Isles of scilly trip

[RoyP]

Originally Posted by mhill

Might be easier to launch from Brightlingsea, nice easy launch and possibly closer to the forts.

True, We often launch from Greenwich, so definitely going form here, we are also looking for other site to launch and explore. I will have to have a wander up that way to see what launching is like and what to venture out too.
All local knowledge is appreciated.

[mhill]

Originally Posted by RoyP

True, We often launch from Greenwich, so definitely going form here, we are also looking for other site to launch and explore. I will have to have a wander up that way to see what launching is like and what to venture out too.
All local knowledge is appreciated.

Is it a easy launch at Greenwich? Never ventured up the Thames.

Brightlingsea is a easy launch at anything + or - 1 hr either side of low water neaps, 2hrs on springs. Loads of places to explore with quite a few pubs & restaurants within easy reach.

[RoyP]

Originally Posted by mhill

Is it a easy launch at Greenwich? Never ventured up the Thames.

Brightlingsea is a easy launch at anything + or - 1 hr either side of low water neaps, 2hrs on springs. Loads of places to explore with quite a few pubs & restaurants within easy reach.

We use the Thames alot. We launch from the boat ramp in Ferry Street. Its a free launch with a bit of parking.
Poplar, Blackwall & District Rowing Club
The Boat House
Ferry Street
London
E14 3DT

We venture in and outbound and can launch easily at +- 2hrs. not impossible at low water either, but you will need a long rope to pull of a good 4x4.

Lots do do and see.

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by RoyP

We use the Thames alot. We launch from the boat ramp in Ferry Street.

Out of interest, is that the slip in the rowing club itself, or another close by?

Despite having lived on the Isle of Dogs for 14 years now, it's only now we have a little baby that we've started walking to loads of new streets and places with the pram, and only came across the rowing club last week! But I thought that looked more "members' only" with barriers, etc.?

[RoyP]

Originally Posted by paulbrown22

Out of interest, is that the slip in the rowing club itself, or another close by?

Despite having lived on the Isle of Dogs for 14 years now, it's only now we have a little baby that we've started walking to loads of new streets and places with the pram, and only came across the rowing club last week! But I thought that looked more "members' only" with barriers, etc.?

Its the one next to the rowing club, though the club is for members only, the slip is public, The barriers were placed there to stop parking abuse and they are rarely locked. If they are there is a coded padlock on them. The rowing club will always give access. We often use the club for teas and coffee etc. We have been going there for many years.
There is also a slip next to the wooly ferry at bargehouse, again on the northside

[GuyC]

Is it worth starting / moving this to a separate thread?

https://www.boatlaunch.co.uk/view-slipway/1465

[Sutty]

Yes, it is getting confusing when the title refers to Isles of Scilly and the thread now refers to launch sites on the Thames. Could do with the non Scilly content moving/removing

[RoyP]

Originally Posted by Sutty

Yes, it is getting confusing when the title refers to Isles of Scilly and the thread now refers to launch sites on the Thames. Could do with the non Scilly content moving/removing

If anyone wants to continue....please do

[Black]

Assuming the dates align, would like to join in with this. Will keep an eye on the thread.

[paulbrown22]

Sorry for only adding to the confusion - too many people wanting to do trips in 2021!

RoyP - thanks for the info. I walked past again this morning, and agreed, currently unlocked, although two large pieces of wood across the slipway at the moment preventing access, although maybe that's just to prevent people using it during COVID while London is in lockdown. Not that I have any of my boats in London, but interesting to know there's a very local slipway just in case I ever bring one up here!

Back to Scilly...

If it's of interest to anyone, one of our trips to Scilly on our sailing yacht here. We are lucky enough to have made it here a few times from Poole, and love every single visit - can't wait to get back again, when we're allowed!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLhBnFnoFQE

And a long trip in the RIB from Poole to Newlyn and back, covering most of the way to Scilly:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yBADORyniUw

[diver 1]

I'd be keen to take the rib over to the Scillies providing I've got it all re-built in time. I'll watch this thread for dates etc that are being proposed and see what I can do, COVID permitting.

One question, perhaps a daft one, any need to have the rib registered on the SSR to visit the Scillies?

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by diver 1

One question, perhaps a daft one, any need to have the rib registered on the SSR to visit the Scillies?

Not that I'm aware of - you shouldn't need any form of registration while still in UK territorial waters.

[Fenlander]

>>>If it's of interest to anyone, one of our trips to Scilly on our sailing yacht here.

Yes very interested to see that Paul, thanks for linking the video. Skipped through on the PC but we'll watch properly on the TV later. It is broadly the type of trip and size of craft that we had for family use through my childhood and teen years creating my love for the sea.

Mrs Fenlander took the ship to the Scilly Isles last year and says we must return asap... possibly shipping our SIB outfit over on a pallet.

How does the ballasting keep that Onvi stable if the drop keel is just a smallish alloy fin... or have I misunderstood its concept?? Is it a better overall solution, if taking the ground is important to your use, than twin bilge keels?

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

How does the ballasting keep that Onvi stable if the drop keel is just a smallish alloy fin... or have I misunderstood its concept?? Is it a better overall solution, if taking the ground is important to your use, than twin bilge keels?

The ballast on the Alubat Ovni range is a fairly large amount of lead encapsulated in resin surrounding the keel box, at the lowest point of the hull. You are completely correct in that the keel itself (more of a centreboard really) is basically a profiled piece of solid aluminium about 1.7m deep, and on our model weighs around 150kg. So it won't go quite as tight/fast to windward as well as other yacht designs with much deeper weighted bulb keels, but given it's designed more as a solid blue water cruising boat, that's one of the trade offs. To be honest, we've never had any issues with it's windward performance from a cruising perspective in 16 years of ownership as our main family cruising yacht.

The AVS curve may not be technically quite as good as some deep keeled yachts, but they are designed (and generally used) as ocean crossers, and I have yet to meet any Ovni owner who has had issues with stability in ocean crossings and round the world cruising. With pretty much all ballast in the hull as well, it actually has the major advantage of remaining fully ballasted should you lose the centreboard/keel, which is one of the more common issues causing a number of high profile incidents with various other cruising yachts.

We definitely wanted the ability to take the ground, which is great both in Poole Harbour and along the south coast, and also in places like Scilly and Brittany, where some of the best harbours and most protected anchorages are actually drying ones. The bottom of the Ovni is just a solid 10-12mm aluminium plate, with a very strong welded structure of ribs and stringers supporting it internally, making it an incredibly strong hull, and able to take the ground just about anywhere. The prop is fully protected by a solid aluminium skeg, and on our model the rudder pivots up hydraulically, such that it's level with the hull, and can still be used in very shallow navigation (I can happily drive our 40' yacht around in <1m of water). I certainly think it's much easier with the large flat bottom to dry out, without having to worry about where the keels go, any holes, gradients, etc., and we've spent numerous nights anchored in drying harbours floating up and down! There's an interesting story with a bilge keeler who felt the urge to raft alongside us last time we were in the drying harbour of St. Michael's Mount in Penzance...

The Ovni's are a slightly controversial design being 100% aluminium chined construction and what the French call a "deriveur" (centreboarder), but a number of (mainly French) yards make similar designs (Allure, Garcia, Boreal, Alliage, etc.), all for blue water cruising. The Alubat Ovnis are probably the original design and have been around for 50 years now, and have a very strong reputation in cruising circles. We love our Ovni for our usage mainly along the UK south coast, Channel Islands and Brittany, and haven't yet found an alternative boat in the 40'-45' range we'd actually want to swap it for. We've spent a lot of time looking at the Boreals and Garcias, and while they both have some ideas I like, they also have some major drawbacks for the sort of cruising we do currently. But if we were to spend more time on very long passages or ocean crossing, maybe I'd consider a Boreal instead, or now of the newer Ovni's, where they've also further developed the ideas.

[Fenlander]

Paul many thanks for all that detail, genuinely interested to read it as they are a design type I'd not come across.

[paulbrown22]

No worries at all. Without wanting to divert the thread (again...), just ping me offline if you did want to chat anymore about them or ask any other questions!

We were one of the very early Ovni owners in the UK (about the 3rd or 4th boat here I think), and had lots of comments from every other yacht owner when choosing to go for that given it's very unconventional in design, materials, styling, keel/rudder arrangements, etc., but are very happy we did so. It's been a great choice for us and the way we want to sail/cruise, and is a very safe, strong and reassuring boat.

[DJarvis]

I am still new to the RIB life but would be keen to do this the trip (covid free permitting). I have a 5 mtr Narwhall Rib with a 75 HP Mercury engine and around 140 ltr fuel tanks (2 under seat and an additional one). Was wondering off hand, how much fuel is needed one way and is there places there to refuel. Sorry for asking these questions but never did a trip like this before. What is the furthest most point to launch from, is it near Lands End? Let me know as I am keen, as I have also just rebuilt my RIBs console and seating.

[treerat]

Originally Posted by DJarvis

I am still new to the RIB life but would be keen to do this the trip (covid free permitting). I have a 5 mtr Narwhall Rib with a 75 HP Mercury engine and around 140 ltr fuel tanks (2 under seat and an additional one). Was wondering off hand, how much fuel is needed one way and is there places there to refuel. Sorry for asking these questions but never did a trip like this before. What is the furthest most point to launch from, is it near Lands End? Let me know as I am keen, as I have also just rebuilt my RIBs console and seating.

Ah back on track, nicely done

I think it's about 35nm from Penzance, so 140l should be plenty, you can source fuel there I believe if required, don't expect a supermarket price or 24hr availability!!

I've not launched further West then here, I think you can use Sennen / Lamorna and probably a couple of the smaller bays too but Penzance seems to have all that's needed.

Falmouth / Mylor doesn't add huge distance (about a further 20 miles) and again gives some good facilities pre and post launch.

[paulbrown22]

Originally Posted by DJarvis

I am still new to the RIB life but would be keen to do this the trip (covid free permitting). I have a 5 mtr Narwhall Rib with a 75 HP Mercury engine and around 140 ltr fuel tanks (2 under seat and an additional one). Was wondering off hand, how much fuel is needed one way and is there places there to refuel. Sorry for asking these questions but never did a trip like this before. What is the furthest most point to launch from, is it near Lands End? Let me know as I am keen, as I have also just rebuilt my RIBs console and seating.

Generally I think somewhere around 1l/NM is a reasonable figure to use for fuel calculations for most small/medium RIB's, but remember if it's particularly rough and you are on/off the throttle a lot, or having to change your heading and thus cover more distance to get a smoother ride, that can change your fuel usage quite drastically.

But agreed, at least for going one way at 35-40 NM, 140l should have plenty of reserve. And if you are split into 3 separate tanks as well, rather than relying on notoriously inaccurate fuel gauges you obviously have a very reliable measure (in 3 main increments at least) of knowing how much fuel you have.

If you've only just bought/refitted the RIB though, I'd make sure you give it some thorough shakedown tests before trying a trip to Scilly - the waters can be quite inhospitable there, and not really the ideal first post-refit test!

[Sladonians]

Count me in, subject to good weather and conditions. Very happy to camp or B&B. Either is fine by me.