tidal timing on Harwich to Solent trip

[jimi]

Does it matter or does it all cancel out if one plans one single long leg?

 

[pvb]

Don't think it cancels out in your favour. I'd plan to leave Harwich at HWDover +1 to +3.

 

[neil1967]

I did that trip a couple of years ago, although not in one go. I suggest that timing will make a difference - there are headlands and channels where you really don't want the tide against you, and others where it is less important. We got to Selsey Bill a bit early and hit a foul tide with the wind on the nose, so ended up going round the Owers, rather than through the inshore passage. I'm afraid I can't offer an ideal time to start - it will vary according to your SOG anyway - but it definitely needs some study.

 

[claymore]

Does it matter or does it all cancel out if one plans one single long leg?

Thought you were a yachtmeister

 

[sailorman]

Does it matter or does it all cancel out if one plans one single long leg?

leave harwich @ around hw to make Dover with a favourable tide

 

[Iliade]

You have a minor tidal gate at Beachy head, a significant one at the Looe channel and I would expect a few more further east. you need to time it to suit them.

 

[sarabande]

one single leg of that length gives you the ability to modify your passage of the tidal and traffic gates with relative convenience by optimising the wind and tide speeds and direction. So frinstance, coming up to Beachy Head at the beginning of a foul tide and a W wind, you might elect to head SW out into the Channel away from the Head and the associated faster adverse tidal streams. But that could not be on the plan if the wind is SW which gives you a course choice of S or W, in which case I'd anchor and have a sleep and meal.


I'd say you can plan the first 12-15 hours of a long probably upwind coastal passage to optimise the first gate or two with reasonable certainty; thereafter the strategy goes out of the porthole and tactical course decisions such as lee-bowing, anchoring or heaving to, avoiding commercial traffic lanes, come into play. Otherwise you are committed to hard on the nose sailing, racing style, and driving the crew hard.

Met forecasts are a lot more accurate but you can only look about 12 hours ahead with reasonable confidence.

 

[sailorman]

one single leg of that length gives you the ability to modify your passage of the tidal and traffic gates with relative convenience by optimising the wind and tide speeds and direction. So frinstance, coming up to Beachy Head at the beginning of a foul tide and a W wind, you might elect to head SW out into the Channel away from the Head and the associated faster adverse tidal streams. But that could not be on the plan if the wind is SW which gives you a course choice of S or W, in which case I'd anchor and have a sleep and meal.


I'd say you can plan the first 12-15 hours of a long probably upwind coastal passage to optimise the first gate or two with reasonable certainty; thereafter the strategy goes out of the porthole and tactical course decisions such as lee-bowing, anchoring or heaving to, avoiding commercial traffic lanes, come into play. Otherwise you are committed to hard on the nose sailing, racing style, and driving the crew hard.

Met forecasts are a lot more accurate but you can only look about 12 hours ahead with reasonable confidence.

to do it in one hit the tidal gate @ Dungeness is i think the mist significant one & pick up the flood around Sandwich to get to that gate

 

[jimi]

to do it in one hit the tidal gate @ Dungeness is i think the mist significant one & pick up the flood around Sandwich to get to that gate

My thought was to try and get to around Ramsgate for the start of the ebb(west going) and carry that favourable tide past Dungeness as that seems to be the tidal gate of the leg .. and carry on to Dartmouth ... erm I mean the Solent . I'm aiming for a neapish tide so if I get timings a bit wrong it won't be disastrously morale sapping.

 

[Daedelus]

Just ran it thro' Neptune planner for today and it seems to think that 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 hours before HW Dover gives you your best timing, that's at 5 knots and quite a small scale chart so not supremely accurate on course. It reckons on about 33 hours from Dover to middle of Solent.

 

[jimi]

Just ran it thro' Neptune planner for today and it seems to think that 3 1/4 to 3 3/4 hours before HW Dover gives you your best timing, that's at 5 knots and quite a small scale chart so not supremely accurate on course. It reckons on about 33 hours from Dover to middle of Solent.

Thanks Daedalus, that makes perfect sense to me, fits in with the strategy of being off Ramsgate as the tide turns

 

[sailorman]

My thought was to try and get to around Ramsgate for the start of the ebb(west going) and carry that favourable tide past Dungeness as that seems to be the tidal gate of the leg .. and carry on to Dartmouth ... erm I mean the Solent . I'm aiming for a neapish tide so if I get timings a bit wrong it won't be disastrously morale sapping.

No the tide splits East - West at Dungerness NOT Ramsgit
an ebb getting round south foreland will be very slow

 

[johnalison]

I've not done the whole trip in one, but Harwich to Brighton a few times. If you get to N Foreland at the change of tide, you will pass Dungeness, as stated above, in the same tide. The tide will change in your favour before you get to Beachy Head but not all the way to the Solent.

 

[Debenair]

3weeks ago we did Harwich to Cowes in 29 hours en route to our new home in Brixham. 27 under engine!
Left Halfpenny pier at half ebb out through Medusa to LSH and carried tide past Dover.
Eventually went south of Owers on basis we might go south of the Island, but peeled off to pick up fuel in the Solent.
V light winds all that way.