Before approaching Langstone Harbour, it is important to note that all visiting vessels must report to The Harbour Office, and it is advisable to contact the Harbour Master's office in advance. Staff are on duty every day (0900 - 1700), including weekends, between April and October. The Langstone Harbour Master's office is available on +44 23 9246 3419 and on VHF Channel 12, listen on Channel 16 [Langstone Harbour Radio]. All vessels using Langstone Harbour are obliged to pay harbour dues and display their daily or annual plaque.



Passage directions for area approaches, complete with tidal timers, are available as follows:

• 1. From the West, the Cruising Guide: South Around the Isle Of Wight , Cruising Guide: Western Approaches to the Solent & Southampton and Cruising Guide: Eastern Approaches to the Solent & Southampton Water .


• 2. From the East, the Cruising Guide: North Foreland to the Isle of Wight .


• 3. From inshore waters, east/west guidance is available in the Cruising Guide: Southampton Water to Chichester Harbour .

Langstone Harbour is accessed by passing between two offshore flats, locally known as The Woolseners, which extend from either side of the harbour's mouth. Both run south-southeast from the harbour entrance and are called the East Winner and West Winner. The banks shift over time, and their heights vary with the previous winter's gales.




East Winner, composed of sand, is the largest of the banks, extending almost 2 miles from the shoreline. It dries off at LWS for more than half that distance and is steep on its entrance-channel side. The unlit Winner South Cardinal marks the southern end of this.




The corresponding West Winner bank, composed of gravel, has largely washed away over the past decade. It is now a flat with 1.1 metres at chart datum, available 200 metres out from the shoreline. From there, a plateau, with depths from 1.1 to 1.8 metres, stretches southward for ¾ of a mile. Approximately ½ mile south-south-west of the head of the West Winner bank is the Roway Wreck isolated danger marker, which has a least depth of 0. 0.5 metres over it.




A ¼ of a mile off the head of the West Winner is the Langstone Fairway Pile, situated approximately 1 mile to the south of the harbour entrance. Langstone Bar is situated a ⅓ of a mile south by southwest of this fairway mark. It has a least depth of 1. 1.8 metres over it.




The banks offer a great measure of protection to the outer approaches to Langstone Harbour, making an approach easy in most weather conditions. Best water will always be found from High Water- 3 to + 1 hour. However, in heavy weather, or if there is any swell, there is one sheet of broken water over the Winners, with heavy rollers. The bar is likewise dangerous at these times, especially near low water on the ebb.




It would be inadvisable for a newcomer to approach Langstone Harbour in any onshore winds above Force 6. Due to the narrow neck of the harbour entrance, the ebb tide can create a steep sea when meeting southerly or south-easterly winds over the East and West Winner banks. Arriving near slack water or on the early flood is standard practice for visiting craft.

Directions
From seaward, the entrance may be difficult to pick out at first. A prominent chimney on the eastern side of the headland helps identify the entrance. It is situated close east of a narrow white radar post about one mile behind the fairway pile. Aligning the chimney with the Langstone Fairway Pile on 345°T provides a safe approach off the steep western side of East Winner. Watch out for cross-currents whilst tracking in.




Alternatively, by night, the short sea outfall at Eastney Point Light-beacon, port hand Q.R, in line with the 2F.R (vert) on the jetty 200 metres to the north, tracks in on 354°T with a least depth of 1.7 metres chart datum on the bar.




After passing the Langstone Fairway Pile, steer a course of 353°T for the entrance, which will be readily apparent from this distance. About halfway between the Fairway Pile and the mouth of the entrance, depths begin to increase, and the cross-currents will transform into a very strong tidal stream either coming in or out of the entrance. In the event of strong onshore winds, expect a rough wind-over-tide seaway here, especially towards the end of a spring ebb.




The entrance is between Eastney Point and Gunner Point, and the ½ pass up to the inner entrance, where the harbour opens up above, is aptly known as The Run. Tidal rates attain up to 3.4kn on springs, with maximum velocity achieved at the north end of the entrance.




The Run is deep, 300 metres wide and free from dangers, although when at full stream the moorings off the west side of The Run tend to get pulled under and are not easily seen. The west side is the preferred path as it is the steepest and deepest.





It is possible to make the best of a foul tide by closely hugging the western shoreline. To make the best of it, round the Eastney Point outfall mark and the jetty, 200 metres to the north, then find a suitable sounding along the western shore, drifting out a little just opposite the Eastney Cruising Club. From there, pass close inside the Eastney Cruising Club moorings, then close outside the port pile marker, and from there pass close to the Hayling Ferry jetty (the service currently discontinued) that marks the end of The Run.




Above The Run, the broad expanse of Langstone Harbour opens out. The separately covered Southsea Marina lies behind a tidal gate, approached via a ½-mile-long channel entered 150 metres to the northwest of the Hayling ferry pontoon. Langstone Harbour with its moorings and anchorages in the harbour above. The speed limit throughout the harbour area is 10 knots.


LISTED WAYPOINTS
The complete course is 2.86 miles from the waypoint 'Approach West of Winner' to 'Inner Harbour' tending in a northerly direction (reciprocal southerly).








Vessels approaching from the West on a rise of the tide can cut these waypoints and make directly for the Langstone Fairway Pile. With a sufficient rise, one or both of the passes in the submerged barrier between Horse Sand Fort and the mainland at Southsea may provide a convenient shortcut. These are the main passages through the submerged barrier between Horse Sand Fort and the shore, or, at half-tide or more, through the barrier's smaller passage immediately off the shoreline.




Once through either of the submerged barrier's cuts, it is possible to ignore the outer waypoints and steer east along the outer edge of the sands. This course leads close north of the black/red/black Roway Wreck isolated danger marker, after which it is safe to steer for the Langstone Fairway Pile. The least depth for this passage is 1.7 metres chart datum, but take care not to drift north, as a 1.3-metre patch lies close north of the described track. However, with a good rise and a keen eye on the sounder, it may also be possible to cut in halfway between the mouth of the entrance and the Langstone Fairway Pile, as West Winner has largely washed away.




Vessels approaching from the East, especially at less than half tide, should pass close south of the unlit Winner South Cardinal buoy. This clears the hazard presented by the shallows extending southward from East Winner bank. At half-tide or above, with a keen eye to the sounder, it may be possible to cut a ½ mile inside the buoy.

What is the best sailing time?

May to September is the traditional UK sailing season, with June and July offering the best weather. The amount of bad weather varies widely from year to year. The British Isles' weather is highly variable because they are islands between the Atlantic Ocean and an extensive continental European landmass. As a result, the entire area lies within a zone where five main air masses meet and alternate:

• • Tropical Maritime Air Mass - from the Atlantic


• • Polar Maritime Air Mass - from Greenland


• • Arctic Maritime Air Mass


• • Polar Continental Air Mass - from central Europe


• • Tropical Continental Air Mass - from North Africa

The air masses can come from any direction, bringing a wide range of weather and creating weather fronts where they meet. Fine summer weather is typically punctuated by the passage of Atlantic depressions, bringing periods of strong wind and rain and sometimes poor visibility.

Gales, however, rarely come as a surprise, as they are usually forecast well in advance. Good weather windows of 48 hours are easy to predict, but any longer than that, the chance of change increases. Winters see a predominance of wind and rain. Still, the protected waters of The Solent are enjoyed by many weekenders who like the off-season reduction in boating activity and berthing fees.

Across the British Isles, the prevailing winds are from the southwest. The Solent, however, is subject to a high degree of local heating. In the western Solent, the sea breeze effect can be strong enough to reverse a northeast Beaufort Force 3 morning wind and turn it into a south-westerly Force 4 by early afternoon. The heating of the Isle of Wight is much less than that of the mainland, but it leads to more variable and lighter winds than on its northern side.

Fogs are common in all parts of the English Channel, forming both on the English and French coasts. In summer, they usually obscure the land only in the morning and are readily dispersed by heat or a light breeze. However, the moist haze, driven in by westerly winds from the sea, tends to linger and requires stronger winds for dissipation. In the eastern part of the Channel, it is unusual for the land to be entirely free from mist. The only exception occurs when the wind is from the northeast, creating a mist-free coastline that is highly distinctive from a great distance.

Are there any security concerns?

There has never been an issue known to occur to a vessel cruising the waters of The Solent or the shores of the Isle of Wight.

With thanks to:

eOceanic