Lulled into a false sense of security

Marmalade

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With a number of contradictory forecasts flying around we spent Friday night in the Blackwater on the mooring. Saturday - and it's up early for the start of the club's annual shakedown cruise to Burnham. The weather was fine and the forecast 4-5 occasionally 6 didn't sound too scary. But... in our delight at the fine morning we forgot our old adage - always add 1 to the highest number in the forecast and then ask yourself if you'd still go. 3 hours later, after a superb sail out to the spitway, we're fighting a 7, wind against tide and right on the nose, with a jammed furler and wife & kids calling me every name under the sun. Made it to Burnham with a v shaken family. Anyone else out in it on Saturday or was I the only muppet?
 

AliM

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Yes, we were also out in it. Force 4-5 it said in all the forecasts - they were pretty well all agreed - we clocked a minimum of force 6 with plenty of force 7 interludes, once it got going. We sailed up from the Crouch to Walton backwaters, doing the last bit on just a small rag of genoa, and kept a speed of about 6 knots. An exciting sail - my son loved it. It continued to blow a steady F6 into the late afternoon. But the sun was out, which makes all the difference! Now, yesterday, there was no wind except in the torrential showers, so you could either sail and get soaked, or motor in the sun, or in our case, both.
 

snowleopard

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There was a very wide variation in the forecasts from different models. Down here in the west the top end was to be anything between 5 and 8 depending on who you listened to. It all came down to the steepness of the gradient between a high and a low close together - only a small variation in the path of either system and a major change in gradient would occur.

We scrapped the plans for saturday and went inland laser/windsurfing - the more wind the merrier and you're not having fun unless you get wet.
 

fireball

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We sat on board on Saturday, listening to the VHF and several PAN PANs going on in the solent area ... then SCG repeated the Strong wind warning - "occaisionally F6 between Selsey Bill ... " it was absolutely spot on ... it occaisionally dropped to F6 ... the rest of the time it was a nice F7 ....
Luckily we used the weather station services of Chimet and Bramblemet as well as phone calls to a friend who stayed tied up on the IOW otherwise it may have been an uncomfortable bash ....
 

Evadne

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Same here, we checked Chimet and the 1st mate immediately mutinied so we stayed in. Had a cold sail & motor on Sunday instead, but that meant we were out on the best sailing day of the weekend, Sunday. Westerly F4 becoming NW 3-4 and sunny with it.
 

xcw

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Had a very wet sail from Portsmouth to Southampton Saturday lunchtime. Few boats out, but we were booked into see Elton John in Southampton so needed to go otherwise wouldn't have ventured out. Severe loss of brownie points as my family clung on and got a good soaking from the green stuff coming over the side. Still, regained most of them as Elton John was very good!
 

Talbot

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Wind was weird over the whole weekend really. I looked at chiand bramblemet at decided saturday was a good day to catch up on some paperwork. Monday at the Folly the wind went from Northerly 10kts to nothing to westerly not much then up to 7 knots and within an hour was back to NWN not much then up to 7 knots then 11. As we came back to Portsmouth, wind changed from 7 to 16knots and back more times than you can shake a stick.
 

Phoenix of Hamble

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Yep...

We came out of the Orwell... stuck our nose out past Shotley, and turned around and went back to Ipswich after measuring 25kts ..........

What a contrast with Sunday though at about 10kts...... which saw us nicely into the Backwaters at Titchmarsh....
 

Gunfleet

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This is a classic example of the discrepancies in our perception of weather - you were running and the other poster was beating (or at least going to windward for a signicant part of the trip) so what you experienced felt completely different. FWIW I stood on the foreshore at West Mersea and was glad I hadn't gone out in a boat!
 

RivalRedwing

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We left the Medway at 4-30 Sat am and had a great sail to the Deben under a genny which was reduced a couple of times during the trip. We though it might get a bit fruity around the spitway once the tide turned and were very happy to be going with the wind. We were at anchor half-way up the Deben by mid-afternoon and continued to record 25+ knots until the early evening.
 

AliM

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No, not quite a contradiction in our perceptions. We were running, and had an adult son and competent partner and myself (reasonably competent). He had a young family and jammed furling gear and had a nasty windward course. I was not saying that it should have been fun for him, as it was for us. I was agreeing that the wind had been a lot stronger than the forecasts, and confirming his report of very frisky conditions.
 

Gunfleet

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Difference is a better word than discrepancy or contradiction Alison, you're right. Going to windward the other boat was experiencing say 25 knots plus the wind speed, say 5 knots =30 knots. You were experiencing 25 knots minus your speed, 6 knots = 19 knots. There was 11 knots difference in the real wind speeds over the deck. Even given the other variables, bearing in mind that the pressure the wind exerts increases exponentially with speed, the people going to windward were in for a much windier ride. Tie down everything, we're going about!
 

mbay

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we got forecast for saturday being 5-7 sw veering nw 3-4 so we thought a good sail in store.... turned out to be a little more than that though.....Amble marina recorded wind speeds of 45 knots (in the marina) would not like to repeat that sail again my first gale and i hope its my last!
 

Parsonsheath

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We sat in Titchmarsh comparing readings on wind speeds, had young children on board so no joy in going out, though it let me show the youngsters the effect of wind on an inflatable. It may have been a lovely sunny day, but with the gusts not a day for youngsters, but Sunday was fine!
 

Cutter

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Sailing on windy Saturday

Was walking - barely standing up - out to view needles. Fascinating history of the battery there - is anyone old enough to remember them testing the rockets there beofre they moved to Woomera? -
Saw this soul coming into the needles channel

IoW_trip4.sized.jpg


Good view of the shingles bank

Then along came IJ to play - those boys are good - went round a few times practising getting a wheel onto the Needles light.

IoW_trip_IJ_2.sized.jpg


They tried different approach methods and hovered in 35-40 kn wind.

Didnt go sailing but discovered another wind related activity. Great fun. Especially when the wind had settled on Sunday and Monday!

Rs_and_Phil.sized.jpg


Would rather have been sailing but still a great weekend. Island has a lot to offer. Great views of Ryde sands - sure going to be some boats aground this year on the RTI now No Man's is open to the North.
 

Cutter

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Re: Sailing on windy Saturday

Bembridge
Tried to get on the bridge of the Wightlink ferry to get them to run you down but they refused as they didnt want witnesses!
 

iangrant

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Re: Sailing on windy Saturday

oh thanks for that - saw the gliders from bembridge, thought we'd give the ferries the weekend off.

If you fancy a proper glider trip go to Talgarth and do a ridge flight along the black mountains

Ian
 
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