Pace notes - part one

Expert navigator Pete Selby takes us through the first half of this years JP Morgan Asset Management Round the Island Race course

In the first of an updated 2005 two part guide, Pete Selby provides expert help for those competing in this years Round the Island Race on Saturday, 18 June. In this first part Pete takes us from the start line at Cowes, round the Needles and to St Catherines Point.

Part two of this guide, including advice on how to tackle the course change at the Forts, will be published tomorrow on TheDailySail.

As always, the responsibility of navigating your boat remains with the crew on-board. These notes are a guide only and should be treated as such.

The 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 & 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.

I know that if I call for a tack, gybe, luff or bare away at any time that it will happen immediately with no questions asked. The questions will be asked later!

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 0829 BST
Tide height is 3.90 m 2 days after neaps
The first start is at 0640 and the last 0840

This is possibly the most important part of the race and full concentration is required for this leg. A good start with clean air can save minutes on your corrected time. If you can break out while your opposition wallow in the pack the savings can be huge.

Most starts are before high water this year, so the tide will only be west going for boats starting after 0730. The earlier start means that the traditional dash to the Green for the earlier starters is back on. This is a long race, and getting a quick gain (with an associated high risk early on in the race) may not be the best strategy. Look down the course and at the boats starting with you, plan for the leg not just the first few minutes. Having said that, for those starting in the first hour the potential gains of getting in the westerly flow off the Green will be hard to resist. If the wind stays as light as the forecast it will be a slow start and a traffic jam may even develop on the line. If you are not racing this will be a great place to take breakfast.

With the early boats plugging the tide, the shallows on each shore will offer some respite. The later boats will enjoy the full ebb in the deeper water. The choice of shore for earlier boats could be heavily influenced by the conditions. If the wind is light and from the South, the mainland shore may look good, but remember, the tide turns to the West first on the Island shore. Whichever route you choose, If you have a GPS watch your SOG to see if and when you are running in and out of the current.


Once the tide is ebbing (0730) the places for potential 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 Kts 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 early boats can also make gains at these points due to less current behind the ledges and the earlier change of direction. By 0830 the current will be fully West bound.

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.

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 to be made here but 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 all boats the tide will still be going Westerly at this stage, and will not begin to turn to the East until 1300.

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 about 2m above chart datum at 0745, just about when the early starters get there. This could mean up to 5m inside the wreck, a tough choice and very dependant on prevailing conditions. By 1345 there is only 1m 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.

Last year I went outside and found it much more strenuous. 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, 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 all 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 not start heading SE until around 1300. In the past few years, later starters have had favourable tide at this point so 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.

If you cannot lay St Cats in one, or the winds are light, then gains 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 pushed a bit hard last year 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.

The final approach to St Cats depends very much on the prevailing conditions. In light winds the inside route can pay huge dividends. There are always lots of pots around this area, and they can really help you to see the back eddy if it is running. Try to stay close to the shore for as long as possible, but keep your eyes open.

If it is windy this place can really cut up rough. If that is the case then close to the shore is not a good spot, a few hundred meters clearance is a big help. If you need to tack or gybe, pick your spot, as rough water and a lee shore could make things more tense than usual.

For the later boats the tide will begin to turn to the East around 1400. If you have fair tide at this point then stay 300 to 500 m off the point for best tide and the shortest route.

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.