Lyminton to Brighton in one go, some advice please.

[johnalison]

Or you could leave the day before and make your life a lot easier and your passage a lot more pleasant.

Come on. It's not as if he were intending to cross the North Atlantic in winter. There is a lot of satisfaction to be had from longer passages, and if they are later intending to cruise to places such as Brittany, it will do no harm to build up experience in matters such as catering and watch-keeping.

 

[V1701]

I've just looked at the tides for next tuesday, LW Brighton is 0.6m @ 8pm so you'd need to arrive before 6 or after 10. At low water with 0.6m we'll all be sitting in the mud...

 

[jimi]

I've done Studland to Brighton single handed, had a decent SW , left Studland with timing to arrive mid Solent about a hour before LW, used inshore back currents through Needles Channel and along Lymington to Calshott shore and then picked up 7 hours of east going tide to Brighton. Was several years ago but I do not recall any significant punching of the tide! I did run aground once inside Brighton Marina though! I passage plan at 6.5 knots through the water and usually exceed expectations if I get the tides right. I can't recall how long it took and logbook is on boat but I left about 7am and was there late afternoon. From Lymington you should be able to carry the tide all the way IMHO.

 

[jimi]

I've just looked at the tides for next tuesday, LW Brighton is 0.6m @ 8pm so you'd need to arrive before 6 or after 10. At low water with 0.6m we'll all be sitting in the mud...

I'd be aiming to arrive around HW if coming from the west, going back west you'd be leaving around HW

 

[baart]

The idea is to get some more experience as a family with longer passages. I have done some, the rest not quite. They are keen though. I agree that it would be logical to split the trip over two days but this is not the aim this time. Also if I ever get to do YM exam it could possibly be a 60M passage in my log. Not always easy to find enough time and a willing family member to do it. On the other hand we don't want to push ourselves unnecessarily so if we feel it is too much for us or if it is blowing from the east we will go elsewhere or stop in Chichester or Portsmouth. Aiming to be a gentleman so trying to sail downwind

Might leave earlier as suggested and keep closer to the shore on the way to Cowes before the tide turns. It feels like a nice planning challenge. Will report how it goes.

 

[jimi]

Don’t forget that the journey back may be a bigger challenge! 5 hours of favourable ride as opposed to 7 and the prevailing wind against you. The voyage back is the one to split imho.

 

[baart]

Going back we will split 100%. Still supposed to be something that resembles holiday ? . Get to Chichester and then short hops to Poole.

 

[ashtead]

If I was hoping back you might find more to entertain the crew at Portsmouth plus no bar to cross into harbour or lock as at chi marina etc. after a night at Brighton you might be looking for peace and quiet though but Gosport has much to offer.

 

[baart]

True, will probably end up in Gunwharf, we always enjoy Portsmouth Harbour

 

[Concerto]

At present I am just finishing a video of a trip from Chatham to Portsmouth and back from video and photographs I took for my personal use in 2016 Looking through them made me think they could be combined to cover most of the trip. There is a long section of video in the Looe Channel at starting about 2.42 whilst on a run in strong winds. I will try and finish it tomorrow night and load it on to You Tube. I will post the link here and as a new thread.

It has taken a little longer than planned but the video has been loaded to YouTube.

https://youtu.be/9f3ivJWApaM

The bit going through the Looe Channel starts at 2.37 and is worth watching.

 

[Iliade]

You could always stop at Shoreham (LadyBee in the canalised eastern arm) for a night while waiting for the tide at Brighton.

Shoreham's entrance is all-tide for all but the deepest; it is dredged almost daily, but do avoid cutting close to the end of the western arm as there is a shingle bar extending that arm for 20m or so.

 

[Wansworth]

Lymington to anchour age off Bembridge next day on to Brighton via the Owers Light

 

[baart]

The bit going through the Looe Channel starts at 2.37 and is worth watching.

So from that video it seems the Looe Channel might resemble what I experienced going into Portsmouth Harbour against strong ebb or a wind over tide there. Not pleasant but doable unless more than F5?

 

[johnalison]

The Looe Channel is not Cape Horn. It is just a small area where the tide runs a bit strongly. Any well-found boat should be able to manage in any ‘family sailing’ weather. The only problem can be lobster pots, but I’ve not been that way for some years now.

 

[Concerto]

Went through the Looe Channel at the end of last September and there were a few lobster pots near the western side, but not a problem.

 

[baart]

So a pretty uneventful trip, unfortunately a lot of motoring. Left Lymington at 5.10am, stayed in the shallower parts of the Solent on the way to Cowes. Some tide against us, max. 1.2knts. By the time we got past Beaulieu the tide started turning and pushed us nicely by the Cowes breakwater. Hardly any wind so far so Mr. Diesel had to help. Some morning breeze kicked in later, force 3 gusting 4. A bit on and off and not lasting very long. With the tide around 2knts we got to Selsey Bill at 9.40am. Nearly 3kts of tide through the Looe Channel with 8knts of wind, I can see why it might be challenging with stronger winds. Can report only 3 lobster pots. Past Looe wind died completely and only picked up near Shoreham but max of 8knts and didn't last long. Experienced pretty much any wind direction today. Arrived at Brighton at 2.40pm. 0.6knts of tide against us for the last 40 minutes. Steak and Stella at Wetherspoons. Going for a walk now.

Thank you for all the advice. Hopefully will have more wind on a way back on Thursday. Seen some NE forcasted so if it materialises it should be a gentelmanly trip.

 

[baart]

Regarding depth at the marina in case someone wants to know...at low water it is unbelievably shallow. Apart from pontoons 11 and 12 it seems most of the marina would be inaccesible at LWS for boats with anything resembling a keel. Nowhere near the alleged 1.7m. At the entrance at around 2.30pm, so about an hour after HW, my depth sounder showed 7.2m. On pontoon 12 at low water 2.2m, when we arrived 7.6m