Lymington to Christchurch today?

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pressganged

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I was just chatting to a gentleman on the quay at lymington as he was preparing to depart for Christchurch it struck me that of all the places I woulD NOT put to sea for Christchurch would be top of the list .

Lee shore all way south easterly strong to gale winds and a shallow entrance with an evil harbour wall and a shifting channel,All those waves pushing into hengitsbury head, the boat was maybe 32 ft sail boat , seemed daft to me ??


Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis
Strong winds are forecast

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore from 0600 UTC Mon 30 Apr until 0600 UTC Tue 01 May

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in west, backing easterly 4, then becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea State
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Hope they make it , but what could be so pressing as to make that worth while ?
 
pressganged said:
I was just chatting to a gentleman on the quay at lymington as he was preparing to depart for Christchurch it struck me that of all the places I woulD NOT put to sea for Christchurch would be top of the list .

Lee shore all way south easterly strong to gale winds and a shallow entrance with an evil harbour wall and a shifting channel,All those waves pushing into hengitsbury head, the boat was maybe 32 ft sail boat , seemed daft to me ??


Selsey Bill to Lyme Regis
Strong winds are forecast

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore from 0600 UTC Mon 30 Apr until 0600 UTC Tue 01 May

24 hour forecast:

Wind
Southeasterly 6 to gale 8, occasionally severe gale 9 at first in west, backing easterly 4, then becoming cyclonic 5 to 7 later.
Sea State
Rough or very rough, becoming moderate.
Weather
Occasional rain or thundery showers.
Visibility
Moderate or good, occasionally poor.

Hope they make it , but what could be so pressing as to make that worth while ?
Click to expand...


Wait for the easterly back to begin, winds will moderate, not a lee shore. Doddle, as long as there's water to get into Christchurch. That would be the tricky bit, with LW at about midday, but you have to presume he knows the channel and his draft.
 
If it was me I think I'd be getting on the bus and coming back for the boat later. Entrance notes here including "In fresh to strong winds from the south through to southeast, a dangerous swell with a breaking sea often develops on the bar. Winds from this direction can cause rapid and significant changes to the course and depth of the channel."
 
More recent forecast:

For coastal areas up to 12 miles offshore from 1200 UTC Mon 30 Apr until 1200 UTC Tue 01 May

24 hour forecast:
WindEasterly or southeasterly 5 to 7, backing northeasterly 4 for a time, veering southerly 4 or 5 later.Sea StateModerate or rough, becoming slight.WeatherShowers then occasional thundery rain.VisibilityModerate or good, occasionally poor.
Outlook for the following 24 hours:
WindVariable 3 or 4.Sea StateSmooth or slight.WeatherMainly fair.VisibilityModerate or good.

If he's got a 4 from NE he should be ok but won't be looking at getting in much before 7 tonight unless he has got a lift keel
 
Twister_Ken said:
Wait for the easterly back to begin, winds will moderate, not a lee shore. Doddle, as long as there's water to get into Christchurch. That would be the tricky bit, with LW at about midday, but you have to presume he knows the channel and his draft.
Click to expand...

Ken I bow to your superior knowledge , but wouldn't three days of gale to storm force winds from south south east have a residual effect on the sea state and the waves refracting off the cliffs at hengitsbury pose a problem ??

I don't think I'd describe it as a doddle :-)
 
lymington to Christchurch (today) bus or boat ?

DJE said:
If it was me I think I'd be getting on the bus and coming back for the boat later. Entrance notes here including "In fresh to strong winds from the south through to southeast, a dangerous swell with a breaking sea often develops on the bar. Winds from this direction can cause rapid and significant changes to the course and depth of the channel."
Click to expand...

Yes bus trip for me too , perhaps that would have made a more apt thread title .....

lymington to Christchurch Bus or boat?
 
Last edited:
Wouldn't be my first choice of places to go today, but each to their own. Perhaps it's his home port and he's done it countless times. I've stood on the quay down there at the entrance and there's certainly an interesting rip tide on the ebb! Let's hope he's got plenty of grunt in the iron donkey to punch that if need be.
 
pressganged said:
Ken I bow to your superior knowledge , but wouldn't three days of gale to storm force winds from south south east have a residual effect on the sea state and the waves refracting off the cliffs at hengitsbury pose a problem ??

I don't think I'd describe it as a doddle :-)
Click to expand...

There haven't been 3 days of SSE, there was quite a lot of N in it for much of the time. In relatively shallow water and with a lee from the IOW much of the time, I wouldn't expect any swell to last long once the breeze backs. Not that familiar with inshore at Hengistbury, but I think it's shallow, so waves will break and collapse rather than refract or rebound, I suspect. Maybe someone more local has a view?

Certainly breaking here, but that's the bar at LW.

304301125.jpeg


Webcam here:
 
Twister_Ken said:
There haven't been 3 days of SSE, there was quite a lot of N in it for much of the time. In relatively shallow water and with a lee from the IOW much of the time, I wouldn't expect any swell to last long once the breeze backs. Not that familiar with inshore at Hengistbury, but I think it's shallow, so waves will break and collapse rather than refract or rebound, I suspect. Maybe someone more local has a view?

Certainly breaking here, but that's the bar at LW.

304301125.jpeg


Webcam here:
Click to expand...

Even at neaps I'd say that was an hour or so before low water. Much of area between the spit and the channel is uncovered from memory (I've only seen it from the shore as there's not enough water to see it from anything I've sailed on!!). The channel is fairly clear on the left side of the picture and never has breaking water - at least not in anything I'd like to be out in. In some ways it's easier when it's like that as you can see which bits to avoid and the buoys aren't the easiest to spot. The real problem is the current - I was out there a few days back and the port hand buoy you can just see to the left of the top of the lamp post just above the concrete wall was pretty much dragged under at full ebb. The flood is gentler by comparison due to the double high tide thing. For some reason the ebb seems worse at neaps, which we're nearer at the mo (again from memory).
 
I'm sure if he knew the entrance and was in a propper boat that could handle the conditions without punishing it's occupants then he'll have been fine.
 
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