Trip to Lundy From Cardiff

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hoppy1848

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Morning everyone and hope that this is the first of many happy posts.

Next Friday I am looking to planning to sail to Lundy from Cardiff. HW at Cardiff is 00:30 on Saturday morning. I understand that should I begin the passage some three hours before HW, and sail close to the Welsh coast I can get s much as 9 hours of following tide. Is this the case since? Any other thoughts, tips and recommendations are very welcome.

Thanks
 
Welcome to the Bristol Channel

You might struggle to get around lavenock point that long before high water, if you move the boat to Barry habour the day befour you would have a far easier time
have a good trip
 
I am also new to the forum. When you are talking about next Friday do you mean the 4th September? I am also planning on making a first trip to Lundy on this day on a 37ft bavaria sail boat. I would agree with the other replies that it makes more sense to live with some foul tide at Lundy than at Penarth/Barry. 1 hour before HW is when I would lock out of Cardiff.
 
Lundy

At the end of June I sailed from Cardiff to Helford, stopping at Clovelly. I left 2 hours before high tide. I was surprised that the inshore current helped me from Penarth along towards Ranie. I then had to push the tide around the point. As the tide was still rising, I then went inside Sully island and kept well inside the bay where the hospital is. When I got passed Barry and the coastwatch station, I checked the log against the gps and there was very little difference. As the tide turned, I moved out and sailed over toward Foreland to try and make as much as I could of the ebb. How far you get depends on many things, including what type of boat you have. I passage plan at 5kts but normally make between 5.5 and 6kts plus the tide.
Allan
 
Thanks everyone. Alan's contribution confirms that staying in shore can pay some dividends against the tide. Suspect that I'll depart an hour or so before HW and see how it goes. Incidentally my boat is a Moody 31 Mk11- Sea Wanderer,
 
We used to leave Cardiff Bay about 2-3hrs before HW to get to Watchet well in time before the gate shut, and the back eddy close in off Penarth beach really does work...BUT you'll get it on the nose at the Ranny and for a few miles afterwards. Engine on and wound up....forget sailing unless off the wind...you'll go sideways to your course with a SW or W wind and the tide on your weather bow! Can't recall if going in close to Sully Is. and Barry helped as I usually kept out. But the strategy is broadly correct; aim to be somewhere between the Holms or further at HW if you can. I doubt you'll get out of the Channel before the tide starts to push against you again, but at least it's weaker the further you go. Weather permitting, try one of the anchorages between Foreland and Ilfracombe for breakfast, and then push on.

Graham is the one of the "masters" of the Bristol Channel. He might jump in with more specific advice. We've defected to W.Wales now, so the memory is getting a bit suspect (I can tell you all about going N through Jack & Ramsey though :D)
 
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Trip to Lundy

Sorry not to have completed the story but have been offflinefor a few days. Sadly could not get out of the channel beyond a line between Minehead and Aberporth Power Station last Saturday. A real pity but the stron wind was right on the bow in a mixed sea. Anyway ended up having a pleasant 24 hours dreaming that I was on the 'footplate'. Good sail back to Cardiff on the Sunday afternoon which mean't a visit to the Tall Ships on the Monday.

Thanks for your tips and comments

Hoppy
 
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