Barn Pool Anchorage Plymouth

CaptainBob

CaptainBob

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I keep avoiding anchoring at Barn Pool because of frequent mentions of anchors being fouled. Found an old thread on here where someone said that "barn pool is a good source of pocket money for divers at the end of the summer", and "best not to mention some of the stuff that's down there".

But every time I go past and the conditions are right, there's a few boats anchored there - and it looks lovely.

Is it as bad as rumours suggest?
 
If you have doubts about the chance of getting fouled, why not set a trip line? That should significantly reduce the risk.

Rob.
 
CaptainBob said:
Is it as bad as rumours suggest?
Click to expand...

I have heard those rumours, but I have anchored there myself a few times. THe CQR was bit of a trial (did not set immediately) but the Rocna was ok. No foul ups yet (fingers crossed).

I am also curious to hear of anyone who has actually had a fouled anchor there or (even better) has dived there and can tell us what there is...
 
rob2 said:
If you have doubts about the chance of getting fouled, why not set a trip line? That should significantly reduce the risk.

Rob.
Click to expand...

I have a guide book that suggests the currents and wind at Barn Pool can lead to you getting yourself (or other boats) tangled on a trip line, so was keen to avoid it.

I am also curious to hear of anyone who has actually had a fouled anchor there or (even better) has dived there and can tell us what there is...
Click to expand...

Here you go:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?t=211216&highlight=barn+pool
 
Barn Pool

I have anchored and dived there. It is deep until very close to the shore. I presume the foul ground is in the deeper water as I did not see anything on the seabed when in 10-15 metres. Having said that visibility was only about 1 metre!
 
I do know that, some years ago, an acquaintance with a sizeable catamaran used to anchor there, despite the guidance in my copy of 'West Country Cruising' by Mark Fishwick he carried on board.

He eventually got his anchor snagged and could not release it, and in a fit of bad temper, let it go - chain and all - into the depths. I was as incredulous as everyone else hearing the tale.

His g/f bought him a new hook and chain....

Some mothers, etc!

:cool:
 
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Seems to be OK if you very close in (shelves really steeply), do know someone who anchored about 30M out & spent nearly half an hour freeing his hook:(
Did get it up in the end by motoring it out out.
No idea what is down there & never spotted any divers in the area.
 
Its a great spot to anchor. Since we didn't know it was foul we didn't have any trouble! I wonder if the problem with tangled tripping lines would be minimised by keeping it tight with something like this.
untitled.JPG
 
Thanks for that Shmoo, a good idea - and one which would have meant that this morning I wouldn't have spent half an hour attempting to row my yacht in an outward spiral to match the one my GPS track log was showing!

I arrived into Barn Pool last night to find only one other boat, and they were leaving - so I figured a buoyed tripping line was the way forward. Went to bed having made a lovely arc on the track log. Woke up with an ever decreasing spiral showing that we'd wrapped around _something_.

Have now managed to unravel the tripping line and we're making a nice large arc again while watching another yacht arrive, drop anchor (without tripping line), decide they chose the wrong spot - and found they were foul. Some motoring forward and aft did nothing, but motoring in a circle around the anchor seemed to free it up and they've now relocated further in.

So there definitely is a potential to foul up here!
 
I lost an anchor there in the early 1990's, avoided the place for a year or so but it is a very useful anchorage so have taken a chance many times in the last few years.

It was too long ago for me to remember details now but on reflection I now think the anchor I fouled was an underweight Danforth, so after dropping it I had run astern until it held. Since then I have used a heavier anchor with which I have confidence in its ability and resisted any urge to go dragging it around the seabed.

IIRC it fouled towards the northern end of the bay not all that far from the shore (about where some charts show the 'anchor' symbol!).

I no longer have much faith in tripping lines when I have tried using one to release an anchor it broke before shifting the anchor, I suspect it had yet again entangled itself in the cable anyway, motoring vigourously to and fro released the anchor on that occasion. The same year as I lost the anchor in Barn Pool I fouled its replacement off St Mawes. Determined not to also loose that one I buoyed it and returned with goggles and wetsuit a week later... I found one of the flukes had gone through the loop on top of a disused mooring sinker, probably the only obstruction in the whole of the bay!
 
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I've had a couple of dodgy experiences at Barn Pool.

Because the water is deep, you either anchor very close in or need a long scope, which is tricky if there are other boats around.

I have overnighted there and once awoke with my boat hitting another, fortunately my mate. We had anchored fairly well apart, but my boat had swung to the south of its anchor, his had swung north. You don't expect that to happen! Both were secure, but they weren't rotating in the normal way, something to do with the currents - there is a reverse eddy there sometimes. There wasn't much wind.

Another time I had an anchor further out and couldn't lift it. It wasn't stuck but it was lifting something heavy, which we couldn't get close to the surface, so it was probably an old power cable or chain. We buoyed the anchor line and came back later with another anchor and trip line to try to take the weight off the first anchor, but by then - a couple of hours - it had become free on its own. Possibly it freed when we finally let it go.

There often isn't much room for tripping lines, because other boats will swing over them.

Once I was part of a dinghy sailing group and we had streamed a line of dinghies on an anchor while we went ashore. A motor cruiser came along and set an anchor which dragged over ours. They dragged the dinghies into deep water, freed themselves and promptly left.

Still, it's a nice place for a lunch but I prefer to go to the south where it seems to hold better. For overnight I would perhaps go to north of Drakes Island, or Cawsand.

Best of luck!
 
Well we're into our third day here now and despite the less than perfect weather, it's actually been really pleasant. Perhaps the not so good weather has kept people away a bit, but there were 3 boats other than us overnighting last night.

I swam down to my anchor yesterday at low water to see what it was in. Took a few attempts as it was flippin deep (about 8m I think), a bit murky and got very dark down there which for some reason reduced how long I could hold my breath. Finally got stood on the bottom next to the anchor by hanging onto the tripping line - and took a photo of it with a cheap waterproof camera. Not really worth posting up as you can't make much out due to the murk, and the camera.

Upshot was it was layed slightly on its side, well dug in to the soft mud that was down there. I was surprised it was mud as we're quite far up the bay.

Anchor is currently located at:

50 21.383 N, 004 10.297 W

I think when we next come we'll go a little further south, and closer in.
 
Have I got you in the right place Captain Bob? Depends on how well I calibrated my Seaclear chart. The boat icon is where we spent a couple of nights July/Aug time.
barnpool.JPG
 
That's about spot on for the location of our anchor. I think it was a teeny bit further to the east. We swang right out to the outer limit of the anchorage area, and then around the top of the circle (circle around the anchor) until we were quite close to the beach at low water later afternoon yesterday.

We're back in Yacht Haven marina now though, because despite plans to stay until lunchtime today - it got so rolly at Barn Pool when the wind turned to the south that we decided to move. Went around to look at the Cremyll anchorage, but it seemed there were too many swing moorings for us to anchor there... so we came home.

Weighing anchor was no problem whatsoever. I used the swell to break it out of the mud. And up it came no problem.

Clyst asked me to post up the picture of the anchor on the bottom. Difficult to make it out - looks like something out of Lock Ness...

Can't make out how it's positioned in this one at all...

barnpoolbottom.jpg


This one's more obvious after a bit of inspection...

rocnabarnpool.jpg


Drawn over how it's laying in the previous one....

rocnabarnpooloutline.jpg
 
CaptainBob said:
Well we're into our third day here now and despite the less than perfect weather, it's actually been really pleasant. Perhaps the not so good weather has kept people away a bit, but there were 3 boats other than us overnighting last night.

I swam down to my anchor yesterday at low water to see what it was in. Took a few attempts as it was flippin deep (about 8m I think), a bit murky and got very dark down there which for some reason reduced how long I could hold my breath. Finally got stood on the bottom next to the anchor by hanging onto the tripping line - and took a photo of it with a cheap waterproof camera. Not really worth posting up as you can't make much out due to the murk, and the camera.

Upshot was it was layed slightly on its side, well dug in to the soft mud that was down there. I was surprised it was mud as we're quite far up the bay.

Anchor is currently located at:

50 21.383 N, 004 10.297 W

I think when we next come we'll go a little further south, and closer in.
Click to expand...

We passed Barn Pool about 7.15am on Sunday morning and saw four boats anchored there, so you must have been one of them. It looked very very peaceful, more so since we had just had an uncharacteristically rolly night off Cawsand.
We've spent many nights anchored in Barn Pool and, touch wood, haven't had a problem with fouling or messing with other vessels, apart from my very first visit when I think I might have dropped the hook on an anglers line.... The eddies do swirl around there at certain stages of the tide, and my preference is for just S of the centre of the bay, rather than the recommended (I think) North.
It's a magical place in the evening when you have it pretty much to yourself, and plenty of space in the Edgecumbe Country park for the children to run around in.
 
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Ha, small world. I probably saw you as I was up at that time. We've had a few rolly ones at Cawsand too. Nice to find an alternative for when it's wrapping up into Cawsand - and such a great place for the dog too.

Funnily I've just worked out what the top image is of - and why I couldn't work out what orientation the anchor was in - it's my wetsuited foot! :P Bloomin obvious now I've seen it.
 
We were one of the four boats anchored there on Saturday night (Aquador 23ht). We anchor there regularly and (so far) we haven't had any problems there, although we usually stay close to the shore.

CaptainBob, I think I caught you in this shot I took of the lifeboat.
 
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Were you the single yacht in there at 06.00hrs today? passed by on way to weir quay in the mist at 6 this morning & saw someone in there.
Gone to have my bottom cleaned :eek:
 
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