Ryde harbour

sgr143

sgr143

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We're thinking of overnighting there this Friday (20th). Osprey is a bilge-keeler drawing 0.9m, so we should be fine going in an hour or so before HW (i.e. about 17.30), but it's my first go at a drying harbour so any hints or tips would be appreciated! I gather the fire-damaged pontoon has now been sorted out?
Thanks, Steve
 
Steve,

you should be fine.

Two things; the weather is going to break soon and I would NOT want to be there or in the approaches if the wind goes cyclonic / with a northerly component of above Force 3 - it's shallow a long way out, do you have a good depthsounder ?

Also the bottom in the marina is so much soft mud, then hard sand; but with your boat you should be fine, just watch out if any other boat rafts alongside that it doesn't lean on yours, make sure the rigs are staggered and won't clash by using the spring lines.

You should just have a great time.

Andy
 
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Steve, I was in Ryde recently. Some tips:
- you can enter two hours before high water. This is very handy if approaching from the west as it is the time that the tide turns to flow east to west in the eastern Solent. We always plan to arrive at HW-2
- upon approach, ignore the outer part of the buoyed lane. The lane does not mark a deeper channel but is there to keep yachts from taking a direct line from pier head to harbour entrance and getting in the way of hovercraft arriving or departing. Meanwhile a new patch of shallow sand has made the outer approach the shallowest part of the entire approach and in-harbour passage. Keep three boat lengths to the pier side of the first two outermost pairs of buoys then move into the marked channel and you'll be fine. Do keep an ear out for hovercraft movement and avoid getting in their way.
- on entering the harbour, turn left and follow the wall on the left to the last pontoon, where visitors can tie up on either side. There are a few permanent berths but you'll see the visitor space and often the friendly harbour master will assist you. Perhaps you might radio the harbour master on approach for a stress-free first visit.

In short, Ryde is a great place to visit. Once you are in the channel at or after HW-2 proceed slowly and don't worry about depth. There are no currents to worry about and the bottom is nice and flat for drying out. As you will be on a pontoon, unless you have a non-bilge keel boat rafted alongside you, there will be no need to stick around as your boat takes the bottom or refloats. Have a great trip.
 
A member of my club reported he hit a sandbank in the buoyed channel about 2 weeks ago. He knows Ryde well and was 1 hour before high water , mid springs I think. His boat was about 1M draft.
 
Many thanks Andy, Lifty and C08. thsi is all very helpful advice. I will approach Ryde with cautious anticipation ! I wonder how many people typically use the harbour, given the approach restrictions. I'd have thought that non-bilge-keelers wouldn't be too keen - is it more popular with motor-boaters than sailors?
Steve
 
We went there last year for the 1st time, it was peeing down with rain and bloomin cold but we wanted to go to the old picture house in Ryde to watch Dunkirk. When we were approaching the visitor pontoon I noticed flames in a dinghy on the back of a 35ft ish motorboat, we tried to contact the harbour master but couldn't, the fire started to spread very quickly and I guessed someone as the engines were running so I shouted and called the coatstguard to see a chap emerge from below with an extinguisher and to young lads leap from the forward hatch. When the fire properly took hold I couldn't believe the speed and ferocity which it spread. I felt very odd for a few days.
I'd like to return in nice weather .:)
 
I heard a MayDay for what might have been this incident when I was out for a sail last year. "Vessel on fire in entrance to Ryde Harbour". The CG asked for location as Lat. & Long....

Or were there vessel two fires in Ryde last year?
 
Can anyone imagine the old, highly professional Solent Coastguard asking for the lat / long of a harbour ?

This would be funny if it wasn't both frightening and sad, I left BAe when accountants took over, both operations now probably share the same Portakabin in Basingstoke with an Indian call centre.
 
As I have said before on here, Andy, the call could have been taken by the guys in Aberdeen who would not have a scooby where Ryde Harbour hence the request for lat & long.
 
Giblets said:
As I have said before on here, Andy, the call could have been taken by the guys in Aberdeen who would not have a scooby where Ryde Harbour hence the request for lat & long.
Click to expand...

Which is, of course, what happens when the bean counters run emergency services. If I haven't got my GPS working, I haven't got a scooby of the lat and long of Ryde Harbour either. "Err, 50 degrees err, something north 1 degree, err, something West." Yes, I could look it up on a chart but, TBH, if I'm sending a mayday, it isn't because I've run out of diesel, so I'm probably a bit busy for that.

If it isn't me sending the mayday, but I'm pottering around the Solent, I know where Ryde harbour is and whether I'm close enough to be any use. I'm not good enough at spherical trigonometry to know whether a lat/long is 10 minutes away or half a day.
 
One of our club members posted this a couple of weeks ago:

Ryde Sand Bar
Most Members will be aware of the extent of Ryde Sands. Over the passage of two years or so however, a significant sand bar has formed about 50m or so offshore of the marked channel to Ryde Harbour. A walk out at low water last week, I reckon the bar is about 0.5m higher than the adjacent sands around it. The high ground is clearly shown with lighter colour. The bar now extends about 100m west of the marked channel. Boats of 0.9m draught are almost certain to ground on high water neaps even in calm conditions.
Members contemplating visiting Ryde Harbour (high water access only possible, drying sands and harbour) should pass the No.1 stbd marker perhaps 150m north of it and continue west a further 150m before turning for the entrance directly, thereafter. The area to the west of the marked channel tends to be kept clear by the frequent traffic of the hovercrafts and their wash.

Ryde_Sand_Bar_Viewed_from_Shore_at_LW.jpgRyde_Sand_Bar_Offshore_of_Entrance_to_Ryde_Buoyed_Channel_at_LW.jpg
 
sgr143 said:
We're thinking of overnighting there this Friday (20th). Osprey is a bilge-keeler drawing 0.9m, so we should be fine going in an hour or so before HW (i.e. about 17.30), but it's my first go at a drying harbour so any hints or tips would be appreciated! I gather the fire-damaged pontoon has now been sorted out?
Thanks, Steve
Click to expand...

You should have great fun there this weekend, although I suspect it will be very busy.
https://www.iwpride.org/
Allan
 
A successful and enjoyable visit. Thanks all for the various hints and tips - we approached from about 200m to the west of the channel initially, as recommended, joining the channel between the 2nd pair of buoys, and had no problems. Reassuringly, a bigger boat was coming out as we were coming in - "What draught are you "?" "Four feet"... good, more than us! Glad we went in at HW-2 and not later: we were on of the first in, and so had a good pick of where to come alongside "A" pontoon. After we grounded, I found it a bit weird being in a harbour but the boat not moving under me as I walked about. They were setting up for Ryde Pride weekend - it looked like it was going to get pretty loud and busy tonight!
Steve
 
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LiftyK said:
Upon approach, ignore the outer part of the buoyed lane. The lane does not mark a deeper channel but is there to keep yachts from taking a direct line from pier head to harbour entrance and getting in the way of hovercraft arriving or departing. Meanwhile a new patch of shallow sand has made the outer approach the shallowest part of the entire approach and in-harbour passage. Keep three boat lengths to the pier side of the first two outermost pairs of buoys then move into the marked channel and you'll be fine.
Click to expand...

I wish that I had read this information before approaching the buoyed channel last Friday! We draw 40 cm, but ran aground 2 hours before HW, before even reaching the first green buoy! As LiftyK suggests, start over by the end of the pier and head for the 3rd marker, but i would add staying a bit west of the rest of the buoys - at least a couple of boat lengths until heading for the entrance
 
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