When would PicoMicroYacht Capsize?

When doing sea rowing I have adopted three rules about the sea that I try to follow in order to allow going on voyage. Generally, it should be neap tides, so reducing the tidal rate and therefore the likelihood of a confused or breaking sea, particularly past headlands. Secondly, there should be little or no wind. This rule tends to ensure the sea is calmer, but it also means the boat is generally manoevrable in different directions. Finally, the sea shoud be calm, with little or no swell.

Sea state defined in terms of wave height

For sea calmness, I listen out for shipping forecasts that indicate that the sea is ''smooth' or 'slight.'

I had become curious as to what makes it 'slight' and how this was judged. So I checked the criteria and found that there was also calm (glassy and rippled), with below 0.1 metre wave height, and then  'smooth'  was  between 0.1 and 0.5 metres, and slight was 0.5 to 1.25 metres.

I realised that that the online coastal wind forecasts had predictions of wave heights and by chance I had been  using a 'less than one metre' rule as well, which I now realised matched approximately the 1.25 metre limit for 'slight.'

An example is the forecast for next week in the sea area of my next voyage, given below. The wave height is along the last but bottom row and shows a convenient 0.5 to 0.6 metre range, well within my limits.

Windfinder predictions for Torbay, Devon, UK

For me, the reason to have a calm sea in PicoMicroYacht is to prevent capsize. There are generally two causes of capsize; either the wind pushes on the sails to turn the boat over, or the boat gets hit by a higher than expected breaking wave, washing against it with such force that it knocks it over. It is the possibility of the latter that concerns me.

The sort of wave height ranges that I row in are well below causing other problems, such as sea sickness.

But what wave height would cause PicoMicroYacht to capsize and is my approximate one  metre  rule reasonable?

I found out about a study by the University of Southamptom Department of Ship Science. This study indicates that a boat will tend to roll over if the wave hits you on the beam, the wave is breaking and the wave height is 30% of the hull length.

Applying this to PicoMicroYacht, this meant the waves should not be more that 1.14 metres, to avoid the 30% threshold.

However, whether a capsize will take place is of course more complicated. The criteria assume the waves will break and this depends in turn on other sea conditions, including shallowing water and races. Generally, for the sea to break on shallow water at the sort of wave height range I would encounter means I would be nearly aground, such as on a sandbank or beach. More of a problem are races, which I tend to avoid by going further out to sea or by passing through the race area at slack tide. It also depends on how the boat is being manoevred. For example, facing the boat into or away from the waves reduces the likelihood of capize.

Optimist dinghies have fun going through the Fiddlers race in the west end of the Solent. I went through this race in the dark in 2016 on my way round the Isle of Wight, but in very calm weather.

There is also the issue of  the particular boat. Each has it's own right moment, the degree to which the boat will resist being turned over. The resistance tends to increases as a monohull heals, reaching a critical point when it starts to decrease and then the boat will more likely turn turtle. Many boats have their righting moment function plotted, as shown figuratively below.

Stability shown figuratively according to angle of heel (artwork by Andrew Simpson)

Since PicoMicroYacht has no weighted keel, it is more likely to flip over, with less upright stability. Also if capsized, the crew has to right it, as with most dinghies. However, as I have posted before, the PicoMicroYacht has the advantage in this situation of being rapidly self draining and easy to get back in, with very low top sides. The daggerboard is kept down whilst at sea and can then be used lever the boat upright.

Part 1

Part 2

A Pico being righted using the daggerplate; Part 1 and 2 
 (Part 2 shows how to get back on board without falling in the water again)

Why now not to cross the English Channel in PicoMicroYacht

When I crossed the English Channel in 2012, I did so with a support boat. This boat had a professional crew and was well equipped with radar, spending the whole voyage on look out, ready to act if necessary. The English Channel around Calais and Dover is potentially a very dangerous place, with about 400 ships a day passing at speed up and a comparatively small stretch of water. The weather can change very rapidly, increasing the associated risks.

Migrants in a dinghy near Calais in August 2018

Halfway across, I passed through two standing waves, created by the huge container ships that plough up and down relentlessly. I was swamped by these waves, but PicoMicroYacht is quickly self-draining,  so I was able to carry on. I also ran into unexpected fog and my safety depended on the radar system of my support boat.



In recent years, more and more people have been trying to cross the Channel in small boats, unsupported. This is extremely dangerous and, if it continues, will likely end in tragedy.

Sadly the law has  had to change and even supported boats were not allowed to cross  from 2013 onwards, for very good reasons. PicoMicroYacht was likely the last single person rowing boat to cross the English Channel.

PicoMicroYacht pays homage to a fallen oarsman, 'Tony' Ross

This is a bit personal for PicoMicroYacht, but I read recently that a fellow oarsman Anthony Ross had passed on. In 1975, his last year in school, I rowed with him in three crews. Firstly, we were in a coxless pair in a winter squad, trying out for our school eight. I was on bow side and steered using my foot, attached by wires to the rudder. Tony set the rhythm at stroke. We did quiet well, but not enough to make the eight that year. Tony was designated the eight's spare man and helped them win at the National Schools Regatta. We also raced in the summer in a double sculling boat, both of us keen scullers. Tony was initially in the bow and steering, which he did by issuing orders about which side to pull harder. Tony's long eyesight was poor and in our first rowing race at the Cambridge Regatta we went spectacularly into the bank. We switched and I was quite glad that Tony was setting the aggressive rhythm and I was steering. We then won at Reading Regatta.

Tony and I setting off at Reading Regatta, our boat on the right with Tony at stroke.
(From Ronnie Howard's book - Knowing Rowing)

That year Tony's first cousins, the Brigg twins, lost their crewing role in a quadruple sculling boat with  John Truswell and Alasdair Jelfs, the latter international junior scullers for three years running. The Briggs, who had been junior internationals with Truswell and Jelfs the year before, teamed up with Tony and I for another quadruple sculling crew. I was the least able in the crew and we eventually came second in the National Youth Championships, missing out on being junior internationals.

The Briggs went on to become distinguished doctors and Tony a chartered surveyor, eventually winning the National Championships in sculling in 1983. Tony was modest, kind, quietly spoken, and well liked.

I remember he rued the fact when we lost; he would say in an Eeyore fashion:  'nobody remembers it when you come second.' But they have, Tony and eventually you came first.

Tony in later years. A back injury forced him to give up rowing and he did nordic skiing instead.

At the end of this year I reflect on the passing of the seasons. I was looking through the old blog of another fallen friend, Ivor Reveley, who encouraged me to row on  several of the voyages recorded here. As well as many other things, Ivor was a poet, and had posted on his blog an elegiac poem about long distance country running in the Autumn and the call of the trail.  I hope I will be forgiven for shamelessly stealing his style and writing a poem about the call of the sea when rowing in midwinter:

On contemplating sea rowing in the winter

A distant sea is calling,
Lit by a winter's glow.

At the coast the sun has risen, 
And a voice is calling:

“It is time for you to row.”

The storm is over, 
The waves are calmed, 
Blessed by the winter's glow.

Among proud cliffs and slow sea mists, 
A voice is calling:

“It is time for you to row.”

I must have heard that voice,
As I wondered when to row.

The voice now calling from the sea, 
And saying: “It was time for you to go.”

After writing this I  read from a poem by Alfred Lord Tennyson, written when on Blackdown, the highest point on the North Downs, looking over the Sussex Weald to the distant sea.

You came, and look'd and loved the view
Long known and loved by me.
Green Sussex fading into blue
With one grey glimpse of sea.

From the same viewpoint as used by Tennyson, signals were passed onto London concerning the approaching Spanish Armada in 1588.

Looking towards the sea from Blackdown  - National Trust

The Chichester Harbour Entrance Is a Pussy-cat When You Get it Right

PicoMicroYacht sea voyaging is limited during the winter months because of the cold sea.

The sea temperature in December is such that, with no protective clothing, dexterity is lost in about ten to fifteen minutes of immersion, and exhaustion and loss of consciousness within one to two hours.  My rule is to only go to sea at this time of year if there is no wind, a neapish tide and no overfall areas.

An alternative is to row in the many estuaries around the South Coast of England, including Chichester Harbour.

Yesterday I set off from the west side of this harbour and crossed the entrance, reaching a popular mooring spot, called East Head. The route passed the East Winner bank.

Screenshot of the entrance to Chichester Harbour. The East Winner Bank is in the centre, with the main entrance to the left of this. East Head is the triangular shaped dune area that 'hinges' off the main coast to the right in the picture.

The voyage involved scooting across the entrance, with some largish waves coming in, but protection from the shingle banks.

The Chichester Harbour entrance is to be respected. According Brendan Chandler, the Chichester entrance is a 'pussy-cat when you get it right and a b******d when you get it wrong'  (from: David Rainsbury's book Fearsome Passages: A Personal Exploration of Some Infamous Waters).

I was mindful of this as I set off, hearing the roaring sound of the surf as it crashed across the fearsome East Winner shingle bank.  The inky grey sky and sea added to the atmosphere. Nobody was about.

Soon I was opposite the East Winner and making sure I kept a reasonable distance. As the light faded I watched the waves breaking in a line across the bank. Many ships have run onto this bank and been wrecked.

As I neared East Head, the sea calmed and the wind moderated. I was able to focus more on my rowing rhythm.

Returning to my starting point, I was greeted by some cheery yacht sailors and we drank beer in a sailing club, exchanging stories of yachting adventures.

Mine was about a tug close to the  Chichester Harbour entrance as I returned in the dark, The tug was towing a huge barge and it let out it's towing line to about 200 metres. It then exited the harbour, shining a flashlight on the line and checking the barge position. We reflected on the steering skills needed to avoid wrapping the line round a navigation buoy when in such close quarters.

Cartopping PicoMicroYacht

So far on this blog PicoMicroYacht magically gets to the water. Sometimes there are mentions of trailers, but the road life of PicoMicroYacht has not so far not got a mention.

Trailing is a game changer  when it comes to having a good voyage. For example, if the tide is all wrong in one part of the coast, then go to another. I live stategically situated to be able to visit about 300 miles of coastland reached by a relatively fast road for a day's sail, something the UK can offer.

Consequentially, the trailer is well travelled. After my last (longer) trip to Devon, I was 200 metres from my home when I heard a tinkling noise and stopped to investigate. It turned out that the flange that connects my launching trailer to the road trailer had broken. The launching trailer and PicoMicroYacht were now held on by a rope at the front and had slipped backwards.  So now I have to get this flange welded back on.

I have been thinking for a while about car topping. This would be particularly helpful going overseas to avoid trailer costs and also to solve the problem of where to leave the trailer when going rowing.

Car topping a Pico seemed quite challenging  for one person. But I have found this ingenious technique shown in the video below.

The Pico is upended at the back of the car with a rope from the bow to the front of the car. As it upends the rope is pulled in on rachet to keep the Pico from from falling back. Then a strap is clipped on the roof rack and slotted through the daggerboard casing and attached to the  hull from the inside. This strap is attached by a ratchet which can be used to fix the weight of the boat as it is levered up onto the roof over the back.

Perhaps something to try this winter in preparation for an overseas adventure. Presumably, getting it down is the reverse?

Paddleboarding PicoMicroYacht: The times they are a changin'

To quote Bob Dylan:

‘As the present now
Will later be past
The order is
Rapidly fadin'.
And the first one now
Will later be last
For the times they are a-changin'

In the olden days people went down the sea for personal boating, using yachts, motor boats and sailing dinghies which they owned. They operated out of moorings, marinas, clubs and their own garage or their garden.

Apparently, this is changing. For modern living in the UK  there is not enough time, space and money for traditional boat owning and it lacks the versatility needed.

The emphasis is on smaller floaty things like windsurfers, kayaks and now paddleboarding. 

According to the last edition of Yachting Monthly, the estuary users of the UK are starting to opt for a less permanent and more flexible type of experience.

Paddleboards at Salcombe, South Devon from the SalcombePaddleBoarding.com

Part of this is the 'take you anywhere when you like paddleboard' which has become very fashionable. It can even be deflated and put in the boot of the car, on under the bed at home.

Paddleboarding at Salcombe for two - I must work on my posture or I will get back ache

I decided to have a go in PicoMicroYacht. I removed all the gear, left the small rudder as the skeg and off we went.

Two people can paddle board a Pico very successfully and there is less danger of falling in for the more nervous novice paddleboarder.

The times they are a changin

Harbour explorers, the changing moods of Chichester Harbour and the Flintstones

My sailing club is Mengeham Rythe, in Chichester Harbour. A friendly club, MRSC is eclectic in that it has sailing yachts, dinghies, motorboats and model boats.

PicoMicroYacht rarely visits the club. One notable visit was about two years ago when it set off  from MRSC for a voyage round the Isle of Wight. This led to the well remembered club phrase 'in a Pico!!!' because I left my planning notes on the dock and these were passed on to club secretary. She was not to know the Pico in question had been adapted to make the voyage feasible and safe.

This time it was a beautiful September day and I set off for a voyage to Emsworth with the MRSC 'harbour explorers.' I was asked to go ahead due to my slow speed and said goodbye  to the safety launch crew standing on the dock, Martin, Mike and Bob.

Chichester harbour has great natural beauty which varies with the light and the state of the tide, endlessly different. If you like nature you cannot ever be bored.

At the start to the day it was the silvers and blues that dominated the seascape, the clouds revealing wind to come.

As the sun rose in the sky, the mood changed again and greens were introduced, with the sky becoming more atmospheric and threatening.

Soon I was nearing Emsworth and the mood had changed again. As I looked back the  safety launch appeared silhouetted against a creamy grey sky.

Near to our destination, the 'Terror' arrived. This boat was built in about 1890 to dredge for oysters, which it did successfully until the early 1900s. Then the oysters became infected with typhoid, killing among others, the Bishop of Chichester. Despite the consequentially decimated oyster business the Terror  managed to survive the 20th Century, being restored completely for pleasure trips about ten years ago.

Just off Emworth, the sailing dinghies from the local club were gathering to race and PicoMicroYacht had to keep well clear.

The destination reached, those on the voyaged enjoyed a coffee or a cream tea at Flintstones Tea Room by the Emsworth quay. This tea room is the one to be recommended in Emsworth, in my view.

https://www.facebook.com/flintstonestearoom/