Where to practice tidal stream mooring near Southampton?

[Mr E Guest]

Hello,

Please could someone recommend where we could practice doing some mooring in a tidal stream near Southampton?

Thanks,

MrE

 

[colingr]

We did ours off Calshot, lots of empty mooring buoys around there. Depends how big you are of course as to whether the moorings are suitable.

If you mean anchoring then just a bit further south off Netley or anywhere along there north of the oil jetty.

 

[Kwik Decision]

Cowes harbour authority (I think) have put a dedicated practice pontoon in the Medina, a little way up from the chain ferry. Mid tide you get a good current flowing up and down there. As far as I'm aware anybody can use it to practice coming along side.

 

[Hypocacculus]

There is a line of mooring bouys just outside Cowes. The tide rips past those quite nicely.

 

[Angele]

There is a line of mooring bouys just outside Cowes. The tide rips past those quite nicely.

If the OP does indeed mean mooring to a buoy then +1.

If instead it is mooring to a pontoon (i.e. berthing), then up a river is best. Medina as has been said before, or the Hamble. R. Beaulieu also.

 

[Giblets]

Cowes harbour authority (I think) have put a dedicated practice pontoon in the Medina, a little way up from the chain ferry. Mid tide you get a good current flowing up and down there. As far as I'm aware anybody can use it to practice coming along side.

Indeed. From Cowes.uk web site:

Training Activities
Cowes is the home of several maritime training establishments and a favourite destination for the many Solent-based sailing schools. Private owners and their crews also need to practise boat handling skills. Cowes Harbour Commission (CHC) welcomes both novice and experienced sailors. A dedicated training pontoon is located east of the fairway in the vicinity of No. 8 buoy, south of Kingston Power Station. This is available for all to practice berthing manoeuvres.

The pontoon is secured by anchors rather than piles so it is less stable than other pontoons. It is not subject to regular pressure washing, therefore crews are discouraged from landing on the pontoon except in emergency and then only with great care. Crews should give consideration to others wishing to use this facility and not lie alongside unnecessarily. Other pontoons and mooring buoys can sometimes be used for training; please check availability with berthing masters, call sign ‘HM1’ on VHF Ch 69.

Even shown on the charts as "Training Pontoon".

 

[Mr E Guest]

Great, thanks! It's pontooning practice we're after as opposed to bouys. Thanks for the Medina tip.

Is there anywhere specific on the Hamble that's good for practice? (all the pontoons on the Hamble appear to be private/occupied?)

 

[Angele]

Great, thanks! It's pontooning practice we're after as opposed to bouys. Thanks for the Medina tip.

Is there anywhere specific on the Hamble that's good for practice? (all the pontoons on the Hamble appear to be private/occupied?)

They are, but pick a (weekend) day when many boats will be out and there will be a length of vacant pontoon somewhere for you to practice. I think one of the mid-river pontoons at the entrance to the river (to port as you come in, so outside Hamble Point marina) is likely to be your best bet - probably the second one from seaward, not the first. That is what we did when I did a boat handling course with BOSS many years ago.

 

[lustyd]

The Medina is a perfect place to do your first ferry gliding session thanks to the very strong flow, but it makes for a poor practice area for the same reason. With the strong flow there, you can set almost any engine to idle and keep the boat static. Since most other locations will be weaker, you would normally need to use the throttle to give a quick blast every few seconds and then go to neutral to avoid shooting forwards. Because of this it's actually harder to achieve a good ferry glide outside the Medina so once you're comfortable there then try elsewhere.

 

[PhillM]

I don't think you will find any problems finding somewhere to practice on the Hamble. There are loads of empty pontoons on a weekend.

If you particularly want to ask permission, then call the HM and use one theirs or give one of the marinas a call. When i wanted to practice SH pontoon bashing, I found there was an empty row outside Universal and used that. Nobody gave me a second look.

In case you are not used to the Hamble, the ebb really is strong - so if you want to experience a wide range of conditions start at the end of the flood, play around during the stand and then prepare for a lot of tide in the ebb.

You should also be able to find pontoons both with / against and at places like Swanwick and Universal, across tide - so plenty of options to keep you on your toes

 

[alant]

We did ours off Calshot, lots of empty mooring buoys around there. Depends how big you are of course as to whether the moorings are suitable.

If you mean anchoring then just a bit further south off Netley or anywhere along there north of the oil jetty.

RYA Schools are banned from using the buoys off Calshot & have been for at least 15 years IIRC, due to all the lassooing causing damage.

 

[snooks]

Great, thanks! It's pontooning practice we're after as opposed to bouys. Thanks for the Medina tip.

Is there anywhere specific on the Hamble that's good for practice? (all the pontoons on the Hamble appear to be private/occupied?)

Try visiting Deacons on the flood or ebb...You can then walk to the Jolly Sailor for the much needed pint..If you can get in/out of there when it's running fast you'll be covered for most places...When in there on the springs flood two weekends ago and it caught me out

The river Trieux at Lezardrieux gets some speed water passing by...but practicing somewhere else first is far more advisable

 

[jac]

Try visiting Deacons on the flood or ebb...You can then walk to the Jolly Sailor for the much needed pint..If you can get in/out of there when it's running fast you'll be covered for most places...When in there on the springs flood two weekends ago and it caught me out

The river Trieux at Lezardrieux gets some speed water passing by...but practicing somewhere else first is far more advisable

Deacons also has decent size hammerheads on D and E that are in the worst of the stream so can start practising ferry gliding with something to work with and then progress to dealing with back eddies and cross tide.

 

[colingr]

Ours was in a small mobo not lassooing but I haven't been back since. I retract the advice accordingly

 

[Resolution]

They are, but pick a (weekend) day when many boats will be out and there will be a length of vacant pontoon somewhere for you to practice. I think one of the mid-river pontoons at the entrance to the river (to port as you come in, so outside Hamble Point marina) is likely to be your best bet - probably the second one from seaward, not the first. That is what we did when I did a boat handling course with BOSS many years ago.

Please be aware that most of these pontoons are in fact private pontoons, leased by various clubs. I spent three years on B pontoon, which I think is the one suggested by Angele, and we did suffer a number of bumps and scrapes from would-be yachtmasters (and dinghy sailors). Never any letters of apology if we were not on board, so a little bit annoying. To be fair to BOSS, their instructors were usually very careful and would ask permission if anyone was on board their boats at the pontoon.

As has been mentioned, the ebb tide can be really strong - even after three years it was often a challenge to fiddle Resolution into her allotted space - the berthmaster had allowed only two metres between boats and the wind was mostly a cross-wind. Practice has improved, but not yet made perfect!

 

[BlueSkyNick]

On the Cowes training pontoon, just be aware that it there is only 2metres of water at low tide alongside the pontoon, and a lot less off the ends towards the shore.

 

[snooks]

On the Cowes training pontoon, just be aware that it there is only 2metres of water at low tide alongside the pontoon, and a lot less off the ends towards the shore.

Kill joy...surely if you're going to train you should be looking at the tides

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Kill joy...surely if you're going to train you should be looking at the tides

Indeed, but as the subject pontoon is right on the edge of the main channel, the depth changes quite quickly as you leave it.

 

[snooks]

Deacons also has decent size hammerheads on D and E that are in the worst of the stream so can start practising ferry gliding with something to work with and then progress to dealing with back eddies and cross tide.

Pah! Hammerheads are easy peasy, get yourself on the inside and you'll need new trousers in no time!

Actually don't, my boat's in there!

I has wind with tide and my berth was down of both, the stream does run for and aft, it runs at an angle - which was opposite my prop walk. Tried ferry gliding down twice using the wind to keep the bow in check - the gap between hammerheads is only just wide enough for us, bailed on both occasions - failing to even get into the basin, it was tight and I couldn't apply a burst of power to swing the bow one way and the stern the other.... So tried motoring up into it, too slow, couldn't make it into the basin again, tried a bit faster, made it into the basin, but dropping back astern tide pushed me across too far and her beam wasn't going to go into the berth, touched astern, prop walk made it worse and I was almost beam onto the end of the finger. Realising it was only going to go tits up fast I put the power down as was able to get her pointing into the tide again - Just rubbed on the rubbery bits on the end of the finger. Then approaching from the shore side I was able to keep the tide on the right side of the bows and was able to wiggle her in...Then changed my trousers

 

[snooks]

Indeed, but as the subject pontoon is right on the edge of the main channel, the depth changes quite quickly as you leave it.

Kill joy...surely you should be looking at the tides and charts