Blue Anchor Bay

[Yellow Ballad]

What are peoples thoughts on Blue Anchor Bay to sit out the tide? I'm planning on a longer trip later in the year. I'm down the boat Monday with the thought of a short hop to Cardiff but and from Newport it looks like an ideal place so was thinking about having a potter down.

I know if I left Cardiff early enough I could push out of the flood to the Mumbles or Oxwich but that means getting from Newport to Cardiff beforehand and having to sit out a tide anyway. From BAB I can get back to Cardiff on the flood, Watchet or Swansea if the weather turns.

Any thoughts or other suggestions?

Tom

 

[Snoopy463]

Blue Anchor Bay is great to sit out the tide. Did it myself a couple of weeks ago while waiting for the tide to rise enough to get into Watchet. Excellent holding with soft sticky mud, wouldn’t fancy it in a northerly though. I go right in to a 3m LW position waypointed on the chart plotter. Low water BAB, you can get back to Newport.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Great, I've been doing a bit of reading on here and the Watchet side sounds like the place to be, looking at the chart it says sand and rock bottom towards Minehead. The forecast looks a bit better for Monday now so I'll have a potter down with the tide and back up to Cardiff on the flood, (not sure I fancy a night at anchor on my tod just yet) back up to Newport Tuesday morning.

It does look an ideal stop before firing out to Lundy, round the corner or back across to out Milford Haven.

Is there much ashore?

 

[bitbaltic]

I don’t think I quite understand this. If you want to go to Cardiff and then further west why not go to Cardiff and sit out the tide there.

I’ve been several times to Blue Anchor the last time uncomfortably in fog. It is okay but not amazing for a small boat. Most people use it to wait for the tide at watchet.

Nothing wrong with pottering down there and back but what’s the point?

In settled weather and if neap tides I would keep going to Swansea Bay which should be just about doable, punchthe early flood provided you are past Hugo Bank etc.

If you want a later trip to say Milford Haven then Blue Anchor is totally off the rhumb line and not a good place to start from.

But i’m Not sure if you want a tide trip from Newport, to go to Cardiff at all, or advice on some later longer cruise to be honest.

Plus if you find yourself uncomfortable in blue anchor (strong wind from sw through to e) going to Swansea is going to be a bit difficult and Cardiff will feel very far way. It’s quite an open bay. Watchet is the realistic option.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

It's just options really, Cardiff is the easy (and regular) go to place, but from getting to the outer wrach to Mermaid quay is a good hour with getting through the lock and the same to get out. I know you can anchor off Penarth but it's only a few hours to get there (bearing in mind I need to get off the mooring whilst I have water). Barry is the next logical option but anchoring in the fairway then rafting to a club boat sounds like a pain. I don't think it's possible to get to Swansea (Mumbles or Oxwich) from Newport and if it is it'll be a slog (?) without stopping at Cardiff. Blue Water Bay looks like a nice lazy tack (with a Westerly, which lets face it is guaranteed) out of Newport and 6 hours later at the bottom of the tide anchor food and a kip before heading onwards or not anchoring and turning back to Newport or Cardiff or as you say diving into Watchet if it gets bad (decent weather forecasts?).

It'll just be nice to get a good day sailing in, whether it's to turn back on the flood or carry on down channel after a rest. I can't really see where else the ebb would take you from Newport without stopping short or punching the tide. BWB seems to open up options for either the next flood or ebb.

I suppose I'll only really know by trying it, it does look an open bay but if holding is good it's only down to if I can deal with the movement. I would be interested in other suggestions though that wouldn't involve a slog.

 

[steveej]

If the wind has south in it there are plenty of bays on the North Devon coast where you can anchor. I have used Blue anchor when leaving Watchet to get back to Cardiff. Leave watchet just before the gate closes and go and sit at anchor for a couple of hours before catching the flood back up to Cardiff.

If the wind has north in it then the Welsh coast should be better. I have anchored a lot off Newton Point in Porthcawl, tucked in just behind Tusker rock.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Blue Anchor Bay is great to sit out the tide. Did it myself a couple of weeks ago while waiting for the tide to rise enough to get into Watchet. Excellent holding with soft sticky mud, wouldn’t fancy it in a northerly though. I go right in to a 3m LW position waypointed on the chart plotter. Low water BAB, you can get back to Newport.

+1

Used it many times to get wait for tide to take me back up to Watchet. Can roll but the holding is so bomber we slept like logs one F6/7 night. Only been ashore once as not much there except for the Blue Anchor Inn which is sadly disappointing, and you will get muddy dragging your dinghy across the boulders. Makes a better walk from Watchet than a row from mid-bay

 

[bitbaltic]

Note nobody has suggested going to blue anchor as other than to (and in one example a bit oddly from) watchet. It’s not a staging post for anywhere else

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Note nobody has suggested going to blue anchor as other than to (and in one example a bit oddly from) watchet. It’s not a staging post for anywhere else

Well it makes good sense if going up channel from Watchet to drop out at high water to Blue Anchor then later pickup full rise to Portishead or Bristol. Coming down from Weston on a late evening tide it made a very handing overnight stop off before trundling to Ilfracombe or even Lundy, and when I was in the River Avon it was about as far as I could get before tide turned and the anchorage off Minehead whitemark is hardly very secure for overnight.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Thanks all, I didn't make it down to BAB as I had 30kts on the nose and dipped into Cardiff (It would have made it a long day going down and back up again on my tod), I did manage to try out the Navik which was bloody brilliant!

Cheers Old Man for the info on the shore side as well. Newton Point looks interesting but I would probably crap myself having Tusker and Fairy rock close by, I'm not sure I could get there from Newport on one tide it might be a bit of a panic at the end to get through the Nash passage?! Like I say it's all just options and picking up knowledge. Barry would be the ideal "staging post" as it's just that bit further round then Cardiff...

 

[bitbaltic]

If you come down on the ebb then Newton point doesn’t look great to me, exposed unless wind is north of west and the shelter dries (a bit of a problem at low water) don’t know it though and haven’t tried so I bow to experience.

Nash passage isn’t the terror it’s cracked up to be. You are through it very fast in settled weather and if coming from the east you can always chicken out. Wouldn’t consider it if a swell running in and/or much more than a bottom 4 blowing.

Think you did well to get to Cardiff (or offmooring at all) in 30kn though

This thread rather illustrates the difficulties of the inner channel, you need a lot of gods aligned to avoid going in triangles from Cardiff to Portishead to Watchet for the entirety of your sailing life

 

[steveej]

If you come down on the ebb then Newton point doesn’t look great to me, exposed unless wind is north of west and the shelter dries (a bit of a problem at low water) don’t know it though and haven’t tried so I bow to experience.

Nash passage isn’t the terror it’s cracked up to be. You are through it very fast in settled weather and if coming from the east you can always chicken out. Wouldn’t consider it if a swell running in and/or much more than a bottom 4 blowing.

Think you did well to get to Cardiff (or offmooring at all) in 30kn though

This thread rather illustrates the difficulties of the inner channel, you need a lot of gods aligned to avoid going in triangles from Cardiff to Portishead to Watchet for the entirety of your sailing life

Newton point is an easy 4 - 4.5 hours from Cardiff on a Spring ebb. The advantage is that when you get there, you can see tusker rock which makes it easy to miss it.

Yes the wind needs North in it. If the wind has any south in it I would be going to Devon.

I have done it many times waiting to get into Porthcawl.

The only issue with it is you can sometimes get Katabatic winds coming down from the Ogmore river valley which makes the boat yaw about. If this happens, stick your kedge to windward off the dinghy.

It doesn't dry, there is a shallow patch just to the south with a couple of metres chart datum.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Think you did well to get to Cardiff (or offmooring at all) in 30kn though

It was apparent and on the nose so although I was seeing 32 quite a bit I imagine true wind was mid 20s. There's a big lump of lead on the bottom and I can reef accordingly so going out in a bit of a blow, especially when the sun is out doesn't worry me. Getting off the mooring was fine, they're pretty sheltered, it was getting a bolt rope main and a hank on genoa up in the river without an autohelm that was the worst part of it. It was a cracking sail though, one of the best so far. I suppose I should have ran down to BAB to see how rough it was but I doubt I would have got back to Cardiff till dark.

Steve, adding another 2.5 hours from Newport I would worry about pushing against the tide through Nash Passage if we were running late as the tide turned, it does sound interesting though to visit, one to add to the list. Did you ever find out the depths of Porthcawl Harbour?

 

[steveej]

It was apparent and on the nose so although I was seeing 32 quite a bit I imagine true wind was mid 20s. There's a big lump of lead on the bottom and I can reef accordingly so going out in a bit of a blow, especially when the sun is out doesn't worry me. Getting off the mooring was fine, they're pretty sheltered, it was getting a bolt rope main and a hank on genoa up in the river without an autohelm that was the worst part of it. It was a cracking sail though, one of the best so far. I suppose I should have ran down to BAB to see how rough it was but I doubt I would have got back to Cardiff till dark.

Steve, adding another 2.5 hours from Newport I would worry about pushing against the tide through Nash Passage if we were running late as the tide turned, it does sound interesting though to visit, one to add to the list. Did you ever find out the depths of Porthcawl Harbour?

I was doing it in a 22ft boat. So yours should more than make up the time.

Porthcawl Marina has least depths of 1.4 to 1.5M! which is why our new boat will be either a bilge keeler, shallow draught, or lifting keel.

 

[Molteni]

We're anchored at BAB right now. There's a bit of rocking but the holding is solid.
Will make for Portishead tomorrow morning LW at 0930.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

Fantastic, if you can grab some pics and post them for a reference that would be great.

 

[Molteni]

A bit shaky but here we go And yes, we did sort out the halyard racket soon afterwards!

We arrived early evening, and the almost still conditions turned to a 17 knot howler for an hour before returning to stay calm for the night.

 

[Snifter]

I do agree with bitbaltic about the inner channel triangle!
We have just returned from 10 days from Thornbury SC to Cardiff, then Watchet, Oxwich Bay, Swansea, Portishead and back to TSC.
The wind went from NE to SW as we left Oldbury, so we stayed a couple of days in Cardiff, 4 in Watchet, and it stayed on the nose so we went to the Gower rather than Ilfracombe and Lundy. Murk and drizzle down to Oxwich, but the pleasure of finding the Matthew doing some film work and the great sail down Channel more than made up for it.
On the way back up through the Nash Passage the wind went back on the nose, so a beat up to Portishead and then home.
The gods had not got everything aligned, but an enjoyable shakedown cruise.

 

[Yellow Ballad]

I do agree with bitbaltic about the inner channel triangle!

Every sailing ground has it's usual go to spots, I'm sure there's boats that never leave Milford Haven and only go up and down the river or people that potter around the Solent. It's just down to people's commitments and sailing preferences, I really enjoy working with the tides.

Molteni, thants for the clip, always nice to see what it's like.

 

[bitbaltic]

Most YBW skippers only potter up and down the Solent.

The east Solent, it’s PBO reader to reader.

The West Solent, its Scuttlebut.

I’m surprised there isn’t a round the back of the island forum called ‘here be dragons’