Portsmouth to Weymouth tide timing

[Babylon]

I think this is going to be #1 plan - except I will stay in Poole - i would anchor in Studland but I have a cqr copy which came with the boat and don’t trust it (looking to replace) and yeah catch the evening tide rather than get up at silly o clock

Unless there are moorings in swanage to pick up? The channel pilot mentions them

Thanks - good to hear the thoughts of others as sometimes I can’t see the wood for the trees

Yes there are some mooring-buoys in Swanage, but what would you do if they're all taken?

Your CQR copy is probably good enough to take you round Britain, but if you're anxious about it then buy, say, a Manson Supreme (11kg for a 30footer and fit a Kong swivel), which is what I did and haven't dragged once since. The key thing is to cut the umbilical cord to marina pontoons and mooring-buoys and get used to anchoring overnight (including going to bed) as a matter of routine. This will open up many more cruising options and ease passage-making decisions such as this one.

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Still plenty of time!

You would think so but I’m still having trouble with anchor size as the chart suggests a 10kg is ok for my boat so I’m in two minds what to get (10 or 16kg) - most likely a delta

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Yes there are some mooring-buoys in Swanage, but what would you do if they're all taken?

Your CQR copy is probably good enough to take you round Britain, but if you're anxious about it then buy, say, a Manson Supreme (11kg for a 30footer and fit a Kong swivel), which is what I did and haven't dragged once since. The key thing is to cut the umbilical cord to marina pontoons and mooring-buoys and get used to anchoring overnight (including going to bed) as a matter of routine. This will open up many more cruising options and ease passage-making decisions such as this one.

Your completely right - one step at a time though although the more I think about it this is a great opportunity for a night on the hook

 

[derekgillard]

+1
I did exactly this recently and at average 6 kts SOG (under engine no wind) the tide got us to Portland Bill before finally turning by which point we were well offshore.

 

[LadyInBed]

You would think so but I’m still having trouble with anchor size as the chart suggests a 10kg is ok for my boat so I’m in two minds what to get (10 or 16kg) - most likely a delta

My Colvic Countess 33 came with a 10kg Delta, which is correct for the size of boat according to the chart, but I wasn't happy with it as I thought it looked a bit small considering the windage of a Pilot House boat so I upped it to a 16kg and now always sleep peacefully :encouragement:

 

[Pete7]

Hi

Planning to treck down to Weymouth from Portsmouth in one hit but I am going to hit foul tide somewhere so what’s the best time to hit the needles?

Not done this passage before so thought I’d ask for tips

We did this trip yesterday. HW Portsmouth was 1200 hrs and we left at 0900 hrs cheating the tide until past Cowes averaging 3.5-4 knots SOG. Tide picked up by Newtown Creek and we shot out of the Needles averaging 8.5 knots across Poole Bay. Normally we use the Inside passage at St Albans but a southerly F5 squall made me change course and go between the two yellow bouys at the southern end of the ledge, still being pushed West at 8.5 knots. WE met 100 yrds of small breaking waves but no larger than the wash off a mobo in the Solent.

Just had a chat with a fellow yachtsman who used the inshore passage an hour before us and who said they wish they hadn't, they had repeated green waves over the deck.

The spring tide was still pushing us westward most of the way across Weymouth Bay arriving in Portland at 4.30 pm, so certainly do able on a decent single tide. Shame about the rain lashing down from the Needles to Lulworth Cove.

Pete

 

[Cactus Sailing]

We did this trip yesterday. HW Portsmouth was 1200 hrs and we left at 0900 hrs cheating the tide until past Cowes averaging 3.5-4 knots SOG. Tide picked up by Newtown Creek and we shot out of the Needles averaging 8.5 knots across Poole Bay. Normally we use the Inside passage at St Albans but a southerly F5 squall made me change course and go between the two yellow bouys at the southern end of the ledge, still being pushed West at 8.5 knots. WE met 100 yrds of small breaking waves but no larger than the wash off a mobo in the Solent.

Just had a chat with a fellow yachtsman who used the inshore passage an hour before us and who said they wish they hadn't, they had repeated green waves over the deck.

The spring tide was still pushing us westward most of the way across Weymouth Bay arriving in Portland at 4.30 pm, so certainly do able on a decent single tide. Shame about the rain lashing down from the Needles to Lulworth Cove.

Pete

Thanks Pete, similar length boat so good to know its all possible, if i fail on the 1st ill certainly catch the tide on the 8th.

 

[DJE]

I once did it the other way in a Sadler 29. We left Weymouth so as to be off St Albans Head just as the tide started to run east. The east-going tide carried us all the way to Cowes and we had to push a bit of foul tide from there to Portsmouth. No time for hanging about - we had to use the engine as required to keep the speed above 5 knots.

 

[Daedelus]

Just ran the tides for 8th through Neptune passage planner. I kept more or less straight lines thro Solent and to 5 or 6 miles off Anvil point and the results are as follows:

RESULTS ARE FROM DERIVED DATA AND AS SUCH ARE ONLY APPROXIMATE.

Route calculation for 8 Sep 2018

Start : 50.48.14N 001.07.17W
Dest. : 50.36.06N 002.25.26W

Waypoint to waypoint distance=55.7nm

Departing 00:00, Passage time=11h18m Distance over ground=56.5nm

Departing 01:00, Passage time=11h25m Distance over ground=57.1nm

Departing 02:00, Passage time=11h40m Distance over ground=58.3nm

Departing 03:00, Passage time=11h41m Distance over ground=58.4nm

Departing 04:00, Passage time=11h35m Distance over ground=57.9nm

Departing 05:00, Passage time=11h19m Distance over ground=56.6nm

Departing 06:00, Passage time=10h40m Distance over ground=53.3nm

Departing 07:00, Passage time=10h19m Distance over ground=51.6nm

Departing 08:00, Passage time=09h43m Distance over ground=48.6nm

Departing 09:00, Passage time=08h56m Distance over ground=44.7nm

Departing 10:00, Passage time=09h07m Distance over ground=45.6nm

Departing 11:00, Passage time=09h42m Distance over ground=48.5nm

Departing 12:00, Passage time=11h28m Distance over ground=57.3nm

Departing 13:00, Passage time=11h45m Distance over ground=58.7nm

Departing 14:00, Passage time=12h02m Distance over ground=60.1nm

Departing 15:00, Passage time=11h54m Distance over ground=59.5nm

Departing 16:00, Passage time=11h52m Distance over ground=59.4nm

Departing 17:00, Passage time=11h44m Distance over ground=58.7nm

Departing 18:00, Passage time=11h03m Distance over ground=55.2nm

Departing 19:00, Passage time=10h14m Distance over ground=51.2nm

Departing 20:00, Passage time=09h56m Distance over ground=49.7nm

Departing 21:00, Passage time=09h16m Distance over ground=46.3nm

Departing 22:00, Passage time=08h31m Distance over ground=42.6nm

Departing 23:00, Passage time=09h20m Distance over ground=46.7nm


DOVER Tide Times
05:30 1.1
10:40 6.6
18:00 0.8
23:10 6.8

Note:- This chart's tidal diamonds are referred to the above port HW times

 

[lw395]

How do you get from one waypoint to another 55.7NM away by travelling 42.6NM over the ground? Is the rest underground?

 

[LadyInBed]

How do you get from one waypoint to another 55.7NM away by travelling 42.6NM over the ground? Is the rest underground?

Maybe it's distance through water, so max tide assistance gives shortest distance through water.

 

[Babylon]

Just ran the tides for 8th through Neptune passage planner. I kept more or less straight lines thro Solent and to 5 or 6 miles off Anvil point and the results are as follows:....

So dept after breakfast on the 8th and do it all in nine hours (at 5kts?) +/- wind direction/strength, sea-state and visibility...!

 

[dom]

So dept after breakfast on the 8th and do it all in nine hours (at 5kts?) +/- wind direction/strength, sea-state and visibility...!

Anybody (esp Daedelus) know whether Neptune has the granularity to play the charted tidal contra-currents in the Solent? If yes, the package is fantastic value!

 

[lw395]

Anybody (esp Daedelus) know whether Neptune has the granularity to play the charted tidal contra-currents in the Solent? If yes, the package is fantastic value!

Does it actually tell you any more than the 'wet finger on the back of a beer mat' estimate that you want to leave (at least) a couple of hours before HW, to have favourable tide where tide is strongest? Aren't we better off being able to eyeball some tide charts and understand what's going on, rather than delegating to an app and looking at a bunch of numbers?

Any decent Solent round-the cans racer will tell you that the tide stream charts are only a guide, you're always interpolating between neaps and springs as well as time vs HW, plus a bit of weather can alter the streams.

 

[Cactus Sailing]

Just ran the tides for 8th through Neptune passage planner. I kept more or less straight lines thro Solent and to 5 or 6 miles off Anvil point and the results are as follows:

RESULTS ARE FROM DERIVED DATA AND AS SUCH ARE ONLY APPROXIMATE.



Note:- This chart's tidal diamonds are referred to the above port HW times

interesting app/software, might have a play with that

more than likely going on the 31st Aug/1st Sept though, may even just go into weymouth late on the 31st looks fairly wet lit on the charts for a late approach.

 

[dom]

Does it actually tell you any more than the 'wet finger on the back of a beer mat' estimate that you want to leave (at least) a couple of hours before HW, to have favourable tide where tide is strongest? Aren't we better off being able to eyeball some tide charts and understand what's going on, rather than delegating to an app and looking at a bunch of numbers?

Any decent Solent round-the cans racer will tell you that the tide stream charts are only a guide, you're always interpolating between neaps and springs as well as time vs HW, plus a bit of weather can alter the streams.

I take your point although racing is a kinda different ball game which can come down to how much data one wants/is able to collect. As you imply straight linear interpolation based upon tidal coefficients don't really work in areas where tidal flows are displaced by headlands, shallows, etc., and that is before taking into account the weather. Then there is the tidal influence on true wind speed and direction and what that means in terms of the polars. Hence the massive pre-race data gathering one sometimes sees before big events.

Over in cruising land the trusty fag packet has its place, but the Admiralty has chartered some of the more stable tidal contra-flows, including for example places like Cowes where the stream runs west for around 9h out of every 12ish. It can be worth catching some of these mini-streams, in which light I thought it would be interesting to know the granularity level adopted by the Neptune programmers.

If or no other reason than it's sometimes nice to have the gizzmos perform optimal departure time calcs, course to steer, passage times without even having to take the cellophane off the fags

 

[DJE]

Remember when picking departure time the old adage, "Nobody ever got there earlier by waiting for the tide". Though granted he may have had a few more hours in bed.

 

[dom]

Remember when picking departure time the old adage, "Nobody ever got there earlier by waiting for the tide". Though granted he may have had a few more hours in bed.

...cept when the clock strikes 'kedge o'clock'

 

[lw395]

Remember when picking departure time the old adage, "Nobody ever got there earlier by waiting for the tide". Though granted he may have had a few more hours in bed.

This is very true.
It's easy to underestimate the time between 'starting to leave' and actually passing through the harbour entrance.
It's always better to plug the last of the foul tide, knowing that it will soon turn your way, rather than worrying about 'running out of fair tide'.

If it's upwind in a small bilge keeler which doesn't point terribly well, getting the tides halfway right makes a big difference to the pleasure sometimes.

 

[PhillM]

This is very true.
It's easy to underestimate the time between 'starting to leave' and actually passing through the harbour entrance.
It's always better to plug the last of the foul tide, knowing that it will soon turn your way, rather than worrying about 'running out of fair tide'.

If it's upwind in a small bilge keeler which doesn't point terribly well, getting the tides halfway right makes a big difference to the pleasure sometimes.

I nearly agree, here is a n amended version...

If it's upwind in a small anything, getting the tides right makes all the difference to the pleasure.