Chiara’s slave
Well-known member
One forecast I have complete confidence in. The weather in Cowes Week is poor for cruising. Wind and rain are likely. We have our servicing done on Chiara in Cowes week knowing that, and we race on something else.
God this weather is SO depressing - cruise ideas anyone?
- Thread starter KeelsonGraham
- Start date
FairweatherDave
Well-known member
We're holed up in Brixham, and seem to be on track for our goal of Plymouth on Friday or Saturday. I was full of pessimism about a week ago. And the weather has far from ideal, but we have made progress west. I wanted anchoring most nights instead tonight will be our 5th in a marina and the comforts and security have been most appreciated. This is our first ever cruise of significant distance and regarding the forecasts as said earlier I subscribed to Windy Premium and have been really impressed how useful it has been. Of course the forecasts shift around and you can switch forecast models but so useful. Appreciate I could have got a free version but ease of use on the mobile etc etc, I'm hooked. Highlight so far was nailing the wind strength around the inshore passage of Portland Bill. 18 knots. Just acceptable and phew,that's what we got.
KeelsonGraham
Well-known member
We use PredictWind’s free app and flick between UKMO and ECMWF forecasts. Last year both were reasonble concordant and good out to about 4-5 days. This year they differ a lot and are only good for a couple of days. That, and the unending sequence of lows, was enough to tell me that our planned cruise to the Scillies and Ireland stood no chance. Back home now. No nice views or fresh mackerel to catch, but at least the sofa is warm and dry and there’s no chance of the bedroom dragging during the night.
FairweatherDave
Well-known member
Absolutely fair enough, I have never got further west by boat than now and certainly wouldn't fancy your planned cruise with what the weather has been like. For me the push factor has been this is the first summer we have been free of family commitments....plus we have my wife's family in Cornwall requiring the annual summer pilgrimage. And for that we have booked a weeks land based accommodation anyway. Were it not our first time and Cornwalls pull factor we would have stayed at home. Far too much motorsailing and not enough sunshine. Really hoping that'll change for the return trip. At least that will have a flexible return date.
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
We been keeping a close eye on the winds for some days now looking for a window to sail back to the UK from the Netherlands,
four days ago a small chance looked on likely,
we had to battle through strong winds for the last few days to get us to a position that we be able to make that window .
miss this one and who knows when the next one will appear.
24 hours to go and it’s looking good .
four days ago a small chance looked on likely,
we had to battle through strong winds for the last few days to get us to a position that we be able to make that window .
miss this one and who knows when the next one will appear.
24 hours to go and it’s looking good .
johnalison
Well-known member
I wish you luck. Apart from Saturday, it doesn't look easy. For many years we had to battle our way through the Netherlands to get home in spite of my ambitions to do the outside route. I only once achieved that, in our old Sadler 29, when we managed to spinnaker down from Ijmuiden past the Hook, and one occasion back from Ijmuiden to Lowestoft, but that was a bit wild and forced on me when my wife had broken her wrist and I had to bring the boat back with a friend. It looks like there's quite a lot of NWs to come.
Lightwave395
Well-known member
Good luck, hope you make it tomorrow (?) the following few days don't look comfortable...
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
We on the way to Ijmuiden right now for an early morning take off ,
so far looks ok with a NE 4 to 5 possible 6 at first ,
the concern is that the wind will die at some point which mean using the engine and it’s not 100% right now , we not making the speed we use to under engine .
we need to make the east coast before the wind turns and then picks up from the South and get strong .
johnalison
Well-known member
It's changed since I looked this morning though it looks more like NW tomorrow going light later on Passageweather, with Saturday a bit lively.
jac
Well-known member
I have been keeping everything crossed. Originally due to go for 2 weeks from this Saturday with thoughts of Cornwall. Now thinking we might get going on Sunday or Monday. On the positive side, delaying by a day or two makes the Inshore Passage at the bill more socially acceptable time!
chris-s
Well-known member
Based in Falmouth, we are hoping to go east on Sunday when things look like they will begin to improve. We had provisionally booked holiday from last weekend but were able to shift it easily. Whilst we had originally considered a daytime passage from Salcombe to Guernsey if leaving earlier this week, a week later that turns into a night passage which we are less encouraged by for our first cross channel trip and with a dog, it’s the only practical cross channel option at the moment.
johnalison
Well-known member
It used to be the case that travelling at night was easier because of the great distance one could see lights. Although it is still partly the case because there is usually less wind, you are probably right to be cautious unless you are really comfortable with night sailing.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Off to Ostende first light tomorrow. Friday. Will be arriving V late. Just hope I can get a decent berth with the dragons in town for a championship.
Will stay for the Paulusfeesten, then off to Cherbourg, along French coast, to meet friends in 2 boats, to cruise to Camaret & back to Dieppe, then cross back to UK.
Chances of it all happening ??
Will stay for the Paulusfeesten, then off to Cherbourg, along French coast, to meet friends in 2 boats, to cruise to Camaret & back to Dieppe, then cross back to UK.
Chances of it all happening ??
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
Good luck with that the way the winds have been playing up this year .Off to Ostende first light tomorrow. Friday. Will be arriving V late. Just hope I can get a decent berth with the dragons in town for a championship.
Will stay for the Paulusfeesten, then off to Cherbourg, along French coast, to meet friends in 2 boats, to cruise to Camaret & back to Dieppe, then cross back to UK.
Chances of it all happening ??
we arrived in Ijmuiden after motoring into the 20kts wind all the way from Amsterdam and you can add rain to that too.
early start to morrow would like to make the Orwell by 6 or 7 on Saturday morning .
Daydream believer
Well-known member
My wife was listening to the radio when a presenter pointed out that it was quite normal to go on holiday in places such as Cornwall when young & have a week of windy pouring rain.
My wife immediately connected with that & cited a number of holidays that she had as a child where the holidays were basically a washout.
Yet here we are wondering why it should suddenly be different & blaming it on climate change
Can any forumites look back & recall similar holls in the UK, where all it did was pour with rain?
My wife immediately connected with that & cited a number of holidays that she had as a child where the holidays were basically a washout.
Yet here we are wondering why it should suddenly be different & blaming it on climate change
Can any forumites look back & recall similar holls in the UK, where all it did was pour with rain?
sailaboutvic
Well-known member
The problem been more the direction of the winds , we had about a months of NE around May /June and then it turn SW and when on and on with just the odd break for a day at times not even that long .
Supertramp
Well-known member
Agree - it's the speed and depth of the depressions going through, with 180 degree wind shifts where we are (Wales) that causes difficulty. Finding passage anchorages that handle 180 shifts and a forecast that allows a 24 hour passage is proving hard. Although the weather otherwise is OK.
johnalison
Well-known member
Our holidays were in August, and the ones I remember were in the ‘50s. Most of them were in Cornwall and were sort of OK, though I remember the effort needed to get warm again after the obligatory swim. There were also balmy evenings and severe storms that I greatly enjoyed, especially the spectacle of waves breaking over the harbour wall at Mevagissey.
1956 was a year without sun, in fact, a bad year all round. 1959 was a scorcher, and I have photos of our garden with a totally brown lawn. I don’t deny the fact of climate change at all, but extreme weather has always been a feature in this country on occasion.
Babylon
Well-known member
I completely agree. The fringes of NW Europe including the British Isles poke out into the North Atlantic - an exposed location that has always been labile, subject as it is to the temperate effects of the Gulf Stream on the one hand but also the variable meanderings of the Jet Stream etc on the other, while Climate Change is now turning up the amplitude. Plus it is early-August, a time of tropical storms, the tail-ends of which often find their way up here.
Grand pronouncements aside, I'm getting a little fed up. Been a week on my 27 footer with just the dog, not managed to even get out the Solent, have had a grand total of four hours underway (in F5-6 gusting F7 wind against tide), the rest of the time sheltering (3 days up the Beaulieu, 3 in Yarmouth), and it doesn't look like settling down properly for another week! So I'm going home, will come back later in the month or September...
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Boathook
Well-known member
I remember rain, and as children we just got on with it and parents happy as long as children happy. What we do seem to be getting now is more periods of strong winds during the summer. The other noticeable thing is that it is warmer. Early days of sailing were long trousers and thick sweater when heading out. Last few years shorts and t-shirts seem more suitable.