Kyle Rhea occasional closures this summer

C

cpedw

Well-Known Member
Joined
1 Jun 2001
Messages
1,343
Location
Oban
Visit site
Those electric cables that cross Kyle Rhea (the narrow channel with strong current between Skye and the Scottish mainland) need replacing this summer. This will require complete closure of Kyle Rhea on several days. Details are hard to come by at the moment but I heard that closures will be only from 10:00 to 16:00 on the days when they happen. Weather will play a part in when closures happen so there might be short notice. And just how notice will be served is not yet clear either.
 
cpedw said:
Those electric cables that cross Kyle Rhea (the narrow channel with strong current between Skye and the Scottish mainland) need replacing this summer. This will require complete closure of Kyle Rhea on several days. Details are hard to come by at the moment but I heard that closures will be only from 10:00 to 16:00 on the days when they happen. Weather will play a part in when closures happen so there might be short notice. And just how notice will be served is not yet clear either.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the heads up. Will keep an eye on the SSE website when we’re up that way in the summer.
 
dunedin said:
Lets be honest, do leisure sailors routinely check NtMs? Doubt i ever have in 20+ years. Mostly irrelevant.
And as no known dates yet probably too soon for a formal.NtM.
Best source of info for Kyle Rhea is almost certainly Mallaig Harbour Master - and locals of course.
Click to expand...
Are you in a sailing club? Someone at our club very helpfully forwards on the most relevant ones.
 
Summer sailing visitors, especially those from abroad, may commit themselves to the Kyle and be unaware that it is closed. Navigation hazards do get communicated via NAVTEX from time to time, however NAVTEX is not used by many and would the cable company even communicate the closure to the organisation. Maybe there will be control boat involved in the operation to communicate the closure.

For information, both Apple App Store and Google Play store offer NAVTEX Apps for mobile devices.

Example Apps there are more providers then this.
Navarea Warnings (Navtex) – Apps on Google Play
Navarea Warnings (Navtex) App - App Store
 
So, I downloaded the link above to my iPhone and the first warning is that the TSS in the Straight of Dover has cable operations in progress, with the boat named and the coordinates of operation.
 
A lot will depend on how much notice is given. It's a fairly major diversion if you intended to go through the Kyle, and then found that you had to back track and go right round Skye.
 
NormanS said:
A lot will depend on how much notice is given. It's a fairly major diversion if you intended to go through the Kyle, and then found that you had to back track and go right round Skye.
Click to expand...
Note that is only going to be closed during the day (and I presume the working day) so an evening passage / early morning would still be open for passage.
 
RunAgroundHard said:
Summer sailing visitors, especially those from abroad, may commit themselves to the Kyle and be unaware that it is closed.
Click to expand...
However there’s a good chance that any such vessel will be visiting marinas during their travels and my experience is the marinas are likely to have this on a noticeboard near the time. Visitors tend to talk about their plans and local advice will be forthcoming. It’s probably more of an issue for someone who’s done the passage half a dozen times before and wakes up one day and sets off!
RunAgroundHard said:
Navigation hazards do get communicated via NAVTEX from time to time, however NAVTEX is not used by many and would the cable company even communicate the closure to the organisation.
Click to expand...
Having seen the hoops Marine Scotland made me jump through just to take ownership of a mooring that was already in place - it seems very likely that an official organisation closing a significant piece of water will be going to some efforts to inform the boating public (including via Navtex for those still using it) nearer the time. The fact WHAM are aware suggests they have already started.
RunAgroundHard said:
Maybe there will be control boat involved in the operation to communicate the closure.
Click to expand...
Almost certainly. Much less significant cable operations last year had guard boats.

Given the significance of closing the route and thus sending traffic west of Skye I would be surprised if this wasn’t added to the end of MSIB from Stornoway CG on the affected days.
 
ylop said:
……

Given the significance of closing the route and thus sending traffic west of Skye I would be surprised if this wasn’t added to the end of MSIB from Stornoway CG on the affected days.
Click to expand...
Yes it is a very major impact if / when closed - it’s a LONG way around Skye, and potentially very bumpy. So in practice it will be wait and continue when reopened and the tide turned favourable again.
As you say I expect there will need to be a lot of information on VHF about this, and probably guard boats like used for the submarine test area just to the north. Not least as with tides up to 8 knots, if anybody got into Kyle Rhea without being aware, it is quite likely to be near impossible to turn back against the tide.
 
Sea Change said:
Offer them a tow??
Click to expand...
Towing a boat faster than it's hull speed will put enormous strain on fastenings. And the current in Kyle Rhea can exceed 6 knots, faster than hull speed for smaller craft; even my 31' boat won't do much more than that.

I HOPE that they'll have patrols at the entry points to turn boats back before they get to the fastest currents. I can't see anything else working; it's certain that someone will turn up who hasn't heard of the closure.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
Towing a boat faster than it's hull speed will put enormous strain on fastenings. And the current in Kyle Rhea can exceed 6 knots, faster than hull speed for smaller craft; even my 31' boat won't do much more than that.

I HOPE that they'll have patrols at the entry points to turn boats back before they get to the fastest currents. I can't see anything else working; it's certain that someone will turn up who hasn't heard of the closure.
Click to expand...
Yes, and many yachts don’t have VHF on, or don’t listen out for it - as regularly proven by listening to the BUTEC range just north of Kyle Rhea, repeatedly trying to contact yachts sailing done the middle of Inner Sound when closed.
Amusingly some of the BUTEC guard boats also don’t seem to monitor VHF, as they ignored calls from their control to go and intercept the yacht. Later the guard vessel suggested had not been able to pick up the VHF requests, but we could less than 1/2 a mile from them.
 
dunedin said:
Yes, and many yachts don’t have VHF on, or don’t listen out for it - as regularly proven by listening to the BUTEC range just north of Kyle Rhea, repeatedly trying to contact yachts sailing done the middle of Inner Sound when closed.
Amusingly some of the BUTEC guard boats also don’t seem to monitor VHF, as they ignored calls from their control to go and intercept the yacht. Later the guard vessel suggested had not been able to pick up the VHF requests, but we could less than 1/2 a mile from them.
Click to expand...
2 years ago, having had a productive chat with BUTEC to agree our passage through the active range, we heard an entertaining dialogue.

Started with exasperation with the singlehanded French yacht not answering calls. Switched to concern when he was heading for rocks. Ended with relief when "a wee head has appeared in the cockpit" according to the guard boat.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top