Clarky
Well-Known Member
This may seem a strange title and contrasting one normally wooden boats and modern stuff like I phones dont go together .However last week I took my Riptide, which I recently aquired, from Cumbria over to Kirkcudbright.It was a part night passage leaving Cumbria about 8.30 pm and aiming to anchor at Ross Island after midnight to wait for the tide to go up the Dee Estuary and river.
Well I have never sailed in the Solway before and havent worked out how to use the ancient black and white chart plotter on board yet.
This night passage seemed a little daunting for a first trip, I have the navionics app on my phone and though well I will try that.
Using that we soon picked up the lights on Ross Island ,but then decided to go round the back to anchor and wait for tide to turn.
We anchored in Ross sound at low water ,it was easy to see exactly where we were on the Navionics screen ,and it was handy being able to stand at the wheel and see exactly where you were without rushing off down below.I could check the depth which at times was less than a metre .
Anyway after a couple of hours by touching the tide symbol on the App a very helpful tidal curve popped up telling me I had just enough water to go through the sound as it was neaps.
So off we went, slowly, as often there was less than 1.5m below and picked up the transit from the 2 light houses on Ross Island and headed for the channel up the river in the distance. The transit from the light houses is very helpful as one light is exactly above the other if you are on the right bearing.
With some nervousness we headed up the Dee and after about 4 miles picked up red and green bouys in the channel.They arent that close together at times, and you have to be careful in the dark ,but the Iphone was accurate enough for me to see my boat icon passing the buoys and the whole trip was a bit like a real life computer game as I watched the screen and my friend managed the wheel responding to my directions.
Anyway soon we arrived at Kirkudbright ,what a nice place ,even at 3am !
The next morning we met the harbour master Rab,a real gentleman, who had booked us in and given me the beta that I would get up the channel at low water with my 4 ft draught and neap tides.He declined to charge us for the night as we arrived so late.
Next day we had a look around the town and liked it so much we stayed another night,there was no wind for sailing back anyway,but more forecast for the next day.We headed back across a very misty Solway ,picking our way past the massive Robin Rigg windfarm.It was quite poor visibility at sea and more and more windmills kept materialising out the mist every 5 minutes ,like an army of giants guarding the passage to England from Scotland. However there was a good breeze,we whisked by them without a challenge,and it was nice to sail back to Workington.
Anyway the boat did well and I can recommend quaint plywood boats as everybody who passes stops to find out about her, especially people older than me who can remember Eventides,Waterwitches etc.
The past and the future blended well across the Solway under the watchfull spirit of Maurice Griffiths.
Well I have never sailed in the Solway before and havent worked out how to use the ancient black and white chart plotter on board yet.
This night passage seemed a little daunting for a first trip, I have the navionics app on my phone and though well I will try that.
Using that we soon picked up the lights on Ross Island ,but then decided to go round the back to anchor and wait for tide to turn.
We anchored in Ross sound at low water ,it was easy to see exactly where we were on the Navionics screen ,and it was handy being able to stand at the wheel and see exactly where you were without rushing off down below.I could check the depth which at times was less than a metre .
Anyway after a couple of hours by touching the tide symbol on the App a very helpful tidal curve popped up telling me I had just enough water to go through the sound as it was neaps.
So off we went, slowly, as often there was less than 1.5m below and picked up the transit from the 2 light houses on Ross Island and headed for the channel up the river in the distance. The transit from the light houses is very helpful as one light is exactly above the other if you are on the right bearing.
With some nervousness we headed up the Dee and after about 4 miles picked up red and green bouys in the channel.They arent that close together at times, and you have to be careful in the dark ,but the Iphone was accurate enough for me to see my boat icon passing the buoys and the whole trip was a bit like a real life computer game as I watched the screen and my friend managed the wheel responding to my directions.
Anyway soon we arrived at Kirkudbright ,what a nice place ,even at 3am !
The next morning we met the harbour master Rab,a real gentleman, who had booked us in and given me the beta that I would get up the channel at low water with my 4 ft draught and neap tides.He declined to charge us for the night as we arrived so late.
Next day we had a look around the town and liked it so much we stayed another night,there was no wind for sailing back anyway,but more forecast for the next day.We headed back across a very misty Solway ,picking our way past the massive Robin Rigg windfarm.It was quite poor visibility at sea and more and more windmills kept materialising out the mist every 5 minutes ,like an army of giants guarding the passage to England from Scotland. However there was a good breeze,we whisked by them without a challenge,and it was nice to sail back to Workington.
Anyway the boat did well and I can recommend quaint plywood boats as everybody who passes stops to find out about her, especially people older than me who can remember Eventides,Waterwitches etc.
The past and the future blended well across the Solway under the watchfull spirit of Maurice Griffiths.
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