Is the weather really responsible for keeping you in the marina ?

DAKA

DAKA

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I am somewhat surprised to read several threads on the go complaining at this seasons weather.

Apples apps include max gusts which didnt used to get a mention on a Thursday forecast for the weekend.

1993 NE 4

2013 NE4 gusting 6


in 1990 NE4 was good in the solent, bit cool perhaps but calm seastate, no hesitation to drive down to the boat.

It would still gust 6 but , gusts dont create large waves anyway.

in 2013 NE4 gusting 6 , appears to send shivers down spines, its daft , its the same forecast, same good conditions !

I've cast off for the last 4 weekends and enjoyed calm ish waters and vacant marinas .
Last three times I cast off I have had people coming to me to ask what I thought it was going to be like 'out there', I took their mobile no and phoned them with a seastate report . All were concerned about their App reporting force 6 gusts.


The only other thing that has changed of course is boat designs , I have noticed older boats still enjoying themselves out and about ,(40-50 1970's Nelsons and seawards at Bembridge last weekend but just 1 sealine Brick) , idiots designing slab sided floating caravans for sea use , little wonder they went bust.
 
There may be an element of too much information.

Back in the day you might would get a general forecast based around average wind speed. Today you can get an hour by hour prediction including peak gusts and so human nature tends to just see the biggest number.

The information super highway means there is nowhere to hide when something goes wrong, that probably makes people think more. We have also seen disasters where others have taken a risk.

I'm not sure it's all down to Sealine.

If it did all go tits up and you were explaining your actions you would look pretty stupid if it turned out you knew there was potentially going to be a problem when you set off.

Henry :)
 
I find at the start of the season I am watching forecasts and always airing on the side of caution, then I get a few decent passages under my belt and confidence is restored. What I do find very often though is that people look at the windspeed but do not consider its effect on seastate, a F4 running with the tide is no problem, tide running against it could be bouncy.
 
We use ours all the year round for fishing, and believe me this last six months have been no good for that! sitting at anchor with wind over tide and getting a bashing is not for me. As far as making a quick dash from one Marina to another to sample the beer is a waste of time and fuel. Also seen a lot of those hard men taking a bus back home.
 
I leave nothing to chance these days. If the wind is blowing the marina dog off its lead I'm afraid discretion has to be the better part of valour. I must be getting old.
 
As most of the posts on his forum will be from peeps located in marinas on exposed coasts then it is not suprising that trips out are very weather dependant.With nowhere to go that does not involve a trip out across open water at the mercy of the wind and waves it only takes one unpleasant experience lurking in the back on the wifes mind to tip the balance wether to stay at home and decorate the toilet or do a few hundred on fuel and feeding the wife in the marina caff .
There is a definate increase round here in our area of 40/50ft large fly cruisers. The sight of a largish Faircess/Pearl in whiter than white full "Med" gleaming spec parked in a muddy creek with a couple of Targas or GT rafted up along side is not usual .
Inshore and areas offering a decent choice of types of boating may well be on the list of things to consider when locating your boat.
 
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In a marina the wind always sounds far worse than it is, so that's my philosophy and I'm sticking to it. Get out and have a look... what's the worse than can happen.

Our cruising grounds are the Solent and there's not a lot that will stop us going out if we have plans and we only have a little boat. Tend to look at bramblemet before we leave if I am concerned about the weather as rather than a forecast it tells you what it is.. but last year we left Beaulieu and while going down the river we had some almighty gusts of wind, so I checked bramblement and indeed wind gust 47mph, but average 23mph. Carried on our way and it was a little bumpy just out of the river as it often is, but nothing special...
 
I think it is down to the way the wind speeds are portrayed in a lot of Apps these days that include some random gust figures. I have just looked at one saying ""F4 (Gusts 60kmh)" - talk about mixed predictions, what's that about? If you have a tendency to work on the second figure rather than the first you probably won't go out, but it is the first figure which impacts mostly on the sea state. In these parts if it is to bad, you can just turn around and go a different way.
 
DAKA said:
I am somewhat surprised to read several threads on the go complaining at this seasons weather.

Apples apps include max gusts which didnt used to get a mention on a Thursday forecast for the weekend.

1993 NE 4

2013 NE4 gusting 6


in 1990 NE4 was good in the solent, bit cool perhaps but calm seastate, no hesitation to drive down to the boat.

It would still gust 6 but , gusts dont create large waves anyway.

in 2013 NE4 gusting 6 , appears to send shivers down spines, its daft , its the same forecast, same good conditions !

I've cast off for the last 4 weekends and enjoyed calm ish waters and vacant marinas .
Last three times I cast off I have had people coming to me to ask what I thought it was going to be like 'out there', I took their mobile no and phoned them with a seastate report . All were concerned about their App reporting force 6 gusts.


The only other thing that has changed of course is boat designs , I have noticed older boats still enjoying themselves out and about ,(40-50 1970's Nelsons and seawards at Bembridge last weekend but just 1 sealine Brick) , idiots designing slab sided floating caravans for sea use , little wonder they went bust.
Click to expand...

Ever been in a Sealine in a blow, DAKA? I don't think a 6 is really a blow, gusting 6 definately isn't.

I managed to bend the horn atop the radar arch with a wave in my S37. My 390 has not felt the least challenged yet, but I've not really pushed her. I would not be afraid to.

I moored up my S37 once and the marina did say I was the only boat to arrive all afternoon and that their anenometer was north of 50 which is F9 - they were quite surprised to see me. I remmber it was windy because i had to rope my boat out of her berth at the beginning of the day.

The F33 is a handful in a quartering sea, that's the only sealine I've used with even slightly quirky handling charicteristics.

So this idiot enjoys his slab sided caravan and never makes excuses about the weather.

I think your soap box rant doesn't come backed up with first hand knowledge.
 
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DAKA said:
I am somewhat surprised to read several threads on the go complaining at this seasons weather.

Apples apps include max gusts which didnt used to get a mention on a Thursday forecast for the weekend.

1993 NE 4

2013 NE4 gusting 6


in 1990 NE4 was good in the solent, bit cool perhaps but calm seastate, no hesitation to drive down to the boat.

It would still gust 6 but , gusts dont create large waves anyway.

in 2013 NE4 gusting 6 , appears to send shivers down spines, its daft , its the same forecast, same good conditions !

I've cast off for the last 4 weekends and enjoyed calm ish waters and vacant marinas .
Last three times I cast off I have had people coming to me to ask what I thought it was going to be like 'out there', I took their mobile no and phoned them with a seastate report . All were concerned about their App reporting force 6 gusts.


The only other thing that has changed of course is boat designs , I have noticed older boats still enjoying themselves out and about ,(40-50 1970's Nelsons and seawards at Bembridge last weekend but just 1 sealine Brick) , idiots designing slab sided floating caravans for sea use , little wonder they went bust.
Click to expand...

Huh? Don't get that comment tbh Daka. That design hasn't stopped us doing anything except thru our own choice. Our 'slab sided brick' copes with most stuff really rather well.
L
:)
 
Elessar said:
Ever been in a Sealine in a blow, DAKA? I don't think a 6 is really a blow, gusting 6 definately isn't.

I managed to bend the horn atop the radar arch with a wave in my S37. My 390 has not felt the least challenged yet, but I've not really pushed her. I would not be afraid to.

I moored up my S37 once and the marina did say I was the only boat to arrive all afternoon and that their anenometer was north of 50 which is F9 - they were quite surprised to see me. I remmber it was windy because i had to rope my boat out of her berth at the beginning of the day.

The F33 is a handful in a quartering sea, that's the only sealine I've used with even slightly quirky handling characteristics.

So this idiot enjoys his slab sided caravan and never makes excuses about the weather.

I think your soap box rant doesn't come backed up with first hand knowledge.
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OOOOps , first real post for ages please forgive lack of concentration

let me first apologise to the forum Sealine owners, I knew what I meant to say but accept it didnt come out right.

I have an awful lot of respect for older Sealines and have done oodles of sea miles in S255, s310 and a 350 (F37)
serious long distance offshore passages including a run in with a nasty Spanish storm plumbe (sp?).

I should not have singled Sealine out, in my mind I was thinking about the modern designs that squeeze every last cm of berthing space into a cabin, which sort of leaves blunt front and sharp sides, enclosed cabins to get reduced visibility as they are lashed with waves that get smashed into rather than cut through.
lisilou, apologies, I really am pleased you enjoy the comforts your boat provides you :cool:
 
Daka my lovely...no offence taken at all and you're right in respect to interior space...it is dead comfy and not in the least bit cramped but I do have to stand up for the modern design of the SC35 at least in that it's a great seakeeper aswell (not had many comparisons to draw on tho so maybe it's just what I'm used to.)
L
:)
 
No it is not the weather that keeps many stuck in The marina week after week, it is very often a lack of confidence or a lack of balls,we listen to folk talk themselves out of a trip week after week.
At the end of the day if you are boating in the Solent and it gets really bumpy its hard to be more than 30 mins from shelter!
The flip side to those that never venture much further than the fuel berth is that they have paid for a boat and all of the other associated costs so I suppose they can do what they want, but what a waste.
 
lisilou said:
Daka my lovely...no offence taken at all and you're right in respect to interior space...it is dead comfy and not in the least bit cramped but I do have to stand up for the modern design of the SC35 at least in that it's a great seakeeper aswell (not had many comparisons to draw on tho so maybe it's just what I'm used to.)
L
:)
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oh go on take offence he can take it.

thing to say to DAKA is that boats that are too clean aren't ever really enjoyed.

watch him wriggle out of that one :)
 
I'm with Paul on this, experience and confidence are big factors and not just restricted to the that of the skipper but also the crew (often SWMBO and Jnr) will be the determining factors.

For those who want to push their experiences a few own boat tuition days normally does the trick, Dr Sod-it dictates that there are always some carppy weather days during a training period and with the "safety net" of the instructor on board the boat, skipper and crew venture out and often come back saying, things along the lines of - we wouldn't have gone out it that, it was more lumpy that we were used to but all ok.

Also cruising in company with friends is a great confidence builder, tuck in behnd a friend with a big wave basher if it lumps up (we crossed the channel last year in our previous boat hanging off the back of a much bigger boat and benifitted from him knocking the waves flat for us), you have someone to check you passage plans with, someone to grab a line when you are berthing plus great company for pontoon parties!

Example 1. Last weekend SWMBO took DKII our T34 with two girl friends (admittedly one was the ultra capable Julie Proudfoot - Powerskipper) along with Lisilou SC35 again with two girl friends to Poole for a girls weekend away - passage from Yarmouth out past Hurst from all accounts was not great but both skippers made it, learnt a fair bit and pushed their boundaries and got to have a fab weekend (so I am told)!!

Example 2. As boat less for the weekend a few of the husbands decided that a Dads and Sons trip was in order, one of husbands had a boat on "approval" from a well know main agent but would not have ventured out but with a few friends to help with passage planning, nav, mooring and provision of food plans were made, the berth left, a new place ventured into, a buoy picked up (a first for a couple of the guys) a great lunch had and fun trip all round had by all.

I guess it depends what people want from their boating, they pay their money, it is their choice.

We love going out, a bit of adverse weather tends not to hold us back, where there is a will, there is a way!

Happy boating everyone.
 
Elessar said:
oh go on take offence he can take it.

thing to say to DAKA is that boats that are too clean aren't ever really enjoyed.

watch him wriggle out of that one :)
Click to expand...

I've devoted a chunk of my day grovelling by pm to lisilou and thought I best retire from this thread but you set a challenge ......................


I arrived at my boat 4-5 weeks ago, it was filthy bird crup, caused by all the Raggie masts, diesel soot from all the Volvo Pentas in the marina (;)) , anyway we had arranged to meet up with mates and I didnt have time to wash down, not even a hose rinse............

off we went , wind against tide, shallowish water just outside the solent, springs and 20 knots, stuffed it twice and job done, windows tested as water tight too !:cool:


NB

This method of cleaning isnt suitable for sealines (ducks for cover);)
 
paul salliss said:
No it is not the weather that keeps many stuck in The marina week after week, it is very often a lack of confidence or a lack of balls,we listen to folk talk themselves out of a trip week after week.
At the end of the day if you are boating in the Solent and it gets really bumpy its hard to be more than 30 mins from shelter!
The flip side to those that never venture much further than the fuel berth is that they have paid for a boat and all of the other associated costs so I suppose they can do what they want, but what a waste.
Click to expand...

lack of balls! a very strong statement to make! i,ve left dover in what turned out to be a force ten, this is in a 32ft displacement boat, never again
i shat my pants, we couldent turn for fear of breaching the boat luckily we made it to rye, we had damage to the boat by waves coming over the top of us,
never again will i take a weather forecast of a mate on the phone! i will not do it again i consider my self lucky to still have a boat. force 5 max from now on
 
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