Solent observations

[dylanwinter]

I am knocked sidwways by the place

surely there cannot be another area like it in the world?

does Florida have anything that comes close?

I counted over 200 sails yesterday afternoon -

I assume that when Solent sailors leave the area going to sea must feel something akin to sensory deprivation

you must be overcome with an overwhelming sense of loneliness

how do you guys cope with an empty horizon?

One of the KTL sailors sent me an email saying that he used to sail the Solent and is pleased that he no longer has to sail there.

I am amazed at the number of new sailing boats - now I know that there is still a market for new boats in the UK

I assume they are bought in the solent and slowly move up country

the bloke beside me at Island Harbour had a new Bennie - it was a wedge shaped thing as they all are. He had owned it for a month. I asked if he had bought other new boats and he has bought seven of them over the years

he is a real benefactor - imagine all those second, third and tenth hand onwers and the pleasures they get from his generosity.

I said to him that it must be wonderful to buy a new boat and know that everything will work

he told me that the first six months is one long round of gear failures.

The other brilliant thing about the solent is that there must be 30 places to go and still only be a day sail from home

there are some magnificent boats to watch

although the lozenge is deffo yesterdays shape - now it is all wedges with two wheels

what is it with the bunches of fenders people hang off the stern? I thought that was what lockers for. They remind me of the palps on a spider

and finally - even on a bank holiday weekend you can find the odd mud bank that feel spookily like Essex except for the mountain in the background

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/aground-S1670008.jpg

I shall miss the place

Dylan

 

[Keen_Ed]

Wedge boats with two aft cabins (the charter company's and sailing school's favourites) are lacking in cockpit lockers. Schools - especially when they go pontoon bashing - need lots of fenders and there's nowhere else to put them.

 

[Seajet]

I agree, hate the look of fenders on the transom, bad enough on mobo's !

Dylan, yes on leaving the Solent the first day or two does seem odd with only one or two sails in sight; the feeling of going out of Hurst really is ' now we're on holiday and really going somewhere '...

You haven't see the Round The Island Race though, I've found myself facing it and no choice but to drop the headsail and make with the engine while playing space invaders; literally, seriously, no kidding boats side by side all the way from IOW to mainland side.

BTW when you were on the IOW did you find they say " over there in England.." !

 

[Elessar]

I am knocked sidwways by the place

surely there cannot be another area like it in the world?

does Florida have anything that comes close?

I counted over 200 sails yesterday afternoon -

I assume that when Solent sailors leave the area going to sea must feel something akin to sensory deprivation

you must be overcome with an overwhelming sense of loneliness

how do you guys cope with an empty horizon?

One of the KTL sailors sent me an email saying that he used to sail the Solent and is pleased that he no longer has to sail there.

I am amazed at the number of new sailing boats - now I know that there is still a market for new boats in the UK

I assume they are bought in the solent and slowly move up country

the bloke beside me at Island Harbour had a new Bennie - it was a wedge shaped thing as they all are. He had owned it for a month. I asked if he had bought other new boats and he has bought seven of them over the years

he is a real benefactor - imagine all those second, third and tenth hand onwers and the pleasures they get from his generosity.

I said to him that it must be wonderful to buy a new boat and know that everything will work

he told me that the first six months is one long round of gear failures.

The other brilliant thing about the solent is that there must be 30 places to go and still only be a day sail from home

there are some magnificent boats to watch

although the lozenge is deffo yesterdays shape - now it is all wedges with two wheels

what is it with the bunches of fenders people hang off the stern? I thought that was what lockers for. They remind me of the palps on a spider

and finally - even on a bank holiday weekend you can find the odd mud bank that feel spookily like Essex except for the mountain in the background

http://www.keepturningleft.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/aground-S1670008.jpg

I shall miss the place

Dylan

It is one of the best places to sail except only for the fact that too many people agree.
Your observations on the place have been most enlightening.

 

[Bobc]

Although my boat is currently in the solent, I actually don't much care for the place and can't wait to get out of it.

I find it far too crowded (a lot of them with no idea what they're doing), the wind is all over the place, I hate the fight for somewhere to park and eat, and I find that everywhere seems to only cater for 32-40fters (anything smaller of bigger is a problem to them).

Oh, and before you call me a miserable git, I'm 50 now so I'm allowed.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Want to lose 90% of the rest of them? Turn left and go beyond the forts, or right and go past the Needles, and they evaporate like mist on a spring morning.

 

[prv]

what is it with the bunches of fenders people hang off the stern? I thought that was what lockers for.

New boats fill the whole stern with cabins, no room for decent cockpit lockers. Means fender-haemorrhoids off the stern, and no (or minimal) dinghy, meaning they really need a walk-ashore berth or at least an efficient water-taxi.

People doing proper cruising on newer boats invariably seem to convert at least one cabin into a "garage" for storing all the bulky stuff.

Unfortunately our boat, though not new, crams a separate aft cabin into a small 34', and shares the lack of locker space characteristic. Four of our fenders live in mobo-style racks inside the aft guardrails - better than dangling from their lanyards off the stern, anyway.

Pete

 

[dylanwinter]

Want to lose 90% of the rest of them? Turn left and go beyond the forts, or right and go past the Needles, and they evaporate like mist on a spring morning.

It does seem that the Soton Cowes axis is the M25 of leisure boating

add to that the ferries, hovercraft, seacats and occasional fisherman - I am amazed that there are not more crashes

wonderful thing to see

and in 100 years time people will look at the films and be amazed

D

 

[Cantata]

As an East Coaster who sailed on the Solent back in the 1990s, it was 'interesting' to go back a couple of years ago to pick up a delivery from Hythe Marina back to Ramsgit.
We came out of Hythe about 1500 on a lovely Sunday summer's afternoon. Heading south down Southampton Water, we were faced with a wall of small craft coming north, up Soton Water and also into the Hamble. It was quite something. Once through them and outside heading east at about 1700, suddenly there was barely a small boat to be seen. There followed a glorious evening's sailing towards Selsey on an empty sea. Quite surreal.

 

[SteveSarabande]

I agree, hate the look of fenders on the transom, bad enough on mobo's !
!

We're do you put your fenders? The transom is the only storage place on my boat

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

I agree, hate the look of fenders on the transom, bad enough on mobo's !

Dylan, yes on leaving the Solent the first day or two does seem odd with only one or two sails in sight; the feeling of going out of Hurst really is ' now we're on holiday and really going somewhere '...

You haven't see the Round The Island Race though, I've found myself facing it and no choice but to drop the headsail and make with the engine while playing space invaders; literally, seriously, no kidding boats side by side all the way from IOW to mainland side.

BTW when you were on the IOW did you find they say " over there in England.." !

Haven't heard that one, but we do call it the North Island.

 

[flaming]

We're do you put your fenders? The transom is the only storage place on my boat

Anchor locker. Stuff them in on top of the chain.

Often pretty big on modern boats.

 

[dylanwinter]

We're do you put your fenders? The transom is the only storage place on my boat

stern locker - along with the extra fuel - diesel, petrol, meths, Brule, buckets, boathook, deck brush

I am wondering if I need more fenders now

 

[dancrane]

...Brule...

Beg pardon?

 

[JumbleDuck]

Beg pardon?

Alcoöl à brûlé. French for meths. Warms up the lonely sailor. Can also be burned in an Origo stove.

 

[lustyd]

All this rubbish about modern boats. The Oceanis 281 and the 321 both have gigantic cockpit lockers which could easily house some kind of party if the saloon is too full. Some modern boats have too few lockers, some old boats had too few lockers, it's a design choice. If you go for the master cabin versions then usually one half of the stern is a locker and the other a nice double or triple (ooh-er!) berth. The proper racing boats I've sailed had literally no on deck lockers including no anchor locker. Personally I don't see the problem with fenders on the stern, seems very seamanlike to me. They are out of the way, not interfering with lines, not bashing waves, not surfing when heeled, not falling in the water, and not dripping on the contents of a locker. Most importantly, you don't have to reserve a huge portion of your locker for fenders so can use your locker as an actual locker and keep some lovely ropes in there, or a dinghy, oars, sails, fuel, BBQ, blow up dolls, fold up bikes, spare anchors, flibbertigibbets and other essential boating paraphernalia OK, the flibbertigibbets can live indoors, but the rest belongs in a locker!

 

[Seajet]

We're do you put your fenders? The transom is the only storage place on my boat

In the cockpit locker, where nature intended; room for 6 large fenders, all the lines likely & unlikely to be required, kedge anchor, lightning conductor, sea anchor, all reasonably separated & accessible too.

The cockpit locker the other side is home for the engine when shipped, and inbetween under the cockpit sole - accessed from the cabin - is space for a 3-4 man round tail inflatable.

This is because my boat is out of date and old fashioned; a modern boat would have a portlight on each of these spaces and call it an aft cabin !

 

[dancrane]

Alcoöl à brûlé. French for meths. Warms up the lonely sailor.

Ah! To make creme brûlé? Excellent! I deeply regret having supposed that Dylan was more a Fray Bentos type of chap.

 

[Yacht Yogi]

The Solent may often be busy but the traffic mostly divides down into just a few categories; race fleets, cruising yachts, mobos, ferries and big ships, each with their "typical" behaviors. Once you've got used to that you only need to think about the few boats behaving in an atypical manner and the other 90% you can just sail around or past.

 

[Uricanejack]

Anchor locker. Stuff them in on top of the chain.

Often pretty big on modern boats.

Where I keep mine. holds 4 no bother. Boats 30 year old. lots of stuff in cockpit locker. no aft cabin though.