Freshwater bay IOW

[Chiara’s slave]

We’ve been in for a morning swim in the bay. There’s a couple of sailing yachts anchored, I daresay a few RIBs and other day visitors will be along shortly. We’d probably bring Chiara round from Yarmouth if my wife was fit to sail, but she’s 14 days into recovery from a hip replacement.

 

[billyfish]

Well I ran out of tide anyway and ended up at Totland with the noisy motor boaters but not as noisy as the Colwell motor boaters. Good swim

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Well I ran out of tide anyway and ended up at Totland with the noisy motor boaters but not as noisy as the Colwell motor boaters. Good swim

I think, then, our visiting friends , who have rented a flat in Totland, have just sent us a picture of you. There looked to be half a dozen or so sailing yachts there, from the glimpse I got on my wife’s phone.

 

[Pete7]

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?

Having dived that whole coastline, further out it's a mix of rocky trenches filled with very clean sand, some kelp and lots of wild life like squid and crabs.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

The bottom of Freshwater bay itself is shingle and sand. At either side are rocky ridges, extending as a reef in the line you’d expect, looking at it. If you want to get close ish to the shore, you should find 2.5-3 metres of water after you’ve crossed the reef, at any state of the tide. That would put you about 40m off the beach in the middle of the bay. Sound your way in carefully over the reef.

Edit: The jet skiers have just turned up, it was idyllic before that. Actually, they’re not running amok, just tootled up to the beach, and come ashore.

 

[burgundyben]

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 )View attachment 157256

At some point you'll have to pop in for tea and there maybe cake.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Are you in this shot, Billy?

Totland this am.

 

[billyfish]

Yep with the orange radar reflector.

 

[Dunx]

Any views on this as an overnight anchorage? Looking at it as a stop before channel crossing

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Any views on this as an overnight anchorage? Looking at it as a stop before channel crossing

In this weather it’s great. Check the forecast, you wouldnt want to be woken by a sw swell

 

[Dunx]

Thanks, thinking of this weekend, looks like the north easterlies will continue.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Thanks, thinking of this weekend, looks like the north easterlies will continue.

That’s what my forecast says. What are you arriving in, can wave from the balcony at least.

 

[Dunx]

That’s what my forecast says. What are you arriving in, can wave from the balcony at least.

Regina 43

 

[Chiara’s slave]

Ok, busy weekend for us, but we’ll keep a lookout. Here it is right now. 1st timers, come into the bay on a bearing of 000 aiming just east of centre, there’s a square concrete shelter to aim for on the prom. It can get shallow on a line between the stack and Fort Redoubt. You might wish to anchor just outside that, but it does get deeper once you are past.

 

[Jonny A]

I've spent the night on the anchor in Freshwater a couple of times, both with northerlies blowing, and the holding was fine. As already mentioned, nose as far as you feel comfortable into the bay. It can be a very quiet and empty anchorage, a rare thing anywhere so close to the Solent.

One lesson I have learned: even if the wind is in the north or east, if there's anything much of a residual westerly swell, you'll roll quite a bit. My rule of thumb now is I want the breeze to have been in the north or east for at least a full 24 hrs before I stay there again.

 

[RogerJolly]

That Tenyson monument's a bloody practical joke.

You head off towards it for a nice ten minute stroll.

You get there exhausted, realising it's much bigger, and much further away, than you thought.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

That Tenyson monument's a bloody practical joke.

You head off towards it for a nice ten minute stroll.

You get there exhausted, realising it's much bigger, and much further away, than you thought.

Known locally as heart attack hill.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

This chap has a fairly deep fin, I should think, and has dropped his hook just outside the reef. He’s also a little further to the west, which may be why he ran out of water there. Though it is quite low on the tide now.

 

[Pete7]

This chap has a fairly deep fin, I should think, and has dropped his hook just outside the reef. He’s also a little further to the west, which may be why he ran out of water there. Though it is quite low on the tide now.

What is the little white buoy in the middle of the pool or is this too far in? Thinking of coming up from Portland this evening.

Pete

 

[Chiara’s slave]

It’s a fishermans mooring buoy. There are several, but none where they’ll interfere with you or your anchor.
One of them is the infamous one where 14 million quids worth of coke was stashed, in full view of watching police.