Solent coastguard excessive wash report yesterday

Irish Rover said:
Two years ago when we were moored in the harbour in Ermoupoli on Syros Island my wife and I ventured across to a rocky cove under the Hermes Hotel. It appeared to be a designated swimming area with steps down to the water, and there were a few people swimming there. After less than 10 minutes in the water a huge wave came crashing in. I managed to grab a rail on the steps but my wife was a bit further out. The wave caught her and threw her up on the rocks directly below the hotel. She managed to grab onto a rock and saved herself from being sucked out again. Apparently the wave was caused by one of the large fast ferries passing just offshore. We never saw the ferry, and weren't aware of that potential danger when we went swimming. It did strike us after the event that there was no one else in the water when it struck. Did they know what was coming and not warn us?
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Hmm, seems like an opportunity for someone to invent a miniature bell-buoy installed at the entrance to the bay; would that give useful advance notice?
 
mjcoon said:
Hmm, seems like an opportunity for someone to invent a miniature bell-buoy installed at the entrance to the bay; would that give useful advance notice?
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We were wondering if watching foreigners get caught out was a local pastime like watching charter boats trying to med Moor.
 
Back when there was a high speed ferry service running from Harwich to the Hook of Holland there was some kind of kind of incident where (IIRC) a small fishing boat was engulfed by the wash as it approached shallow water.

For a time there was a coastguard broadcast warning when it was due to leave and arrive at Harwich.
 
Lucky Duck said:
Back when there was a high speed ferry service running from Harwich to the Hook of Holland there was some kind of kind of incident where (IIRC) a small fishing boat was engulfed by the wash as it approached shallow water.

For a time there was a coastguard broadcast warning when it was due to leave and arrive at Harwich.
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I believe that involved a fatality, from the wash of a catamaran ferry and that procedures were changed as a result.

There was also an incident at St Peter's Port a few years ago, so we were told. A Condor ferry came in at a time when the marina entrance was open. The wash caused damage to one or two yachts and again the procedures had to be changed.
 
johnalison said:
There was also an incident at St Peter's Port a few years ago, so we were told. A Condor ferry came in at a time when the marina entrance was open. The wash caused damage to one or two yachts and again the procedures had to be changed.
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I guess it annoyed St Peter Port because they prefer to damage yachts with their cill. :D
 
Lucky Duck said:
When we were last on the waiting pontoons pending sufficient depth to cross the cill into the inner marina a boat went before us and hit the cill at quite some clip.
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I've seen it a lot back in the day. I'm convinced they used to use customer's boats as a depth gauge.
 
I think it might be helpful if the OP could describe said vessel. Ive sailed The Solent for 50 years and what the Op describes whilst not pleasant is perfectly normal, albeit troublesome. And before one ends up in the High Court one must consider a number of things. Type of vessel, state of the tide, wind strength and any other number of variables which I bet had a significant bearing on why the vessel had to keep 20 knts? as it cruised past Osborne bay.

We all know the tidal streams are tricky off Cowes and big ships have to keep moving but I find it very hard to believe the UK pilot onboard thought it a lark to break the rules that day.

As an aside. Ive found the worse culprits for very nasty short and high wash are the blue safety tugs at Fawley as they steam out at full chat to collect a tanker off the Nab. Got tangled up in a load of it once, thought the hull was going to break.....not very nice.
 
Lucky Duck said:
When we were last on the waiting pontoons pending sufficient depth to cross the cill into the inner marina a boat went before us and hit the cill at quite some clip.

Once in I remember there being a surge at times when the ferry came in and the cill was covered
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One of my treasured memories is of the time when we arrived fairly late on the rising tide in St Peter's Port, possibly from Jersey. There were many yachts on the waiting pontoon when we were met by the harbour launch on our way in. On being asked our draft we replied "1.5 metres", so he took us in over the sill for a choice of the prime positions. I especially enjoyed the evil looks from all the other yachts who had been there for hours.
 
Sim
Lucky Duck said:
Back when there was a high speed ferry service running from Harwich to the Hook of Holland there was some kind of kind of incident where (IIRC) a small fishing boat was engulfed by the wash as it approached shallow water.

For a time there was a coastguard broadcast warning when it was due to leave and arrive at Harwich.
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Similar for the Stena HSS into Belfast I recall?
 
Yes, remember the wash even after they were made to slow down. Now they have slow ferries (called names such as "Fast Ferry 1") so problem gone.

All around Belfast Lough there were warning signs about the wash.
 
We took a full wave over the deck once after leaving Osborn Bay on a day when it was dead calm. It was a rogue wave caused by wash and destroyed a MacPro lap top so it can happen and our boat is not a small boat.
 
Seven Spades said:
We took a full wave over the deck once after leaving Osborn Bay on a day when it was dead calm. It was a rogue wave caused by wash and destroyed a MacPro lap top so it can happen and our boat is not a small boat.
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I’ve seen some fairly big stuff there too. Our boat being so light and buoyant, it tends not to ship water over the deck like that, instead, it’ll ship tea in your lap if you’ve got a cup.
 
Chiara’s slave said:
I’ve seen some fairly big stuff there too. Our boat being so light and buoyant, it tends not to ship water over the deck like that, instead, it’ll ship tea in your lap if you’ve got a cup.
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I thought that the saucer was for catching the drips.

Standards are dropping if using a cup and no saucer :)
 
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