Chain Ferry

[Andy]

I meant to add, with a 2.5HP get me home engine, this wouldn't be good enough to get back into a harbour when most strong tides are going out or in, but might be good enough to at least get you to a beach, and then wait for the tide to change, or slacken ?

[jimbo747]

This is all good stuff, too much to take in, in one day, so ill have to go over it all again but with the chart out lol.

I suppose your right, if you have engine fail, at least you can try to make a decision on it all.

If your engine fails while going out, on a tide thats going out, surely this also makes steering difficult because no water is going round the prop ?

And obviously the reverse if coming in, so is the best cause of action, is to try to chuck the anchor out somewhere safe if possible ?
At some time an engine is going to fail on me, and I have tried to carry everything I feel I need. I am the sort of person that likes to know i have a plan for everything, I even have a personal sat alarm thingy if i am on my own and fall overboard. But its the unknown I am trying to find out about lol ! Hence why I need to chat about it all.

I must do my radio course, at least with one of them if I get into difficulties I can call for help, or notify the harbour master the shit is about to hit the fan !

Cheers all, I'm getting there !

Personal view (I've sailed and kayaked but don't yet own a sib so be interesting to see if others have different thoughts/experience to share)

I can guarantee nobody will prosecute you for calling for help with no licence - you are more likely to get a rollocking for not having a radio. So while you are waiting to book a course (which you should do, I am not implying otherwise), buy a radio, google "mayday procedure", print it off, cellophane it to your seat or transom, and practice it. Your conscious mind can't always be relied on to remember things when you are panicking, so making it almost subconscious is important.

I share the nervousness about engine failure (I am one of those people who could spend a week on an outboard maintenance course and still not be able to fix one). If you are using a 2.5 engine I guess your boat is fairly small. A pair of oars or just a single canoe type paddle might be enough to give you a little steerage way (remember the "rip rule" - to get out a current row/swim sideways, don't try to paddle/swim into it), waving your arms in the air will be enough to let people know you are in difficulties and carrying a coiled rope ready to throw or pass are probably reasonable measures.

Personally, I would always avoid anchoring in strong currents but that might be influenced by being a kayak fisherman. Fall in and you are going to be in a world of hurt - no way are you going to swim into a 2+ knot current and get back aboard. I use drogues in wind, but never anchors in current.

[Andy]

Great advice.
The 2.5hp is my backup, my main being 20hp and yes I have a drogue purchased to fish with, good advice that ! Slow drift instead !
Ah the old waving technique, yea forgot that, we rely on tech too much.

All this has got me thinking with many questions, like, is there a way to pre calculate the effect of wind on tide for say tomorrow ? Or is it just, you obviously have to have a basis for a maximum your prepared to go out in, so thats another question. Whats rough, what aint, esp if your a beginner !

This does go most of the way to answering my very first question "Yes, you can, put together your own checklist of the area, the day before you leave home" This includes the best time to leave or come into the harbour, weather, tide times, heights of water, times ferries might cross your path, leaving or entering the harbour (Rough times), wind direction, speed. With all this info, you could make a decent decision if to go to Poole or instead go to Brightlingsea !

[jimbo747]

Don't forget that drogues don't work in current.

[jimbo747]

To answer the other part of your question, you can calculate the effect of wind and tide on your journey easily. RYA Day Skipper course, which Sarah's company runs, or buy the book. Basic maths really and far easier than in a yacht (where you have to account for leeway).

Wind and tide? I'm not aware of how you can predict the exact effects; I think you are reliant on local knowledge. For example, Solent yachties know that the Needles Channel is pretty nasty with strong tides and SW winds over about F5/6. It's been years since I last read them but I think "Solent Hazards" and "Wight Hazards" and "Inshore Along the Dorset Coast" give some indication as to the areas to watch out for.

[mm289]

Before I came down to Poole at the weekend I spent a couple of evenings with "visitmyharbour" and my Garmin Chartplotter. The former for a minimal membership fee allows you to look at Admiralty Charts, Tidal Stream etc and the latter has all the same but interactive.

By combining those two you will relatively easily be able to form a picture of what is happening in any given location and where the hazards are. Given I had never been to Poole in a boat I was checking out where the rips were (indicated on the chart) and also looking at the tidal diamonds (which are interactive on the Garmin) and allow you to see direction and rate on any given day at any time.

I have no great experience of boating but this gave me enough to feel comfortable I knew where the main hazards were and at what time. Rule of thumb is a bit different for Poole/Solent due to the slightly weird tidal behaviours discussed above

That is my attempt at sensible "passage planning".

From a safety POV whenever I go out I have my anchor already tied on and ready to deploy so that if I ever had a problem I have the option of deploying in seconds to at least stop the problem getting worse. Even with an auxillary engine this is worth thinking about as, by the time you have tried to restart your main a few times, figured out it won't start, lowered the aux, got that started you have probably spent 3-5 mins and in a strong tide/wind/heavy sea you may already be in danger. Deploying the anchor stops or limits a lot of things whilst you figure out what is going on.

IMHO the backup engine isn't a solution for a high intensity incident like an engine failure as you go through a rip or strong tidal channel. The chances of this happening are very small and if it did by the time you had deployed the engine you are stuffed anyway The real value of a aux engine is when the main fails on you out of sensible rowing/paddling distance or in an area where rowing isn't viable because of tide/wind etc - then it is a godsend I don't have room for one on the F-rib so I will just use the radio to call you to come tow me

Ref sitting at Sandbanks watching what is going on - I highly recommend that. We did it in the summer before getting the SIB and watched 3 guys in a large rowing boat get to far out in the channel from shore at which point the tide sucked them in. As it was an ebbing tide they were very quickly dragged towards the chain ferry in mild/extreme panic Fortunately one of the water taxi;s spotted them and ran out to their rescue and got a line on when they were about 200m from the ferry. It was very instructive watching!

Cheers,

Paul.

[Andy]

Don't forget that drogues don't work in current.

Exactly, but will slow down your movement from drifting out from a beach while fishing, wind etc.
A T40 will attract allot of wind

[jimbo747]

Before I came down to Poole at the weekend I spent a couple of evenings with "visitmyharbour" and my Garmin Chartplotter. The former for a minimal membership fee allows you to look at Admiralty Charts, Tidal Stream etc and the latter has all the same but interactive.

Hey Paul,

Have you tried the Navionics webapp? That's pretty handy, can tell you about tides, plot routes, etc - and you can run it on your mobile phone too. Free to use.

https://webapp.navionics.com/

James.

[harrison]

Jeez Andy, it’s prudent to be cautious, especially at sea, but all these ‘what if’s’ is even making me nervous.

Some great advice given here to cover many eventualities. Agree Poole entrance is rather unique with all that water flooding through when the tides running and the chain ferry etc.

We sometimes carry an aux. motor but in reality often the first and best bit of safety kit is a decent anchor, chain and warp. Drogues can be useful but an anchor will keep you from being blown out to sea or drifting onto rocks etc. while you sort the problem out or until help arrives.

Whilst not condoning not having vhf operators licence, remember it is perfectly legal to use your vhf in an emergency.

Most important though is keep on having fun.

[Andy]

Most important though is keep on having fun.

I suppose I was just trying to work out how close to death I am when in a boat, but your at the same level every time you step into your car.

I mean, this could happen, or that can happen, if i worried about a blow out every time I hit the motorway I wouldn't do it !

I mean, if a great big ferry started going in front of me, surely common sense says "don't hit it"!