Escaping the Solent, sans trailer at last. All grown up or first real steps...

[Stemar]

Another Top Tip; always go behind the ferries and chain ferry, and make it obvious you intend to do so !

A

Good one - you really don't want to mess with the Sandbanks ferry!

http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk/news/9730231.Chain_ferry_terror_as_boat_is_trapped/

I bought Jissel from Redcliffe. We were dumped in the water, given a few seconds to check she wasn't going to sink before we got clear and were shoved out. I hadn't had the time to get the depth sounder going. Once things seemed to be under control, I handed the helm to the Admiral, telling her to keep to the right of the channel and went below to sort it out.

"What's that swishing sound?"

"I don't know, but it seems to be coming from under the boat. Oh, well can't have been much, it's stopped"

"So have we"

A passing Moody kindly pulled us off and we stayed in the middle of the Frome after that, but it could be a record for the quickest grounding after purchase

Poole Harbour is a lovely peaceful place once you get off the beaten track, but the water is a bit thin, so get used to having a foot or less under your keel. A rising tide is useful when you're being a bit adventurous...

We've also anchored off Swanage a few times. Once there was a big firework display on the promenade or whatever it's called. We probably had the best view of anyone. A few days later, we anchored off Weymouth beach. One morning, a harbourmaster;s boat came out and told us, I'm sorry, you'll have to move. The Red arrows are coming this afternoon and you're right on their display flightpath. He was quite happy for us just to move 100 yards out so, again, we probably had the best view of anyone and were the aiming point for their starburst.

Our best memories are of quiet nights at anchor - even off a town, it can be lovely - just avoid the beach discos!

 

[solent clown]

Solent Clown - a couple of years ago we were in the same position, wanting to branch out from the Solent and do something on a 14-day break. The advice I got on here was superb (as I can see above) "Don't push yourself or the crew because if you do they won't go again!". We watered our plans (ok.. I watered my dubious plans) down until we had something that was achievable and reasonably stress free.

We ventured out of the Solent, down past the terror(?) of St Albans Head and into Weymouth, stopped on the quay for a couple nights and then struck off to Lyme Regis via the inshore route around the Bill, Brixham and then into Salcombe where we stopped on the "Bag Pontoon" for 5 days (they had a special rate going) and then did the passage back to Yarmouth in a little over 24 hours with the crew experiencing their first night passage, which my wife agrees was most memorable for all the right reasons - watching the sun come down, watching for fishing boats heading home to Brixham half way across Lyme Bay and passing the Bill Lighthouse way offshore.

Plenty of time ashore for the crew, enough sailing time for me and plenty of scope to learn more navigation and pilotage stuff in real life. The only thing that caught us out (mainly as I'd relaxed a bit by this point) was the slightly rough water off Start Point which was negated by the dolphins who came out to say hello - something we'll never forget (common for cruisers but for us as newbies - wonderful).

The first time across Lyme Bay to Lyme Regis was fun, downwind all the way until we got to the harbour and realised that the wind direction wasn't ideal for the entrance - the sight of my daughter (11 at the time) gamely steering us into wind whilst I whizzed the sails down on the cabin roof - with the bows diving into the oncoming breaking waves - will stay with me forever. She'd spotted the beach from the cockpit and nothing was going to stop us from berthing so she could go and have fun! It was both a learning experience and a holiday for us all.

The only thing I could offer to complement the advice above, is to check in several places for information - don't rely on one single source.

thanks for that, sounds like you had a great time, and yes, this forum is invaluable!

 

[Cactus Sailing]

If you're going alongside another boat and someone is onboard then custom suggests you ask for permission and prepare for the standard - "we're off at 4am" response. If directed by the HM though I would perhaps phrase it as " The HM has told us to raft up to you i'm afraid. Hope that's OK?"

i would be interested to know what the etiquette is if your rafted neighbours agree to be off by 9am so you can catch the tide and your rafted up neighbours are still in town shopping at 10:00am

short of just casting off their lines i didn't really know the right etiquette here, of course being British when they finally came back at 10:30am it was all "oh it's fine no bother at all" and then cursing them something rotten when caught in the aforementioned tide

rafting up i don't mind if they have they stick to the plan just be wary some folk are tardy!

similarly i aim to leave the Solent this summer for the west, Portland is the only real crux in it all due to the tides there and the 40 miles west to something else its at times like this im envious of bilge and shallow keels as it opens up more options

 

[Lucky Duck]

i would be interested to know what the etiquette is if your rafted neighbours agree to be off by 9am so you can catch the tide and your rafted up neighbours are still in town shopping at 10:00am

Depending on where you all are it may be possible to either warp the boat onto another raft or take their stern line round your forestay and leave a crew member (temporarily) behind to manage their warps as you reverse out.

If departure timing is critical I do try and avoid being rafted where there could be risk of this happening.

 

[DJE]

Establish who wants to go early in the morning and move them to the outside the evening before.

 

[Lucky Duck]

One time on the 'Swan' pontoons in St Peter Port our egress was temporarily blocked by somebody who had arrived in the early hours of the morning of our departure and thought that a good enough reason not to move.

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Depending on where you all are it may be possible to either warp the boat onto another raft or take their stern line round your forestay and leave a crew member (temporarily) behind to manage their warps as you reverse out.

If departure timing is critical I do try and avoid being rafted where there could be risk of this happening.

on this occasion i was blocked fore and aft by 3 boats wide and needed to spring out, you live and learn though and like you say above if i want to leave when i want i either raft on the end or dont raft at all these days.

we had agreed a 9am leave but Tardiness on the neighbours behalf, it wasnt an unreasonable time and equally i would have gone on the end the evening before if they wanted to stay late. - it doesn't happen often most folk are friendly and good to their word, but a watch-out in marinas non the less, nothing worse than being boxed in watching your tide window slip away.