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

lw395 said:
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I've never taken a yacht into Little'Ampton, AKA LA, but have raced dinghies there. The tide can flow out quite strongly even when it's rising! Water coming down the river.

Langstone Harbour is the forgotten option, you can anchor and watch the terns or something. Lots of mud and few facilities but peace and quiet. Just be aware that dredgers use the channel.
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We once had a mooring in Sinah in Langstone and it was lovely. Very peaceful.
Lots of nice places westwards, I totally agree, but East Head in Chichester harbour is a low-key place to anchor. Nothing there but sand dunes (that's a plus point, not a negative) but can busy with yots.

Littlehampton could be worth considering if the wind doesn't take you west or you want a different adventure: If there be dragons west of Portland, bear in mind the yot-grinding rocks and precipitous waves off Selsey guarding the eastern Solent exit*.

The Arun is not scary if you keep to an hour-ish either side of HW, otherwise you need a good 6 knots of engine speed and steady nerves or beta-blockers. Lots of boats go in and out every week and hardly any sink. A bus or short train ride up to Arundel gives you more antiques than you can shake a candlestick, at as well as the castle & grounds including a sculpture garden, plus eateries of varying quality and expense (not necessarily linked). Littlehampton has a couple of decent-ish restaurants near the river and the Arun yacht club does reasonable food and probably has a berth available, which is quieter than the town side although that's pretty quiet too.

If you ever make it over here, I'll buy you a pint at the yacht club.

*The Looe channel is significantly more manageable now with GPS to mark the narrow passage, providing the weather is benign. Otherwise a bit of a detour out round The Owers adds maybe two hours
 
I very much enjoyed Weymouth, great pubs, great music scene, very much a real town and not a yottie place if you know what I mean. Salcombe, on the other hand, I wouldn't dare go near in the summer. Pretty spot right enough but it's an uberyottie spot, and a very upmarket twee little village, albeit with some good pubs. The mooring must be just mental in the summer though, not to mention expensive.
 
Two quick comments. Salcombe is much improved price wise and can be busy but there are plenty of places to anchor. (They’ll still charge you harbour dues and watch out for the sea grass ‘no anchoring’ areas. ) Go there once and make up your own mind about the twee yachtiness? It’s very popular for a reason.

If you raft up to another boat, the poster forgot to mention that you should try to ensure your mast and spreaders are not in line. (So they don’t clash if you both start rolling from some passing wash etc).
 
Go For Poole - no doubt about it, this is a gold plated harbour to visit !

I'd definitely avoid Christchurch, I've seen the ebb tide there throw a scaffolding plank 20' in the air and it's very shallow...

Ditto Lulworth or Chapman's Pool, traps if a swell builds up, dodgy to find somewhere safe to anchor / find a mooring and can get crowded, not places to stay the night - best left for another time.

Watch out for lobster pots off Hengistbury Head, on Christchurch Ledge; I aim offshore towards Anvil Point then come in from the south.

Beware the exit / entrance to the Solent, Hurst Narrows is not to be messed with ! I normally go sharp to starboard and use the North Channel, keeping an eye on the tide sweeping south over the Shingles ( you can hear it ! ) before the turning point at the green North Head buoy comes into view.

It's a lovely trip and nothing to it in calm weather.

In Poole, soon after the entrance go to port into South Deep - you'll need your sounder switched on and a chart handy - it's the most glorious quiet anchorage in the world, but you have to be self sufficient, nowhere to land by dinghy.

Then it would be foolish not to go up the River Frome to Wareham - Redcliffe Yacht Club is incredibly friendly but can get full up on the moorings 01929 551227 and a short lovely walk to the town ( lots of good pubs for food - unlike Poole - and a good chippie ) - or go to the town quay, your draft would be fine but you'll probably be rafted out and there is a time limit on stays, last I knew 48 hours.

You'll need a local tide table with you - probably a googled print out - due to the weird double tides.

One of the most beautiful trips in the world IMHO.
 
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john_morris_uk said:
Two quick comments. Salcombe is much improved price wise and can be busy but there are plenty of places to anchor. (They’ll still charge you harbour dues and watch out for the sea grass ‘no anchoring’ areas. ) Go there once and make up your own mind about the twee yachtiness? It’s very popular for a reason.

If you raft up to another boat, the poster forgot to mention that you should try to ensure your mast and spreaders are not in line. (So they don’t clash if you both start rolling from some passing wash etc).
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Haven't been there for 20 years, but the locals were unpleasant and just wanted our money. Paying through the nose and not even a saccharin smile. Maybe they've upped their game now.
 
If you're looking at Salcombe, the Dart and places West then you're looking at a significant trip. In fact anywhere west of Weymouth is a week's cruise. Once you've coasted along to Weymouth and back, it's a short stretch to cross the channel. Allow 14 hours for Yarmouth-Cherbourg. A long weekend is great as you'll have a complete free day to guzzle Fruits de mer and stock up on cheap french wine (that's cheap c/w UK prices). Once in Cherbourg you have access to St Vaast, Ouistram, Honfleuer, etc to the East and the Channel Islands/St Malo to the west for a longer trip. The first crossing is always the hardest , is it's often helpful to do in in company. I crossed many times in other peoples boats before buying my own so I knew what to expect. After cooking , offering to navigate is always acceptable.
 
mogmog2 said:
Haven't been there for 20 years, but the locals were unpleasant and just wanted our money. Paying through the nose and not even a saccharin smile. Maybe they've upped their game now.
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Was there a couple of years ago in August ( the joys of school age children.)

Couldn't fault the HM staff - be they in the boats or in the office.

Had a choice of buoys to pick up and whilst we were rafted that was fairly rare. As John Morris said - plenty of room for anchoring and not many doing it.


Neighbours sharing our buoy used the water taxi and said it was excellent - we dinghied ashore - nice clean pontoons, room to leave the tender and lifejacket lockers.


HM showers were a little ropey but nice ones at the YC and lovely view from outside there whilst having a pint. Good mix of pubs, eateries but limited food shopping.

We ended up staying for 5 days and dinghied up to Kingsbridge where there is large supermarket.


Very much plan to go back.

However for OP I think it's too far for a first trip in a 24 footer. Boat can definitely do it but stay local first.
 
Regarding Poole - If there is any North in the wind and your draft allows then Blood Alley on the South side of Brownsea Island makes and excellent anchorage. We used it regularly in a bilge keeler with 1.2m draft.
 
Topcat47 said:
If you're looking at Salcombe, the Dart and places West then you're looking at a significant trip. In fact anywhere west of Weymouth is a week's cruise. Once you've coasted along to Weymouth and back, it's a short stretch to cross the channel. .
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I don't think that this is advice that solentclown is likely to heed in his first season with a 24-footer and the need to stow children somewhere.
 
johnalison said:
I don't think that this is advice that solentclown is likely to heed in his first season with a 24-footer and the need to stow children somewhere.
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Channel crossing,tempted, but no, not experienced enough yet. Fortunately the teenage kids show no interest at all in anything beyond a day sail though, so the boat will be ours alone for adventures :encouragement:
 
Topcat47 said:
If you're looking at Salcombe, the Dart and places West then you're looking at a significant trip. In fact anywhere west of Weymouth is a week's cruise. Once you've coasted along to Weymouth and back, it's a short stretch to cross the channel. Allow 14 hours for Yarmouth-Cherbourg. A long weekend is great as you'll have a complete free day to guzzle Fruits de mer and stock up on cheap french wine (that's cheap c/w UK prices). Once in Cherbourg you have access to St Vaast, Ouistram, Honfleuer, etc to the East and the Channel Islands/St Malo to the west for a longer trip. The first crossing is always the hardest , is it's often helpful to do in in company. I crossed many times in other peoples boats before buying my own so I knew what to expect. After cooking , offering to navigate is always acceptable.
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Next year chap :encouragement: I need to get Karen's jabs done though or she will be quarantined for six monthswhen we get back
 
Although I am biased having lived and sailed in Poole for 40 years, you will find more than enough to do in Poole, just the same as I never tire of going the other way and spending a few days in the Solent!
 
Tranona said:
Although I am biased having lived and sailed in Poole for 40 years, you will find more than enough to do in Poole, just the same as I never tire of going the other way and spending a few days in the Solent!
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we will give you a shout when we are coming your way so you can put extra fenders out ;)
 
Book a berth in the yacht club for one night 10 minutes walk from the flesh spots on the Quay but nice and quiet to get a good night's sleep.

Support the suggestion to go up to Wareham. Used to do it regularly when I had a shallow draft boat and in my early days spent many happy hours up there testing weedless props on Seagulls. The river used to be full of Canadian pond weed, but guess chemical run off has killed it. Still spot egrets and herons hiding in the reeds on the river bank though and if you are really lucky salmon in a deep pool just downstream from the quay.
 
Tranona said:
Book a berth in the yacht club for one night 10 minutes walk from the flesh spots on the Quay but nice and quiet to get a good night's sleep.

Support the suggestion to go up to Wareham. Used to do it regularly when I had a shallow draft boat and in my early days spent many happy hours up there testing weedless props on Seagulls. The river used to be full of Canadian pond weed, but guess chemical run off has killed it. Still spot egrets and herons hiding in the reeds on the river bank though and if you are really lucky salmon in a deep pool just downstream from the quay.
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We might tow a little sailing dinghy up with us, and use that to explore further. I think we have our first destination decided now!
 
solent clown said:
Andy, Sailing up to Wareham never occurred to me before, what a capital idea.
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It's truly lovely, must not be missed !


There's a blind U-bend in the river by the boatyard - no bother at river speeds; one day we were going round there and a lime green Amphicar came round the other way, hazard lights flashing with two guys wearing top hats and tails :)

Top Tip, a lot of weed floats down and builds up around the boats, so as soon as one is clear a quick reverse to shrug it all off is an idea. If you like Swans and wildlife it's heaven; we had a Coot jump off the quay and go around the cockpit at 1,000 revs', we eventually managed to scoop and divert it over the side.
 
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I can't say much I don't really know the area. I only visited the Solent once decades ago.
Salcome was nice so was Plymouth and Falmouth. again it was a brief visit.

Personally, I would be off to France or the Channel Islands.
 
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