Needles or bembridge

[pikeyrm]

My idea would be to leave the western solent,
reasons being;
passage would be 117nm but would have the tide in my favour for 3 sets and only one against, ( marchwood to needles, next flood, and the last).
If we was to leave via the Nab (110nm) then we would only have the tide giving a greater XTE, doing the lazy S for both routes.

 

[jimi]

Hmmm my charting software makes the difference quite a bit bigger than that! Not only that but you have the benefit of the tide all the way from Marchwood to St Kats pushing you in the correct direction!

 

[Angele]

My idea would be to leave the western solent,
reasons being;
passage would be 117nm but would have the tide in my favour for 3 sets and only one against, ( marchwood to needles, next flood, and the last).
If we was to leave via the Nab (110nm) then we would only have the tide giving a greater XTE, doing the lazy S for both routes.

The copy of Reeds I have in front of me (2010 edition) gives Southampton to Ouistreham via NAB as 110nm, but via Needles as 120nm. I am aware that the cross Channel distance table in Reeds underwent some revision in a more recent edition (was it 2012?). I challenged the editors to explain the change, since I wasn't aware of any seismic activity that has caused Alderney to move further south, and yet Cherbourg had stayed put, but never got a response. I used a web distance calculator from lat and long to confirm that some of the changes were total bollox.

No matter - 3nm is only a little over 30 mins.

I would, however, point out that Needles to Ouistreham is most definitely not due south.

(Or, have Jimi, Laika and I missed the point and Caen is your final destination, but your first port of call is somewhere like Cherbourg. If so, then I can see where you are coming from).

 

[laika]

I would, however, point out that Needles to Ouistreham is most definitely not due south.

(Or, have Jimi, Laika and I missed the point and Caen is your final destination, but your first port of call is somewhere like Cherbourg. If so, then I can see where you are coming from).

+1. Bembridge ledge to Ouistreham is about 90miles at 160 degrees: far more to the left of due south than an extra favourable tide would take you. At 5 knots that's maybe 3 additional hours fighting contrary tide at the other end if you go the longer route from the needles. But as Angele says, if you're going to Cherbourg first it's a whole different question...

 

[Mudisox]

You could of course take the ferry!

 

[laika]

You could of course take the ferry!

Eastern route via portsmouth or western via poole and train from cherbourg?

 

[lustyd]

surely it can be for this passage,it is easy to plan both ways but then pick the one on the day that suits the weather.

Not at all, if you pick your day based on wind but planned in advance then by definition you have ignored tides and will have a terrible day out at some point!.

 

[pikeyrm]

we are going straight to Caen.
we plan to leave on the evening tide next Wednesday (19th) stw).
The original post was to see how many others think the same as us, it has highlighted that we all have different opinions on which is the best way and reasons why.

 

[benjenbav]

we are going straight to Caen.
we plan to leave on the evening tide next Wednesday (19th) stw).
The original post was to see how many others think the same as us, it has highlighted that we all have different opinions on which is the best way and reasons why.

Forgive me if I say that I think many posting on this thread have assumed that you want to get to your destination as quickly as possible. I think it might be a nicer (if slightly longer) trip to take the tide to the Needles and sail a bit freer from there than to plug uptide to the Nab and then have to sail closer to the wind across. Mind you, if it's breezy on the day, as someone else pointed out, it might shake your fillings with wind over tide going west down the Solent. Then again, it might be an easterly which would be a bit of a game changer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, whichever way you go.

 

[jimi]

Hmm, having been based at Hythe for a while (next to Marchwood) I can testify to the fact if you time it right with the tide turn at Bembridge you get a better kick for longer down the east side of the IoW than the west side, I can also testify to the fact that if yo get it wrong then the same bit of the east of the IoW gets boring after a couple of hours ;-)

 

[Angele]

Forgive me if I say that I think many posting on this thread have assumed that you want to get to your destination as quickly as possible. I think it might be a nicer (if slightly longer) trip to take the tide to the Needles and sail a bit freer from there than to plug uptide to the Nab and then have to sail closer to the wind across. Mind you, if it's breezy on the day, as someone else pointed out, it might shake your fillings with wind over tide going west down the Solent. Then again, it might be an easterly which would be a bit of a game changer. Anyway, I hope you enjoy it, whichever way you go.

Gosh yes. Much as I love sailing, as opposed to Moboing, the thought that you might actually steer a course because it is more comfortable, but takes longer, is being rejected by my brain. "Does not compute", it is telling me. Might do when I am retired, but for now I am eager to reach my destination as quickly as possible on any passage over about 40nm - and especially when we are talking about that earlier arrival time translating to spending more time ashore in France.

And that is on a 40 footer where my passage planning speed is somewhat greater than the OP - nearly as fast as an Anderson 22, to be precise.

But, on the "sail a bit freer" point, the fact that the destination is Ouistreham and not Cherbourg is already doing that for you (if you are assuming a SWly). Also, the difference between the heading from the Needles to the destination as opposed to Bembridge/NAB to destination is less for Ouistreham than it is for Cherbourg because the former is more distant:

Needles L Ho to Cherbourg (Fort de l'Est) is 179 degrees (True).
From Bembridge Ledge ECM to Cherbourg (Fort de l'Est) is 199 degrees (T). So, you are getting an "advantage" on the wind of 20 degrees from Needles over Bembridge.

Needles L Ho to Ouistreham is 147 degrees (T).
From Bembridge Ledge ECM to Ouistreham is 160 degrees (T). So, you are getting an "advantage" on the wind of only 13 degrees.

Note also that Bembridge Ledge to Ouistreham (160) is a "better" heading than Needles to Cherbourg (179). So, unless the wind is coming from E of SSW, the angle on the wind going through via forts ain't bad.

 

[jimi]

Have you taken into account the effect of a bit of lee bowing?

 

[DJE]

Marchwood to the Needles is about 23 miles. If a lot of that is a beat down the West Solent you might average not much more than 5knots vmg even with the tide under you. So possibly 4.5 hours to the Needles. Any unforseen delays and you might find yourself with foul tide in Hurst narrows or the Needles channel.

I would keep close to Hill Head and Lee on Solent and by the time you are getting close to Gilkicker there won't be much west-going tide left. If you're early it might be worthwhile pushing on East to the gap in the barrier off Southsea before turning South. That way you could miss the NW-going tide off Bembridge. If you're late by this route then the next tide change is going to be in your favour.

 

[alant]

+1, but also would prefer the Needles as you will miss a lot of the big stuff coming in towards the Nab.

Ships don't simply just 'materialise' near the Nab, any coming from the west, must pass south of the needles, so still a problem.

 

[Talbot]

For Caen I'd leave by the Eastern Solent

+ 1