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Category: South Coast cruises 2017

Published: 29 May 2017

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Tuesday 13th June Ref: 2017/6

After the splendidly calm and helpful fine weather that accompanied our cruises down the East Coastfor more than a week, we had then become stuck at Ramsgate for more than a week and so we had taken some shore leave by hire car but the fine weather had returned for a day or two and so we returned and judged this passage dead right. For this trip around the sometimes tricky south east extremity of the UK, we experienced no more than 9 knots of breeze, mainly south-westerly, and smooth to slight seas with just a slight swell around Dungeness as a left-over from the seas of recent days. We cruised at an economic 10 knots, happy to take a full 8 hours and 30mins to cover the 82 nm and arrived in Brighton to a enjoy a calm night after a very enjoyable day at sea.

The day before leaving, we had moved Lady Martina from the inside harbour , exploiting the tidal window for the opening of the bridge barrier and topped up with just over 400 litres of diesel from the fuel berth. We therefore spent the night before our departure in the outer harbour which normally can be uncomfortable but, as evening approached, my expected anticyclonic weather arrived and we were very comfortable as later on as  there was hardly any breeze or boat movement overnight.

We encountered smooth seas as we headed out of port into the Ramsgate Channel around low water in the morning and then the tide was following at its strongest as we cruised south past North Foreland, taking care to check in with Dover Port control and avoid the many crossing ferries. The tide turned against us as we cruised west but it is always weaker in the channel than off of Ramsgate and so I was pleased with the call; particularly as this meant that it was slack off of Beachy Head and calmer still as a result.

Beautiful views of the white cliffs of Kent greeted us and it is only in your own boat that you get to see these at such short range, which could have been even closer if we had not wanted to press on. We were playing some of our favourite dance CD's and bopping to the boat's movement! The tide favoured us again as we ran along the coast to Brighton and the breeze remained at less than 9 knots all trip. 

Upon arrival, were give a berth right opposite the entrance in Brighton Marina but the night was dead calm and for a second night running, we had no noise or disturbance. We enjoyed a fine meal in Cafe Rouge nearby at the end of  great day and would have liked to stay more than a single night in Brighton, but the weather for our next leg to Portsmouth looked better for the next day (rather than the day after that) and so much of the late evening was spent cruise planning, which was a shame!

Temp 20>34>25degC, RH 52>38%, Pressure 1019mb steady, good visibility smooth/slight seas (v.sl/swell off Dungeness) with wind less than 9 knots variable but mostly SWly

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Category: South Coast cruises 2017

Published: 29 May 2017

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Wednesday 14th June Ref: 2017/7

It was really calm for the entire trip and the ‘fun’ was the very strong tides we experienced in entering Portsmouth Harbour at the end of the passage where the water in the small craft route was ‘boiling’ at one point and quite spectacular. It was the antics of other boats that were to add to the entertainment and I thought, 'Welcome to the Solent'!

I had not wanted to cruise for the second day running but the weather was very much better today than for days to come and so it was inevitable. there was also predicted to be more calm weather at the weekend by which time it would be good to be in position to cross the channel to France. Both last night and now this morning I had to write up my navigational notes and plan the next passage which was necessary to make a good trip today and I was able to do all that before we left. However, I was disappointed at not being able to have a better look around Brighton before we had to leave.

Although the breeze was slightly stronger than our trip to Brighton yesterday, its effect was less as it was following from the East for the most part and that was with tide as well, doubly reducing the sea state.  The small gap 3nm off of Selsey Bill was quite benign with our following knot of so of current in tune with the breeze; a timing that attracted Itchen Marine Tug, ‘Wyforce’ and sailing vessels Amasue and Lobster III which came through the gap in the Boulder Bank at the same time as us. Sailing vessel Egret was fussing over the space and worrying that Wyforce was on a collision course but the tug was towing a huge jacking platform and must have been considered to be ‘not able to manoeuvre' and was the stand-on vessel anyway and so if I was Egret I would have altered course to starboard passed aft and let it go.

Upon entering Portsmouth harbour, I got permission from the QHM to cross from Ballast to Gunwharf Quay on VHF 11 but then found another motor boat in our allocated mooring position which I had reserved by calling the harbour office this morning. Worse still, he was not tight against the other vessel and was refusing to move either back or forward 'as he had just had his shower' meaning that between us we would take up three mooring spots to prevent any other boat mooring that might want to during the evening. He changed his story several times and I was not sure he had permission to moor there anyway and was both unhelpful and misleading me to support his intractability. Kathleen and I hosed down Lady Martina which should have been our first priority but by now Kathleen had started cooking the dinner!

Temp 23>39degC, RH 57>21%, Pressure 1016>1013 falling slowly, good/fair visibility smooth/slight seas with wind less than 9 knots variable but mostly Easterly

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Category: South Coast cruises 2017

Published: 29 May 2017

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Friday 16th June Ref: 2017/8

The morning in Gun Wharf Quay cruise planning and then a re-positioning cruise from Portsmouth at one end of the Solent to Lymington Haven Marina at the other for fuel and a berth for the night, ready for our cruise across the Channel to Cherbourg in the morning. Kathleen had not seen Lymington before and so i promised her a walk around the town this evening. The slight to moderate sea was at its worse during the strong flood upon arrival but there was 18/19 knots of breeze against it, which was why we were staying in the shelter here tonight

It had become apparent that both Saturday and Sunday (and maybe Monday) would be fine and calm for cruising and so I was kept busy planning the courses and waypoints to firstly re-position Lady Martina in the west of The Solent and to fill up with fuel ready for our cruises in France, where it might be more expensive.

I had checked with both Cowes Fuel barge and Itchen Marine but Lymington were cheaper and more convenient and they had a berth for us for tonight as well. I would have liked to have stayed with the Howard Hayles yard in Yarmouth IOW but his pontoons were full and so I had arranged the best outcome; even if it did mean spending over £50 for a berth tonight, the most I have ever paid!

Time had passed quickly this morning and it was after 1pm by the time we were ready to leave and the Gunwharf Quays staff were starting to chase us as they had lots of vessels arriving. There has evolved a rather unhelpful view around The Solent that overnight berthing fees are valid only until noon the following day and that is not always a safe, helpful and convenient time to leave from the point of view off passage planning.

This trip from one end of The Solent to the other was quite windy and wavy as the breeze today was up to 18/19 knots when it was against tide near The Needles. It was also a very warm day and we had trouble keeping cool. Lady Martina managed this slight/mod sea state very well and we cruised easily up Lymington River and into the Haven Marina. The main trouble then was that a huge motor yacht was taking on thousands of litres of diesel at the fuel pontoon but we hung around and got in before other waiting yachts to buy our 400! Our berth was fine but expensive and we enjoyed some soup and then washed the boat down and then had that walk. 

Temp 20>32>29degC, RH 62>30%, Pressure 1025 steady, good visibility smooth/slight/mod seas with wind up to 19 knots west-south-westerly

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Category: South Coast cruises 2017

Published: 29 May 2017

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Saturday 18th June Ref: 2017/9

We had an absolutely amazing day’s cruising across The English Channel from Lymington to Cherbourg today as we experienced almost dead calm at times and less than 7 knots of wind throughout the voyage. It was a very hot and sunny day as well and this made for an idyllic passage, with just some turbulence and residual swell at the going out through The Needles first thing this morning

One minor problem I had was finding the channel out of Lymington River estuary first thing but I had been watching my depth sounders and quickly steered away from shallows of only 3m! The other improvement I could have made was to steer due south and not engage tracking on the autopilot such that the tide could take us in an ‘S’ shape but we would end up roughly where we wanted to go without using energy and fuel to hold a straight course. If I made regular crossings of the Channel I would perfect that technique but, for today, it was simpler just to follow the waypoints and use the auto-pilot.

The sea was so calm that it was possible to see every disturbance and movement of water and the most enjoyable sight was the school of dolphins, some 4/5 of them turning and playing in our starboard wake; presumably looking for disoriented fish, but they did not stay for long. It was so uneventful that Kathleen went below and to sleep for some of the trip as I stayed at the helm and somewhat suffered from the hot day.

We cruised at a very economical 8 knots through the water which only consumes about 15 litres an hour compared with 29 litres an hour when we go just two knots faster! For the crossing of 70 nautical miles this meant using about 130 litres rather than over 200.  At our maximum comfortable speed of 15knots it would take 420 litres and, at current diesel prices of around £1 a litre, the same numbers could be used for pounds! My strategy is always to wait for really fine weather for cruising which can be enjoyed at lower speeds rather than tolerated and survived as quickly as possible.

Upon arrival at Cherbourg, we cruised our way through the familiar outer Grande and inner Petit Rade and were greeted by two nice friendly young guys in an inflatable harbour tender who directed us to a very large alongside hammerhead berth on ‘N’ pontoon and we soon turned and tied up as they also scrambled ashore and helped us to tie up.

When I then visited the office, more friendly staff offered me a 20% yacht club discount and charged us just €33.68 per night inclusive of water, electricity and WiFi which, at the currently poor exchange rate of €1.14/£ (our country’s fault and not their’s) even then converted to just under £30/night compared with the £50+ rates on the UK South Coast. Such a pleasure also to see how the locals use their small motor boats to fish and set individual crab and lobster pots and reasonably-sized sailing yachts for their own pleasure; with many boats active in a busy port.

On the other hand all of those large unused vessels in Lymington stood empty and unused for much of the time as status symbols. It reminded me of the practical marine nature of Guernsey rather than Jersey. I quickly checked the internet again and concluded that there was nothing to be lost by staying an extra night here and leaving fro St Vaast on Monday and so everything was more relaxed from then on. 

Temp 19>34 degC, RH 68>31%, Pressure 1027>1026 steady, good/fair viz, smooth/calm seas with wind less than 7 knots variable