StAlbans Head

[CalmSkipper]

I'm thinking of heading for Lulworth cove from Poole in August. Arethere any tips regards rounding St Albans head? The chart shows overflows- what are the conditions to be avoided or should these be avoided at all times? Also do All firing ranges cease activity during August (the almanac quotes Army firing as ceasing during august but the naval firing section makes no mention)?

 

[jimi]

Quite nasty with wind over tide in anything more than a F4, I usually aim for the outside bouy which just scrapes the edge of the roughish water. You can go inside but if so its lamost scraping the shore which feels a bit dodgy in a fresh oshore breeze, and there's pots there, not a good place to get snarled up. In calm conditions at neaps you'll not even notice it.

 

[ebbtide]

Re: St Albans Head

When requested to go outside by the Range Patrol advise you're increasing speed to maximum and promise not to dally - a campaign won by the Editor of YM Des Sleightholme.

I always use the Inshore Passage, timed at slack water if conditions are dodgy. If you find that daunting then give up boating!

 

[KREW2]

Re: St Albans Head

I've taken the outside passage a few times times.
Thanks for the advice but I won't be giving up boating.

 

[jimi]

Re: St Albans Head

You really are a condescending idiot are'nt you?The inshore passage is only a few metres off a lee shore on an onshore breeze and there usually is a load of pots there, not the place to be in dodgy conditions. If your testostorone forces you to take needless risks then that's your call .. I'm not giving up sailing either and don't see why the usual prudent sailor should either!

 

[BlueSkyNick]

I left Weymouth Thursday morning heading for the inshore passage - only SW2/3 forecast and with the tide. First Range Safety boat headed out and told us to steer 100degs or more, which was fine as it took us along our course. Just passed Lulworth, another Range Safety boat comes out and tells us to steer 120degs, which I duly did, but this headed us towards the charted overfalls.

Decided to maintain our heading based on the lack of wind and continuing tide - went straight through the lot with not much more than a ripple on the water.

Having said that, i've been through the inside passage with an ebb tide, and seen the overfalls being quite threatening.

So it depends on the tide, weather and expect to be chased out if between 0900 and 1700 on a week day. There was no firing, BTW, but the rangers still seem to insist on keeping the area clear.

 

[oldharry]

Re: St Albans Head

[ QUOTE ]

I always use the Inshore Passage, timed at slack water if conditions are dodgy. If you find that daunting then give up boating!

[/ QUOTE ]

In dodgy conditions keep well clear - any state of tide! The inshore passage is notoriously unreliable, and I for one have given up looking for it in anything but well settled weather.

I would agree - anything over F4 keep well out. Even then, just when you think you have cleared the race it 'comes galloping across the waves to greet you as a long lost friend' as Hillaire Belloc described it.

 

[CalmSkipper]

Re: St Albans Head

Thanks for the advice. Unless I'm sure it will remain below F4 I shall take the long route. It will be my first voyage past the head and I will have a very inexperienced crew onboard.

 

[[2574]]

Re: St Albans Head

I don't mind admitting that I'm a real girly with most of these "inshore passages"; I always go outside. Okay maybe another couple of hours at sea but less stress all round. There are pots inshore around both St Aldhelms, Portland Bill and Start Point; I just feel much more comfortable offshore with some sea room. Last time around Portland Bill earlier this year we looked on wistfully as most yachts westbound from weymouth headed close inshore around the bill but when we were 4m south of the bill we had viz less than 100m and wouldn't have fancied that 50m off the bill! So, offshore it is for us!

rob

 

[LadyInBed]

Inner passage good to ok in up to 4
Very hard work against the current!
outer pasage when over 4.

W going starts at HW Dover -15 mins
E going starts at HW Dover +5 hr 45 mins

The range packs up for August
(28 July - 2 September 2007)
You can check on 01929 462721 extn 4819

 

[lizziem]

We have done this a few times now and frankly I would suggest that you go out and stay out unless it is millpond conditions and you have to motor.
May be we are just unlucky but we find the motion near St Albans Head deeply unpleasant and we are not putting ourselves through it ever again! So there!
Anyway it looks quite nice from a distance...... /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[BrendanS]

You must have been unlucky, unless you were really on the inner passage. You have to be close in. Just go for a walk up to the top sometime, and watch the boats struggling through the waves, and how few actually pass through the inner passage in calmer conditions.

 

[Boots]

Re: St Albans Head

Jimi, it's chucking down with rain, and then I read your reply.

Love it!! That's put a smile all round.

 

[Twister_Ken]

Re: St Albans Head

Must admit that I've never been outside, but I've always done it with the tide and in relatively benign conditions. Even if you get into the overfalls, with the tide under you it doesn't last long and is quite fun in a slightly adrenalinish sort of way. It's an awfully long way round to go outside if you're doing Poole-Weymouth, but matters less if you're going further down channel.

 

[Robin]

Re: St Albans Head

[ QUOTE ]
Must admit that I've never been outside, but I've always done it with the tide and in relatively benign conditions. Even if you get into the overfalls, with the tide under you it doesn't last long and is quite fun in a slightly adrenalinish sort of way. It's an awfully long way round to go outside if you're doing Poole-Weymouth, but matters less if you're going further down channel.

[/ QUOTE ]

That is the key Ken, 'from Poole' which is what the original post asked.

There is an inshore back eddy tide from Old Harry to St Albans which starts about 1.75hrs before HW Dover and can be used to reach St Albans at slack water (about 30 mins before HW Dover) with it about to turn west going. Using that eddy tide a) can avoid the wind over tide yuk and b) get you off to a flying start if headed west round the Bill as there are still over 6hrs of west going tide to use.

The overfalls vary in position. On the flood tide they are east of St Albans and on the ebb are SW of it. Going west the race extends SW of St Albans for some distance, on big tides maybe 4mls, going east it extends about 1/3rd of the way to Anvil point on a big tide, with more overfalls off Peveril Ledge (Swanage) and Handfast (Old Harry Rocks).

With tide running the inshore passage around St Albans is very close in to the point but it is deep water as the cliffs go straight down. You only really get close to the cliffs at two points, Anvil Point and St Albans (St Aldhelms on some charts) because the cliffs drop away from the straight line track between theses two corners. There are indeed lots of pots but these extend out to sea also especially on neaps, with tide running they can be submerged but are less dangerous than at slack water IMO when there can be floating lines to snag.

If you head for example from Poole to Guernsey via Alderney Race (at raggie speeds) the departure time will inevitably mean rough water until about 12mls out if the wind is against the tide (SW wind) and this has triggered many to return to Poole with tails between there legs when carrying on would have seen conditions improve. Going to Weymouth from Poole is easier as you can time the first bit to St Albans at slack water especially using the back eddy mentioned.

We routinely use the inshore passage and will use that too if headed west round the Bill as that is straightest from Poole. Solent boats headed round the bill would probably go outside of St Albans Race as it is a direct enough line and they would be there as the tide is running most likely.

We have rounded St Albans via the inshore route in SW7s and even 8s over the years going eastwards and downwind and even in SW7 upwind going west once many years back in more gung ho days. On the latter occasion the Lifeboat was standing by several racing mobos on the Round Britain Race which had to slow so much for the waves that we overtook several of them in our then Elizabethan 30, some of the mobos were later towed in to Swanage.

The Race like all of them should not be taken at all lightly but is short lived enough to be feasible most times WITH CARE. We are headed that way in the next 7 days (fingers crossed) and once at St Albans via the eddy tide will most likely turn straight for our WPT 4mls off Portland and go straight through the overfalls area without spilling the coffee, but that will be near slack water.