Looe Channel

[Guest]

I am delivering my boat from Hamble to Brighton and would like some advice on the Looe Channel please.

Does this channel become difficult to negotiate above a F4-5 and is it easily seen in drizzle or unexpected mist ?

Boat draws 6ft.

Thanks

 

[Twister_Ken]

I've used it several times over the years. Used to be difficult to find pre Decca and GPS, but not now. I'd be happy going through in a F5, but much more than that and I'd want to go around the end - well out because there are some overfalls near the end of the shoal if the tide is running.

 

[bigmart]

I used to keep my boat in Littlehampton & went through the Looe regularly but in the opposite direction to your journey.

F5 should be no problem but avoid it in wind over tide when the only place Ive found worse was StAlbans Race again in wind over tide.

Aim for the 2 buoys at the entrance & make sure you can see the post on the Mixon, at the other end, you'l be fine.

Good luck.

Big Mart

 

[Rob_Webb]

Treat with big respect. My single worst sea-state experience was in this place - ok, admittedly it was a SW F6-7 wind over tide but I will never forget the sight of the swell being spreader height with the occasional 'swell' turning into a roaring breaker which completely swamped the cockpit of a well-founded 32-footer.

Forgetting the merits of having found myself in this place in such conditions (put it down to a 'learning experience'), the most alarming thing was losing sight of the exit marker having entered from the east, travelling west. The size of the seas made it very hard to pick the marker out and even with GPS it was a hairy experience.

Personally I would avoid it in anthing over a F4 and would not enter it at all in wind-over-tide conditions..... possibly now a bit over-cautious but once swamped.....

Co-incidentally, I was also on a delivery trip with a new boat and the flip side was that having survived the experience intact, it gave me great confidence in the abilities of the boat for the rest of my ownership!

Good luck with you new boat.
Rob.

 

[billmacfarlane]

Coming from west to east have a look at your chart and you'll see 2 buoys called the Boulder and Street . Also note the rocky area called the Hounds to port side of the channel. You'll be going through with the flood tide so any wind with a easterly slant and above F5 makes the channel unpleasant due to the uneven bottom and the funnelling tide. You then aim to leave a marker called the Mixon to port and that's about it. The overfalls are worse at the westerly end of the channel. Lookout for pot markers which can be underwater due to the effects of the funnelling tide. The channel isn't as bad as a lot of people make out though watch your approach and don't approach the channel from too near the shore. The rocks are very hard as I found once. The buoys aren't particularly conspicuous and probably won't be seen until you're about a mile from them.

 

[AndrewB]

I would agree with this and also previous comments. Its definitely easier going west-east as the worst bit is at the beginning. You really want to be able to spot the Mixon beacon and keep about ½m south going through. For a first passage though, best to avoid this route in winds of F6+ or with the visibility less than a couple of miles.