Londoner getting feet wet in the Solent

[Fram]

Hi all,

New here and getting into Ribbing.

As with anyone I 'get into' I like to join a forum for advice as soon as I start and this forum seems like the place to be!

I got my PBII and VHF license and have joined a rib club out of Swanwick Marina on the river Hamble. Looking forward to driving down from London with some friends and getting out on the water this Summer.

My first question, is where should my first question go!?

I have a question to ask about locations, what course to take and recommendations in the Solent. Should that go in RIBS & Ribbing or in Upcoming cruises?

Look forward to getting to know you all

Fram

[CJL]

Originally Posted by Fram

Hi all,

New here and getting into Ribbing.

As with anyone I 'get into' I like to join a forum for advice as soon as I start and this forum seems like the place to be!

I got my PBII and VHF license and have joined a rib club out of Swanwick Marina on the river Hamble. Looking forward to driving down from London with some friends and getting out on the water this Summer.

My first question, is where should my first question go!?

I have a question to ask about locations, what course to take and recommendations in the Solent. Should that go in RIBS & Ribbing or in Upcoming cruises?

Look forward to getting to know you all

Fram

Straight across the Solent and down the River Medina to the Folly Inn is a nice starter trip.
Then build up to;
Yarmouth (The Terrace for lunch)
Lymington (The Ship Inn for lunch)
Needles (try The Hut at Colwell Bay if your minted!)
Portsmouth (Gunwharf Quays)
Mudeford Quay/Hengistbury Head Sandspit (The Beach House for lunch)
Northney Marina (The Salt Shack for lunch)
Round the Isle of Wight (in a group for the first time!)

After that...get a trailer and keep exploring!

Chris

[GuyC]

Welcome to the forum.

In terms of courses, you've already done the most popular. I'd wait a bit to see what you enjoy before doing any more.

I agree with most of the list above.

I tend to use Trinity Landing or Town Quay in Cowes. It's close to the entrance of the river and there is a whole host of eateries to visit.
https://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...ublic_landings

I'd add Bembridge Harbour to the list. I went at the weekend and I thought it was excellent.
https://www.bembridgeharbour.co.uk/

Bucklers Hard up Beaulieu River is also very nice.

I think I'd start in Ribs and Ribbing.

How does the RIB club operate?

[Pikey Dave]

Originally Posted by Fram

Hi all,



New here and getting into Ribbing.



As with anyone I 'get into' I like to join a forum for advice as soon as I start and this forum seems like the place to be!



I got my PBII and VHF license and have joined a rib club out of Swanwick Marina on the river Hamble. Looking forward to driving down from London with some friends and getting out on the water this Summer.



My first question, is where should my first question go!?



I have a question to ask about locations, what course to take and recommendations in the Solent. Should that go in RIBS & Ribbing or in Upcoming cruises?



Look forward to getting to know you all



Fram

Hi Fram, welcome.
Re your questions, first of all, make use of the search function. Ribnet is a great repository of knowledge & chances are your question may have been asked/answered before. If you find a thread with a similar question, but not the answer you seek, ask your question in the existing thread. This makes it easier & tidier. Otherwise folks end up repeating themselves.
If you create a new thread, make the title relevant. Generic “help please” titles mean that we have to open the thread & read the question.
The Upcoming cruises section is for people to publicise cruises that have been organised, and that are open to all comers.

[Fram]

Thanks Chris, Guy, Dave

Originally Posted by CJL

Straight across the Solent and down the River Medina to the Folly Inn is a nice starter trip.
Then build up to;
Yarmouth (The Terrace for lunch)
Lymington (The Ship Inn for lunch)
Needles (try The Hut at Colwell Bay if your minted!)
Portsmouth (Gunwharf Quays)
Mudeford Quay/Hengistbury Head Sandspit (The Beach House for lunch)
Northney Marina (The Salt Shack for lunch)
Round the Isle of Wight (in a group for the first time!)

After that...get a trailer and keep exploring!

Chris

So my first trip was up the Beaulieu to Buckler's hard but I was nervous about the return trip and getting back in time so I turned back just before rounding the bend in the river to BH. I only had 3 hours to play with that time.
Appreciate the eating recommendations - that's my main joy in life!

I was thinking of Yarmouth next as it looks dead simple - only one harbour and one ferry to deal with and an easy entry compared to Cowes. Although with the info in these responses I may well taken on Cowes next!

Originally Posted by GuyC

Welcome to the forum.

In terms of courses, you've already done the most popular. I'd wait a bit to see what you enjoy before doing any more.

I agree with most of the list above.

I tend to use Trinity Landing or Town Quay in Cowes. It's close to the entrance of the river and there is a whole host of eateries to visit.
https://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...ublic_landings

I'd add Bembridge Harbour to the list. I went at the weekend and I thought it was excellent.
https://www.bembridgeharbour.co.uk/

Bucklers Hard up Beaulieu River is also very nice.

I think I'd start in Ribs and Ribbing.

How does the RIB club operate?

Thanks very much - when I said course I meant in terms of plotting a course. For example, going to Yarmouth I could either hug the South Coast of the mainland, hug the North Coast of IoW or just go straight down the middle of the channel. From looking at the chart, it's unclear (to me) which would be best.

Appreciate the recommendations for Cowes, thanks!

The club is an interesting set up. You pay £175 for the year's membership and then you make your own bookings for the ribs, at £150 for 0900 to 1630, £75 for 1730 to 2100 and £200 for 0900 to 2100.
You have to get back to the marina, fill up yourself and leave it on the pontoon by the end time and then drop the keys off to the office. It's a 6.0 aluminium rib with either a 100hp or 135hp engine. GPS plotter on the console.

Obviously all the destinations in the Solent can be visited in a full day but I'm trying to work out which would also be viable options for a shorter evening trip after work. Do you chaps think Yarmouth would be too far? If so, does that only leave Cowes?

Originally Posted by Pikey Dave

Hi Fram, welcome.
Re your questions, first of all, make use of the search function. Ribnet is a great repository of knowledge & chances are your question may have been asked/answered before. If you find a thread with a similar question, but not the answer you seek, ask your question in the existing thread. This makes it easier & tidier. Otherwise folks end up repeating themselves.
If you create a new thread, make the title relevant. Generic “help please” titles mean that we have to open the thread & read the question.
The Upcoming cruises section is for people to publicise cruises that have been organised, and that are open to all comers.

Thanks for the advice. That's good to know, I am sometimes hesitant about resurrecting very old threads to get updated / additional information but if that's the done thing here I will happily do so rather than create my own.

Understood on titles and 'upcoming cruises', thanks for clarifying.

Best to all,

Fram

[TmMorris]

If be inclined to pick somewhere and go on your own the first time or just with one mate who has his head screwed on correctly. Use that day to learn the boat, environment and route before inviting others to join you as rather than learning about the boat you'll be learning more about which mate is most likely to try and use his head as a fender.

Practice mooring etc in the tranquil environment of just yourself to consider.

[GuyC]

1730 to 2100 gives you 3.5 hours. It's probably 30 minutes from Swanwick to the mouth of the Hamble. On the way back you probably need to factor in fuelling up so add another 15 minutes which gives you 2.25 hours of 'play' time.

With that time restriction, you may be better off doing a 'boat trip' - going round one of the forts for example or doing a recce of where you may want to spend a bit more time rather than getting off the boat. You can always have a picnic on the way back up the Hamble.

My course decisions are based on tide and wind. If I'm against the tide I'll go more inshore to avoid the stronger tidal stream. I've got a slow boat so I'll take any help I can. The shore closest to the wind tends to be a bit more sheltered.

[Voodoo]

Island Harbour has a nice restaurant and bar....about half a mile further up from the Folly.

[scrambler]

Coming across this thread I thought it might be interesting to tot up how many separate destinations are possible from the Hamble, either as a short evening jaunt or a day-long trip. The first few are the shorter ones but the order of the rest is fairly random.
I haven't included any of the anchoring bays - I don't see them as destinations but others might.

Upper Reaches of the Hamble
Ashlett Creek
Up the Test to Eling
Up the Itchen to St. Denys
Town Quay marina
Ocean Village Marina
Cowes
Up the Medina to Newport
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu Village (though you can't land)
Lymington
Keyhaven
Yarmouth
Newtown Creek
Wooton Creek (Royal Victoria Yacht Club)
Wooton Creek (Wooton Bridge)
Ryde (if it's not silted up)
Bembridge
Round the IOW
The Needles
The Hut at Colwell Bay
Gunwharf Quays
Haslar (Submarine museum?)
Port Solent
Fareham Creek up to Cams Hall
Emsworth (maybe through Langstone)
Bosham/Itchenor/Dell Quay
Poole
Lulworth

[FoxZulu]

As above, but just get yourself out in to the Solent and have fun.

[Voodoo]

+ Langstone Harbour - Southsea Marina (fuel and food stop) Chichester, East Head, Northney.....

[Fram]

Originally Posted by scrambler

Coming across this thread I thought it might be interesting to tot up how many separate destinations are possible from the Hamble, either as a short evening jaunt or a day-long trip. The first few are the shorter ones but the order of the rest is fairly random.
I haven't included any of the anchoring bays - I don't see them as destinations but others might.

Upper Reaches of the Hamble
Ashlett Creek
Up the Test to Eling
Up the Itchen to St. Denys
Town Quay marina
Ocean Village Marina
Cowes
Up the Medina to Newport
Bucklers Hard
Beaulieu Village (though you can't land)
Lymington
Keyhaven
Yarmouth
Newtown Creek
Wooton Creek (Royal Victoria Yacht Club)
Wooton Creek (Wooton Bridge)
Ryde (if it's not silted up)
Bembridge
Round the IOW
The Needles
The Hut at Colwell Bay
Gunwharf Quays
Haslar (Submarine museum?)
Port Solent
Fareham Creek up to Cams Hall
Emsworth (maybe through Langstone)
Bosham/Itchenor/Dell Quay
Poole
Lulworth

Super helpful, thanks! I went out on Saturday (great day for it eh) and visited Yarmouth, Lymington, Alum bay (does anyone know if you can pay to tie up briefly at the pontoon there?) and Cowes (went with Town Quay as @GuyC suggested and had a nice steak on a stone at The Globe.

Going to start working my way through your list and using it as a source of ideas. Have an elderly family friend in Emsworth and thought it might be nice to go fetch her and take her for a short trip in the harbour but the thought of all that time burning fuel displacing at 10 knots doesn't excite me at all.

Originally Posted by FoxZulu

As above, but just get yourself out in to the Solent and have fun.

Absolutely! That was the point on Saturday's trip... just to feel it out. Bembridge and Portsmouth next time!

Originally Posted by Voodoo

+ Langstone Harbour - Southsea Marina (fuel and food stop) Chichester, East Head, Northney.....

Thanks for this recommendation. I'm somewhat less attracted by this and a few of the other options that have long stretches with speed limit - from what I've seen they just use a lot of time and fuel.

I really like Yarmouth and Cowes for that reason - a speed limit very close to mooring location.

Thanks all!

[scrambler]

Originally Posted by Fram

Going to start working my way through your list and using it as a source of ideas. Have an elderly family friend in Emsworth and thought it might be nice to go fetch her and take her for a short trip in the harbour but the thought of all that time burning fuel displacing at 10 knots doesn't excite me at all.

I think the trip to Emsworth and tying up on the jetty is perhaps my favorite of all of them (Call the Harbour office to pay).
It takes some planning to make sure you arrive there an hour or two before a decent sized high water and if going or leaving through Langstone also get the timing right vis à vis enough depth in the approach to the bridge from the Langstone side and enough headroom under the bridge.

You'll be going in on the flood and leaving on the ebb so that helps a lot with the fuel. Also suggest you find your most economical displacement speed - mine is about 5.5 knots. Any more than that my litres per nm increases substantially. Do you have a display of your litres per nm on your plotter or engine gauge? Suggest you find out (from UT?) if its available.

I can't remember now how it works out with the Hamble tides but you may be able to leave the Hamble on the flood stand to avoid punching the full flood on the way out and then arrive at Langstone/Chichester at the correct time.
(I once arrived at Langstone entrance too early so I just changed my plan, went in through Chichester and out through Langstone).

I can recommend the Absolute Tides app, well worth a couple of quid as it's great for planning that sort of trip which is very tide dependent.

[Fram]

Originally Posted by scrambler

I think the trip to Emsworth and tying up on the jetty is perhaps my favorite of all of them (Call the Harbour office to pay).
It takes some planning to make sure you arrive there an hour or two before a decent sized high water and if going or leaving through Langstone also get the timing right vis à vis enough depth in the approach to the bridge from the Langstone side and enough headroom under the bridge.

You'll be going in on the flood and leaving on the ebb so that helps a lot with the fuel. Also suggest you find your most economical displacement speed - mine is about 5.5 knots. Any more than that my litres per nm increases substantially. Do you have a display of your litres per nm on your plotter or engine gauge? Suggest you find out (from UT?) if its available.

I can't remember now how it works out with the Hamble tides but you may be able to leave the Hamble on the flood stand to avoid punching the full flood on the way out and then arrive at Langstone/Chichester at the correct time.
(I once arrived at Langstone entrance too early so I just changed my plan, went in through Chichester and out through Langstone).

I can recommend the Absolute Tides app, well worth a couple of quid as it's great for planning that sort of trip which is very tide dependent.

Thanks very much! Something to consider for sure then.

As far as I can see there's a litres per hour display but no litres per distance display. I will have another look. Of course, with the litres per hour (fuel flow) rate, I can make some observations alongside speed and workout a rough optimum economy speed.

On that note, a further question. Are speed limits mostly speed through water or SOG? I ask because the display on the boat tells me SOG but I can't see what my STW is. Obviously if it's 6 knots STW.

I have found this helpful map of the speed limits in the solent, for anyone like me who was having trouble keeping track of all of them...



Fram

[Ferryman]

All speed limits are SOG otherwise you wouldn’t get anywhere against the tide. It sounds like you don’t like going slowly so I would go in through Chichester harbour entrance if you’re going to Emsworth.
The harbour master is all over you at the harbour entrance in the summer so be aware!!

[scrambler]

Originally Posted by Ferryman

All speed limits are SOG otherwise you wouldn’t get anywhere against the tide.

From the Cowes Harbour website:

The speed limit in the Inner Harbour at Cowes is 6 knots through the water. All craft must comply with the speed limit and wash regulations in Cowes Harbour.

https://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...limit_and_wash

[tehguy]

What's the point of having speed limits as STW when the vast majority of small craft don't have any sort of STW sensor.

[Jon Tallis]

What's the point of having speed limits?.........

Really??

To stop people taking the p*ss and endangering others.....

You might not have a speed sensor but hopefully you have a good idea what 6 knots feels like.....if not I'm sure the friendly harbour master will help

[Fram]

Originally Posted by tehguy

What's the point of having speed limits as STW when the vast majority of small craft don't have any sort of STW sensor.

Right. At this stage in my boating career I'm really not sure what 6 knots STW would be. I guess I could look up the tide for the area using the absolute tides app that someone recommended and then deduct the tide speed from the speed limit - so if I'm going against a 4 knot tide in a 6 knot speed limit, I know my SOG should read two.

Originally Posted by Jon Tallis

What's the point of having speed limits?.........

Really??

To stop people taking the p*ss and endangering others.....

You might not have a speed sensor but hopefully you have a good idea what 6 knots feels like.....if not I'm sure the friendly harbour master will help

To be fair to the gentleman, what he actually said was 'What's the point of having speed limits as STW [as opposed to SOG]?' and has explained why he is asking the question - as few small craft have speed sensors.

I'm afraid that as a relative novice, I do not have a good idea of what 6 knots feels like through the water. Is there any trick or knack that an experienced man of the water such as yourself could give me to working this out? I suppose it could be RPM related for the specific boat?

[Ferryman]

Originally Posted by scrambler

From the Cowes Harbour website:

The speed limit in the Inner Harbour at Cowes is 6 knots through the water. All craft must comply with the speed limit and wash regulations in Cowes Harbour.

https://www.cowesharbourcommission.c...limit_and_wash

The key words there are inner harbour and wash - the harbour master has a speed camera with which the speed limit is enforced as SOG.
You can't possibly get into many harbours on an ebb tide on 6 knots through the water. The regulation is there to encourage some manners and common sense amongst moored vessels.
This would not stop a bollocking being applied quite rightly if you produce too much wash.