Entering Chichester on Sunday afternoon

Moonshining

Moonshining

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Do any of the Chichester Harbour inhabitants have any opinions on the likely conditions at the harbour entrance on Sunday afternoon? I've committed to be in Cowes on Sunday until 12:00, so I'll be arriving back at Chichester mid-afternoon or so.

Springs are Monday, low tide is just after 5pm and it's currently forecast to be an F5 from the South.

I've heard all about the daemons that lurk at the entrance in those conditions, but haven't experienced them yet. Should I take my chances or should I stay and have a couple of pints and Sunday lunch in Cowes and get back a bit later?
 
04/03/2007
High 11:46 4.4 m
Low 05:02 0.9 m
Low 17:19 0.7 m

05/03/2007
High 00:09 4.5 m
High 12:17 4.4 m
Low 05:35 0.8 m
Low 17:51 0.7 m

It'll be VERY lumpy! IMO with F5 against the full ebb, stay away.
 
There was quite a long thread towards the end of last year on the same lines with before and after comments, which would be interesting if only it were possible to find anything using the useless search engine.
With a southerly F5 agin the ebb it will be quite lively across the bar and in the outer channel, but as they say in the pilot books, nothing that should trouble a well-found yacht. I would stand out to sea a little, turn towards the west pole beacon about 1/4 to 1/2 a mile out and run up the channel. The worst seas are over the bar to the west of the beacons. There are likely to be some standing waves near the Winner beacon more than a couple of hours after HW as well, and after that it all goes quiet. The tide will also be ripping out after HW+ 2-3 hours, as it's close to springs iirc.
 
I agree with Evadne. A F5 over the Ebb will be lumpy so if at all possible delaying your entry would be to your advantage, but entering very achievable. Any more than a F5 would suggest delay a neccesity. (dependant on your vessel, confidence, crew etc)
If not, and time is against you, be advised that you will be a little uncomfortable but you can limit and manage this by staying out as much as possible (at least 1/2 mile min) to avoid and minimise the effects of the swell west of the W Winner and then turn to the west pole beacon & channel. It will be a lumpy ride inbound in the channel but not for too long.
May see you out there.

Good luck, safe sailing.
 
Agree with the F5 situation. BUT, there's something brewing out there that could easily give lots more than F5. Don't get caught out.

If it comes in faster & you go, then be prepared to divert. If possible, take a look at Chimet on Saturday & what you're going to get on Sunday will probably be worse.

One man's fun is another's hell though so bear that in mind.

As to the tide, you can effectively use the spring diamonds. Current through the narrow point of the channel mid afternoon will be fierce. Outside it'll be strong too & progress will be: down wind, up tide, bumpy & rolling.
 
[ QUOTE ]
One man's fun is another's hell

[/ QUOTE ]

Well put. Or SWMBO's hell in my case. I wouldn't choose to set out in an F5 south westerly under normal circumstances. I've done it once and while not life threatening, it isn't for the faint hearted or those prone to seasickness. Coming in, especially if the sea hasn't had time to build up is a different kettle of fish, but I agree with Ken about what he'll be expecting, I just had a look at the two Theyr sites and the old one is predicting S-SW F5, the newer one SE F6-7 for 12:00-16:00 Sunday.

Ooer, just looking at the predictions for Sunday evening, over St Georges channel, that's the first time I've seen anyone predicting F12 winds this year...

Actually only a 10. I must be going colourblind
 
Yeek. That's worrying. Big depression supposed to develop west of Ireland over the next 24 hours (although nothing at the moment). And it's only going to stay reasonable if the prediction that it builds and then swings North is correct.

I see what you mean. There are a lot of ifs going on there.
 
[ QUOTE ]
but as they say in the pilot books, nothing that should trouble a well-found yacht. I would stand out to sea a little

[/ QUOTE ]

In a 36ft boat with a crew of 4, no problem. No disrespect to the Jaguar 27.

But, and I assume AuldSolt will be sailing his Jaguar 27, this boat is about 2 1/2 tons, he will have had to push a foul tide all the way from Cowes, speed over the ground 4knts?, 15 - 16 miles Cowes to the bar, that'll be arrival at about 16.00.

The tide will have 'stood' in Chi harbour for the first hour, helped by the Southerly 5. So what will be three hours after the ebb starts to flow out of Chi harbour the flow will be faster and more furious than normal.

OK, so he goes and takes a look, how far will he be tempted to close the entrance before facing the prospect of a sail to another refuge, (back to Cowes?) wherever he goes heading West by now he will be into another foul tide and by 17.30 it will be dark.

With a F5 S forecast (forget any worsening conditions), the passage plan does not work.
 
Low Spring tide

So far no one has mentioned that you just might hit the bottom at low tide, and almost certainly will if there are big troughs. I haven't sailed out of Chichester for a number of years, but I am sure that he bar has not got any deeper. We just grounded on a flat calm day with 1.5 metres - (where we should have been).

If its rough then don't even think of it at low springs!
 
Hmm. I think I'm beginning to agree, especially if it is SE rather than S or SW, which means he'll have be on the wind, even if he's only legging it back to Gosport. On the other hand I'd expect his Jaguar to be a touch faster than our Lizzie, being lighter and a longer LWL, so 3 hours or less is probably a reasonable passage time in those conditions, I'd expect to maintain 6kts average.
The good part of the forecast is that it is coming in like a bat out of hell, so the swell will probably not precede the wind. The bad part is the bit that suggests F6 or F7 by dusk.
I usually time arrival and departure for HW+/- 2 hours, which probably colours my perception of the bar. Best option (if available) would be to look at Chimet in Cowes libray or an internet tearoom before setting off.
 
Well, I've bottled it and cancelled. With that big depression coming close, it's all just too unpredictable and there's no point having to dump the boat in Cowes or Portsmouth and then to have to go and rescue it midweek.

Bah, humbug. That was going to be my first sail of the year too. It'll be the weekend of the 24th before I can try again.

I'm going to leave work early and drown my sorrows in a few /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif 's.


Of course - there's nothing to stop us just heading off tomorrow and having a nice Saturday day sail just to make sure nothing falls off, is there?

In that case I shall leave work early and have a few anticipatory

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif's
 
very sensible decision - no one has mentioned you would also have up to 5 knots of tide if not more against you and would have to get dangerously close to the edge of the channel to get out of the worst of it - sopmething i wouldnt want to do in a SE F5 on a falling tide
 
Despite my pleadings to various skippers over the years, I am yet to tackle to entrance to Chi, indeed my first visit will be when we take Merit to her summer mooring in little over a week, however with SWMBOs Grand Parents having lived in West Wittering and now my brother being in Mengham, I have been lucky enough to have many a sunday strole round to East Head or Sandy Point and I have seen it in many different states of weather and all states of tide.

At first you can not help but be awed by it. It is one of the best places to enjoy a storm and the waves pound on Eastoke beach as well as they pound anywhere (and that is coming from a Cornishman).

However, hen you watch it with a sailors eye, you realise it is all a trick of the sea. Part of what makes the sea so special perhaps? If you look just at the channel, ignore the furore (sp?) around it, block out the noise and the froth in the unavigble water, the channel itself is often marked out by it's relative calm, and if one my quote Tina Turner on scuttlebutt, it's those calm waters that run deep. I have watched many a pale faces crew ick there way up there and into th relative calm of the harbour, often looking like they have had a nasty time out in the open water... still, you wont find us taking Lutine in there on a spring ebb.
 
It's true that in a blow, the waves rear up and break over West Pole because of the way it shelves, but they can also rear up and break over East Pole and sometimes Middle Pole. The net result can be very unpleasant, as you end up surfing down waves that are large, very aware that either side of you there are waves that are large and breaking.

You can also get some very strange conditions after storms: again, what you don't want is to hit the bottom because the swell ran out on you.

I try not to do it on the ebb in any kind of Southerly more than an F4, but then again, I'm a chicken /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

dv.
 
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