‘Time and Tide’ Part 2 
In case the illustration gives readers the impression that NCI concerns itself only with the safety of yachtsmen, this is perhaps a good time to make it clear that NCI keeps a watch over all waterborne craft and also anyone who near the shore – eg on cliffs, beaches, sea walls etc. Everyone “In, on or near the water” is not exactly an official motto, but it does describe the area and people we keep watch over.
The subject of this blog post … as you might guess from the picture … is ‘Grounding’; this is something that can happen to any vessel, be it yacht, powerboat, or rowing skiff. Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport logged a total of three groundings in our watch area during the year 2021, but for some reason the problem seems to be growing - there have been at least four groundings logged so far in the first six months of 2022, and the number keeps growing.
Some grounding incidents are pretty minor and present no real problems in getting free, but we have seen situations where a good day on the water has been turned instead into a very long tedious wait, and a safe situation into something that is very much less so. Not to mention potential damage to the vessel. So it’s better to avoid the risk of grounding. To do this skippers need to know where they are, and how to interpret their charts; you don’t want to learn what those markings on the chart mean when you grate over them and come to a halt! A GPS of course is very useful; a depth sounder is a great help too - but can only tell you what is under your boat, not the depth fifty metres ahead.
Understanding of the tides is also important, but there is one thing to bear in mind; tide heights do not always conform to the predictions. Meteorology can have a big part to play and we have seen situations where the water was actually 30cm below the level predicted for low tide. If you really want to cut things close and go into shallow water then do allow an extra safety margin.
To be honest, it’s an area where good training really pays off.
We talked about sources of tide information in the prior article in this blog, but there’s another indicator that is very easy to use; watch the WightLink car ferries. Most often they use the Swashway when on the way to the Isle Of Wight or back to Portsmouth. If you see them rounding to the South and East of Spitsand fort, it’s because the Swashway has become too shallow for them. Too shallow for them means that things are likely getting too shallow for you.
NCI likes to be helpful, so if you forgot to make a note of the tides before you sailed, or the piece of paper blew overboard, then feel free to call Gosport NCI on Channel 65.
We have found that one of the common places for yachts to go aground is the Hamilton Bank. This is a long, narrow bank just south of the harbour entrance, but it should not really be hard to avoid it. Simply stay to the East of a straight line from between 4Bar buoy (the red one nearest the harbour entrance) and channel marker BC Outer (the pile nearest the southern wall of Fort Blockhouse). Ryde Sands is another favourite grounding area, but to be honest anyone in any vessel getting too close to any shoreline risks hearing that grating noise.
Wherever you might ground, if it puts you in a dangerous situation (or if you grounded as the result of some dangerous situation), then you should of course call Mayday or Pan Pan on Channel 16. If you are not in any danger but simply cannot un-stick yourself and have to wait for the tide to float you off, it could be a good idea to give Solent Coastguard a call on channel 16 anyway; they will likely call you from time to time to make sure you are still OK. And if problems do develop later, they will already have your details and know where you are. Your radio call helps us too; if you are in our visual area, we will keep an eye on you … just in case more problems develop.
While you are stuck waiting for the tide to rise, you might want to think about a few things, such as…
… when will the tide have risen enough ? It depends what the tide was doing when you grounded. If it was still falling, you’re in for a very long wait. Feel free to call Gosport NCI on channel 65 if you want to get hold of the tide times.
… Will it be dark by the time you do get free, and are you able to navigate home at night ?
… would it be a good idea to put an anchor down ? It probably is. It may turn out to be unnecessary, but it shouldn’t harm anything, and it may well stop you being drifted further along the sandbank (or whatever you grounded on) as the tide rises and prevent you floating clear. We’ve seen this happen, and it turned a short wait into a very long one.
… will my radio / phone / lights have enough battery power to keep going while I wait, and do I have a spare fully charged mobile or radio in a waterproof bag ? Losing communications could turn a boring wait into something of a crisis, especially if other things start to go wrong.
… do I have some food and drink aboard ? And a first aid kit ?
You can probably think of a few more such questions yourself, and you may feel that the last couple of questions are important for a good days’ sailing anyway. But it only goes to show, if you do not anticipate the worst, you sometimes have to suffer it. But here’s one last question…
… if all your electronic means of communication fail, and you need urgent help, do you know of the other ways can you signal a Mayday ? Will nearby vessels recognise them ? Perhaps we should look at these in the next Blog post.
If only a few posts are visible in this blog, click on the ‘Older Posts’ link to see more.
In case the illustration gives readers the impression that NCI concerns itself only with the safety of yachtsmen, this is perhaps a good time to make it clear that NCI keeps a watch over all waterborne craft and also anyone who near the shore – eg on cliffs, beaches, sea walls etc. Everyone “In, on or near the water” is not exactly an official motto, but it does describe the area and people we keep watch over.
The subject of this blog post … as you might guess from the picture … is ‘Grounding’; this is something that can happen to any vessel, be it yacht, powerboat, or rowing skiff. Watchkeepers at NCI Gosport logged a total of three groundings in our watch area during the year 2021, but for some reason the problem seems to be growing - there have been at least four groundings logged so far in the first six months of 2022, and the number keeps growing.
Some grounding incidents are pretty minor and present no real problems in getting free, but we have seen situations where a good day on the water has been turned instead into a very long tedious wait, and a safe situation into something that is very much less so. Not to mention potential damage to the vessel. So it’s better to avoid the risk of grounding. To do this skippers need to know where they are, and how to interpret their charts; you don’t want to learn what those markings on the chart mean when you grate over them and come to a halt! A GPS of course is very useful; a depth sounder is a great help too - but can only tell you what is under your boat, not the depth fifty metres ahead.
Understanding of the tides is also important, but there is one thing to bear in mind; tide heights do not always conform to the predictions. Meteorology can have a big part to play and we have seen situations where the water was actually 30cm below the level predicted for low tide. If you really want to cut things close and go into shallow water then do allow an extra safety margin.
To be honest, it’s an area where good training really pays off.
We talked about sources of tide information in the prior article in this blog, but there’s another indicator that is very easy to use; watch the WightLink car ferries. Most often they use the Swashway when on the way to the Isle Of Wight or back to Portsmouth. If you see them rounding to the South and East of Spitsand fort, it’s because the Swashway has become too shallow for them. Too shallow for them means that things are likely getting too shallow for you.
NCI likes to be helpful, so if you forgot to make a note of the tides before you sailed, or the piece of paper blew overboard, then feel free to call Gosport NCI on Channel 65.
We have found that one of the common places for yachts to go aground is the Hamilton Bank. This is a long, narrow bank just south of the harbour entrance, but it should not really be hard to avoid it. Simply stay to the East of a straight line from between 4Bar buoy (the red one nearest the harbour entrance) and channel marker BC Outer (the pile nearest the southern wall of Fort Blockhouse). Ryde Sands is another favourite grounding area, but to be honest anyone in any vessel getting too close to any shoreline risks hearing that grating noise.
Wherever you might ground, if it puts you in a dangerous situation (or if you grounded as the result of some dangerous situation), then you should of course call Mayday or Pan Pan on Channel 16. If you are not in any danger but simply cannot un-stick yourself and have to wait for the tide to float you off, it could be a good idea to give Solent Coastguard a call on channel 16 anyway; they will likely call you from time to time to make sure you are still OK. And if problems do develop later, they will already have your details and know where you are. Your radio call helps us too; if you are in our visual area, we will keep an eye on you … just in case more problems develop.
While you are stuck waiting for the tide to rise, you might want to think about a few things, such as…
… when will the tide have risen enough ? It depends what the tide was doing when you grounded. If it was still falling, you’re in for a very long wait. Feel free to call Gosport NCI on channel 65 if you want to get hold of the tide times.
… Will it be dark by the time you do get free, and are you able to navigate home at night ?
… would it be a good idea to put an anchor down ? It probably is. It may turn out to be unnecessary, but it shouldn’t harm anything, and it may well stop you being drifted further along the sandbank (or whatever you grounded on) as the tide rises and prevent you floating clear. We’ve seen this happen, and it turned a short wait into a very long one.
… will my radio / phone / lights have enough battery power to keep going while I wait, and do I have a spare fully charged mobile or radio in a waterproof bag ? Losing communications could turn a boring wait into something of a crisis, especially if other things start to go wrong.
… do I have some food and drink aboard ? And a first aid kit ?
You can probably think of a few more such questions yourself, and you may feel that the last couple of questions are important for a good days’ sailing anyway. But it only goes to show, if you do not anticipate the worst, you sometimes have to suffer it. But here’s one last question…
… if all your electronic means of communication fail, and you need urgent help, do you know of the other ways can you signal a Mayday ? Will nearby vessels recognise them ? Perhaps we should look at these in the next Blog post.
If only a few posts are visible in this blog, click on the ‘Older Posts’ link to see more.
