Beaching Experience & Locations etc

PeteLivez

PeteLivez

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Hi All,

I am based in Tollesbury with a Cornish Crabber 22.

Has anyone got any experience with beaching in the area?
I would like to try it later in the year, just for the hell of it and maybe the opportunity for a scrub etc.
 
The favourite place for the fishing boats used to be the shram hill beyond Shinglehead Point. It isn't as high as it was back in the day before the seawall breach below Great Downs turned the South Channel into a virtual oxbow lake, but it's still the nearest place with firm ground. Check it out from Shinglehead Point at low water. It's where the port hand mark named 'Mouse' is.

Another idea might be the relocated Harwich Harbour dredgings on Old Hall Point, but I've no knowledge of how steep to that is. I noticed from your film of the stranded ketch that you've been out along the Old Hall shore, so were you able to get a decent view of the new shingle bank there?
 
Have never tried but Osea Island could be Ok. Not sure if the owners may suggest privacy rights. One might move further up river to Mill Beach. Others might suggest if there is any any point/chance of beaching there.
Nothing to stop one beaching to the west end St Lawrence bay & keeping nearer the shore to avoid the mud at lower tide. Nice & flat No rocks etc to catch one out. One word of warning- The moorings are all private & not meant for visitors.
Depends how near you want to be to Tollesbury
 
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There is also the Hard at West Mersea opposite the old lifeboat house and down to the scrubbing posts. That's a big area and pretty clean towards the top. Tide height calcs essential of course.
I would imagine a Crabber would dry out lovely with some beaching legs? Good access to everything bar the bottom of the keel...
If drying on a shingle bank I would assume lying uphill so only access to one side per tide.
 
East Mersea stone is the steepest beach I can think of, also Stone Point, though there is quite a large area around there to dry out on. A lot of people have dried out on Thirslet Spit, though not as far as I know intentionally.
 
johnalison said:
East Mersea stone is the steepest beach I can think of, also Stone Point, though there is quite a large area around there to dry out on. A lot of people have dried out on Thirslet Spit, though not as far as I know intentionally.
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I wouldn't try it myself (fin keel!) but I guess that at Stone Point, you'd beach on the NW side of the point? That looks fairly gently shelving there, with sand a long way out. I know (from having seen another yacht that anchored too close in) that there's a fairly sharp boundary between sand and black mud on the Walton Channel side!
 
AntarcticPilot said:
I wouldn't try it myself (fin keel!) but I guess that at Stone Point, you'd beach on the NW side of the point? That looks fairly gently shelving there, with sand a long way out. I know (from having seen another yacht that anchored too close in) that there's a fairly sharp boundary between sand and black mud on the Walton Channel side!
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Many years ago I careened our Cirrus at Stone Point, where it was steep enough to make it fairly easy. The area has changed enormously since then but I think there is still a steep section where the channel scours it, but I have't landed there lately.
 
johnalison said:
Many years ago I careened our Cirrus at Stone Point, where it was steep enough to make it fairly easy. The area has changed enormously since then but I think there is still a steep section where the channel scours it, but I have't landed there lately.
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I assume you mean stone point at the entrance to Walton channel. Be careful as lately some of that sand is very steep to and you will run the risk of your boat sliding down the sand as to tide ebbs.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
Plum said:
I assume you mean stone point at the entrance to Walton channel. Be careful as lately some of that sand is very steep to and you will run the risk of your boat sliding down the sand as to tide ebbs.

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
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I have no intention of repeating the exercise, but looking at the old photo it seems that I avoided the steeper bit anyway.
n117.jpg
 
Johnalison's photo reminds me of happy times at Stone point with my parents on their Liz 23, we laid onto the bank to scrub off near there & it was fine. The sand changed to mud there quite abruptly & was deep & soft. One day we were having breakfast prior to leaving on the tide & just near that muddy bit was a Kestrel 22 with family of 4 aboard plus of all things an Afghan hound , as we watched the hound managed to get out of the half open hatch went to the back of the boat & leapt into the dinghy, the stern of the dinghy was just touching the mud. The dog jumped from the dinghy & landed in the water & waded up the mud. It then went berserk for some time rolling in dead things, covering itself in more mud, then it went back to the boat, by now the dinghy was sitting on the mud & the stern of the Kestrel was very close. This meant the hound was able to get back aboard, we were getting the anchor up it slipped back into the hatch & the chaos began.
 
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