steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Twister 28. popping to Dartmouth. set off first thing Tuesday as day breaks. fairer winds, but need to crack on or ill have no wind.
steveeasy
Salcombe to Hamble Return Journey
- Thread starter steveeasy
- Start date
Twister 28. popping to Dartmouth. set off first thing Tuesday as day breaks. fairer winds, but need to crack on or ill have no wind.
steveeasy
ip485
Well-Known Member
Fair winds, great yacht.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
Steve, I’ve found the outside passage easier. I feel I cannot predict arrival time at the inshore passage so instead I go well south and enjoy the longer passage. I have been downtided at St Albans head and once sat it out wide at sea and another time went into Studland. Either way, enjoy your trip. Fair winds.
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
They say so!!. That was a ride and a half out of salcombe today. I once had a small 60s sprite caravan and I often refer to the inside of a Twister to that, but don't tell other Twister owners I said so, they would be deeply offended. Shes looked after me well though so im happy.
Steveeasy
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Thanks Phil. I plan to anchor at Studland and hope to arrive around 1900 hrs. ill have a better idea mid way though. any advice on Studland as ive never been there.
Steveeasy
DJE
Well-Known Member
Have a good trip tomorrow.
We did the same a couple of years ago. Daughter fancied weekend out of London so she got a train to Totnes and taxi to Salcombe. Then sailed with us to Dartmouth and next day to Poole. We dropped her on the quay and she got the train back to London.
We did the same a couple of years ago. Daughter fancied weekend out of London so she got a train to Totnes and taxi to Salcombe. Then sailed with us to Dartmouth and next day to Poole. We dropped her on the quay and she got the train back to London.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
I used the way point in reeds, which is about central of the first two buoys of main channel but a bit before them, then turn into the bay. That seemed to work fine for me.
As the Anchorage was crowded and I was arriving at midnight I basically set myself just inside the bay but outside the other boats. Slightly rolly from passing traffic but otherwise fine.
My only tip is to watch for your entrance time Into the Solent. I only had 4 hours before I had to be on my way again.
As the Anchorage was crowded and I was arriving at midnight I basically set myself just inside the bay but outside the other boats. Slightly rolly from passing traffic but otherwise fine.
My only tip is to watch for your entrance time Into the Solent. I only had 4 hours before I had to be on my way again.
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
I seam to follow your footsteps. Downtided, not heard that before, I'm glad to say it happened to me today. Of course its so obvious, but we have to succumb to them to know better. Id like to say my trip round Portland went better, but it did not. It was the ride from hell. Little too late and a good wind against tide made for the ride of my life. it was a very calm start to the day, not so round the Bill though.
Steveeasy
Seajet
...
I had a good lesson from Neptune a while ago - thought it too late to mention but may help others
Self and non sailor but practical girlfriend in my Anderson 22.
We set off from Dartmouth heading east with a mild SW forecast, having to motor the first few hours.
So I elected to aim for the inshore passage at Portland, had been round there a few times.
So I steered north into the bay to avoid the tide setting south into The Race
- nb this was where they filmed The Cruel Sea as they couldn't find anywhere else rough enough to replicate the mid-Atlantic in midwinter...
Then the wind and following seas began to build - I'd just fitted an Autonic Research windspeed readout, Fiona kept switching it on; as my nerves grew looking at the reading - the inshore passage is said to cease to exist around F6 and this was already way over that, we were already wearing waterproofs and hooked on harness lifejackets with the hatches closed, I'd also quietly pocketed a miniflare pack - I snapped ' turn it off, you'll use up the battery ' as I didn't like the bad news it was saying
We went along Chesil Beach then towards The Race and inshore passage - the horizon was distinctly krinkly by then and I have never been more frightened before or since.
To cut a long story shorter we shot through some very serious overfalls, the A22's rudder authority saved us.
Nowadays I give Weymouth a miss; if going west in calm weather I still don't fancy the inshore passage with lobster pot buoys half underwater and getting pinned by the prop in those tides even with an outboard I can quickly raise from the well, and from the west it's too far to predict the weather as I found out the hard way.
Since then I always go outside The Race, slanting offshore from Studland; St Peter Port can be an enjoyable stop to make a big tack of it.
Self and non sailor but practical girlfriend in my Anderson 22.
We set off from Dartmouth heading east with a mild SW forecast, having to motor the first few hours.
So I elected to aim for the inshore passage at Portland, had been round there a few times.
So I steered north into the bay to avoid the tide setting south into The Race
- nb this was where they filmed The Cruel Sea as they couldn't find anywhere else rough enough to replicate the mid-Atlantic in midwinter...
Then the wind and following seas began to build - I'd just fitted an Autonic Research windspeed readout, Fiona kept switching it on; as my nerves grew looking at the reading - the inshore passage is said to cease to exist around F6 and this was already way over that, we were already wearing waterproofs and hooked on harness lifejackets with the hatches closed, I'd also quietly pocketed a miniflare pack - I snapped ' turn it off, you'll use up the battery ' as I didn't like the bad news it was saying
We went along Chesil Beach then towards The Race and inshore passage - the horizon was distinctly krinkly by then and I have never been more frightened before or since.
To cut a long story shorter we shot through some very serious overfalls, the A22's rudder authority saved us.
Nowadays I give Weymouth a miss; if going west in calm weather I still don't fancy the inshore passage with lobster pot buoys half underwater and getting pinned by the prop in those tides even with an outboard I can quickly raise from the well, and from the west it's too far to predict the weather as I found out the hard way.
Since then I always go outside The Race, slanting offshore from Studland; St Peter Port can be an enjoyable stop to make a big tack of it.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
Steve, I am sorry to hear it was unpleasant. Glad you are safe and no harm done. Did you go outside but to close or were you in the Inshore Passage?
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
Steve, what was your destination?
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
H
When I left Dartmouth my destination was studlands, anchoring overnight prior to returning to the Solent. Once I got dug in to rounding Portland Bill I did not have a final destination other than getting out at some point. I can do no more than laugh now about it, but it was a little challenging.
I arrived late but aimed further out, must have been 4-5 miles south of shambles/the Bill. Again leaving Dartmouth flat calm seas and no wind at all,hence the late arrival. as I got approx. 5 miles west of it, winds picked up and I was loving it. Thought of putting a reef in but did not expect winds to increase more, the waves broke behind and all I could do was go with the flow. I was fixated with a bearing that took me forward. The tiller pilot tripped the electrics and I lost chartplotter. It must have lasted a good six hours. I eventually got past Shambles at 10pm. the winds were strong until I got in to Portland marina at 2am. this was on a good day. While I was being thrown about I watched as a Cat took the inside passage against the tide and merrily went round.
Tom Cumliffe posted on youtube, the inner passage is easy 20 minuets after high water. he neglected to say Dover. so my previous rounding going west on the inner passage did not exactly go to plan. but was fun.
Heres a link to Toms film
.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UTE-qLPl0R8
Steveeasy
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LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
You obviously haven't seen the tide charts page on my website!
Damn, I should have pointed you there, sorry.
PhillM
Well-Known Member
Goodness,
4-5 miles ... I’m usually more like 10-12 miles south. I’d rather be close to the shipping lanes than closer to the Bill.
4-5 miles ... I’m usually more like 10-12 miles south. I’d rather be close to the shipping lanes than closer to the Bill.
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Hi Phil,
In hindsight is all so obvious. Ive watched Toms words of wisdom again and he made it so clear what actually is going on out there. As you say 10-12 miles out and id have avoided what was at the time quite a challenging situation. Still Ive learnt an invaluable lesson and perhaps I needed too. Great week though. Ive had such a great time. looking forward to the next one.
Steveeasy
PhillM
Well-Known Member
Yep, I agree it’s addictive! Delighted to hear you can laugh about it now. Here’s to your next adventure!
LadyInBed
Well-Known Member
steveeasy
Well-Known Member
Hi Lady in bed.
That's really useful. So on the ebb the effect is further south which again makes sense. So looking at it I put myself smack bang in the middle of It. Never saw any dragons though.
Thanks
Steveeasy
That's really useful. So on the ebb the effect is further south which again makes sense. So looking at it I put myself smack bang in the middle of It. Never saw any dragons though.
Thanks
Steveeasy
weustace
Well-Known Member
Oh dear—sorry to hear you've had a "dusting". I usually aim about 5.3nm off the Bill—this distance because it happens to be the 'waypoint' given by a 44m sounding on my smaller scale Admiralty chart... Having done this a few times now, I've had no bother, though in about F5 a few weeks ago going E, I cut in somewhat closer and found myself dropping the kite single-handed in rather boisterous chop!
It's a bit of an inconvenient truth that making the Solent entry tides work (or the tides round St Cat's) is marginal for a smaller boat from the West Country. Last year I came from Dartmouth and spent a good few hours looking at the back of the Isle of Wight, having made great distance courtesy of the tide off Portland... this year, I left at a precisely calculated time from Plymouth and, by hanging onto the kite in slightly dicey conditions towards the end of the passage, made it in through the Needles with 40 mins to spare (for a 24hr passage time). I do seem often to find myself in the awkward position of being 5-10nm off St Alban's Hd and thinking "I can either ditch into Studland (which is just wimpish...), press on round the back of the island (and slog out the foul tide) or rush for the Needles (and risk missing the tide there and spending ages looking at Hurst Narrows...)". Then again, we do it for pleasure, and last year's night watch round the back of the IoW, coinciding with the Perseids meteor shower, was fantastic fun...nonetheless, when St Cat's light was finally obscured by Dunnose Hd, it was a rather pleasing moment!
It's a bit of an inconvenient truth that making the Solent entry tides work (or the tides round St Cat's) is marginal for a smaller boat from the West Country. Last year I came from Dartmouth and spent a good few hours looking at the back of the Isle of Wight, having made great distance courtesy of the tide off Portland... this year, I left at a precisely calculated time from Plymouth and, by hanging onto the kite in slightly dicey conditions towards the end of the passage, made it in through the Needles with 40 mins to spare (for a 24hr passage time). I do seem often to find myself in the awkward position of being 5-10nm off St Alban's Hd and thinking "I can either ditch into Studland (which is just wimpish...), press on round the back of the island (and slog out the foul tide) or rush for the Needles (and risk missing the tide there and spending ages looking at Hurst Narrows...)". Then again, we do it for pleasure, and last year's night watch round the back of the IoW, coinciding with the Perseids meteor shower, was fantastic fun...nonetheless, when St Cat's light was finally obscured by Dunnose Hd, it was a rather pleasing moment!