Yesterday I sailed around the Isle of Wight with a mate who owns a 30 foot Iroquois catamaran. She is old but sails well. Iroquis are well proven yachts and like most twin hulls - quick through the water - and in light airs especially, a very stable and dry platform.
We left Ryde Harbour at about 7.30 am (just after high tide) to sail westerly with the tide down The Solent to The Needles. Wind was southerly and light but due to fill in later and we expected a fast sail up the back of the island.
It was a slow but pleasant easy sail down the main channel (to maximise tide stream assistance) to Yarmouth which we passed with a favourable tide. South channel through Hurst Castle down to the Needles which we rounded at 13.30 - later than expected because the light breeze was often affected by the land mass of the Island on our port side. Alum Bay, The Needles and Tennyson and the long view to St Catherine's is a great sight. Sometimes the Needles chalk gleams bright white and it did on this day in the sun.
As my skipper says with mirth - scoffing a pasty - it is all in the planning - and we set out for the long sail up the back of the Island - with a favourable tide - now low. However the wind never really picked up and we had to put in a couple of long tacks to round St Catherine's but had great views of the coast line all the way up. What is very evident is the scale of coastal - cliff erosion on the back of the Wight and there are a number of properties now precariously placed.
With a shallow draft and a high tide (albeit neaps) we chance cutting the corner a bit into the eastern Solent but we edge a bit too close into Bembridge Ledge and depth starts to run out. A quick turn east again and a lesson learned. Not too long - past my home village of Seaview and we make Ryde Harbour at High Water - 19.30.
So it has been a long sail (about 70 miles) - mainly uneventful - but certainly enjoyable and a great thing to do on a lovely late summer (or I guess) early autumn sunny and warm day. Shame there was not a bit more wind to speed us along.
We left Ryde Harbour at about 7.30 am (just after high tide) to sail westerly with the tide down The Solent to The Needles. Wind was southerly and light but due to fill in later and we expected a fast sail up the back of the island.
It was a slow but pleasant easy sail down the main channel (to maximise tide stream assistance) to Yarmouth which we passed with a favourable tide. South channel through Hurst Castle down to the Needles which we rounded at 13.30 - later than expected because the light breeze was often affected by the land mass of the Island on our port side. Alum Bay, The Needles and Tennyson and the long view to St Catherine's is a great sight. Sometimes the Needles chalk gleams bright white and it did on this day in the sun.
As my skipper says with mirth - scoffing a pasty - it is all in the planning - and we set out for the long sail up the back of the Island - with a favourable tide - now low. However the wind never really picked up and we had to put in a couple of long tacks to round St Catherine's but had great views of the coast line all the way up. What is very evident is the scale of coastal - cliff erosion on the back of the Wight and there are a number of properties now precariously placed.
With a shallow draft and a high tide (albeit neaps) we chance cutting the corner a bit into the eastern Solent but we edge a bit too close into Bembridge Ledge and depth starts to run out. A quick turn east again and a lesson learned. Not too long - past my home village of Seaview and we make Ryde Harbour at High Water - 19.30.
So it has been a long sail (about 70 miles) - mainly uneventful - but certainly enjoyable and a great thing to do on a lovely late summer (or I guess) early autumn sunny and warm day. Shame there was not a bit more wind to speed us along.
 |
| Leaving Ryde behind |
 |
| Off Cowes - not much happening |
 |
| Off Gurnard |
 |
| Approaching Yarmouth |
 |
| Fort Victoria |
 |
| Fort Albert |
 |
| Hurst castle at the end of Hurst Spit |
 |
| Approaching The Needles |
 |
| The Needles of course |
 |
| The rocket engine testing site (WW2) |
 |
| Tennyson Down leading down to Freshwater Bay |
 |
| Chalk becomes soft shale on the back of the island |
 |
| Approaching St Catherines |
 |
| Coastal erosion and landslip very evident |
 |
| St Catherines Light House |
 |
| Steephill Cove |
 |
| Off Ventnor |
 |
| Shanklin |
 |
| Sandown Bay - Shanklin left - Sandown right |
 |
| Approaching Culver |
 |
| Around Culver, avoid Bembridge Ledge, enter the Eastern Solent - pass Seaview and home to Ryde Harbour! |
