Cowes to St Catherine's

Ace navigator Pete Selby provides his essential top tips for the first half of the Round the Island race course

The JPMorgan Round the Island race, a big start line and now only three marks, how hard can it be? The question perhaps should be how hard do you want to make it! There are big gains to be made by the use of navigation and exploiting areas that your opponents ignore. There are of course, like most things in life, big risks attached to the big gains.

Basic Planning

In planning for the RTI one of the first questions should be, what are our aims? And what are we prepared to do to achieve them? If all you want is to take part and enjoy the day, then planning can be fairly general. If however you want to win, then a little more detail will be required.

A few basic items are required for planning, and top of my list are Solent Hazards and Wight Hazards by Peter Bruce. These books give detailed descriptions and warnings of the many obstacles, which will be encountered by most competitors for the first and only time of the year.

A tidal atlas that covers the Solent and the back of the Island is essential. Once again I rely on Peter Bruce and his 'Solent Tides' backed up with the Admiralty Tidal atlas for The Solent and Adjacent waters (NP337).

A GPS will always be handy and a chart plotter (that you trust) can make the workload a lot easier. You also need to have faith in your echo sounder and know how it has been calibrated - depth to waterline, depth to bottom of keel, or something more dubious. Lastly but by no means least are decent charts that cover the whole area. The scale of the charts should be the smallest you can get (especially for the first corner).

Crew Dynamics

If you decide to push hard and make the most of opportunities, one important aspect of crew work is to decide (beforehand) who has control in tight situations. Normally the tactician will call for a change in direction, but if you are close to rocks or shallows, then the navigator must know that they have the final word. This can lead to some grey areas of command and responsibility, and everyone must be happy with where they sit.

Some decisions are gambles and need everyone to buy in to the risk; some decisions are not up for discussion and must be acted on at once.

So now that you have made your game plan, where can you gain? Where do you have to be on top of your game? And where can you enjoy the great view (a bit)?

The Details

The race breaks up conveniently into four basic parts:
- Start to the Needles
- Needles to St Catherine's Point
- St Cats to Bembridge
- Bembridge to the finish.

Start to the Needles

HW Portsmouth is 0433 BST and 1724 BST
Tide height is 3.80 m a week after springs
The first start is at 0600 and the last 0810

The long range forecast for Saturday suggests that this year may be a long race. Winds are forecast light and variable and the early start will not be aided by thermally induced breeze. (See the overall wind situation during the race on page two...)

This year even the early starters have only four hours of tide to get past the Needles, the last start only has two!

This year a good start may make or break your race. Full concentration is required for this leg. Starting with clean air and a good lane may be the difference between rounding the Needles and lunching in Yarmouth.

All starts are after high water this year, so the tide will be west going for all boats. The later start (tidally) means that the dash to the Green for the early current is not an issue this year. Look down the course and at the boats starting with you, plan for the leg not just the first few minutes.

If the forecast is correct you may find more breeze on either shore early on as the land continues to cool. Once the sun starts to warm the land the wind may still be stronger on an edge once the initial calm is overtaken by local land heating. This wind will not go far from the shore and you may not even be able to get to it.

With the variable strength and direction, the important thing is observation.

Look down the course, observe the other boats and try to see where the wind is filling in and where holes exist. Don’t chase every little zephyr or you will end up going in circles, try to place your boat where the wind will come to you.

While trying to be in the best wind don’t forget to stay in the best current. The stronger current is in the deeper water, if you have a GPS watch your SOG to see if and when you are running in and out of the best current.

The places for potential current gains are, Gurnard Ledge, Salt Mead & Hamstead Ledge. The tide tends to rip around the edge of these rocky outcrops and you can pick up and extra 0.3 knots on a good day. Because the tide is still high there is little risk of trouble here, especially as the gain is at the end of, not on or over the ledges.

The best current swings in towards Yarmouth but stay out of the moorings and make sure to miss Black Rock. Sconce is the target as we get to the end of the western Solent. Once again the tide rips around the end of this bay and there are gains to be had. However, there is no need to push hard as again there is no extra gain in going too far.

The tide turns first on the shores and by 0930 there should be East going current on both of them. If you have yet to get through Hurst now is the time to stay well away from the land and try to use the last of the West going current.

If you are not through Hurst by 1030 and the wind remains very light may I suggest Yarmouth as an excellent lunch stop? Alternatively you could drift back up the Solent and see if anyone is lucky enough to get around quickly!

Out through Hurst and onto the Needles, the best current is down the southern edge of the Shingles. The best route is from Sconce to NE Shingles and then down the bank. Big gains are to be made here but there are big risks. This is one of those times when you must be sure of where you are and where you are going. The current will try to push you over the bank, two problems there, less current and a lot less water!

The edge of the bank is fairly steep and you can get in very close. So close that you can hear the shingle moving under your keel but by then your echo sounder has probably given up in the turbulent water and you have no idea how safe you are.

Next up is the first bend. Like Formula 1 there are often a few spills and thrills at this point and likewise gains and losses to be made. For earlier boats the tide will still be going westerly at this stage, and will not begin to turn to the east until 1000. Later boats will have to watch they are not swept onto the Needles by the current which will then whip them on the way to St Catherines Point.

There are three ways around the Needles, the good, the bad and the ugly. The size of your boat will limit your options. Tactically the sooner you turn, the bigger the gain (and the risk). Inside the Varvassi wreck is good and outside is bad. This year there will be less than 2m above chart datum by 0800, just about when the early starters get there. This will mean less than 5m inside the wreck, and falling fast, a tough choice and very dependant on prevailing conditions. By 1000 there is only 1.4m above datum so the later boats will always have less to play with.

These are predictions and may vary with conditions. Remember to take sea state into account when deciding your route; a 1m swell will make a big difference.

The inside route is well documented in books and articles and in the smallest boats the only restriction is not scratching the paintwork on the lighthouse. The outside route however is a bit vaguer. Sure there are sightings and bearings that guarantee a safe passage but hey, we're racing! The pressure to make the turn as early as possible comes from all sides, the smaller boats can turn inside and make an immediate gain, and others watch the bigger, faster boats and use them as their own guide.

The big danger of relying on others is that, if they miss the rocks and the wreck, will you? Be sure you know where it is or it may get ugly.

Heading SE away from the Needles the tidal gain for the early boats is to the shore. There are numerous rocks and outcrops to avoid but all being equal (as if) the inshore boats will make gains.

The tide will start heading SE around 1000. In the past few years, later starters have had more favourable tide at this point but this year slower boats may not even make it this far. We may see a shift away from the smaller boats taking most of the silverware.



Needles to St Catherine's Point

This is an easier leg as the fleet is now spreading out and the direct course is well away from danger until the end. If conditions are rough I would give this entire shore a wide berth but in lighter winds you can push deeply to the shore while fighting the current.
If light winds continue, keep an eye open for building breeze offshore, an early loss may end up with bigger gains.

With the current becoming East going around 1000, early boats will only fight current for 2 hours before being rushed around the back of the Island and later boats none at all.

If you cannot lay St Cats in one, or the winds are light, then gains for the early boats are to be made by heading in to Freshwater Bay. This is particularly true for the slower boats. There are numerous rocks until in the bay proper, but once in, the echo sounder can be relied on to give enough warning of danger. Just past Freshwater is Compton Bay and at the end are Brook Ledges.

Like most of the hazards around the Island, these are hard rock and very unforgiving. These obstacles are easily missed but if pushed hard can give some extra gain. The important thing to remember as you push into the shore is how you will get out again. There is no point pushing too far in, only to find you have to backtrack to get out.

I can attest that the charts of Brook ledges are pretty accurate; I have pushed a bit hard in the past and hit exactly where the chart said I would (It comes up pretty quickly). Always remember to think ahead to the next manoeuvre.

Moving down the coast you come to Atherfield Ledges. The strategy here is the same as for Brook Ledges. Even if you are following the rhumb line from the Needles to St Cats I suspect that Atherfield Ledges will be an issue. The shallower water extends out quite a way and in a bigger sea it can be surprisingly rough here.

Having relaxed a bit on this leg, it is now time to pay full attention again, as on the approach to St Cats you can make a big gain.

Being close in to Chale Bay hides you from the worst of the foul tide around the point until the last minute. At certain states of the tide there is even a back eddy that will take you around the point. A quick look at the chart will show you the problem of this inside route - shallow water and a few rocks to bounce off.

This year most boats should have an Easterly going current at this point so there will be no need to hide behind the point on there final approach. Having said that, the shortest route is the quickest, try to stay closer to the shore (300 – 500 m) for as long as possible, but keep your eyes open if you are in closer.

This is traditionally the half way point of the race, but there are still many hazards to avoid and opportunities to exploit which I will be detailing in Part Two.

Part two of Pete Selby's navigator's guide to the Round the Island Race will be published on Friday.