Lymington - Sib launching

[Steve509926]

Planning a week in the New Forest and if the weather/conditions are playing ball I intend to have a couple of trips out from Lymington.
Anything I should be aware of? Are Hurst Castle, Colwell Bay and The Needles sensible trips to think about - wind direction/tides/conditions to take into consideration?

[Fenlander]

>>wind direction/tides/conditions

Ha ha as always the key to a day out.

Launch at Lymington town quay I assume? I mean it's only 4Nm or so to either Yarmouth IOW or Hurst Point perhaps 20mins on the plane once out of the limit. Needles maybe twice as far. So distance/time not that much but it is an area where you'll often feel you're playing with the big boys both leisure and commercial.

These were great childhood routes for me but in a displacement wooden hull with galley and heads. And in the days when you were allowed, encouraged actually, to dig the coloured sand from Alum Bay. Something special too about bobbing around the Needles, I bet even more special in a SIB.

[Steve509926]

Thinking about using the slip on Bath Rd, looks like loads of parking and as I'll be a blow and go sibber it's only £8 i'sh.
We want to get away for a week or so and south looks best on the forecast. Want to combine, walking, few days sibbing with a trip to the SBS.
Last time I was down that way we launched at Bucklers Hard, nice trip on the river but beat a hasty retreat when we ventured out onto the Solent as it wasn't pleasant and the dog got very agitated.

Distance wise going to The Needles isn't the problem, it's more what's the weather, wind direction, tides ect not to plan a trip.

[Fenlander]

It's certainly an area noted for being a bit lively and churned up at times from a SIB perspective but there are also loads of YouTubes of the area showing nice conditions.

Going back a good few years a member on here with an Aerotec had one tube unglue from the transom mid way over to the IOW but just roped the tube back into position then carried on with the visit and return to mainland... so doable with an intact SIB I'm sure.

Hopefully some of the Ribbers on here who use that area will comment on expected conditions.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

Going back a good few years a member on here with an Aerotec had one tube unglue from the transom mid way over to the IOW but just roped the tube back into position then carried on with the visit and return to mainland... so doable with an intact SIB I'm sure.

Thank goodness Diane doesn't read any of this!

[Fenlander]

It was Firstrib. Read post 260 in his thread of discovery. An inspiration to us all...

https://www.rib.net/forum/f50/which-...a-70291-6.html

[Steve509926]

Now after reading that does it matter what way the wind, sea or anything for that matter, is coming from. Diane would shit herself!

[Steve509926]

I'd be grateful if someone would explain to me what I'm seeing with these tide times, why 3 lows and highs during 24hrs.

[Fenlander]

Which exact location is that? When I Google for Lymington tides on that day I get different times and heights, just two highs.

You can some times get a tidal anomaly due to "estuary bounce" as I call it. I've stayed somewhere that did that but forget where.

Edit: Perhaps Poole?

Edit 2: Tayvallich was the one I was trying to remember. A double high and low but with a tiny range of 0.5m hardly noticed. Such a small range was excellent for SIB launch/recovery.

[Fenlander]

Looking at the BBC link for the 11th the graph is unusual so I could imagine at a slightly different location along the estuary you could get an extra tide.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/coast-.../40#2024-09-11

Edit seen more detail on this site that might explain it...

Double High Waters occur at Springs with the former being more of a reduction in the rate of rise and a stand until the second higher, or true, High Tide occurs about two hours later. On Neaps a stand lasts for about two hours. Low Water is much more reliably Portsmouth -20 minutes.

https://eoceanic.com/sailing/harbour...ue#futuretides

Also had a look in my Reeds (Nautical Almanac) which has a special couple of pages on the tidal curves between Christchurch and Selsey Bill referring to complex patterns and unreliable high tide predictions saying the low times are more of a constant as they are predictable.

That's all I've got perusing info over a Yacht Club style G&T (bit early tonight in truth).

[tinker]

Looks like a rendering issue on the website/app, the height difference between high and low tide on the second cycle is only 0.1m , 100mm.

[Steve509926]

This is the site I tend to use as it gives 30 days tide tImes

https://www.tide-forecast.com/locati...n/tides/latest

I'll be checking the tide times with the Harbour Master tomorrow or Saturday when I call in, but I thought I'd check on here that I wasn't being a bit thick and missing something obvious.

[Fenlander]

>>Looks like a rendering issue on the website/app, the height difference between high and low tide on the second cycle is only 0.1m , 100mm.

That data is no surprise as the second "low" is actually just a dip in the long stand on high... note it is just 30mins after the first high and 90mins before the next, what might be regarded as true, high.

In the Visit My Harbour oneline guide (really useful) they refer to the Lymington tides as having a long stand or double high. It all fits with the info in post 10.

For Steve using a SIB though these two highs might as well be regarded as one really.

[Steve509926]

Originally Posted by Fenlander

For Steve using a SIB though these two highs might as well be regarded as one really.

So providing everything else lines up, a good day to plan a longer trip and not have to worry about returning on a low tide.

[Fenlander]

Yep. I think it's best shown by the Lymington real time data tide buoy over the past couple of days as in image below. You can see the prediction line in blue compared to the red actual. That double high with the brief and insignificant (as Tinker highlighted) false low in the middle can be considered as one long high from a boating perspective.

[Steve509926]

[Steve509926]

Went to Lymington today to check things out, looks a great slip with loads of parking and places to set up the sib.

The tide info in #8 bore no resemblance to the thr tide info given by the Harbour Master, in fact the whole of the week is completely different. I shan't be using that website again.

[Tonus]

Is the sea along the south coast in that part of the Solent any calmer because of the island? Or does it not work like that? That's a lot of water passing through those channels I'd imagine!
I was wondering about launching from Lymington and heading up along the coast to the Beaulieu river.

[Steve509926]

Hi Tonus, unless the wind is coming directly from the south I doubt the Isle Of Wight would provide much shelter.
Yesterday the wind was coming from the NNW and although it was very breezy the sea was calm, it's such a shame that I couldn't take advantage of it! A bout of gastroenteritis tied me very much to the land!
I was in Mudeford and it looks a really good place to launch a sib, hopefully I shall test it out tomorrow.

[Tonus]

Thanks Steve - yeh I'm only 40miles or so along the coast from you and it was dead flat here and yet 8-10 knots of wind... couldn't get out either!!

Post a pic of the slip if you can? Have fun down there and get well!!