Going from Cowes to Salcombe for first time. Advice please

[colhel]

The OP says he is "new to this". Possibly a bit vague, does he understand tidal streams and there effects on overfalls and passage making? It's one of these threads that leads to open debate due to not information given and the OP not returning to join in.

 

[henryf]

There's no bad advice there. Clearly Lyme Bay is one hop (unless of course he goes round the bay) - the worst part of that trip on a fine day is boredom - and the fire caused by a fault in a brand new boat is hardly relevant - otherwise you could cite it as a reason for anyone not to go by motorboat from the Hamble to Cowes without a liferaft or not going out in a new motorboat at all in case it catches fire. Another clear case of worrying someone unnecessarily. I'm surprised you take a boat out at all if you worry about an example such as that...

You and I might posess the skill to predict fine days. Someone new to boating might not, particularly when a passage takes half a day.

Are you suggesting 1967 twin engined wooden boats don't catch fire? I would argue they are more, not less likely to do so compared to a new boat.

Actually yes, I would include a liferaft in my list of essential kit to have on board. We have two! I would also highly recommend a sea survival course so you know how to use the thing.

I take my boat out regularly. The difference between you and I is that I'm mindful of the potential dangers and try to mitigate them as much as I can.

Read the opening post again. Someone with no boating knowledge has just bought a 46 year old wooden motorboat. In your Enid Blyton world it's a spiffing adventure with lashings of ginger beer. I'm a tad more cynical and picture an old boat that was once a labour of love, hasn't done much bar the odd potter up to the Folly over the past 10 years and is waiting to throw a few spanners in the works.

Henry

 

[henryf]

You can go round the bay as well as straight across it, the OP says he has a week and most boats that cross the bay do it at less than 6 or 7 knots. Taking the dogs is hardly "stacking the odds" against him. I did make reference to mechanical reliability and weather as considerations. I think your attitude to boating is somewhat over cautious, there are many well founded boats of that age that are perfectly capable of such trips - more so than some modern boats.

Most boats doing so are sailing yachts and providing the keel stays attached they are a very different beast to an old motorboat. Can you ever be over cautious when it comes to the sea? What is it they say, better to be on land wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on land.

You and I might possess the skills to make a call. The OP doesn't.

I have no idea who you are and what your boating experience / knowledge is but from this thread I think you are a statistic waiting to happen. Do what you will with your own life but please don't risk other people's lives.


Henry.

 

[henryf]

The OP says he is "new to this". Possibly a bit vague, does he understand tidal streams and there effects on overfalls and passage making? It's one of these threads that leads to open debate due to not information given and the OP not returning to join in.

I suspect not Colin. So on that basis and knowing many more people read these threads than post on them my advice errs on the side of caution.

If the OP comes back to say to say he's crossed the Indian Ocean a dozen times, rounded Cape Horn more times than he can remember but is new to motor boats then a whole different conversation. I don't think he will though

What a lovely day out there today, bright sunshine and not a drop of wind.

Henry

 

[colhel]

I

What a lovely day out there today, bright sunshine and not a drop of wind.

Henry

Which goes to show that forecasting weather is still far from an exact science

 

[wonky]

Which goes to show that forecasting weather is still far from an exact science

Must be nice to get paid for guessing! Can't help thinking they would be a lot more accurate if performance related pay was introduced!!

 

[l'escargot]

You and I might posess the skill to predict fine days. Someone new to boating might not, particularly when a passage takes half a day.

Are you suggesting 1967 twin engined wooden boats don't catch fire? I would argue they are more, not less likely to do so compared to a new boat.

Actually yes, I would include a liferaft in my list of essential kit to have on board. We have two! I would also highly recommend a sea survival course so you know how to use the thing.

I take my boat out regularly. The difference between you and I is that I'm mindful of the potential dangers and try to mitigate them as much as I can.

Read the opening post again. Someone with no boating knowledge has just bought a 46 year old wooden motorboat. In your Enid Blyton world it's a spiffing adventure with lashings of ginger beer. I'm a tad more cynical and picture an old boat that was once a labour of love, hasn't done much bar the odd potter up to the Folly over the past 10 years and is waiting to throw a few spanners in the works.

Henry

There is nothing to suggest that this boat is any more likely to catch fire - in fact from the example you gave it seems more likely that a new boat is likely to catch fire. I think most people would not consider a liferaft as high on the safety equipment list for coastal hops - isn't your boat coded anyway? You are making a lot of somewhat patronising assumptions about this boat.

 

[l'escargot]

Most boats doing so are sailing yachts and providing the keel stays attached they are a very different beast to an old motorboat. Can you ever be over cautious when it comes to the sea? What is it they say, better to be on land wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on land.

You and I might possess the skills to make a call. The OP doesn't.

I have no idea who you are and what your boating experience / knowledge is but from this thread I think you are a statistic waiting to happen. Do what you will with your own life but please don't risk other people's lives.


Henry.

Exactly, which just goes to show that crossing at those speeds is of absolutely no significance - must be easy if those raggies can do it! Yes you can be over cautious with the sea, and worrying about a keel falling off would be fall into that category - you are probably statistically more likely to be run into by a motorboat on autohelm.

You assess what the risks are, you do what you can to minimise them and then you get on with it otherwise you would never set foot on a boat. As you say you have no idea of my experience and knowledge but I''ve been a long time not becoming a statistic on various different boats. Certainly considering weather, mechanical reliability (he has two engines as well) getting back up such as Seastart and taking short hops (go on admit it - you didn't think about going around the bay did you?) would reduce anyone's chances of becoming a statistic.

I look forward to hearing the OPs account of his trip - unless he has sold his boat, got rid of his dogs and moved safely inland, put off by some of the comments on here...

 

[longjohnsilver]

Henryf's route is very long and presents more challenges.

Yarmouth is a good shout.

Yarmouth to Portland.

Portland to Brixham. Go inshore at the Bill.

Brixham to Salcombe.

All easy entrances.

You need proper safety kit and engine prep.

Agree Portland to Brixham, ideally you want a N wind, and I would definitely recommend taking an inshore route across the bay, lots of protection from the cliffs most of the way, psychologically, you're closer to the shore, and if any problems occur you're likely to have more boats around to help, as well as having options of stopping off at places such as West Bay, Lyme Regis, Exmouth, Teignmouth along with a few smaller bays towards Babbacombe.

 

[henryf]

(go on admit it - you didn't think about going around the bay did you?)

Yes I did.

The problem is it adds around 15 NM to the trip, more than 2 hours to what is already going to be a long day, and for what? Other than the comfort of seeing land I wasn't aware of any good harbours that are accessible in all states of tide. Teignmouth is in the far corner but a bloody nightmare to enter if you time it wrong.

As for there being lots of boats around to help you out if you go inshore I'm not sure there are. Most boats of a suitable size with an able enough crew to effect a rescue will be on a transit between Portland and Torbay / Dartmouth. The lifeboats from Weymouth & Brixham will arrive sooner if you take the direct route and given the choice of being adrift and blown into the shore I would much rather have the safety net of 10-15 NM rather than less than a mile as I shore hopped my way.

Henry

 

[henryf]

You assess what the risks are, you do what you can to minimise them

Now that is good advice !

Henry

 

[Jonmendez]

If you are really are new to this and it's an old boat that may be in great condition or may be a bit of a project we don't know - the best bet for me would be do Cowes to Southampton as a shake down and then put in on a lorry and all of you can then enjoy the joys of Salcombe with nobody put off or new bills from things busted en route. You could easily spend ages getting it there and the cost of the lorry won't be much different to the fuel and berthing.

 

[mad_boater]

Most boats doing so are sailing yachts and providing the keel stays attached they are a very different beast to an old motorboat. Can you ever be over cautious when it comes to the sea? What is it they say, better to be on land wishing you were at sea than at sea wishing you were on land.

You and I might possess the skills to make a call. The OP doesn't.




I have no idea who you are and what your boating experience / knowledge is but from this thread I think you are a statistic waiting to happen. Do what you will with your own life but please don't risk other people's lives.


Henry.

+1 Surely this guy is just saying these things as a wind up?If not well I won't start name calling but many come to mind like WAFI to mention just one,anyway he is on the wrong forum get back in yer box and bother us no more!

 

[Nick_H]

Would be useful if the OP could clarify what he's new to. If he's never been on a boat before, and has no knowledge of nav, weather forecasting, tides, charts etc. then it's reckless to make the trip before he gets some basic training or a bit of experience. I suspect he may just mean the boat is new to him, and/or he hasn't made long passages before.

 

[l'escargot]

+1 Surely this guy is just saying these things as a wind up?If not well I won't start name calling but many come to mind like WAFI to mention just one,anyway he is on the wrong forum get back in yer box and bother us no more!

I have more power boating qualifications than sailing ones - and owned motorboats as well as sailing boats

 

[mad_boater]

I have more power boating qualifications than sailing ones - and owned motorboats as well as sailing boats

We'll in that case you should know better than to encourage a new comer to risk such a trip.How would you feel if because of your misguided advice they ended up having at best to call out the RNLI or the unthinkable, loss of life,think about it, it ain't a game.

 

[l'escargot]

We'll in that case you should know better than to encourage a new comer to risk such a trip.How would you feel if because of your misguided advice they ended up having at best to call out the RNLI or the unthinkable, loss of life,think about it, it ain't a game.

What's misguided, come on, people do that trip all the time. Last time I did it, I slept across Lyme Bay because it is so boring and uneventful. I think he should ignore all the naysayers, get the boat fit and ready and when the weather is settled spend the week doing it in short coastal hops - look on it as 7 day trips in a row. He'll enjoy it, learn a lot about his boat and have a trip to look back on. The only thing I would add is if he doesn't feel entirely confident is to take someone else along who is for perhaps part of the trip, but I think someone else suggested that anyway. Really, all this talk about staying 10 to 15 miles off the coast and discounting places because they don't have all tide access. As I said some people seem to have an over cautious attitude. Luckily there are a few people on this thread with a more balanced view.

 

[mad_boater]

What's misguided, come on, people do that trip all the time. Last time I did it, I slept across Lyme Bay because it is so boring and uneventful. I think he should ignore all the naysayers, get the boat fit and ready and when the weather is settled spend the week doing it in short coastal hops - look on it as 7 day trips in a row. He'll enjoy it, learn a lot about his boat and have a trip to look back on. The only thing I would add is if he doesn't feel entirely confident is to take someone else along who is for perhaps part of the trip, but I think someone else suggested that anyway. Really, all this talk about staying 10 to 15 miles off the coast and discounting plhaces because they don't have all tide access. As I said some people seem to have an over cautious attitude. Luckily there are a few people on this thread with a more balanced view.

I give up.
What it says on your signature saying on posts regarding nuts is very apt in your case.
I dare say you will have the last word on this.I wish I hadn't joined in with such a waste of time.
Byeeeee WAFI

 

[l'escargot]

I give up.
What it says on your signature saying on posts regarding nuts is very apt in your case.
I dare say you will have the last word on this.I wish I hadn't joined in with such a waste of time.
Byeeeee WAFI

Byeeeee DAFI

 

[jac]

As a Raggie, very interesting to see the difference in opinion between those thinking an8 -10 hour trip is long. Fairly typical passage length for a Raggie trying to get anywhere. I suppose the ability to cross the channel before lunch does make you look at things differently.

Also, do think this has got out of proportion. To describe a coastal trip like this as something for only the most experienced is over doing it. Yes you need more experience than the OP SEEMS to have but this is a passage that anyone with coastal skipper level of experience should be able to do with ease.

To the OP.

This is an easy trip with some experience and the right boat. I'm afraid that at the moment that is not you. Best advise would be to play with the boat in the Solent for a while then take her to whichever mainland marina will give you the best price for a lift and get her transported by road. 30 foot is not excessive for transport by road but not behind a typical family car or even a 4x4.

If you insist on doing this on water (which I hope you don't) then I would strongly suggest the following.
Get the engines and fuel systems checked over thoroughly. You need to ensure no crud or water in the fuel at all. You also need to know how to replace filters etc at sea and then get the fuel system bled. Take plenty of filters, treat the fuel and make sure you have plenty for your trip.
Ensure that anything in the survey is rectified. Speak to your surveyor and follow his advice re what should be fixed.
Make sure you have charts and GPS on board and that you can navigate even if the GPS fails. So is your log accurate, the compass etc. consider doing even an online theory course to teach you basics.
Consider taking a qualified an experienced person with you to act as skipper. If you choose not to, try and least get them to go over the boat and your plan with you before you go.
Check the weather for a few days before you go. Do not head off into strong winds or big seas. I would suggest aborting if the wind is forecast to be force 4 or more or if the seas are moderate or worse.
Take proper safety equipment with you. A liferaft can be hired from places like ocean safety. Make sure you have a proper fixed VHF - a handheld might get 10 miles if you're lucky - less than that for ship to ship. A PLB or EPIRB may be overkill but if you don't have a fixed VHF then I would suggest is essential when in the middle of Lyme bay.
Route has been discussed. My 2p. Don't bother with Weymouth - treat is a handy bolt hole if required. Go straight form Cowes to Yarmouth/ Studland bay. Overnight there. Leave to pass St Albans head at slack water, ideally early in the morning. Carry a fair tide past Portland but pass it well offshore, avoiding the race. Tides in Lyme Bay are negligible so fighting a foul tide is better done there than the Poole - Weymouth stretch.

Head to Brixham, Torquay or even Dartmouth but be aware of the race at Start Point so probably best for Brixham, Torquay. Can then accurately judge when to leave to catch the race at it's best.

Good luck.