Freshwater bay IOW

[billyfish]

Thinking of sailing from Chichester to Freshwater tomorrow and dropping the hook there for a change. Always go to Totland where the holding is good on sand anyone know if its sand or rock on Freshwater, I suspect its rock which might not be to good.

 

[Tranona]

Spent a lot of time at Freshwater Bay, but in the hotel running management development courses. Mostly in the autumn and spring but don't recall ever seeing anybody anchored there.

However one summer day the tides were right to get round there, have lunch in the hotel do a little walk and get back to Keyhaven for the evening. Delightful anchorage, Sandy bottom, good holding. BUT a nice calm day. Lovely view from the top of the cliff of my boat at anchor, An artist was painting the scene but she had a rather loose interpretation of what my boat looked like.

Not sure I would be brave enough to spend a night if there is any west or south in the wind as there is a lot of swell, but might be OK with the current northerlies.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Spent a lot of time at Freshwater Bay, but in the hotel running management development courses. Mostly in the autumn and spring but don't recall ever seeing anybody anchored there.

However one summer day the tides were right to get round there, have lunch in the hotel do a little walk and get back to Keyhaven for the evening. Delightful anchorage, Sandy bottom, good holding. BUT a nice calm day. Lovely view from the top of the cliff of my boat at anchor, An artist was painting the scene but she had a rather loose interpretation of what my boat looked like.

Not sure I would be brave enough to spend a night if there is any west or south in the wind as there is a lot of swell, but might be OK with the current northerlies.

What? I live there, I can see it now from my windows. The hotel is in new ownership btw, extensive refot going on. There are currently no boats anchored, but we’ve probably had at least 50 overnight stays so far. There’s a web cam on the lifeboat station, to check the sea state. Or PM me of course. You can cope with a bit of westerly, just a light one, but anything in the northern sector is generally fine. Live picture.

and a few days ago

 

[Tranona]

My experience is from the late 80s for about 10 years. The hotel had more than one owner even in that time. As I said my stays were mostly October and March so not the anchoring season. My most vivid memory is going over on the day after the stack fell down to see hundreds of folk taking photos of something that was no longer there!

The location was perfect for my style of development programme for my MBA students as I devised a range of activities both inside and out using the roughly 4 hour walk over Tennyson Down and back by road on a sort of cryptic treasure hunt. Good antidote to the inevitable heavy bar sessions you get with ambitious 25-45 year olds let off the leash for a week together.

Not been over for more than 20 years. Perhaps should make the effort, but too easy to get my IOW fix by pottering up to Newtown.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

My experience is from the late 80s for about 10 years. The hotel had more than one owner even in that time. As I said my stays were mostly October and March so not the anchoring season. My most vivid memory is going over on the day after the stack fell down to see hundreds of folk taking photos of something that was no longer there!

The location was perfect for my style of development programme for my MBA students as I devised a range of activities both inside and out using the roughly 4 hour walk over Tennyson Down and back by road on a sort of cryptic treasure hunt. Good antidote to the inevitable heavy bar sessions you get with ambitious 25-45 year olds let off the leash for a week together.

Not been over for more than 20 years. Perhaps should make the effort, but too easy to get my IOW fix by pottering up to Newtown.

The hotel had the same owner from 1990 til this year. A crap one. No management courses, bar mostly closed, rubbish, sadly. The bay is a fine anchorage within it’s limitations. If you can get inside the reef, you get better shelter, clearly that 3 master cannot. Your students should walk a bit faster BTW. Tennyson’s monument is about 20 mins from my house to a fit person. The Needles are 4 miles, give or take, you can do that, over Headon Warren and back via Yarmouth in 4 hours, perhaps that was the walk. It was a while back after all.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Makes a lovely walk over from Yarmouth too. Hotel looked very shabby last summer.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Makes a lovely walk over from Yarmouth too. Hotel looked very shabby last summer.

It’s a right state now. But a work in progress. There is a mobile pub here, and a pizza van on Fridays. Also the Piano bar a short walk up Gate Lane, food and drink. We should have more visitors.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Has lunch at the Piano last year, very good. Worth the modest trek up the hill….

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The hotel development plans include a Hut style eating place, possibly a pontoon, though they may find that a little ambitious, a spa, 1920s interior. That may attract some more water bourne visitors.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

It’s in a great location. Let’s hope it’s a great success!

 

[penfold]

View attachment 157198

Looks like the JST's Tenacious.

 

[Tranona]

The hotel had the same owner from 1990 til this year. A crap one. No management courses, bar mostly closed, rubbish, sadly. The bay is a fine anchorage within it’s limitations. If you can get inside the reef, you get better shelter, clearly that 3 master cannot. Your students should walk a bit faster BTW. Tennyson’s monument is about 20 mins from my house to a fit person. The Needles are 4 miles, give or take, you can do that, over Headon Warren and back via Yarmouth in 4 hours, perhaps that was the walk. It was a while back after all.

Age is addling the brain Done so many different things in my life that I lose a bit of track of time. First went there in I think 86 last in early 90s when it went downhill, Seem to remember grand plans to turn it into a luxury resort which never went anywhere. Guy also owned a hotel in Guernsey which I stayed in once, and never again. Then went into receivership and bought by a small group which maybe the one you are referring to. Anyway we switched to the Haven Hotel in Sandbanks which was brilliant.

The time for the exercise was deliberately slow as they had to figure out which detailed route to follow. The stretch up to the monument was just a way of clearing the heads. As you say long time ago and details lost in the mists, but do remember them getting back covered in mud and knackered! The outdoor exercise was much more easily managed at Sandbanks because of the availability of the beach either on the Sandbanks side or across the ferry to Shell Bay.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Anyone we know?

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Looks like Jolie Brise.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Jolie Brise is ashore at Port Hamble I think. That is much smaller. She’s just left, very efficiently. Even the topsail flew up there.

 

[burgundyben]

Is cafe Delicia still operating?

My observation is that Freshwater bay is a great anchorage if there's a northerly breeze.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Delicia isn’t reliable, still owned by Spyker apparently. And it’s nearly falling down. I’m sure that will change too.

 

[colhel]

I've never visited by boat. I know the beach is shingle, is it the same further out? The beach seems to steep quite quickly, so I'm guessing you could get in fairly close?
Here's a picture I took from my friends kitchen window

 

[billyfish]

I've never visited by boat. I know the beach is shingle, is it the same further out? The beach seems to steep quite quickly, so I'm guessing you could get in fairly close?
Here's a picture I took from my friends kitchen window
View attachment 157219

Show off

 

[colhel]

Show off

Na, my Wife can have that accolade. Mind you she had just swam from Hurst to Colwell. You can just see Freshwater by following the white lines on the road (to keep it topical )