Anchoring in Lulworth, how brave are you?

[BustinAround]

I'm planning to spend the night in lulworth cove in the near future, and I'd really like to have a beer in the hotel and maybe take a stroll on the beach after dinner, but I've never left the pride and joy on her own at anchor before, and quite frankly I'm scared witless of doing it!

The main anchor is a huge beast that has no trouble holding even in a big blow, and I would prob lay out the auxilary anchor from the dinghy too.

Has anyone ever been brave enough to leave their boat at anchor alone, is it a ridiculous idea, and if not, what should I do to make it as safe as possible (bearing in mind that if I did, I'd already have checked that its going to hold with the donk donk in full reverse!), and are there some parts of the cove that have better holding than others?

CHeers!

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[WayneS]

We have spent a lot of time at anchor there and only on one occasion have we had a problem. That was our first year of boating and I thought that it was acceptable to dump the anchor overboard followed by a bunch of chain, leaving the boat to dig itself in. We were woken at 4AM by some good fella who saw us drifting out of the entrance. There is an even funnier part of the story that I will not bore you with.

As long as you dig yourself in, and there is not a southerly blowing, you should be fine with 1 anchor. Look for a sandy patch to drop the hook as there is a lot of weed which will make it difficult to dig her in.

The last time I was there I helped a guy who had got his anchor fouled on a huge big concrete block. It too us a good hour to get the whole lot to the surface so that we could trip the anchor to free the concrete.

At this time of year there will be a fair number of folks at anchor there so you may be able to ask someone to keep an eye out for you. Raising you may be an issue for them as mobile signal is non existent there.

Cheers

Wayne


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[castaway]

I anchor in Lulworth whenever I'm out that way and the wind in from NE thro to NW........ othewise the surge gets a bit uncomfortable..

Like you these days Im a bit cautious about leaving the boat although I do for short periods.

In calm weather its quite easy to spot the bottom and pick and area that is clear of seaweed, as you probobly have found, if you drop in the middle of a clump of Kelp there is virtually no holding what so ever.

20 years back I had a girl friend who was over from Canada for the summer, she worked and in the evening played guitar at the Hotel.... My Alacrity used to spend quite a bit of time looking after herself down in the cove, whilst I spent the nights up at the staff lodgings!!

This is a view from the hill overlooking the Cove taken at daybreak a few weeks back.

Regds Nick.. (Halberdier 'Fairweather')

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[Spacewaist]

Most sailors are happy to leave their boats in settled weather. I do it frequently provided I know the hook is well dug in.

If it is to be your first time leaving her, there are better places to do it than Lulworth. The holding there is pretty marginal. There's a lot of kelp etc and it takes patience to dig the hook in - make sure that you have really motored hard against it. Sometimes the anchor can catch on a clump of kelp and "feel" OK and then drag a couple of minutes later.

It can be done, but if you are not 100% confident you are dug in (or its not dead calm) Id not take the risk.

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[LadyInBed]

If you anchor anywhere in settled conditions and been aboard a couple of hours either side of a high tide change and are happy with the lay of the boat, then you should have no problem with either getting a good nights sleep or going ashore for an evening out.
I anchor in Lulworth quite often and as has been said, peer over the bow for a nice patch of sand to drop the hook in.


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[chrisD]

I've anchored in there several times, even with a light wind from the south, and have held well. But be careful if you go in the south eastern corner: leave at least 2m depth at low water. I was disturbed by the rudder intermittently catching a rock even though the sounder showed around 1.5m. I was pretty close the the shore, however. There's a good pub in West Lulworth, maybe 15 minutes walk from the cove, quite nice food.

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[LadyInBed]

Lots of kelp in the SE corner as well

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[isandell]

The only time I anchored in Lulworth was in bright summer sunshine, having motored round from WestBay. The forecast was for settled weather (hence the stop in West Bay).

The intention was to have a bbq but within about 30 minutes the clouds had blown in and the wind was picking up with a lot of south in it. We rapidly weighed anchor and got out of the Cove.

Personally, I would need to be very sure of the weather before I spent the night there.

Ian

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[gwingn]

As per all the answers above, but add:

• Have your beer out in the beer garden where you can be aware of changes in the weather.
• Ideally pick a spot where you can keep an eye on your pride and joy with a pair of binoculars.
• Let out plenty of chain if not setting the hook at high tide.

After a few times you'll have a more relaxed approach and settle down comfortably (having still checked the weather forecast and anticipated tidal rise beforehand).

 

[Tranona]

Welcome to the forum

This thread is 20 years old and the original poster has not been here since 2005!

Lulworth still the same though.

 

[matt1]

If it’s the first time you are anchoring and leaving the boat then Lulworh wouldn’t be my choice. I’ve dragged there (in fact come to think of it I think it’s the only place on the south coast I’ve dragged) if you want to build your confidence leaving the boat at anchor try pottery pier off Brownsea. Great holding and you can confidently leave the boat and go for a walk round the island