Solent Pilot book or just Reeds!

Zagato

Zagato

Well-Known Member
Joined
2 Sep 2010
Messages
2,813
Location
Chichester Harbour
Visit site
Last edited:
There certainly doesn't seem much point getting a full Reeds vs the Channel version. Except on a low-loader, it seems unlikely that a Solent-based Crabber will be going further afield than the Scillies, Ramsgate, or Brest; I know Kindred Spirit never would have done. I only ever bought the Channel almanac for her, and will continue to for now even with the new longer-legged boat.

For Solent sailing, given a choice between a non-current (ie no tides) Reeds and a Solent pilot book, I'd probably go for the pilot. Reeds is a smallish book covering the whole Channel, whereas the pilot is a bigger book covering only the Solent. Even allowing for the history and the restaurant recommendations, there's still much more space to devote to navigational information.

Pete
 
Thanks Pete, I'll have a thumb through the Reeds Channel and a Pilot book (The shell Channel Pilot, Tom Cunliffe seems to be popular by stockists). Any other suggestions? I am ripping out the harbour articles from YM at the moment!

Ideally it might be possible to buy the Reeds and download specific Pilot info from the web but there isn't much up to date info on the web.

This site would be great if it was updated, I am surprised there still isn't such a site. I was thinking about doing one last year!!

http://www.troppo.co.uk/tightwad/tightwad.htm

Also Derek Asletts and Peter Bruces books on Solent Hazards looks a must for a quick scare!

http://sailingbooks.co.uk/trolleyed/57/index.htm

Maybe this one also Derek Asletts, Solent Cruising Companion

http://www.imray.com/record.cfm?i_stock_code=RBWIL0004
 
Last edited:
Zagato,

the nasty bits to watch out for in the Solent are Bembridge Ledge and Hampstead Ledge, to the West of Cowes, and the Hamilton shoals very close to the West of Portsmouth entrance ( there is the swashway but that's another story ) ; other dodgy bits like the famous Brambles between Cowes & Southampton are well off the bee-line from Chichester to Cowes and one has to deviate and be trying to run aground to find them !

Beware also that the shallow sands off Hayling Island foreshore extend well outside to the South of Langstone Harbour entrance fairway buoy - for half a mile to give good clearance - this continues in a slightly lesser form all the way to Chichester beacon, so it pays to approach from at least slightly offshore.

A good peer at a recently updated chart is all a brain like yours needs in the Solent.
 
Last edited:
Brain and wallet :eek:

Just pricing up new cockpit drain sea-cocks and skin fittings If I need them.... Ouch!
Yanmar elbow
PLB
VHF (why don't they combine the two!)
Life Jacket
Safety line
GPS etc
BUT once I have it, it should be good for a while... Could of bought a nice little SAAB 2 Stroke for the same money though :mad: Mind you I could of bought one of those for the price of the new kitchen worktops we have just bought, let alone the rest of the kitchen. :rolleyes:

Money well spent though, you can have more fun (& grief) and greater experiences and challenges in sailing than you can with cars.
 
Last edited:
Zagato,

well if you can manage to keep swapping boats and ended up ( ?! ) with a Crabber 24, you can afford every chart and pilot book ever made, plus a depthsounder ! They will stand you in good staid no matter what boat you are in; I look forward to meeting you and your boat on the trip to Poole.
 
I've one one of these (well two but the other is first or second edition). I find it has all the info I need I do not update it. I would only have the one but some one bought me a new edition when they saw how old the first one was (I had to add the area codes)...

For tides I use Easy tide or Navionic's on my phone or if really feeling traditional the wee bookies they give you in the harbors (tip make sure your reading this years)..
 
onesea said:
I've one one of these (well two but the other is first or second edition). I find it has all the info I need I do not update it. I would only have the one but some one bought me a new edition when they saw how old the first one was (I had to add the area codes)...
Click to expand...

While perfectly sufficient, I always though there wasn't that much additional information contained in the book when compared to Reeds once the obvious padding such as the history of Cowes week is disregarded.
 
simon14b said:
While perfectly sufficient, I always though there wasn't that much additional information contained in the book when compared to Reeds once the obvious padding such as the history of Cowes week is disregarded.
Click to expand...

If its the first time you sail the Solent and you have not read the "padding", its quite interesting padding. The descriptions are not in to formal, it has good colour photos presented in a form that is not to formal. Notice I did not say buy it twice...

I would not recommend it for those just passing through, for local first timers I would say its spot on...
 
As an aid to navigation. I rarely find that pilot books give much more info of any help than Reeds, so we use that for everything.

When visiting a new cruising area we don't know, we tend to treat ourselves to a pilot book as they generally contain a lot of opinion and serve more as a nautical tourist guide than a real navigational aid. These tend to get read as a book rather than referred to as and when needed.

For us, the Solent tends to be nothing more than an overnight stopping place on passage from our East Coast base to more interesting places as we find it overcrowded and pricey, so we've never bought a Solent pilot.
 
I'm new to the Solent (only done 2 seasons sailing my own boat) so I wanted to read up. I got the Solent Cruising Companion (D Asklett) as it also covers Chichester.

I found that I enjoyed reading up on places I want to go to, so have added the Shell Channel and the West Country Guide to my bookshelf.

I also buy Reeds. First year I got the full one (again so I could take a look around the country) but this year have gone with the Channel only version for all the reasons Pete says.

I have last year's almanac and the Shell Channel Pilot at home for planning and carry the Solent Guide on board. If / When I go further I will take the Shell Pilot with me.
 
Thanks for the replies and useful links. I have just ordered the Reeds Channel (£23 Amazon ) and will probably leave it at that if the Pilot boats don't give further navigation information. I know the ports having visited them over the years by car so I don't need the town info. Thanks for your help folks just wanted to make sure i didn't miss any vital navigation info :)
 
Last edited:
While not strictly the Solent, Adlard Coles' 'Channel Harbours and Anchorages' is a great pilot, maybe outdated re marinas etc but the nasty pointy bits and how to avoid them is still relevant.

Yachting Monthly did an excellent book called 'Classic Passages', outlining the popular trips with clarity and good photo's.

For a newcomer to the Solent I think 'Solent Hazards', which has lots of aerial photo's, is pretty informative.

The Cruising Association Handbook has detail and chartlets on seemingly every harbour in the universe, very handy though not cheap.

Once one gets into a place there are often good booklets given out by the harbour people, so as long as one survives the initial approach there's something to swot up for next time !

Nowhere in the Solent is that dodgy, one has to time it right for Bembridge and Keyhaven, and the cross tide off Yarmouth entrance is not to be underestimated, the new small craft channel at Cowes requires binoculars to spot the first time, but it's all common sense really.
 
Last edited:
I have a friend who owns a Shrimper and he visited a few Solent ports for the first time last year. He goes along with the Drascombe sailors and once he has followed them in (marked the waypoints on his GPS as he goes, made notes and veiwed the approach for himself) he is happier to do it on his own for the second time.

He mentioned Keyhaven was a lot easier once he had followed the more experienced guys in. This year will be a BIG learning curve, I am hoping to go on a second Poole rally with the Crabber guys in June, do some local trips myself and do a trip around the IoW with the Drascombe lot - can't wait...

I have a few bottles of red lined up for you already Seajet as I'm afraid I will be leaning on your experience quite a lot nearer the time of the first cruise ;)
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top