tony_brighton
New member
Re: radar
vs. the effect of being run over in fog...
vs. the effect of being run over in fog...
heavy weather posts making me nervous
- Thread starter zefender
- Start date
lezgar
New member
Be careful is not to be negative.
Like other post say I don't read negative opinion hear but opinions with a lot of sense.
I know people that buy boats for fishing in a river or like weekend cottages and they are not negative either.
Like other post say I don't read negative opinion hear but opinions with a lot of sense.
I know people that buy boats for fishing in a river or like weekend cottages and they are not negative either.
G
Guest
Guest
We crossed Biscay last year, and so did 2 other members of our club. They were more experienced than I, and definitely more gung ho. They crossed direct, in June / July and both got an unconfortable pasting. Lots of others we met in N Spain had had the same experience on the long crossing.
For once, I think we got it right by doing the short Bordeaux to Bilbao route. The issue is not the deap water, but the reliability of weather forecasts. The route we took is 36 hrs, and you can get a much more reliable forecast for that time space than you can for the much longer time of a direct route crossing. Also, its one thing to get 2 good days on the trot, its another thing to get 4.
Sure it is going to take much longer, but you have to ask yourself whether you want a quick possibly frightening trip or a longer enjoyable one. By the way, N Spain is not to be missed!
For once, I think we got it right by doing the short Bordeaux to Bilbao route. The issue is not the deap water, but the reliability of weather forecasts. The route we took is 36 hrs, and you can get a much more reliable forecast for that time space than you can for the much longer time of a direct route crossing. Also, its one thing to get 2 good days on the trot, its another thing to get 4.
Sure it is going to take much longer, but you have to ask yourself whether you want a quick possibly frightening trip or a longer enjoyable one. By the way, N Spain is not to be missed!
ccscott49
Active member
I am on the rig! Yes, you do have to motor at night, but there are plenty of small harbours and marinas to get fuel and not many lobster pots, in fact I only saw them around cascais! You can tack sort of into the wind, to stop the boat roilling with a hard sheeted main.
ccscott49
Active member
You will find room in most of the marinas down the coast in june july, I did and they are cheap. I made my landfall in camarinas, nice little spot and well sheltered, yacht club has a pontoon, right into the ria.
Lynette
Member
What\'s wrong with La Coruna?
One of my favourite ports. Jolly good footie team.
One of my favourite ports. Jolly good footie team.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Guggenheim
And by stopping in Bilbo you get to see the Guggenheim museum, one of the modern wonders of the world.
PS Love that puppy.
(what puppy?)
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/6502/puppy1.jpg
And by stopping in Bilbo you get to see the Guggenheim museum, one of the modern wonders of the world.
PS Love that puppy.
(what puppy?)
http://www.geocities.com/SoHo/Cafe/6502/puppy1.jpg
Chris_Stannard
New member
Please take a course on using your radar. In the early days, when merchant ships were first fitted there were what were called 'Radar Assisted Collisions' which came from inexperienced operators not understanding what they were seeing. And take your daughter with you so you have two operators who know what they are doing.
On the stability front the affect of fitting radar is likely to reduce your angle of Vanishing Stability by a couple of degrees, five at most, depending of course on how high up the mast you put it. Mine is at the first cross trees, about 5 metres above the deck and I get 10 miles on merchant ships and four miles or so on other yachts. Having been caught in low visibilty far more often than in a gale I am sure that the loss of stability is more than compensated for by the additional safety radar can offer. But please, please, please take the course!
And have a good trip, wish I could get away for that length of time.
Chris Stannard
On the stability front the affect of fitting radar is likely to reduce your angle of Vanishing Stability by a couple of degrees, five at most, depending of course on how high up the mast you put it. Mine is at the first cross trees, about 5 metres above the deck and I get 10 miles on merchant ships and four miles or so on other yachts. Having been caught in low visibilty far more often than in a gale I am sure that the loss of stability is more than compensated for by the additional safety radar can offer. But please, please, please take the course!
And have a good trip, wish I could get away for that length of time.
Chris Stannard
Chris_Stannard
New member
Re: PS
PS: Have you had an RNLI Safety Sea Check yet. Its free and you are not obliged to take any notice of the recommendations. But it means a second pair of experienced eyes will look over your boat and discuss safety issues with you.
Chris Stannard
PS: Have you had an RNLI Safety Sea Check yet. Its free and you are not obliged to take any notice of the recommendations. But it means a second pair of experienced eyes will look over your boat and discuss safety issues with you.
Chris Stannard
zefender
Active member
Re: Wot a helpful bunch
Many many thanks - this is all very useful stuff - much more useful than the pilot books. Just by way of group response to comments:
Radar training - agreed, good idea - getting daughter to go too even better one.
Radar siting vs stability - tongue in cheek(?) Twister Ken comment entirely valid. But it will be going at the cross-trees. Maybe lining the (shallow) bilge with cans of beer might offset?(!)
Crew strength/stomachs etc - I know my daughter pretty well! I think her stomach might be better than mine - certainly looks better!. My older daughter (and missus) aren't sure of their 'stamina' so we're meeting them later in Portugal. Of the other 2 crew, one is my brother (built like a mountain, Day Skip and sound), the other a long-standing friend who has Coastal Skip.
So, if I sleep at all, I'd feel pretty comfortable that they were helming.
Storm Tactics book - In for a penny....I'll read it!
Summerwind - negative comments/thinking overriding the fun. I take your point (and I think you are right). I'm sort of happy to be a bit more gung ho but since I'm taking v. valuable cargo (my daughter) and once at the halfway point, we'll be a long way from shelter, I'd prefer to be as 'aware' as possible and to convince myself that I'm not being stupid. I'm a reasonably experienced fair weather 'marina' sailor (purists would hate me). But there's loads I don't know just because of practise - I'm pathetic at picking up a buoy for example but can turn on a sixpence and maneouvre in marinas better than many. I've done very little night sailing or sailing in big waves/swell - short steep ones sure, but not the deeper water stuff. But until I do it, I never will have that experience.
Shorter passage option (Andrew_B). I'm planning a more leisurely return journey in order to take in N. Spain (Howard Easton) and S. Brittany etc. Although I agree with you about the more accurate forecasts, the depth contours in some parts in the SE corner of Biscay strike me that big seas would be even more likely with less sea room to play with.
Deadlines (Twister_Ken) - Agreed - I'm happy to wait for a window, probably in Falmouth. Although there will be drops off and pick ups during the break, I've made it quite clear to people that dates are highly flexible and car hire/trains might be inevitable to be sure of meeting up/catching flights etc.
The comments I heard from people suggest to me that la Caruna is an unpleasant stop, despite it being a 'conventional' destination point. Good football team agreed. Not sure about the blazer yacht clubs business either.
Thanks again everyone. I'll be around a while yet but I'll let you know how the crossing went in a future post (but don't call the coastguard if I forget!)
Many many thanks - this is all very useful stuff - much more useful than the pilot books. Just by way of group response to comments:
Radar training - agreed, good idea - getting daughter to go too even better one.
Radar siting vs stability - tongue in cheek(?) Twister Ken comment entirely valid. But it will be going at the cross-trees. Maybe lining the (shallow) bilge with cans of beer might offset?(!)
Crew strength/stomachs etc - I know my daughter pretty well! I think her stomach might be better than mine - certainly looks better!. My older daughter (and missus) aren't sure of their 'stamina' so we're meeting them later in Portugal. Of the other 2 crew, one is my brother (built like a mountain, Day Skip and sound), the other a long-standing friend who has Coastal Skip.
So, if I sleep at all, I'd feel pretty comfortable that they were helming.
Storm Tactics book - In for a penny....I'll read it!
Summerwind - negative comments/thinking overriding the fun. I take your point (and I think you are right). I'm sort of happy to be a bit more gung ho but since I'm taking v. valuable cargo (my daughter) and once at the halfway point, we'll be a long way from shelter, I'd prefer to be as 'aware' as possible and to convince myself that I'm not being stupid. I'm a reasonably experienced fair weather 'marina' sailor (purists would hate me). But there's loads I don't know just because of practise - I'm pathetic at picking up a buoy for example but can turn on a sixpence and maneouvre in marinas better than many. I've done very little night sailing or sailing in big waves/swell - short steep ones sure, but not the deeper water stuff. But until I do it, I never will have that experience.
Shorter passage option (Andrew_B). I'm planning a more leisurely return journey in order to take in N. Spain (Howard Easton) and S. Brittany etc. Although I agree with you about the more accurate forecasts, the depth contours in some parts in the SE corner of Biscay strike me that big seas would be even more likely with less sea room to play with.
Deadlines (Twister_Ken) - Agreed - I'm happy to wait for a window, probably in Falmouth. Although there will be drops off and pick ups during the break, I've made it quite clear to people that dates are highly flexible and car hire/trains might be inevitable to be sure of meeting up/catching flights etc.
The comments I heard from people suggest to me that la Caruna is an unpleasant stop, despite it being a 'conventional' destination point. Good football team agreed. Not sure about the blazer yacht clubs business either.
Thanks again everyone. I'll be around a while yet but I'll let you know how the crossing went in a future post (but don't call the coastguard if I forget!)
zefender
Active member
Re: Sorry Chris
The safety check thingie seems a wise (and free!) suggestion.
The safety check thingie seems a wise (and free!) suggestion.
Eudorajab
New member
Get out there and do it. If you listened to everything said on here you would never go near the sea.
Twister_Ken
Well-known member
Re: Wot a helpful bunch
>Maybe lining the (shallow) bilge with cans of beer might offset?(!)<
Excellent idea, although as your free RNLI safety check will no doubt point out, these should not be drunk whilst at sea, or you risk going radar side down. The traditional way of ensuring the radar stays up is to use cans of Fosters as ballast, which no one would want to drink under any circumstances.
>Maybe lining the (shallow) bilge with cans of beer might offset?(!)<
Excellent idea, although as your free RNLI safety check will no doubt point out, these should not be drunk whilst at sea, or you risk going radar side down. The traditional way of ensuring the radar stays up is to use cans of Fosters as ballast, which no one would want to drink under any circumstances.
AndrewB
Well-known member
SE Corner of Biscay
As you say, best avoided. Its not a notorious danger area like the north-east. But if you attempt to coast hop round Biscay, (a) you run out of decent all-weather ports after Royan and (b) going west along the north Spanish coast is a real pain, against both the prevailing wind and a permanent E-going current.
As you say, best avoided. Its not a notorious danger area like the north-east. But if you attempt to coast hop round Biscay, (a) you run out of decent all-weather ports after Royan and (b) going west along the north Spanish coast is a real pain, against both the prevailing wind and a permanent E-going current.
zefender
Active member
Re: beer ballast
Sound advice re Fosters. Thought about Tennants, though could be difficult to remove once in place. Heineken ruled out due to centre of gravity prob - suggest Lowenbrau as substitute. Tinners of course is brilliant but I'll probably need extra anodes. Obviously difficult to secure Rolling Rocks or Stones bitter properly.
Sound advice re Fosters. Thought about Tennants, though could be difficult to remove once in place. Heineken ruled out due to centre of gravity prob - suggest Lowenbrau as substitute. Tinners of course is brilliant but I'll probably need extra anodes. Obviously difficult to secure Rolling Rocks or Stones bitter properly.
billmacfarlane
Active member
Being nervous is fine. It makes you think of all the things that might happen and you can prepare your boat accordingly. What you shouldn't be is frightened. You've got a sound boat ( don't listen to the others ) and have thought through the options . I'm in the same situation myself this summer hopefully taking 3 months out from work. I'm heading the other way to Southern Ireland. Have a great trip.
Eudorajab
New member
Im going to be doing that trip at roughly the same time. I will however have the usual crew of cook (wife) and first mate (5 yr old daughter) along with possibly one other able seaman.
Maybe see you out there !!
Maybe see you out there !!
zefender
Active member
You too ....NM
NM
NM
kingfisher
Well-known member
No beer in bilge
Cans, that is: the salt water in the bilge causes the beer cans to suffer from microscopic pit corrosion. The CO2 escapes.
But then you Brits don't know a good beer from piss water. Heiniken ? Belgian horse piss is a better lager.
[sigh] if it has to be dutch: go for Grolsch. At least the fliptop bottles are resealable.
But for all else: better belgian beer.
PS: stay of the Duvel while driving.
Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com
Cans, that is: the salt water in the bilge causes the beer cans to suffer from microscopic pit corrosion. The CO2 escapes.
But then you Brits don't know a good beer from piss water. Heiniken ? Belgian horse piss is a better lager.
[sigh] if it has to be dutch: go for Grolsch. At least the fliptop bottles are resealable.
But for all else: better belgian beer.
PS: stay of the Duvel while driving.
Obi-Wan
http://sirocco31.tripod.com
bedouin
Well-known member
Re: No beer in bilge
I didn't think the Belgians made beer - all I seem to find from belgium is Lager/Pils type drink - not real beer at all...
I didn't think the Belgians made beer - all I seem to find from belgium is Lager/Pils type drink - not real beer at all...
