Solent (and other) hazards

Biggles · 19 July 2007, 13:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

what's the bembridge ledge, a hidden reef?

hope they find the woman...

Stephen,

There are plenty of these ledges around the IOW, along with all the sand banks, thats what can make this area very dangerous. Not only do you get shallow rock formations you also get the resultant dangerous wave patterns that go with them.

Sad news indeed.

Nick R.

ian mcconnell · 19 July 2007, 13:36

I have tended to avoid that area on all tides and steer down the channel turning around the cardinal marks, i have seen on many occasions all soughts of boats driving straight down the middle, I have avoided the temptation to follow.

does the ledge show its self at low tide or does it remain submerged. If it stays submerged it would explain at high tides why people take this route.

Also are there other places to avoid like this in the Solent.

Biggles · 19 July 2007, 13:43

Ian quite a lot of it drys out but not all of it. It also runs South West for some quite considerable distance. Like you I try and stay to the deeper water and use the Cardinal mark to navigate that area. I have seen plenty of people cut it with no problems but I would need to be sure what I was doing before I knowingly did that sort of thing.

Other places worth watching out for include:-

A massive rock on a sandbank 1/2 mile off shore west of Langstone Entrance.

The submarine barrier at Southsea.

Sandbanks at Chichester, Langstone, Ryde, Warsash. Seems like every harbour entrance has sandbanks which can cause problems.

Hopefully someone else will post a few more.

Nick R.

genoa · 19 July 2007, 13:51

Loads on the Island side of the solent!
From needles to cowes -
Warden Pt, Black rock, Hamstead,Salt Mead, Gurnard all have an offlying rock form.
Don't even look at going close in on the South West side unless you have a detailed chart, or a good local with you.

You don't need to go as far out as the cardinals or cans though in most places at most states of the tide - check a chart first. I won't post my view /what I do as it will probably come back to bite me!

AndrewH · 19 July 2007, 14:14

Quote:

Originally Posted by Biggles

Hopefully someone else will post a few more.

Nick R.

A few Poole based ones:

- Hook Sands just to the eastern side of Poole Harbour entrance
- Stone Island (rocks and sandbar) on the western side of the main channel as you enter Poole Harbour before you get to Brownsea
- The Training bank that runs in a straight line from the end of Shell Bay towards Old Harry rocks (marked with a line of poles)
- Anywhere in between the Main, North and Wych channels within Poole Harbour

genoa · 19 July 2007, 14:57

2 very good books :
Wight Hazards and Solent Hazards, both by Peter Bruce, give some great arial photos of some of the best/worst bits and very useful narative on transits etc to help avoid them on the water ...

Biggles · 19 July 2007, 15:15

Quote:

Originally Posted by genoa

2 very good books :
Wight Hazards and Solent Hazards, both by Peter Bruce, give some great arial photos of some of the best/worst bits and very useful narative on transits etc to help avoid them on the water ...

Agreed. As a pair they are quite expensive. Anyone got a cheap source for them please PM me.

NR.

Richard B · 19 July 2007, 15:17

I have the video which is currently with Hugh Jardon.

Hugh Jardon · 19 July 2007, 16:00

we must get together for a beer so i can give you your vids back, i have only had them for the last 15 years!!!!!

i think i might study em again a couple of time first!

terrible news below,,,,hope they find her

ian mcconnell · 19 July 2007, 17:15

Keep the info coming Guys and Girls, as an Oxford boy i only get to see the Solent mainly at high tide & through my plotter, thankfully i went on my intermediate Power boat course before i started to venture out too far which gave me a good understanding of maps, tides & navigation. But ive got to say even the chap i purchased the engine from knew no more than how to start it and how fast it went, had no life jackets, maps or plotter, he had owned the speed boat for 2 years and regularly ventured around the solent

Worrying isnt it

Biggles · 19 July 2007, 17:39

Ian,

If not sure about hazards in the Solent of which there are many. Some of which are a long way from the shore. Stick to the marked channels which the big boats use.

Better safe than sorry.

Nick R.

PeterM · 19 July 2007, 19:22

I have been flying over the solent for many years at low altitude and there are a lot of things out there that are not shown on the charts as as dangerous as they are. Hard to tell if thelack of life jackets contributed ( again ! ) to the problem.

Even on nice days when nothing breaks / fails you can get hurt . !

codprawn · 20 July 2007, 00:18

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blackroady

I have been flying over the solent for many years at low altitude and there are a lot of things out there that are not shown on the charts as as dangerous as they are. Hard to tell if thelack of life jackets contributed ( again ! ) to the problem.

Even on nice days when nothing breaks / fails you can get hurt . !

Possibly they didn't have lifejackets on as they were trying to free the prop???

Biggles · 20 July 2007, 00:21

Quote:

Originally Posted by codprawn

Possibly they didn't have lifejackets on as they were trying to free the prop???

All boats carry rope. You would have thought they would have tied themselves on if going overboard !

The eyewitness states that it all happened quickly so untying the prop doesn't seem to be the case.

ribber · 20 July 2007, 11:03

My favourite haunt is Thorness Bay on the Island (holiday hut on the cliff) where the reef goes out quite a long way into the bay. The one off Gurnard is well known about and boats seem to keep clear of that one.

I have seen two accidents in Thorness Bay. Both were ribs coming for a days water skiing. All seems perfect as the bay is quite sheltered and whilst the tide is up, no problem. One moment their bombing about towing skier thinking 'this is the reason we spend loads-a-money on ribs', the next run round, smack, the prop is smashed

Being single engined there was a lot of red faces.The tide does not have to have been going out for long and the reef is not exsposed. It's just very shallow on one side very quickly.

Although lobster pots are a complete menace (espcially the half submerged ones and at night) they do give you some idea of hidden problems, as the locals will put them around the ledges of the reef.

My heart goes out to the families of those involved, as I know I have done some stupid things when I'm afloat.

BogMonster · 20 July 2007, 12:41

Admiralty charts are certainly not all they are cracked up to be. There's a bay not far from town which has a lot of kelp in it but I thought might be good for a jaunt one day when the weather was fit. Was down there one day watching some big breakers coming in and realised some of them were breaking and exposing a reef of rocks almost right across the entrance to the bay, which are really not marked at all on the chart (there is a rock shown in 2 places!) its just shown as kelp!

genoa · 20 July 2007, 13:56

Quote:

Originally Posted by BogMonster

There's a bay not far from town ..

Err, which town? Is it somewhere anyone would spend much time, unless they had to? How long do you think the survey ships would spend?

As I've said elsewhere, notify the Hydrographers Dept, and I'm sure they'll put a note on, just in case anyone else visits your way!

simonmcnamara · 20 July 2007, 15:21

The Brambles Bank! Slap bang in the middle of the solent and dries at certain states of tide

Biggles · 20 July 2007, 15:23

Quote:

Originally Posted by simonmcnamara

The Brambles Bank! Slap bang in the middle of the solent and dries at certain states of tide

And certainly gives you a shock when your sat in the middle of the Solent just drifting and suddenly see the depth gauge registering 1 meter.

BogMonster · 20 July 2007, 17:49

Quote:

Originally Posted by genoa

Err, which town? Is it somewhere anyone would spend much time, unless they had to? How long do you think the survey ships would spend?

No I daresay it isn't, but in a way that is the point! Admiralty charts are probably considered by many to be the bible, whereas the folks who surveyed that probably thought "bugger that - looks like too much kelp in there" and moved on. The question really is where is the line drawn between "well there isn't much traffic around here so we'll skip that bit" and doing it properly.