Dart 15 Forums

Hi,

was just wondering if anyone has any information regarding tides for the Southend club where the nationals are being held? Either a website that you refer to or some local knowledge would be great!

thanks,
Gabriel

Hello Gabriel,

Being a local, you would think I'd be an expert on tidal flows at Southend. I am not!

At Thorpe Bay (eastern part ofSouthend), we have about three hours sailing, each side of high water.

Racing will take place over the Southend mudflats which extend well over a mile from the shore. The depth of water is fairly uniform and the strength of tide is not overly strong.

Andrew,
TBYC.

Hi Andrew
Does this mean we can tell who has capsized due to the lump of London silt at the top of the mast when they return to shore? If so it will be important to know which way the tide is running so that we know which way round to go over

Hi Gabriel
I'm looking forward to meeting you so you can explain to me how to make a tack off the wire without sitting down - or perhaps Brian Phipps can enlighten me. I asked Ray Gall but he pointed out that it's not without its backward capsize dangers so I'm a bit dubious at the moment. I did enjoy your video on youtube.

Cheers

Robert

Gabriel / Brian P

Yes well done on the video on you tube.

I showed the physiotherapist treating me for a torn hamstring my harness and hiking shorts to try and illustrate the forces we put on our thighs and pelvis but she has never sailed and had some difficulty understanding - until she watched your video. It has been a great help!!

best wishes

Steve

Andrew,
Thanks for the info, I thought you'd have fairly strong tidal flow where you are but good to know it's not so bad. I just need to get out and practice some unarig sailing now so I don't embarrass myself too much in August!

Robert,
really looking forward to catching up with you all, being the lone 15 over here gets a bit boring sometimes! and the only experience of one-design racing I get is if I use my 18. Despite my efforts the 15 is thought of as either a training boat or one for the ladies.

As for the youtube video, it's had some serious editing believe me! There was some outrageously bad sailing going on as well. I think I might have to put up a 'bloopers' reel just to set the record straight

if you get the chance for lessons with Brian though I'd really recommend it.

Steve,
torn hamstring?! sounds painful, hope it sorts itself out. Was it down to sailing?

Gabriel,

Inshore where we sailed at a Traveller, the tide flows in and out parallel to the shore and never seems to go above 3 knots. If you get further out the tide may flow faster in some of the deeper channels, but that will be a long way out and probably much further out than we will sail in the Nationals.

So unless the wind is unbearably light, the allowance you'll need to make for tide will be small and best determined on the day by checking.

Across the outer Thames Estuary at Sheerness there is faster tidal flow, particularly in the deep water channel into the Medway - this channel is so well scoured by the tide that it never needs dredging. Just inside the mouth of the Medway at Garrison Point (NW corner of Isle of Sheppey) the tide canbe fast enough to cause whirlpools - but not of the serious kind!

George

I agree with George. The tide will be strong where the water is deep.

In the case of the northern side of the Thames Estuary at Southend, there are several miles of mudflats where the water is consistently shallow. And where water is shallow, the tide is weaker.

As a seaside venue for a championship, Thorpe Bay is as near to a "level playing field" as you will get. Our visitors are unlikely to be disadvantaged, irrespective of whether they usually sail on reservoirs or at places where the tide is strong, eg Marconi, Instow or the Solent.

I'm completely biased, of course!

[quote="Andrew Hannah"]I agree with George. The tide will be strong where the water is deep.

In the case of the northern side of the Thames Estuary at Southend, there are several miles of mudflats where the water is consistently shallow. And where water is shallow, the tide is weaker.

<snip>
[quote]

Andrew,

I sailed at Sheerness out of what is now the Isle of Sheppy Yacht Club for quite a few years mostly in the 80's sailing a Pacer mostly but never did the Thorpe Bay race so never got over to your neck of the woods.

Do you get the short sharp chop that we get at Seasalter?, since we too have a mile or two of mud flats and sail in relatively shallow water (not deep enough to fully invert unless in one of the deep water channels near Sheppy used by Cruisers). If so it sounds like a home from home for us Seasaltarians and I expect good things from Kevin (probably not me! ).

Martin S.

On the subject of Southend, Thorpe Bay Yacht Club has up-graded its website, qv.

If you go to TBYC Location link, you will see all the Sprints neatly packed away.

In due course, a results link will be added. Presumably, we will need to wait until the nationals, before we can add some Sprint 15 'action' photos.

Andrew,
TBYC.