X current within Brighton Marina.

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jonjo

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During a recent 3 day stay in Brighton Marina I witnessed 2 significant collisions on the visitors berths.

The problem is I guess that having negotiated the entrance to this artificial harbour most skippers switch off and assume there will be no current inside. Not so, during the flood there is a significant current across the main visitor pontoons at a right angle.

It caught me out but I avoided any contact. I feel the marina staff should do something to warn visitors at problematic phases in the tidal cycle but maybe Premier Marinas have a share in the local GRP repair shop.
 
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It caught me out but I avoided any contact. I feel the marina staff should do something to warn visitors at problematic phases in the tidal cycle but maybe Premier Marinas have a share in the local GRP repair shop.

[/ QUOTE ] I have encountered a similar situation involving relatives of the marina manager.
 
I am in Brighton at pesent on the visitors berth. Yes, of course there is a tidal flow in and out of the marina, as may be expected, it is a tidal harbour after all.
There are many marinas where the tide floods through the berths. One of the points about approaching a berth or a mooring is to take account of tide and wind.
I would not expect to have to be told this by a habour master, or any one else come to that.
I have watched a number of near cockups today, but these were due to lack of preparation (not having lines ready, not brieing crew as what to do) which is down to poor skippering.
I do not want more nannying - there isenough already
 
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Yes, of course there is a tidal flow in and out of the marina, as may be expected, it is a tidal harbour after all.

There are many marinas where the tide floods through the berths.

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Yes but in most cases we can all look at a chart and anticipate a tidal flow due to the expanse of tidal water beyond the marina but the current in Brighton is a surprise given the small size of the tidal half of the marina.

Only at low tide does the reason for the current become obvious i.e. the evident silting in the marina directs the flood flow through the visitor pontoons.
 
I don't think the current accounted for Morning Star of Revelation's re-arrangement of the pontoon on Bank Holiday Monday, though. Would love to know what happened...

M
 
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I don't think the current accounted for Morning Star of Revelation's re-arrangement of the pontoon on Bank Holiday Monday, though. Would love to know what happened.

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Not sure of the boat names involved but I had a grandstand view of the big 10am collision that had marina staff running to help out.

A yacht with the profile of a Westerly Vulcan got caught out by the current and had a significant (audible from 60ft) bump with a flash mobo, then after the first bounce the clot tried to power out of trouble but lost it again due to the current and ploughed into a 2nd medium size mobo. The second crash was sickening to watch as the whole mobo lurched up and around, at one point I expected the forward mobo keel to land back down on the pontoon.
 
I was on the visitors pontoon this time last year en route to Plymouth and was side swiped by an extremely large French cat who clearly hadnt noticed the flow. It was one of those jaw dropping moments. Had I taken a full blow, it would have been curtains Im sure.
 
The wind has been in the east or northeast for the past week or so. Brighton entrance faces east, plus there is the silting in the entrance,so a flow could be expected.
You can feel the flow and experience it if you have to turn to get on to one of the fingers that lie north / south across the flow.
Many years ago I flew gliders. We were always told that the last 10ft is the most dangerous time. It also applies when sailing.
A lot of people are handling large boats (35 ft and above) with a small (husband and wife) crew. Whilst many are experienced, there are many that are are not. This applies to UK, French, Dutch, Belgian and all othr nationalities. They set off on an ambitious summer cruise and meet places with conditions hat they do not experience in their local sailing waters, which is when problems arrise. Gaining experience in a place like Brighton shows the weakness in their skills, often with unfortunate outcomes.
 
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I don't think the current accounted for Morning Star of Revelation's re-arrangement of the pontoo

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Have just googled the vessel name, not the incident I saw so that makes two big collisions on the bank holiday monday.
 
Both the incidents I saw involved MAB type boats with suitably aged skippers so lack of experience does not seem to be the issue.

During the second more serious incident the skipper had the flood tide pushing him east and an opposing 15kt NE wind pushing the other way but he still managed to crash to windward. So bang goes your easterly wind theory.
 
Ah but age doe not equal experience.

A 19 year old who has been sailing since knee high to a gnat will be a lot more proficient that a grizzled old timer who has bought a yacht when he retired and is on his first season.
 
We were there last weekend and commented on the current, took the lines of a couple of boats on the visitor pontoon who had misjudged the strength of the flow,

Is this the sort of information that should be mentioned as a caution in the pilot books or Reeds?
 
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Is this the sort of information that should be mentioned as a caution in the pilot books or Reeds?

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I think so even if Dufour driving experts find the advice demeaning.

The current in Brighton marina is not as severe as a well documented example such as Treguier marina but obviously many visitors are caught out by the current in an unexpected context. A story is emerging in this thread of perhaps a cumulative £10,000+ insurance bill arising during one bank holiday weekend at Brighton marina.

Is Premier Marinas culpable? Don't know that is for the insurance companies to determine, local staff know that charted depth is smaller than the official claim but to their credit they are open about this.
 
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Ah but age doe not equal experience.

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Not in every specific case but it would be foolish to deny the correlation.
 
You can add me to the May BH list too,
It was Brighton that caught me out the Tuesday morning , we must have been in Brighton on visitors together.


I cast off , had to go astern as I was blocked in.

once i got in the fairway a boat cast off behind me and then I had a battle to keep in the boat lined fairway.

As I joined the main fairway there was a boat heading at me who maintained course and speed until I blasted 3 times, you know the rest !
 
don't think the current accounted for Morning Star of Revelation's re-arrangement of the pontoon on Bank Holiday Monday, though. Would love to know what happened...
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The skipper of Morning Star is a very experienced skipper, I spoke to the marina staff and the gear linkage failed when he tried to go into astern, he managed to avoid hitting the vessels moored in the visitor area by increasing speed and helm control and turning into the main bay, the ferrocement hull of morning star collided with the concrete pontoon and rode about a foot out of the water. All respect to the skipper if he had hit a fibreglass boat it would have been a very different story. As far as tides in the harbour are concerned, it was close to springs so 1.5 - 2 kts max. its a tidal harbour - the clue is in the word 'tidal'
 
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don't think the current accounted for Morning Star of Revelation's re-arrangement of the pontoon on Bank Holiday Monday, though. Would love to know what happened...
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The skipper of Morning Star is a very experienced skipper, I spoke to the marina staff and the gear linkage failed when he tried to go into astern, he managed to avoid hitting the vessels moored in the visitor area by increasing speed and helm control and turning into the main bay, the ferrocement hull of morning star collided with the concrete pontoon and rode about a foot out of the water. All respect to the skipper if he had hit a fibreglass boat it would have been a very different story. As far as tides in the harbour are concerned, it was close to springs so 1.5 - 2 kts max. its a tidal harbour - the clue is in the word 'tidal'

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Thanks for the illumination. I went on their website and it certainly seems like a properly run vessel. I assumed something must have gone severely wrong for this to have happened.

Nice to know that it wasn't bad seamanship.

Mark
 
As a member of the almost greying community (but not yet grizzled) I would concur that in general age correlates to a certain level of wisdom, or at least prudence!

Youth correlates to a more gung ho approach to life.

I'll stick by my point though. I may be mature but there are plenty of things that I would happily accept that a younger, more practices, person would be better than me at.

Climbing masts
Lifing anchors
Looking good in speedos

etc.
 
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As far as tides in the harbour are concerned, it was close to springs so 1.5 - 2 kts max. its a tidal harbour - the clue is in the word 'tidal'

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You must be one highly stressed skipper if you are forever preparing to encounter a 2kt current in every bit of salt water that goes up and down.
 
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