Sub Barrier PHM Portsmouth

brianhumber

brianhumber

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Had a very enjoyable sail yesterday and went through the Sub Barrier Gap to the East of Portsmouth.

Noticed the recent winds had snapped the retaining bolts off the square baseplate PHM day cone which was bent over pointing down hill to the NW with the top resting on the top of the access ladder.

QHM 11/16 notice refers


B
 
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brianhumber said:
Had a very enjoyable sail yesterday and went through the Sub Barrier Gap to the East of Portsmouth.

Noticed the recent winds had snapped the retaining bolts off the square baseplate PHM day cone which was bent over pointing down hill to the NW with the top resting on the top of the access ladder.

QHM 11/16 notice refers


B
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:confused: You say "cone".. Navwarn 11/16 says "port hand"
 
I have a rather interesting memory of taking a yacht through that gap under simulated fog conditions during an assessment. Made one concentrate!
 
One of my early Solent sailing memories is of a large and expensive yacht jammed up on the barrier on a falling tide. Apparently it was a Dutch delivery skipper collecting from C&N on behalf of a client. It was over ten years before I plucked up the courage to go through it myself. I've still not done the "inshore" passage.
 
Back in the 70s a small Coaster went the wrong side of the fort and piled up on the barrier. The Skipper was found to be 'drunk in charge'. Must have been on quite a bender for him not to see the fort!

Predictably the skipper liost his ticket!
 
I routinely ignore the barrier*. I've never seen it uncovered, even at low springs, so I figure that if there's a couple of metres of tide, I've got plenty of depth for my draft of about 90cm.

* Never with SWMBO on board - I'm not that brave
 
Stemar said:
I routinely ignore the barrier*. I've never seen it uncovered, even at low springs, so I figure that if there's a couple of metres of tide, I've got plenty of depth for my draft of about 90cm.

* Never with SWMBO on board - I'm not that brave
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I have certainly seen it uncovered and there are pictures on t'internet showing it uncovered
 
Topcat47 said:
One of my early Solent sailing memories is of a large and expensive yacht jammed up on the barrier on a falling tide. Apparently it was a Dutch delivery skipper collecting from C&N on behalf of a client. It was over ten years before I plucked up the courage to go through it myself. I've still not done the "inshore" passage.
Click to expand...

The Dutch seem to have particular difficulty with the barrier. See this thread:-

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?373982-Warning-a-Boat-off-the-Submerged-Barrier-off-Southsea
 
VicS said:
I have certainly seen it uncovered and there are pictures on t'internet showing it uncovered
Click to expand...

Indeed - Have been through (slowly) at LW on a big spring tide with all the blocks showing landward side and a good half dozen exposed on the fort side.

My 'cone' perhaps should have been more accurately described as a ( Faded ) Port Hand Mark in the shape of a long cylinder. Several of the main channel buoys around were looking tatty come to think of it, No 4 especially. Mage needs to get her paint pots out.
 
brianhumber said:
.

My 'cone' perhaps should have been more accurately described as a ( Faded ) Port Hand Mark in the shape of a long cylinder.
Click to expand...

I thought perhaps QHM was adopting the same system spotted in Chichester a few years ago :)

DSCF1219.jpg
DSCF1220.jpg
 
brianhumber said:
Had a very enjoyable sail yesterday and went through the Sub Barrier Gap to the East of Portsmouth.

Noticed the recent winds had snapped the retaining bolts off the square baseplate PHM day cone which was bent over pointing down hill to the NW with the top resting on the top of the access ladder.

QHM 11/16 notice refers


B
Click to expand...

What " Sub Barrier Gap"? Where is it?
 
It was like that last Sunday when I passed through going east. Came back via the inshore gap. The inshore is nice, you're close enough hear the people on the beach.
 
On my Day Skippers Course from JSASTC, blowing very hard and we students thought we'd be tied up in Haslar for a day, but no. We were shown how to set Trisail and Storm Jib, and ventured out into the Solent. We went through the gap in a full force 8! Talk about confidence building!!
 
During the summer we left Gosport heading for Chichester, we hadn't been that way in quite a while and with hardly anyone around, my wife was happily fishing with her hand line, I could see the gap on my new Hudl with navionics on, but thought it had been nice they had put two easier to see red buoys there, It was as I passed them I realised my tactical error and I was in fact in the middle of Sir Ben's training course! smile and wave!
IMG_3199a.jpg
 
There is at least one person on here who will argue with you over that ;) But yes, it is a submarine barrier in respect of it being submerged as opposed to an anti-submarine barrier in order to stop submarines. Intended to hinder fast torpedo boats coming along close inshore to attack shipping leaving the harbour I believe.

There was actually an (anti-) submarine barrier the other end of the Solent, that stretched from Hamstead Ledge to Sowley. The posts at Hamstead have been removed but the ones at Sowley are still there. A cable with nets was stretched between them and the concrete ramps, often mistaken for tank landing ramps, just west of Newtown entrance is where they were hauled ashore for maintenance.
 
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