Escaping the Solent, sans trailer at last. All grown up or first real steps...

I'd say a great first trip given your experience and boat size would be Studland Bay as has already been mentioned. Sure, it can get quite busy, but you can nose in close in your boat, and it's a very easy place to anchor with very little tide indeed. Do heed the warnings about not staying there in an easterly though, but you can always bolt for Poole if needed.

Although it can be busy in terms of numbers, it tends to stay very quiet in terms of noise, and even with nearly 100 yachts in there it does not feel crowded as such...it's a big place remember! We've had some truly magical nights at anchor there...one evening the whole bay erupted into spontaneous applause from all the anchored yachts Ibiza style after a particularly jaw dropping sunset over the cliffs. .Jo's beach cafe is lovely, and the Bankes' Arms is a decent enough pub with good beer and a cliff top beer garden where you can see your boat from. Ditto cliff top walks out to Old Harry

In fact, we once had a couple of nights in Studland, decided we needed to head for Poole for milk and showers, but found the place so claustrophobic we immediately changed our minds on arrival. We explained to the marina we'd booked into we'd changed our mind...they very kindly said "showers are there...fill your boots...grab your milk and crack on back to Studland...no charge sir".

However the Needles, Bridge area and open feeling of Christchurch Bay will give you the feeling that you have actually gone somewhere...even if you can effectively eyeball the whole trip. Just watch the Shingles as has been pointed out.
 
reading all your posts really brings it home, after all this time Karen and I are finally getting out there, it is going to be so much fun to explore beyond the confines of our beloved Solent. Camping in a dinghy is fun, but it's more a battling the elements, setting up camp experience, than doling out and anchor and relaxing affair. We are looking forward to doling out the anchor and relaxing. :encouragement:
 
solent clown said:
reading all your posts really brings it home, after all this time Karen and I are finally getting out there, it is going to be so much fun to explore beyond the confines of our beloved Solent. Camping in a dinghy is fun, but it's more a battling the elements, setting up camp experience, than doling out and anchor and relaxing affair. We are looking forward to doling out the anchor and relaxing. :encouragement:
Click to expand...

Ah you haven’t had the joys of a night aboard with a nicely set anchor. Apart from the tide turning, the slap of water from an odd angle, an engine sound that you think is coming close, a few big gusts of wind that die before you get your head out of the hatch to check, and those wonderful dawns alone in the cockpit where you have given up on sleep, boiled the kettle and thought you might as well get up and read a book on anchor watch.
 
solent clown said:
Andy, Sailing up to Wareham never occurred to me before, what a capital idea.
Click to expand...
If you get to Wareham, tie up close to the bridge, the down river end of the quay is used by the trip boats.
If you don't quite get that far, you can go onto Ridge Wharf pontoon or arrange an overnight at Redcliff YC and walk along side the river into town.
Look on my site for Poole tides.
 
It was with much anticipation we opened our newly delivered bunch of Imray charts last night, particularly interested to look at Poole Harbour and Wareham. For those of you familiar with Imray charts they are typically printed on a single large sheet, with insets in larger scale of areas of important/harbours etc.
This chart has insets for many areas, but not Poole harbour. I guess that a more detailed inset of that size would have required to much space. There is another chart to buy just for the harbour. What does seem odd though, is that there is not a single depth figure, the only details being the Middle Ship channel, an South deep.
I guess the chart would have become too crowded?
 
solent clown said:
It was with much anticipation we opened our newly delivered bunch of Imray charts last night, particularly interested to look at Poole Harbour and Wareham. For those of you familiar with Imray charts they are typically printed on a single large sheet, with insets in larger scale of areas of important/harbours etc.
This chart has insets for many areas, but not Poole harbour. I guess that a more detailed inset of that size would have required to much space. There is another chart to buy just for the harbour. What does seem odd though, is that there is not a single depth figure, the only details being the Middle Ship channel, an South deep.
I guess the chart would have become too crowded?
Click to expand...

That sounds very odd to me; and you need your depthsounder on anyway.

The important bit to get right is the shallow entrance to the River Frome for which one needs a tide table - after that it's pretty safe to assume a 1 metre + depth to Redcliffe YC, after that it can get pretty shallow at LW, especially by the bridge and quay - but one can hand a boat alongside the bridge if having to get out from a raft of boats, the current keeps one away from the bridge.
 
solent clown said:
It was with much anticipation we opened our newly delivered bunch of Imray charts last night, particularly interested to look at Poole Harbour and Wareham. For those of you familiar with Imray charts they are typically printed on a single large sheet, with insets in larger scale of areas of important/harbours etc.
This chart has insets for many areas, but not Poole harbour. I guess that a more detailed inset of that size would have required to much space. There is another chart to buy just for the harbour. What does seem odd though, is that there is not a single depth figure, the only details being the Middle Ship channel, an South deep.
I guess the chart would have become too crowded?
Click to expand...

Yes, there is a dedicated Poole Harbour chart (Y23) covering both the harbour and approaches. If you are going to explore the harbour it is essential, but bear in mind it is a busy place so all the main channels are extremely well marked right up to the entrance to the Frome. However be aware that the withies marking the minor channels are often on the mud bank so don't take liberties. With a boat of your draft you can easily use all the minor channels and in many cases except a couple of hours either side of low water you can go outside the channels, at least in the lower reaches of the harbour.

The biggest challenge in the harbour is getting through the entrance. Coming from the Solent you can use either East Looe, close to the Sandbank shore or usee the main channel from the south. East Looe is much quicker and more chance of doing it under just sail given the prevailing wind. Aim to arrive at low water then you will not have to fight the strong currents at the Haven. There is (relatively) plenty of water over the bar - I get over with my 1.5m draft at low water springs and the channel is well marked. The alternative is to head for Fairway buoy at the south end of the main Swash channel and if early when the tide is ebbing anchor in Studland to wait for the flood to take you into the harbour. The channel is deep water and there is a small ship channel to the west of the deep water part. Once inside you have a choice of ways to go, but if the aim is the quay, PYC marina or Wareham then use the Middle Channel.

All well covered in the Shell Channel Pilot.
 
Solent Clown - a couple of years ago we were in the same position, wanting to branch out from the Solent and do something on a 14-day break. The advice I got on here was superb (as I can see above) "Don't push yourself or the crew because if you do they won't go again!". We watered our plans (ok.. I watered my dubious plans) down until we had something that was achievable and reasonably stress free.

We ventured out of the Solent, down past the terror(?) of St Albans Head and into Weymouth, stopped on the quay for a couple nights and then struck off to Lyme Regis via the inshore route around the Bill, Brixham and then into Salcombe where we stopped on the "Bag Pontoon" for 5 days (they had a special rate going) and then did the passage back to Yarmouth in a little over 24 hours with the crew experiencing their first night passage, which my wife agrees was most memorable for all the right reasons - watching the sun come down, watching for fishing boats heading home to Brixham half way across Lyme Bay and passing the Bill Lighthouse way offshore.

Plenty of time ashore for the crew, enough sailing time for me and plenty of scope to learn more navigation and pilotage stuff in real life. The only thing that caught us out (mainly as I'd relaxed a bit by this point) was the slightly rough water off Start Point which was negated by the dolphins who came out to say hello - something we'll never forget (common for cruisers but for us as newbies - wonderful).

The first time across Lyme Bay to Lyme Regis was fun, downwind all the way until we got to the harbour and realised that the wind direction wasn't ideal for the entrance - the sight of my daughter (11 at the time) gamely steering us into wind whilst I whizzed the sails down on the cabin roof - with the bows diving into the oncoming breaking waves - will stay with me forever. She'd spotted the beach from the cockpit and nothing was going to stop us from berthing so she could go and have fun! It was both a learning experience and a holiday for us all.

The only thing I could offer to complement the advice above, is to check in several places for information - don't rely on one single source.
 
I enjoyed your post there was some thing special about my first voyage with my son an daughter when they were 9 and 11
 
RupertW said:
Ah you haven’t had the joys of a night aboard with a nicely set anchor. Apart from the tide turning, the slap of water from an odd angle, an engine sound that you think is coming close, a few big gusts of wind that die before you get your head out of the hatch to check, and those wonderful dawns alone in the cockpit where you have given up on sleep, boiled the kettle and thought you might as well get up and read a book on anchor watch.
Click to expand...

wonderful, can't wait:encouragement:
 
Tranona said:
Yes, there is a dedicated Poole Harbour chart (Y23) covering both the harbour and approaches. If you are going to explore the harbour it is essential, but bear in mind it is a busy place so all the main channels are extremely well marked right up to the entrance to the Frome. However be aware that the withies marking the minor channels are often on the mud bank so don't take liberties. With a boat of your draft you can easily use all the minor channels and in many cases except a couple of hours either side of low water you can go outside the channels, at least in the lower reaches of the harbour.

The biggest challenge in the harbour is getting through the entrance. Coming from the Solent you can use either East Looe, close to the Sandbank shore or usee the main channel from the south. East Looe is much quicker and more chance of doing it under just sail given the prevailing wind. Aim to arrive at low water then you will not have to fight the strong currents at the Haven. There is (relatively) plenty of water over the bar - I get over with my 1.5m draft at low water springs and the channel is well marked. The alternative is to head for Fairway buoy at the south end of the main Swash channel and if early when the tide is ebbing anchor in Studland to wait for the flood to take you into the harbour. The channel is deep water and there is a small ship channel to the west of the deep water part. Once inside you have a choice of ways to go, but if the aim is the quay, PYC marina or Wareham then use the Middle Channel.

All well covered in the Shell Channel Pilot.
Click to expand...

chart ordered. just under sail suits our dinghy sensibilities, but it is lovely to know there is an engine under there
 
It's quite a long way and tide for a Trident to make it to Wareham in one tide from the Solent even from somewhere handy like a buoy in Lymington roads, which is why I suggested South Deep as a first stop.

Also ensure you have enough fuel, at least to make it back to the marina opposite Poole Town Quay; it's a mainly motoring job along the river.
 
Last edited:
Seajet said:
It's quite a long way and tide for a Trident to make it to Wareham in one tide from the Solent even from somewhere handy like a buoy in Lymington roads, which is why I suggested South Deep as a first stop.

Also ensure you have enough fuel, at least to make it back to the marina opposite Poole Town Quay; it's a mainly motoring job along the river.
Click to expand...

Andy, funnily enough I was going to ask you about that. it is a strange jump from a night or two away under the stars in a dinghy to striking out and needing to stay floating as it were. In a dinghy or small yacht we hopped about with not too much care about depth or to some degree tide, it was all about weather we could handle. This bigger boat stuff is more "luxurious" but offers up a whole new load of fun challenges with planning and execution, and of course, plan B and C. Fascinating and engaging
 
solent clown said:
Andy, funnily enough I was going to ask you about that. it is a strange jump from a night or two away under the stars in a dinghy to striking out and needing to stay floating as it were. In a dinghy or small yacht we hopped about with not too much care about depth or to some degree tide, it was all about weather we could handle. This bigger boat stuff is more "luxurious" but offers up a whole new load of fun challenges with planning and execution, and of course, plan B and C. Fascinating and engaging
Click to expand...

Another Top Tip; always go behind the ferries and chain ferry, and make it obvious you intend to do so !

A
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top