Round the Island - walking the course

In part one of this series leading navigator/tactician Mike Broughton takes us to the Needles

Alum and Totland Bays - don't go there! - View the great scenery from afar! There is less tide to help you here and most significantly a lot less wind caused by the high cliffs and hills (140m high) close on the shoreline, that create huge wind shadows.
The Needles: plan ahead for your manoeuvre... The tightest hairpin bend of the course, requires early preparation for sail handling and headsail changes. Make sure the team are all briefed early, so that you can concentrate on the pilotage. There always seems to be a wind change here and you are about to turn a 'blind corner'. Check out the wind for the next leg, through the gaps in the Needles as you head for the lighthouse.

Don't forget Indulgence in 1989 - Sailing Giant Panda that year, we rounded the Needles in a really light southerly wind, in a great position. However, we ended up parking under the cliffs near Freshwater Bay in no wind for what seemed like ages, along with nearly all of the rest of the fleet. Indulgence avoided the temptation of going for the making tack, headed offshore in search of the new sea breeze, heading SSW (rhumb line to St Cat's - 120 degrees!) and won the race by a country mile.

The Varvassi : inside or outside?(see photo below) - Several boats get badly damaged on the remains of the wreck each year. If in doubt, go outside and don't change your plan half way through because you see others getting away with it - this will certainly attract the wreck to your keel!

Going Inside - The depth at chart datum to get though the gap between Goose Rock and the remaining boilers of the SS Varvassi that got wrecked here in 1947, is between 2.4m and 3m nearer to Goose Rock. Note that the tidal range at the Needles is only about a half of that of the Portsmouth tidal range, so depth is not a problem for most yachts. The boilers are about 150m west of the lighthouse and lie roughly on a heading of SSW (see picture below) and extend about 2.5m above the seabed, hence about 30 cms below the surface at MLWS. The recommended technique for the inner passage, is to identify Goose Rock (usually by the breaking water) and leave it about 10-15 metres close to port. Make sure you don't hit Goose Rock itself (keep the old coastguard station in sight as you line up to round between the boilers and the Rocks off the lighthouse). One well-known Maxi recently managed to avoid the wreck, but hit the Isle of Wight itself and ended up in big trouble. Make sure you brief your helmsman well prior to this corner. If in doubt take a conservative route outside the wreck.

Tomorrow Mike Broughton looks at the second quadrant of the course...