This article is more about day or weekend cruising rather than the more ambitious coastal cruises some members indulge in, but as it concerns a fairly popular stretch of water and Joan Abrams says it may be of interest, here goes.

The stretch of water concerned is the western end of the Solent with Bucklers Hard, Newtown, Lymington, Yarmouth and Keyhaven. I began my career afloat about eight years ago when I was given a 16 ft. Canadian canoe with a step forward for a mast and three holes in the hull. After a winter’s work patching and sheathing in GRP and a few years’ experience on rapid and not so rapid inland rivers, I felt the call of the sea, as they say, in particular the crossing to the Isle of Wight. With a suitable piece of bed linen, some broom handles, curtain rings and marlin, I constructed a Bermudian rig for the canoe and, waiting for a reasonable day, with mild trepidation set sail. I’d left Keyhaven at half past eight and almost unbelievably made Yarmouth by eleven. Dropping sail and paddling into the harbour I almost felt like flying a Q flag. I was brought swiftly back to earth at the sight of Wanderer IV, the Hiscocks’ new boat. After lunch I ran before the prevailing south westerly along to Newtown and by this time was beginning to feel quite the lone voyager.

By about 3 o’clock the wind, obeying the rule of diurnal variation, had risen from the morning gentle puff, so that frequent white horses were about and I was trying to tell myself where between force 3 and 5 it really was. A Wayfarer and a GP14 arrived from Warsash soaked from the beat all the way and pronounced my folly at setting forth for the mainland in ‘that’. I thought about the ferry, but discovered I hadn’t the money, so I faced the consequences of my actions and set sail. At this time I hadn’t much idea of the canoe’s windward ability, if any, so I reasoned that if the worst came to the worst, I could run before it across to Hillhead. Once outside Newtown I put the ‘helm’ (a paddle over the side) up as far as practicable and discovered I could make a course about 60 degrees off the wind, thus quartering the waves to some degree and making good a course for the Showerings’ white bungalow on the mainland opposite Newtown. It was a new thrill to watch how the little canoe would ride the regular waves quite happily and it was only in the confused area over the Solent Banks that we shipped much water. Having got to within about half a mile of the mainland shore we then ran before the wind down to Lepe beach, surfing on many of the waves — great fun.

I think it is of interest how the canoe will make a windward course without a plate or leeboard. I think the theory here fits in with the protagonists of the long straight keel from stem to stern à la pilot cutter, Wanderer III, Sraap, Tilikum and many real voyagers. The canoe’s structural keel protrudes only about 1.5 inches, but it is almost 16 feet long and grips the water surprisingly well, so one can’t turn the boat too quickly and she is very stable running downwind.

Getting back to the business of the Solent and day cruises, I considered this cruise a mild failure because I couldn’t return to the home port, Keyhaven. In order to sail safely around the Solent and reach one’s goal, it is important to understand the movements of the water.

A large part of the water which enters and leaves the Solent on each tide does so through Hurst Narrows, the 1000 yard entrance between Hurst Castle on the mainland and Victoria Fort on the Island. There is more than one theory on the behaviour of the tide around the Isle of Wight, but as a general rule it is sufficient to assume that the flood occupies up to seven hours and the ebb five hours with an accentuation of the flood at springs. What can cause confusion is that the ebb in the main channel starts to run through Hurst Narrows before H.W. at Keyhaven. I left Keyhaven against a flood current only to find fifteen minutes later that I was being carried through on the ebb. It is therefore important to leave Keyhaven on a rising tide, if one intends making Yarmouth and, since Keyhaven is almost dry on the hard at low water springs, neaps with the more moderate tidal effects is also preferable. I shouldn’t think it is possible to make Yarmouth against the ebbs, which the Tidal Atlas (N.P.337) gives as 4.4 knots, and which seems a damn sight more when you are caught in it!

Leaving Keyhaven at or just after low water, one usually has a straightforward reach and run to the harbour entrance with the wind in the prevailing south westerly direction, after which one reaches toward Albert Fort, the flood stream carrying one nicely in the right direction.

Fiddler’s Race outside Yarmouth harbour is well known to local sailors and has caused more than one small boat disaster. It is caused by the effect of the tidal stream impinging on the sea bed adjacent to Black Rock, marked by a conical black buoy. It is the ebb which normally creates the greatest disturbance here, when it flows against the prevailing south westerly wind, and it is these conditions which are responsible for the vicious short seas which occur in the Solent. However, in anything above the gentlest summer breeze, the small boat sailor is well advised to avoid Fiddlers Race, either by staying out in the main stream until abreast of Yarmouth pier, or better still sailing inside the race close to the Island shore and out of the tidal stream.

I find Yarmouth a delightful little port, particularly in the autumn when the holiday season is nearing its end. And, as Mr. Earl says, one can, by lowering the mast, proceed up the Yar to Freshwater and camp in tranquillity.

From Yarmouth, Newtown is usually an easy run with the prevailing wind and tide, assuming one left Keyhaven at low water. However, if one intends returning to Keyhaven on the same day, one has six to seven hours of high water in which to do the round trip, and it may be advisable to give Yarmouth a miss. The best time to return from the Island is probably about an hour before the first high water. If one is returning from east to west, it will almost invariably be a beat, but the double high water gives an almost complete absence of strong streams for about three hours, particularly in the lee of Hurst shingle bank. Of course, if one is camping in Newtown, the problem of returning on the same day doesn’t arise, and one can set off in good time the next day. Newtown is delightfully peaceful at almost any time.

Instead of Keyhaven as a start, one may also use Lymington, of course. If so, launch alongside the yacht club downstream from the quay as there is never much wind at the quay. The ferry, of course, monopolises the river every half hour or so in the summer, but it is no hazard for a small boat.

Another pleasant day trip is from Bucklers Hard to Newtown. Here one is three miles upstream, so it is as well to bear in mind starting at about half ebb. The wind can be a little fluky until one has got round the first bend of the river going downstream, when it is usually O.K. Coming back from Newtown one can sail up Beaulieu River against the ebb, but it is hard work. If the tide is ebbing, get across the tidal stream first and come in close to the mainland shore before making for Beaulieu River entrance. This rule applies to the western Solent in general; the streams are much less marked near the northern shore. I recall overhauling a Westerly 22 under power and sail half a mile off Thoms Beach, when I was 100 yards off the beach under sail only in my Mirror. The gap between Needs Oar Point and the spit running down to the river mouth is quite deep enough at anything above half tide level, but keep one hand on the plate if you’re tacking through!

Beaulieu River mouth seems to be a confusion of streams, and this, plus the wind, creates some sort of mini chaos: one can get very wet.

Thinking of general points to note about this water, I would list them as follows :-

1. Get the tides right. In summer, they are right for day trips every other weekend. That is, they ebb in the morning and flood in the afternoon/evening to bring one home.

2. Remember, the tidal stream is very small close to the northern shore, strongest a few cables off the Island shore. When the wind is with it, the sea is flat, clearly defining the stream, and it is very wet when the wind is against it.

3. Diurnal wind variation is very common in summer — calm in the mornings, force 3 or 4 in the afternoon, calm in the evening. The Met. Office (see Southampton phonebook) will give a forecast.

What I described are day trips rather than cruises and I endeavoured to say something about the water. The Canadian canoe I began with now hangs in state and comes out for the odd river trip only. I now have a Mirror and a 1hp. Johnson for when the wind won’t oblige and, as John Deacon found, once you’ve crossed the Solent, the Channel beckons.