Strangford to Whitehaven

[cus]

Hi looking for some advise going to be motoring from stangford to whitehaven marina,at around 6 kts has anyone done it , could you advise on times , when is best , should i speak to whitehaven sailors ,fishermen any help would be great

 

[[3889]]

Do I sound smug and unhelpful if I say "If you have to ask then you shouldn't be doing it."? Probably, but that's what I think, anyway. Posting a putative passage plan and asking for opinions on it might be more reassuring.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

You are limited when you can leave Strangford because of the tide rate - generally at the last of the ebb to reach the entrance at slack. Work it out from there. You will have strong tides at the top of IoM to deal with, and then the limited access at Whitehaven. The marina office will give you the lowdown on that. If you have doubts on the day about departing Strangford, don't, because once you go you are committed. Not the place to be in an easterly.

 

[A1Sailor]

Lots of advice here:
http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?410173-motoring
Somebody was planning a similar trip a couple of months ago.

 

[Daydream believer]

Do I sound smug and unhelpful if I say "If you have to ask then you shouldn't be doing it."? Probably, but that's what I think, anyway. Posting a putative passage plan and asking for opinions on it might be more reassuring.

Personally I think asking local fishermen etc shows a great deal of common sense
What is wrong with asking for tips on this forum. Lots of people have done it
I did a round Uk SH trip twice & on both occasions I called at local pubs to talk to locals Pick the scruffiest pub for the best advice
In some cases the harbour master will be a retired fisherman. A great source of information

 

[ANDY123]

Hi looking for some advise going to be motoring from stangford to whitehaven marina,at around 6 kts has anyone done it , could you advise on times , when is best , should i speak to whitehaven sailors ,fishermen any help would be great

My boat draws 1.7 and I have access to Whitehaven 3 1/2 hrs each side of high water. Call Sea Lock when reaching Whitehaven and they can tell you how much waters in the channel.
The approach to Whitehaven is clean but a swell can build up in the entrance in westerlys.....careful there may be a couple of crab pots approaching

 

[[3889]]

What is wrong with asking for tips on this forum. Lots of people have done it

Nothing, but the way I read the OP was he wanted more than tips - he wanted a a passage plan making - difficult without forecast, times and dates. If I've got this wrong then I apologise.
I entered Whitehaven on the day the gate at Maryport failed and the HM offered to rig an arrester line across the lock to prevent me surfing into the inner gates - he refused, rightly, to grant me a brief period of through-flow. I declined the line but could understand why the offer was made. There's more to this entry than knowing the best times.

 

[cus]

Thanks again opinions is what im after from sailors that have done it,just think better to know from experience than electronics , done many but not that one it will be a spring crossing with no rush , and def all daylight , so stop over on IOM looks more chilled trip ,just bringing her over to Whitehaven to have a look at permanent mooring there ,but if OPs think night time crossing would be better will certainly listen its really times for journey at what speed you averaged what to look out for ,if IOM where to stop over , basically just experience of the trip,dont want to get back and people tell me oh you missed out on this or you would have enjoyed this better, I am in no rush just never put that in a sentence to swmbo thanks again

 

[lpdsn]

Hi looking for some advise going to be motoring from stangford to whitehaven marina,at around 6 kts has anyone done it , could you advise on times , when is best , should i speak to whitehaven sailors ,fishermen any help would be great

A couple of years ago, the entrance channel to Whitehaven lock was 1.4m above CD (the chart says 1.0, but 1.4 was what the lockkeeper told a competitor in the 3PYR who was denied entry). Of course, whether you want to push it to the limit the way that competitor did is another matter. I presume you're a motor boat with shallow draught.

Be aware of the outer breakwater if approaching Whitehaven after dusk - it doesn't show up well on a dark night. You really need to be sure of your position as you approach. And it can be pretty rough in onshore heavy weather. Beware too of the spit on the stbd side of the entrance.

You've probably already measured the distance, so you're not going to be able to do it in one leg in daylight until later in the spring, even with the most convenient tides. I presume you'll also need time to navigate the Lough and the narrows in daylight, unless you really are very practised navigating there in the dark.

Peel is the obvious stopover port. The times of the flapgate are published on the IoM government website. However, the flapgate works off the actual height of tide and doesn't read the website. I've seen it be 40 minutes late opening - usual factors such as atmospheric pressure and wind will affect it, so you can take a guess at a safety margin for making sure you get in before it closes.

You can maybe also use Ardglass to allow you to depart when you want (you'll be fine, weather-willing, unless a deep draught yacht at LWS). I presume you know Ardglass well enough to leave at night without clunking any of the rocks around the marina or in the harbour entrance.

 

[macd]

cus: since you have heaps of time to plan the trip, why not treat it as a real learning exercise? Get hold of an admiralty tidal streams atlas, current tide table and paper chart of your route, and try to find someone local to help you use them. The techniques this helps you develop will be invaluable for all the passages you might do in the future.

For much of your proposed route tidal streams will not be a huge issue. At Strangford, of course, they're huge, but much of the area from there to Peel is almost null. The making tide through the North Channel hits the Isle of Man at Contrary Head, just south of Peel. Here it deflects both ways along the coast, the NE-going stream being the stronger. To take best advantage of this when leaving Peel, you might consider mooring on the outer breakwater or picking up a visitor mooring, rather than be delayed waiting for the flapgate. However, the moorings are no place to be in a northerly and, if you're travelling early season, do check that the moorings are in place. From there, you probably won't want to be rounding Point of Ayre (N end of the Island) with much wind over tide. You already have local info about the sort of time you should arrive in Whitehaven to work back from.

Note that if you should come by the Imray Irish Sea pilot book (first edition, at least) its take on the (rather anomalous) tidal streams around the Isle of Man is very wrong. This link gives the true picture (and also links to predicted flap-gate times in Peel and Douglas): https://www.gov.im/categories/travel-traffic-and-motoring/harbours/tides-and-flapgates/

 

[JumbleDuck]

Peel is the obvious stopover port.

Peel is a nice place, but it's a fair detour for a Strangford - Whitehaven trip and leaves the problem of tides round one end of the Isle of Man. I'd look at stopping somewhere along the Solway Coast. Isle of Whithorn, perhaps, or Kirkcudbright.

 

[Minchsailor]

You are limited when you can leave Strangford because of the tide rate - generally at the last of the ebb to reach the entrance at slack.

+1

I visited Strangford last year and left local HW and the ebb by then was in full flow. It was NOT a pleasant experience in a bit of a blow.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Peel is a nice place, but it's a fair detour for a Strangford - Whitehaven trip and leaves the problem of tides round one end of the Isle of Man. I'd look at stopping somewhere along the Solway Coast. Isle of Whithorn, perhaps, or Kirkcudbright.

Every possible stopping point is out of the way. If I was going to do that trip I wouldn't start from there.

 

[macd]

You are limited when you can leave Strangford because of the tide rate - generally at the last of the ebb to reach the entrance at slack.

+1

I visited Strangford last year and left local HW and the ebb by then was in full flow. It was NOT a pleasant experience in a bit of a blow.

Oh, yes.
It's often compounded by local conditions: it can be almost still out at sea and in the Lough proper, but even a moderate summer sea breeze can make the exit from the Narrows pretty alarming.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Every possible stopping point is out of the way.

True, but Peel is a long way out of the way while he'd be skimming the Scottish coast if he went direct.

 

[macd]

True, but Peel is a long way out of the way while he'd be skimming the Scottish coast if he went direct.

Kirkudbright is hardly skimming the coast: it's halfway to Dumfries
But a lovely spot.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Kirkudbright is hardly skimming the coast: it's halfway to Dumfries
But a lovely spot.

True. Ross Island Roads at the mouth of the Dee makes a nice place to wait, though, and you can find shelter from most wind directions. It might also be worth looking at Carsethorn - the Port of Dumfries Development Group have a couple of visitor moorings there.

 

[lpdsn]

Peel is a nice place, but it's a fair detour for a Strangford - Whitehaven trip and leaves the problem of tides round one end of the Isle of Man. I'd look at stopping somewhere along the Solway Coast. Isle of Whithorn, perhaps, or Kirkcudbright.

It's the closest port to the rhumb line between Strangford entrance and Whitehaven. I was pretty certain about that to start with, but have just checked on the chart to make sure.

Kirkcudbright is roughly ten miles further away (if you include the trip up the channel).

 

[lpdsn]

True, but Peel is a long way out of the way while he'd be skimming the Scottish coast if he went direct.

Are you maybe confusing Belfast Lough with Strangford Lough. You certainly skim the south coast of Scotland from the former, whereas you skim the NW coast of the IoM from the latter.

 

[claymore]

Sailed it both ways several times. In the perfect world pick a day with Neap tides and plenty of daylight hours.
Whilst it talks in the pilot about so many hours access either side of HW, you can get between the breakwaters into the outer harbour when you want.
The trickiest time is to approach in an increasing westerly in gathering dusk on a falling tide