Cowes Fireworks

[Oscarguitar]

Does anybody have any experience of watching the Cowes fireworks from a RIB. I understand they are setting off (wasting?) £50,000 of fireworks this Friday and wondered if you could get anywhere near them and if it was worth the effort. I suspect that it will be pretty manic if it is any thing like the Bournemouth ones used to be. (Haven't been for ages) It is also a long way to go in the dark back to Poole.

Will there be any berths in the Solent, if so where? Is anybody else making the trip.

It's bound to be blowing a gale as it has done for most of this year but I thought I'd ask.

[Ian M]

Originally Posted by Oscarguitar

Does anybody have any experience of watching the Cowes fireworks from a RIB. I understand they are setting off (wasting?) £50,000 of fireworks this Friday and wondered if you could get anywhere near them and if it was worth the effort. I suspect that it will be pretty manic if it is any thing like the Bournemouth ones used to be. (Haven't been for ages) It is also a long way to go in the dark back to Poole.

Will there be any berths in the Solent, if so where? Is anybody else making the trip.

It's bound to be blowing a gale as it has done for most of this year but I thought I'd ask.

Yes I have been to watch them a few times, and consider it well worth the effort, and will be there this Friday. They are normally set off from a barge which you can anchor as close as approx 200yds. There are many hundreds if not thousands of people normally viewing from the shore, and many boats anchored offshore.
As for berths, you might get overnighters at Lymington or maybe off Southampton water, but I have never tried for berths up there so I cannot be much help on that score.
As for blowing a gale, nowt we can do about that, think of it as an opportunity to get some (fresh) air

[Polwart]

If you do a search I think you will find stories of "interesting driving" at the Cowes Fireworks in previous years. So make sure your nav lights are in perfect working order, and you have a big torch / spot light on board to draw attention to yourself when dodging drunks with no lights! A radar reflector would also be sensible when navigating those waters in the dark. Lifejacket lights would also be a sensible precaution.

[250kts]

Done this lots of times, both in our small RIB and in the large commercial. An option if you have a trailer is to launch and recover at Lymington, a good slip with flood lights at night. However, dont totally discount running back to Poole afterwards. It can be a very good trip.
Even with high winds during the day, they tend to ease at night and it can be a very pleasant experience once your eyes become used to the low light levels. Make sure your all round white does not interfer with your line of sight. If you have a good plotter, record your outbound leg staying well clear of any visable lobster pots and retrace it on the return.
Steve

[Oscarguitar]

Thanks for the reply Steve.

I do have a trainer but currenlty dry berth. Plan would be to run from Poole if I do go but as always family commitments are starting to appear. I was going to set up a route in the chart plotter but your idea to back track is good advive to avoid the dreaded lobster pots. I was towing a jet ski in the dark coming back from Lulwoth some time ago. Saw the pot at the last minute, boat went one side of the marker, jet ski went the other!

The other positive for tomorrow is that there is a lot of moon at the moment.

[Chris]

Take lots of warm stuff and a thermos it gets cold when you are sat for that length of time...

[ribber]

Fireworks last night. Fantastic as always, let's hope they keep on doing them in the future.

[Lee argyle]

I like the bit where you can feel the thump of the concussion waves!
Great night, must do it again next year

Cowes Fireworks 2011 - YouTube