Crossing to IOW in a tender

I was thinking, Air Force Sailing Club to East Cowes Marina. Looked like 6.75 NM (below).

Pretty sure I went straight over the Bramble bank, because how often is it shallow enough to worry a RIB?

Of course, if one has a RIB as a ferry, it would be no bother to keep the yacht on a cheaper river mooring, miles up the Medina.

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My 2p.

I used to commute 3 miles, a similar distance to Lymington -Yarmouth. In Plymouth though so much more sheltered. I used a big heavy Avon about 10/11 ft with inflatable keel and bottom boards, it could be very lively but never felt dangerous, however with a 3.5 outboard it took a least an hour, bloody ages if the tide was wrong. Most places in Plymouth you would fairly quickly be blown ashore, in relative safety, if you had problems.
On the big boat I used the smaller regular tender. The big inflatable was left on the mooring and was encrusted with guano after a night of two. I always worried about it being nicked.

Most scenarios in the Solent look like you could be lumbered with long stretches of open wind over tide; well over 3 miles as well. The small dinghy would not be suitable in my view, not stable enough and very wet.

To cut it short, for all these reasons, no.

.
 
I know someone who keeps his largish mobo In Cowes and a rib at the camber dock and the arrangement works for him but an inflatable as opposed to a rib - no way for me.
 
Catalina36 said:
Over 50 years ago a mate and I sailed my National 12 from Portsmouth Sailing Club to Ryde on a glorious summer's evening then decided to stop for a pint...then another pint. By the time we left it was dusk and as we set off back to Portsmouth the light wind gradually faded to nothing. Out came the paddles I'd made specially. By 0100 we'd almost made Gilkicker and by 0300 we were back on the slipway at PSC to find my parents and the law waiting...
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But what a memory...

Spent the day climbing with some school pals, called in on another pal and we opened his home brew. The 10 mile cycle while quite pissed was interesting. About 0200 I reached my front door, two hours later my climbing partner reached his! Parents were not amused.
 
I think realistically it would only be practical in a RIB, minimum 5m and 50hp. Something like an Avon searider.

With Handheld VHF, flares, lights, waterproof GPS etc. You could do it one off in smaller inflatables but I don't think regularly.
 
Sandy said:
But what a memory...

Spent the day climbing with some school pals, called in on another pal and we opened his home brew. The 10 mile cycle while quite pissed was interesting. About 0200 I reached my front door, two hours later my climbing partner reached his! Parents were not amused.
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Sadly he died only a few weeks ago and that occasion featured in his eulogy. Still not forgotten after all these years!
 
It's a bit of a stretch from Grant's original post, but the greatest danger I encounter when I look at this question, is how tempting it would be to lay out a few thousand on a RIB (or more likely, a bigger old Fletcher or Boston Whaler) that can be on the island in 15 minutes without trying, and thereby getting drawn into a very different sort of boating. ?

Really, think of what would be entirely possible on any ordinary summer day...cooked breakfast at Cowes, a leisurely glance at what's going on along the river, then down to Seaview for a seafood lunch at The Old Fort restaurant, then a walk, then buzz round to anchor at Ventnor by late-afternoon, for a dip before a big dinner at The Spyglass...and still be back on the Hamble, tying up before 11pm.

Plenty of miles at sea, happy SWMBO and no waiting around, ever. :unsure: I'd love to say it isn't very appealing, but it is.
 
We once drove 3 x 15’ Inflatables with a 40 OB from Poole to Alderney .
It was an epic journey, the whole deck was filled with fuel cans.
We also had a support Landing craft.
different perspective but I would probably not drive from Hamble to Cowes in a 3m airdeck floor with no back up
 
Loddon said:
The hovercraft from Southsea to Ryde is only 10 minutes and not so expensive ;)
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But they don’t run in any wind as they do turn over if it’s breezy. If the intention is to restrict travel to below F4 to a cheap mooring on the medina at say £ 250 per annum then you could afford to buy a decent rib to travel across if you had a parking space on Hamble say but additional parking costs . I guess you could buy a beach hut at the ketch on hayling island and keep the rib on a buoy in summer .
 
dancrane said:
Aeolus is right...even if it's glorious on the way out, it may not be on returning. Even in peak season, it's quite normal to have F4/5 and even more, blasting up the Solent making things boisterous enough in a biggish ballasted boat. Extremely uncomfortable, slow, wet and downright perilous in a sub-ten foot inflatable, partly because it's not very visible in waves.

We've had enough fine still days for me to have thought it might be reasonable to use a motor-driven tender if I kept a yacht at an inexpensive sailing club, a mile away across the water. But most of the times when I actually want to sail, I'd want a bigger and more robust tender to cover that mile than could be carried by any yacht I'm likely to command.

Of course, if I convince myself that I really need a four-metre RIB with 20hp or more, then I could call it a tender as well, and just tow it.

Dammit, you've got me thinking again now.

Note to self: I'll want one of those all-round white nav-lights on a stick, for late-evening runs.
:unsure:
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Go on, you know you want to ?
 
Best place for sanctuary in Yarmouth used to cook on hot rocks. I don’t know if it’s still open though as haven’t been able to book a berth at Yarmouth for some time .
 
I’ve recently bought a 3.3m rib w/20hp which doubles up as run around and tender.

I have a low drama threshold for swell and wind - well life in general - but have poked my nose out to the open Solent a few times and it feels quite safe. I’d happily scoot from Cowes, where we moor, to mainland.

However I’m not sure how it would be in a smaller soft bottom tender.
 
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