Solent against the tide

[baart]

I am a bit bored now with a boat still ashore (hopefully not long now) so started looking at charts and thought that while obviously the passage planning is focused on using the tides efficiently so sailing with not against them, having a decent strategy to go against the tide seems a good skill to have. So assuming that for whatever reason you had to sail from let's say Hurst to Cowes or back against the spring tide how would you do it to get there as quickly as possible ?

 

[KevinV]

Hurst to Cowes or back against the spring tide how would you do it to get there as quickly as possible ?

I'd spend about 6 hours in the pub "strategising"

 

[LadyInBed]

Yep, Kevin's got it. Why spend four odd hours on the boat going nowhere?

 

[baart]

I'd spend about 6 hours in the pub "strategising"

I agree, but I was thinking more of using eddies and shallower parts where the tide is not that strong.

 

[LittleSister]

I agree, but I was thinking more of using eddies and shallower parts where the tide is not that strong.

Get yourself a copy of 'Solent Tidal Streams' by Peter Bruce. It provides a tidal stream atlas for the Solent so you can pick the best route to avoid adverse tides and take advantage of favourable ones.

You'll also need a large-scale chart (or charts) so you can work out where is and isn't appropriate for you to be, and also work out whether it's worth doing x percent more distance to save y percent adverse tide, and which route puts you in the way of more serious traffic..

Don't forget either that what will be the best route on any given day will also depend on wind strength and direction, bearing in mind that in general terms the wind on the higher, Island side of the Solent will be more affected - in direction, speed and turbulence - than on the mainland side, and that you're not just trying to minimise adverse tide, but rather to increase your boat speed relative to the tide. (I hesitate to mention lee-bowing the tide! )

The above works even if you follow Kev's advice above to spend the time in the pub - there's enough there to keep you occupied for 6 hours of strategising.

 

[LittleSister]

Duplicate deleted.

 

[LittleSister]

Why spend four odd hours on the boat going nowhere?

Because we spend a shed load of money just to be on the boat. Why not spend 4 hours being on the boat?

When it comes down to it, it doesn't matter much how much ground we cover while doing so. if we wanted to get somewhere quick we'd have taken a taxi!

 

[neilf39]

If you insist on doing it keep VERY close to the island side. But, be very aware of the ridges that stick out. You will have over 3.5kn of tide against you near Cowes. It's no fun spending hours flogging the engine when waiting a few hours could turn it to a pleasant sail.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I spend my racing life doing this. In a very slow boat. It’s a particularly thankless and painstaking craft requiring shallow draught, constant attention to the echo sounder (if you have one, we’re not allowed) reading the water surface, and taking measured chances. Have I put you off yet?

the other option is to have the boat I cruise in rather than the boat I race in.

 

[Stemar]

Memories of the first time I tried to get into Portsmouth harbour against the ebb. 3/4 hour from No 4 to Ballast, taking transits every few minutes to see if we're going forwards or backwards.

Even after we chucked out the enfeebled MD1 and put 28HP under the bonnet of our little Snapdragon, I tried to avoid going against the tide in the W Solent. I'd rather put up with wind over tide. Far better to anchor in Alum bay and chill for a few hours

 

[flaming]

I am a bit bored now with a boat still ashore (hopefully not long now) so started looking at charts and thought that while obviously the passage planning is focused on using the tides efficiently so sailing with not against them, having a decent strategy to go against the tide seems a good skill to have. So assuming that for whatever reason you had to sail from let's say Hurst to Cowes or back against the spring tide how would you do it to get there as quickly as possible ?

I see you are applying for the job of course setter for Cowes week....

This is something we do all the time. The simple answer is that if you're going the full length of the western Solent, then baring any very unusual wind considerations, go to the North shore.

When the tide is ripping at 3+ knots in the main channel it will be doing 1- 1.5 knots in the 2-5m zone on the north shore. It will also be less on the Island shore, but not as much reduced in the sailable water and the corridor you get to play with is a lot narrower. And full of bumps and hard bits.

Tacking up the mainland shore is relatively stress free. Leepe can be fun but it's fairly easy to judge on the buoy as you approach from the East, and the sounder on the western side of it. You also need to be slightly careful not to sail into the entrance of the Beaulieu river and then hit the far side when you tack. but other than that it's basically sail in until you get to a depth you're comfortable with, tack and sail out to about 5m of water, then repeat.

If you're only going to Newtown, then it will generally be better to stay south, but this is a lot more stressful for the nav if you're pushing it, lots more things to hit, most of which are a lot more solid, and a much tighter area to work with.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Very much so, Flaming. The gains on the Island shore are potentially greater, but at the cost of very careful nav, local knowledge and a certain level of risk. We hit a lump very hard in Thorness last Cowes Week, though mostly cos the fleet wouldn’t let us tack out. Both of us have been doing it all our lives, we knew before we hit that it was inevitable.

 

[flaming]

Very much so, Flaming. The gains on the Island shore are potentially greater, but at the cost of very careful nav, local knowledge and a certain level of risk. We hit a lump very hard in Thorness last Cowes Week, though mostly cos the fleet wouldn’t let us tack out. Both of us have been doing it all our lives, we knew before we hit that it was inevitable.

We kept getting sent in there last Cowes. I was not a fan....

I much prefer the Western Solent when it's ebbing for most of the day, assuming a SW breeze. Makes the beats more about picking shifts and less about banging the shore and managing traffic. And the runs are generally just plugging tide until the long ride all the way back to the RYS line. And running up the shore is a lot less stressful than beating up it.

 

[Mudisox]

Not sure that I would want to leave my favourite anchorage, inside the hook of Hurst or just inside Keyhaven creek . Most folk start and finish the other way.

 

[jamie N]

IoW is very challenging, so to relax a bit come and bask around the Pentland Firth.

 

[steveeasy]

Best to go with tide but sometimes you don’t have that option. No big deal just motor sail. Or plan your trip accordingly.
Steveeasy

 

[benjenbav]

I spend my racing life doing this. In a very slow boat. It’s a particularly thankless and painstaking craft requiring shallow draught, constant attention to the echo sounder (if you have one, we’re not allowed) reading the water surface, and taking measured chances. Have I put you off yet?

Dinghy racing as a youth: I swear we went inshore of a herd of grazing cows on more than one occasion.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Dinghy racing as a youth: I swear we went inshore of a herd of grazing cows on more than one occasion.

We can’t quite manage that in an XBut in softer going, it’s quite usual to tack when you feel the first feathery touch of mud.

 

[Seaway Channel]

Used to enjoy sitting at Fort Victoria watching the boats sailing backwards on a summer Sunday afternoon. They either left it late leaving Poole or took longer because of light winds, tucked in round Alum and Totland to miss the ebb, then just headed out a bit to avoid the pier at Fort Vic and headed backwards to spend another hour to try and get round there again…

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Used to enjoy sitting at Fort Victoria watching the boats sailing backwards on a summer Sunday afternoon. They either left it late leaving Poole or took longer because of light winds, tucked in round Alum and Totland to miss the ebb, then just headed out a bit to avoid the pier at Fort Vic and headed backwards to spend another hour to try and get round there again…

It’s pretty shallow inside Sconce, few dare go that way. But there’s an eddy in there, if your draught permits.