The Needles

[Jaguar]

Has anyone sailed through that little gap between the Needles lighthouse and the Isle of Wight? Is it a breeze in the right conditions or, am I likely to end up in Davy Jones' Locker? I have a 30ft yacht and she draws 1.8m

 

[robp]

Didn't I see it called "Threading the Needles" somewhere? Not sure about a 30 footer though.

 

[DavidP]

Hi ,
Been through on a fishing charter boat a few years ago, flat calm ,high tide at slack water and it was crystal clear ,,,,,, you can certainly see the bottom .
David.

 

[chriscallender]

If you're thinking of this as a shortcut in the Round the Island Race then you won't have completed the course according to the rules if you go that way since the Needles Lighthouse is one of the race markers...they think of everything!

 

[Gunfleet]

High tide slack water. You certainly wouldn't want to go aground then!

 

[cgull]

Try it and let us know the result!

 

[tome]

Though the only marker on the course was Bembridge Ledge buoy????

 

[l'escargot]

Clipped from "Conditions" at http://www.roundtheisland.org.uk/

<Boats shall cross the starting line to the Westward, round Needles Lighthouse, St. Catherine's Point Lighthouse, Bembridge Ledge Buoy, round No Mans Land Fort. All marks are rounded to PORT. Finish by crossing the CORRECT finishing line for their fleet from East to West.>

You may be getting mixed up with another important race when certain colonials slipped inside Bembridge Ledge Buoy to win a cup. (They claimed no one had told them it was a mark and it wasn't written down!)

Regards

 

[tome]

Needless to say....

l'ecscargot

I have a horrible feeling you might be right. I do get mixed up and my recent prescriptions have been awesome.

 

[Guest]

Se the bottom? In the Solent?
You must have gone through on a li-lo?

 

[Twister_Ken]

>You may be getting mixed up with another important race when certain colonials slipped inside Bembridge Ledge Buoy to win a cup<

Not much room to slip inside Bembridge Ledge (ask Harry Cudmore). I beleive the tea-party-terrorists forget to round the Nab.

 

[VMALLOWS]

I went thru there on the inflateable many years ago....the lighthouse keeper (it was a long time ago) came out and shouted at me not to be so stupid!

 

[whitingjr]

Only in a tender with oars !

If you want more local knowledge, buy "Wight Hazards" by Peter Bruce. YM advertised this book and others with free P&P in the June edition.

Jeremy

 

[whitingjr]

Further to my last post, the advert is not in YM, it's in the safety supplement for ISC. Contact:
Boldre Marine,
Kestrel Cottage,
Shirley Holms,
Lymington
SO41 8NH

Solent Hazards, Wight Hazards, Inshore along the Dorset Coast, Solent Tides and Solent Pubs and Restaurants.