Bembridge

[Stemar]

I like Bembridge, but I don't want to buy the pontoon. The beach to the south of the entrance looked to have quite a slope when I was last there and I like a level bed at night (picky, I know!).

Someone I was talking to said they anchored outside the harbour in westerly winds, which sounds like a nice idea. Has anyone else done this?

 

[rwoofer]

I spent a night anchored by the Redwing moorings. It was surprisingly rolly, but since I've only done it once, I can't say whether I was unlucky or there is a way for swell to get around. I imagine a number of other forumites have spent the night in Priory Bay which would experience the same conditions.

 

[VicS]

Priory bay I quess you mean. I understand it is possble to get in behind a bit of a sand bank with care.

 

[shmoo]

Go here http://www.woodbridgecruisingclub.co.uk/anchorages.php and about half way down the list you will find an entry "Off Bembridge and Whitecliff Bay" with accounts of anchoring off Bembridge. May be useful/interesting.

 

[xcw]

I often go to Priory Bay, it is normally rolly and I wouldn't want to spend the night there. It's also quite shallow so not possible to get very close in unless you can dry out. A great beach for BBQ/swim. Holding is patchy - quite a lot of weed.

 

[BlueChip]

We often anchor is Whitecliff Bay, its close by the large white cliff just on the East tip of the IOW. Shelter in a SW is better than Priory Bay, its less crowded and you can tuck in much closer to the beach. From the Solent you do need to go right round Bembridge Ledge but its handy from the South or East or while waiting for the tide

 

[rwoofer]

Personally I've found Whitecliff bay just as bad with the swell.

You may have been lucky, but it is quite exposed which means if there is any swell about it will usually find a way in there.

 

[Stemar]

Thanks everyone.

The http://www.woodbridgecruisingclub.co.uk/anchorages.php link looks very useful - I'll bookmark it for future reference.

Looking at the chartlet, I think the person I was talking to meant just N of the harbout entrance. The channel runs roughly N-S parallel to the beach, and I think he meant that he anchored between the beach and the channel and dried out.

Another possibility might be on the other side of the entrance, off the beach that runs roughtly W-E between the entrance and the rocks.

I may well go over there and anchor on the beach inside the harbour this weekend to recce on foot before committing Jissel to an unkown drying anchorage.

 

[BlueChip]

[ QUOTE ]
Personally I've found Whitecliff bay just as bad with the swell.

You may have been lucky, but it is quite exposed which means if there is any swell about it will usually find a way in there.

[/ QUOTE ]

Its pretty well sheltered from the West & SW by the cliffs, but from the North to SE it is exposed. The swell at Priory Bay is often caused by shipping and you dont seem to suffer that as much at Whitecliffe Bay. I find that if you get close inshore you can often get out of any swell that does exist. There is a bunch of drying rocks on the south end of the bay that provide a breakwater of sorts. I've overnighted there a few times and many times for a lunch stop but only had to leave once because of conditions.

 

[oldharry]

[ QUOTE ]
Priory bay I quess you mean. I understand it is possble to get in behind a bit of a sand bank with care.

[/ QUOTE ] If you have a shoal draft boat there is quite a sheltered area that dries at LW close inshore at Priory Bay behind a sand bank. Enter near the rocks at the North end between Priory and Seaview and there is a blind channel running to the SE end with between 6 and 8 feet of water at HW springs.

Once the bank covers it gives no shelter at all from shipwash and the chop that always exists when the tide is running - presumably due to the rocky bottom between Priory and Bembridge, but with morning and evening tides, its a good spot to dry out for a quiet night. The bottom has weedy patches, so a little care is needed to find an area of clean sand to drop the hook.

 

[davies]

We've spent many peaceful nights in Priory Bay - cook a good dinner, share a bottle of wine, sit in the cockpit with a glass of malt before turning in - you'll never notice any wash from passing ships. Vastly better than the expense, noise and crowds in Bembridge.