience when we were going from Weymouth to Poole we were kindly asked to move out of range by the range boat, and just to make sure we moved we had a Wildcat helicopter come and watch us leave. Made a boring trip a little more interesting. Plus was embarrassing for me as I’m a former Tank commander who used to use the ranges and would always moan at boats crossing into the red template! Talk about being on the other side of the coin...

 

[skyflyer]

Hi Skyflyer, know your on about going next week, but thought you might want to see this from local news this morning...

Link?

 

[skyflyer]

Oops can’t add It, news reporting Lulworth ranges open this week 9:30 till 5:30pm Monday to Thursday and night firing on Tuesday and Thursday 8pm till midnight. On Friday it’s open 09:30 till 12:30pm from previous experience when we were going from Weymouth to Poole we were kindly asked to move out of range by the range boat, and just to make sure we moved we had a Wildcat helicopter come and watch us leave. Made a boring trip a little more interesting. Plus was embarrassing for me as I’m a former Tank commander who used to use the ranges and would always moan at boats crossing into the red template! Talk about being on the other side of the coin...

Ah yes thanks. But again that’s the times the ranges are “not closed” but not necessarily actually engaged in firing. I think we will be after midnight anyway!
thanks

 

[Rappey]

Was heading east passing portland with the tide a fair way offshore.. Needed to detour to portland so turned. Was close hauled. Came across a chinook hovering barely 6 ft above the water right in my path. Didn't want to tack as would have been swept off in the wrong direction with the tide.
Who gives way ? I got a lot closer than I wanted but then the chinook flew off.
As I passed where it was there was a large yellow buoy type thing with lights and antennas and God knows what. I passed it and the helicopter resumed hovering above it.
No one hailed me on the radio.

 

[matt8442]

Ah yes thanks. But again that’s the times the ranges are “not closed” but not necessarily actually engaged in firing. I think we will be after midnight anyway!
thanks

Hi Skyflyer, the news report said live firing will be taking place, so just be aware the ranges will be open and firing will be taking place at those times. But like you say if your after midnight regardless it won’t matter. Have a good trip and hope you get to Poole ok

 

[matt8442]

Hi Skyflyer, the news report said live firing will be taking place, so just be aware the ranges will be open and firing will be taking place at those times. But like you say if your after midnight regardless it won’t matter. Have a good trip and hope you get to Poole ok

Live firing to take place day and night at Lulworth Ranges this week

 

[skyflyer]

Live firing to take place day and night at Lulworth Ranges this week

Just like it said in the notice online. Lacks detail though doesn’t it. A bit like a railway line being “in use”. Doesn’t mean there’s a train every minute! (Not that I’d cross a railway line other than at a level crossing) But I might plan a route to use the level crossing where I know there’s one train an hour rather than the one where there’s 8 trains an hour

 

[Sandy]

Just like it said in the notice online. Lacks detail though doesn’t it. A bit like a railway line being “in use”. Doesn’t mean there’s a train every minute! (Not that I’d cross a railway line other than at a level crossing) But I might plan a route to use the level crossing where I know there’s one train an hour rather than the one where there’s 8 trains an hour

They need a whip round for each round fired, then there is a raffle for who is going to fire it. That all takes time

 

[Gary Fox]

...

 

[Gary Fox]

They need a whip round for each round fired, then there is a raffle for who is going to fire it. That all takes time

No, that method has been deemed wasteful; now it's the same round, they have to bring it back and reload it each time!

 

[Blue Sunray]

Since the Cavalry Young officers under training are on the ranges at the moment I'd give it as wider berth as possible, its all likely to be a bit random.

Still hopefully they won't be burning down the mess with parachute flares this year.

Capt Rupert Nurich guilty of Bovington army base flare fire

 

[Boathook]

Just like it said in the notice online. Lacks detail though doesn’t it. A bit like a railway line being “in use”. Doesn’t mean there’s a train every minute! (Not that I’d cross a railway line other than at a level crossing) But I might plan a route to use the level crossing where I know there’s one train an hour rather than the one where there’s 8 trains an hour

If you have AIS transponder use it plus have radio on and range control or boat will call you if they think that you are entering the firing area.

 

[Dipper]

As others have said, call up the range safety vessel or range safety control on the VHF before you get there. You may find that firing is about to finish or that only the inner range is in use and you will be advised.

I did once insist on traversing the range on the way back from Poole to Weymouth. There was a F6 -7 N forecast and poor visibility and I had one flat battery already and a suspect alternator. I wanted to keep in calmer waters and not lose sight of the land due to the risk of losing my instruments. The patrol boat allowed me to pass through but requested I used my engine and make as much speed as possible. I believe that the law says that you can insist on traversing the range but it is illegal to loiter. I wouldn't choose to do it under normal circumstances. They are only training so that they might one day be called upon to save my life.

 

[smert]

The last time we crossed the range we called range control as we were approaching and gave them our plans because we were not due to clear the range until after they were due to start as the wind died on the way from Weymouth.

As we were about half way across the wind picked up again and we cleared the range on time, but when we called the range control to let them know we were clear, they said 'we know, we've been watching you on the radar'!

 

[SimonFa]

The range safety boats can be contacted on VHF Channel 8, call sign “Lulworth Range Safety Boat”.
Range control also monitors Channel 8 during firing.
Better to know beforehand rather than aim for the inner passage then get diverted to go out around the buoys!

Its always worth listening out on CH8 because the chat between the crews can be quite amusing More seriously, they also talk about when they will be finishing and you often catch them giving other boats the limits, which saves having to get them yourself. I never bother ringing range control its rarely answered. If I haven't heard anything on Ch 8 as I approach from Portland/Weymouth I assume they aren't firing, they soon let you know if they are.

Its a bit different coming from the East as you can't pick up the range safety boats until you get quite close to St Aldhem's Head, and you may then you may need to head South for a while if you're too close to land, which is a pain if you're heading to Portland/Weymouth. When I'm heading back to Portland if I know or suspect they're firing I aim to cross the race at about the DZ "A" buoy, that's far enough out to be relatively calm in most conditions and close enough you can head straight across if they aren't firing. (I don't aim to cross the race against the tide, only ever slack or with the tide. Wind against tide head further out) .

Range control usually inform Solent Coastguard on Ch16 what the plans are for the day between about and 07:30 and 08:00 they then tell them when firing has finished, so worth having the radio on if you're setting off during the day.

As a general rule they are firing every Mon - Fri, Tue and Thurs evenings (night firing so can be quite late) and one weekend a month. They will generally finish when the crews have done whatever they need to do to pass the course they are on so anyone crossing just delays the finish, which is often well before 5:30. They don't fire in the school holidays. If you're setting off from Portland have a quick look to see if the safety boats are in, they're on the pontoon south of the fuel pontoon.

 

[Aardee]

I passed outside the outer range a few years ago in somewhat sporty conditions, and the safety boat radio-ed me periodically to check everything was OK and I was happy remaining 5 miles offshore, like Smert above they were clearly tracking my progress via radar.

 

[Daedelus]

I found they tended to knock off early on Fridays - around lunchtime.

 

[richardbrennan]

There's a small chart and suggested tracks in Reeds.

 

[matt8442]

I found they tended to knock off early on Fridays - around lunchtime.

And don’t forget Wednesday afternoons, they were always classed as sports afternoons. Amazing how much sport was played in the pub. ?

 

[skyflyer]

Follow up..
We tracked from 5m south of the Bill to about 3m south of Anvil Point. Listened out on 16 and 8 and heard nowt
Saw safety boats in the distance
All in all a non event .... on this occasion!
Thanks everyone