Haven Information

APPROACH
50.35’ 53N 01.12’50W AC2045

CHARTS: WGS84 5600.2
TIDES: 3.9m sub 25 mins (S) sub 30 mins (N) Portsmouth

SHELTER
The haven consists of two rock arms. The largest extending seaward (south) from the site of the old pier before curving to the south east. The smaller arm some 58m to the east extends seaward towards the first arm with a 24m gap

Shelter is reasonable in the lee of the rock arms during south west through to north easterly winds. Extremely vulnerable in E through to SSEIlies when swells can enter. Caution should be exercised as exposed to strong winds from all directions except North west to North east.

Phone prior to arrival to check conditions. The Haven entrance will dry out at spring low water and is very shallow during neap lows. Bi-annual dredging extends window of exit and entry which is generally 2-3 hours before and 2-3 hours after High water (depending on draught).

Phone 07976 009 260 or 01983 852398 for current situation (office hours).


TIDES AND WEATHER
MET Office: Marine Weather
MET Office: St Catherineís Point 5 day forecast
MET Office: Surface pressure charts
Tidal Prediction From Admiralty
Tide Timetable From Isle of Wight County Press

PASSAGE INFORMATION
(AC2045) From the Needles eastward to Freshwater Bay the cliffs can be approached to within 1ca, but beyond the E end of the chalk cliffs there are ledges off Brook and Atherfield which require at least 5ca offing. The East going stream sets towards these dangers. 4M SSW of the Needles the stream turns E x N at HW Portsmouth + 0500, and W at HW - 0030, sp rate 2kn.

St Catherine’s Lighthouse is conspicuous. It is safe to pass 2ca off, but a race occurs off the point and can be very dangerous at or near sp against a strong wind, and particularly SE of the point on a West going stream. St Catherine’s should then be rounded at least 2M off. 1.25M SE of the point the stream turns East at High Water Portsmouth + 0520, and West at HW - 0055, sp rate 3.75kn.

Rocks extend about 2 ca either side of Dunnose where a race occurs. In Sandown Bay anchor off Shanklin or Sandown where the streams are weak inshore. Off the centre of the bay they turn NE x E at HW Portsmouth + 0500, and, and SW x W at HW - 0100, sp rates 2 kn.

The Yarborough Monument is conspic above Culver Cliff. Whitecliff Bay provides an anchorage in winds between W and N. From here to Foreland (Bembridge Pt) the coast is fringed by a ledge of drying rocks extending up to 3ca offshore, and it is advisable to keep to seaward of Bembridge Ledge ECM It buoy.

LIGHTS AND WAYPOINTS
South East Coast of the Isle of Wight

St Catherine ‘s Point 50 ∞34 ’ 54N 01 ∞17 ’ 87W; Fl 5s41m
27M; vis:257 ∞ - 117 ∞; FR 35m 17M (same Twr) vis: 099 ∞ - 116 ∞.
Ventnor Haven W Bwtr 2 FR (vert) 3M; 50 ∞35 ’ 50N 01 ∞12 ’ 30W
Sandown Pier Head 2 FR (vert) 7m 2M; 50 ∞39 ’ 05N 01 ∞09 ’ 18W
W Princessa Q(9) 15s; 50 ∞40 ’ 16N 01 ∞03 ’ 65W.
Bembridge Ledge Q (3) 10s; 50 ∞41 ’ 15N 01 ∞02 ’ 81W

VHF
Use channel 17, not always monitorred.

Please phone 01983 852398 or 07515 647 935
Monitored by the Haven Supervisor on the water during the season.

Call sign: Ventnor Haven.
Out of season, please phone 01983 852398 or 07515 647 935

The Harbour Master’s Office is located in OceanBlue Quay. If none of the Harbour Team are in the Haven, please enquire at OceanBlue Quay or ask the trip boat operators.

HARBOUR RULES AND SAFETY
SPEED LIMIT: 4 knots in Haven.
MOORING: All vessels must moor individually to moorings or on pontoons. Allocation of visitorís moorings is as directed by Harbour Staff.
ANCHORING: No anchoring within the Haven except in an emergency. No anchoring or mooring in the Haven entrance.
PROHIBITED: No swimming, sail boarding or water-skiing in the Haven
PETS: No animals allowed on foreign visiting craft unless in possession of a pet passport
BE AWARE: Ventnor Haven is in close proximity to Ventnor Beach. Be aware of bathers and snorkelers swimming alongside the Haven rock arms.
RE-FUELLING: Please take care when refuelling with petrol or diesel. Every effort must be made to reduce risks of spillage or explosion. When refuelling: switch off engines and generator sets
Do not smoke
Do not use mobile phones or VHF radios
Please handle funnels / tanks with great care
Do not spill fuel into the haven
Do not start engines until all tank openings are closed
Inform Haven Staff immediately in the event of any spillage
Fuels are available at local fuel stations. The nearest fuel stations are at Whitwell (3 miles) and Sandford (5 miles)
BILGE: Do not pump out oily bilges into the Haven or surrounding area
EFFLUENCE: Yachtsman and all navigators using the harbour are requested not to release washing water or to pump WC or bilge effluent into the Haven. This is particularly important in a drying harbour.
WASTE: Please ask the Harbour Master for details of refuse disposal
OUTBOARD ENGINES: Kill switches must be worn
SWIMMING: There is no swimming in the Haven
PROHIBITED: Children must not play in the Haven. Potential dangers arise from a combination of commercial operations, manoeuvring craft and sinking mud.
INSURANCE: All vessels should hold appropriate third party insurance over whilst visiting Ventnor haven and a minimum cover value of £ 2 000 000 is requested.

DREDGING
Net sediment transport within the Undercliff and along the South Wight is from west to east due to the south westerly prevailing wind direction. Periodic shifts of sediment movement direction usually occur during south easterly winds which results in accumulation of sediment in the Haven entrance. Much of the sand is in turn carried by wave action and deposited within the Haven. Once it is in the Haven, the sediments are too course to be held in suspension and returned to the sea via tidal currents. The sand bar which builds up across the entrance has to be dredged annually to extend the window in which vessels can move in and out of the Haven.
Finer silts which have settled in the centre of the Haven are a potential hazard to adults and in particular children when exposed at low tide. These silts are extremely soft and act like quicksand at particular stages of the tide.

Dredging of sand from the Haven entrance and the placing of this sediment along the outer edges of the Haven has a number of benefits. Over time the sand is drawn down into the Haven creating a natural bowl shape. Sand cover within the haven is preferential to boat owners for the following reasons:

It increases the area within the haven where boats can dry out by blanketing the lower slopes of the rock arms
By covering small rocks and shingly areas within the haven which would otherwise cause great damage to hulls.
It covers the seaweed layer which is bought into the haven in the early summer following south easterly gales.
It is safer to walk on sand as opposed to a mixture of soft seaweed and fine silt.
When the Haven was originally designed the accumulation of sediment and seaweed was not a predicted problem. Cheetah Marine were first awarded with the contract to manage the Haven in 2003. Early attempts to alleviate the problem of accumulating sediments mixed with decomposing seaweed and the associated odour were not particularly successful. Various methods of removing the weed included using a specialized boat with a custom built grid to push the weed out of the Haven entrance and a diesel driven pump to pump the water containing the weed from the Haven. Cheetah Marine sourced local farmers who could use the weed for fertilizer and local aggregate companies who could grade and use the sand if the two were not mixed together.

The Haven is now dredged bi-annually using diggers at extreme spring low tides. Dumper trucks take the sediment away and provided it is not mixed with weed can be used for construction. To achieve an economic and sustainable solution the seaweed must be cleared on an almost daily basis as it enters the Haven and before it mixes with sand and rots. Once seaweed is removed both the sand and seaweed can be recycled.

Cheetah Marine based at OceanBlue Quay organise the removal of seaweed on a regular basis. However during the summer months it can be difficult to keep up with the influx especially during certain sea conditions.

Many areas along the south coast of the island are affected by coastal erosion which is accelerated by wave attack when inadequate defences are in place. Coastal defence can be in the form of a natural wide sandy beach or a man made engineering structure. Both types generally act to dissipate the waves energy and stop wave attack at the foot of a cliff. Modern practice encourages the use of softer engineering techniques to slow the effects of coastal erosion and work with natural processes rather than against hence the creation of many artificial beaches in the last few decades. Excess sediment from the Haven can be used to replenish beaches elsewhere on the island, helping to prevent coastal erosion and improving island amenities which is very important to an economy based largely on tourism. Extensive hydrographic studies on the possible effects of the introduction of sediment within a sediment cell have been carried out. The majority of sediment is dumped locally on Ventnor Beach.