Anchorages in the Bristol Channel

westernman

westernman

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Are there any?

Sorry for the naive question, I have never sailed in the Bristol Channel and have no idea what it is like.

Down here in the med, we pop out whenever we feel, there are many bays we can anchor in, and a short row to the beach. We can row up to the beach, only need to get our feet wet to be able to find a nice restaurant in the evening with a view over the bay.

However, the Bristol Channel seems to be very hostile. Huge currents - it looks like going against the tide is going to ruin your day, and having been looking on my map (Michelin Map of Greate Britain!) and Google Earth I cannot see any likely looking places to anchor. Then those few places dry out to mud - and no way to be able to walk across that to get to a pub.

So what it is really like?????
What do you guys do for a weekend on the boat?

(Yes that is my Bristol Channel Pilot cutter in the avatar - so it is kind of ironic that I have never been there!!)
 
Welcome to the forum! AlexanderT will be well suited to home waters.
There are quite a few anchorages but very few with easy Pub access.It will depend where you decide to berth your Pilot cutter though. A good anchorage and access to a pub would be Lundy Island. I would recommend
http://www.imray.com/record.cfm?i_stock_code=IB0012
or if you can obtain the "Blue book" published by the Bristol Channel yachting assoc.
If you are willing to take to the ground (Mud) then have a look at our web site "CDYC" at the upper reaches of the Channel.
No doubt there will be others along shortly to recommend their favourite anchorages.:)
 
The upper end of the Bristol Channel looks pretty intimidating - e.g. Portishead and others.

If I don't arrive in time I can't get in - and there is no where to anchor confortably to wait. And certainly nowhere where I can leave the boat at anchor while I take the dinghy to go ashore to a restaurant while the tide turns........

Or have I got this wrong?
 
Bristol Channel

Last weekend in Barry we had 4 Bristol Channel Pilot Cutters in the harbour ,we found all of them moorings. They had a supper in the club before racing down channel on Saturday morning.
On their return to Barry,they waited out the Ebb tide in the harbour before taking the early flood to Portishead.
After a 50 mile race only 20 minutes separated the first two boats.
Each year Barry Yacht Club organises the Cock of the Channel race for Pilot Cutters, if you are bring Alexander T up channel you would be very welcome in Barry and hopefully take part in the race next year.
If you require any further information please PM me.
 
At the moment I run a company in the South of France and keep my Pilot Cutter down there. However, for professional reasons I might be forced to relocate to the UK - so I am considering the options as to where. Logically for the type of company I run, we should be located somewhere around Bristol - however there might be some flexibility for really good reasons (like a better cruising ground elsewhere).

The other alternative is to not sail in the UK at all and keep the boat elsewhere. E.g. where it is now which would be convenient for combining with visits to our office here - or elsewhere e.g. Greece which would be only marginally more inconvenient than coming to the South of France for business and would allow for a longer sailing season (october down here is rubbish).

Hence my interest in the Bristol Channel.
 
Jone's Bay on Caldey Island was a wonderful anchorage in a fairly strong westerley. We dropped the anchor into the sands in a force 3/4 westerley wind which was sheltered by the island. The boat never moved all night.

NO PUB, just the occasional day boat visitor and a tourist boat showing off the seals and bird life in the bay.

Chris on Nutmeg
 
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