Beaching spots for lifting keel boat - IoW

[Surcouf]

Thank you very much all for your valuable advice. Bembridge sounds like a great option. I am sailing out of Itchenor, so East Head could also be a good way to start.
Have a good bank holiday weekend, hopefully on the water.

 

[ashtead]

You can also bump on the sand at Priory Bay although I have seen small yachts /cats beached there enjoying a barbecue on beach although word has it that the new owners of priory hotel not as welcoming as the previous soup entrepreneur to visitors to his shores. I would avoid ryde sands as said , loads of places you can dry out on medina I guess but if you know east head you will find Bembridge very quiet. I know the harbour well so just watch out for large mobo trying to hog the centre of channel plus the dinghies etc. we are booked in to Bembridge marina at end of may and it is peaceful once inside plus a canoe makes a great way to explore harbour .

 

[FairweatherDave]

Bembridge is the perfect distance from Itchenor for a moderate day sail and the beach for drying out is good. However in case you are very much at the newbie end of drying out Bembridge can be a little awkward - (my wife hates it) - this dropping a kedge anchor is an essential part of drying out there, whether you do it on your final approach or afterwards from a dinghy or SUP once you have driven into the beach and let the tide drop a fraction. You will get a good minimal angle for drying out if you heed Seumask's advice and get towards the yacht club end of the little channel. East Head is a much bigger target, easier for a newbie as no kedge required ....it is flatter towards the Snow Hill Creek end. A little swell can curl in to the East Head anchorage and it is exposed (best avoided) in Northerlies, but for drying out with kids it is the best. A lot depends on wind direction too, the channel into Bembridge is windy and shallow and fun but beware strong Easterlies there. Apologies if you know all this

 

[Chiara’s slave]

I recall our kids loving the crabs at East Head.

 

[alahol2]

I recall our kids loving the crabs at East Head.

Our favoured anchorage/drying spot was always Pilsey Island, you just have to choose the sandy bit. Rockpooling on the spit by the southerly beacon was one of our kids favourites. Much quieter than East Head.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Our favoured anchorage/drying spot was always Pilsey Island, you just have to choose the sandy bit. Rockpooling on the spit by the southerly beacon was one of our kids favourites. Much quieter than East Head.

Pilsey is top secret (shhhhhh). However our first night afloat ever in our Wayfarer we naievely thought East Head would be peaceful ....it was very busy so we went to Pilsey instead. We didn't dry out as we weren't sure of the ground and really knew nothing anyhow (still don't ). There were a couple of other boats anchored. All of a sudden there was a scream and a crash as a boat toppled over! Either a bilge keeler had parked one keel on a post and then the boat shifted as the boat dried or it had slipped one keel into some sort of rut. Or the keel had fallen off. It was very dramatic and we suspect the woman below was cooking and might have got nasty burns if not just a nasty shock. The rest of the family had been ashore. So there is a line of submerged posts at Pilsey and you do need to know where they are. But to the OP, do look at alahol2's link to Follow the tightwad sailor, brilliant info all round the Solent.