How to put boat on beach ?

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skua

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We are nervous about making a first attempt at drying out on beach (probably East Head or Bembridge). One of the reasons behind the purchase of a lifting keel boat was a bit more peace of mind if we ever made an error on a falling tide but we remain reluctant to actually implement as part of a plan !

On test sail the skipper just drove up to beach until boat stopped, I guess that's an option or is it better to anchor normally with boat floating and then let water recede ? Also is it advisable to always deploy a kedge anchor too ? Not sure if there is any work we should be doiing as boat dries and then subsequently refloats or whether it just all takes care of itself ?

Appreciate that unattended boats on drying mooring do this all the time without fuss but really just looking for any lessons learnt from experience.

Thanks in advance.
 
OK ... if you anchor and wait for tide to go out - quite often you will pound on the bottom as she starts to settle out ... unnerving to some to say the least.

Personally I prefer the drop a kedge as you go in towards beach ... making sure you are after HW so that level is lower than next HW. Motor slowly onto the beach till you touch ... keep her pressed to the beach while water level falls. Once bow has stopped moving around indicating she's fast ... you can then knock of engine or drop sails. This then g'tees you get off next tide.
There is no need for kedge if you are sure of tide level to get off next HW etc. but it does give you some control to back of beach if other boats / wind are inconvenient !
 
I would say the important thing to think about is when you want to lift off. Plan to drive her up the beach and under estimate the height of water and you'll put her further up the beach that you planned and will have to wait a corresponding longer time to get off. If you do it at the very top of the tide, make sure the next one is going to be bigger! Otherwise you could spend the next week up there are well.

I think Southerleys have a nice metal plate for grounding? Even so you don't want to be bouncing so pick your day. I think I would drop a kedge on the way in and ground her gently.
 
making sure you are after HW so that level is lower than next HW.
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- yup - make sure the tide is on the way OUT then you can just drive it carefully onto the beach (mind the BBQ's on EastHead ;) )
 
I normally deploy the kedge over the stern as I go in and then just nudge onto the beach. I then go ashore (in the dinghy or wade ashore!) and put the main anchor out over the bow, onto the beach. If you do it on a rising tide then by the time the main anchor is out and you have hopped back aboard you have floated off and you can the move yourself back a bit on the kedge anchor.

Just one word of warning about Bembridge though! Do try and get as far East as you can on the beach. We had an uncomfortable night as we dried out at a very steep fore-aft angle due the gradient of the bottom. It shelves steeply the closer you get to the entrance
 
matt1 said:
I normally deploy the kedge over the stern as I go in and then just nudge onto the beach. I then go ashore (in the dinghy or wade ashore!) and put the main anchor out over the bow, onto the beach. If you do it on a rising tide then by the time the main anchor is out and you have hopped back aboard you have floated off and you can the move yourself back a bit on the kedge anchor.

Just one word of warning about Bembridge though! Do try and get as far East as you can on the beach. We had an uncomfortable night as we dried out at a very steep fore-aft angle due the gradient of the bottom. It shelves steeply the closer you get to the entrance
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Bembridge always used to require you to deploy a Kedge Anchor when going on the beach.

I would warn against TOO far East ... it looks great to be right near the cafe etc. - but the sand used to be VERY loose and hard work there ... better to be about 3/4 way along where sand is more dense.
 
Drying out for the first time

Much sense in the above e.g view bottom beforehand, go in while tide is falling having checked tables to ensure it will be deep enough next time - but most do ignore your particular boat, and with a lifting keel it would be unwise to hit the beach and run the risk of forcing sand up into the slot with consequent jamming. Even with Southerly's unique keel plate it might still occur and I advise you to contact their Owners Association to pick brains.

That dictates you slowly motor in, just touch the beach and let go the bower, then back off, drop the kedge and wait to settle.

Will it be bumpy? If it is then you're probably in too exposed a location.

Why a kedge? Those local anchorages have currents running past even when you're aground, swinging the stern where you don't want to be (like bumping other boats!) and you also need it to haul off smartly when just floating.

Anything else?
 
I'd go along with the general gist. A couple of other comments, though. Firstly, I wouldn't take the main anchor too far away from the bow - if you can get the bow to hold position just by dropping it nearby without too much warp it makes it easier 'coming off'. I concur about the stern kedge, but it's also jolly easy to slice or wrap its warp in shallow conditions as the boat tracks about, so take care.

With a Southerly, you can come in close with your keel up, then drop it down onto the bottom to hold her while the tide recedes (you will move around and bump a bit, nevertheless). No harm will come if she settles onto the dropped keel, although better to keep the pennant ropes reasonably tight. The cast iron grounding plate is exactly that and is heavy and tough enough to protect - but if you can (not easy), watch out for isolated stones sticking up out of the beach that might escape the plate and scrape the hull.

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I haven't personally heard of sand forcing its way into the slot and stopping the (several tons) of keel operating. It never happened to us, anyway and Southerlies are specifically designed to beach. Most reports of sticking keels concern those that aren't often raised/lowered and get 'concreted' with rust/barnacle growth etc.
 
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skua said:
We are nervous about making a first attempt at drying out on beach.
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Welcome to the YBW forums.

Before you attempt anything involving the tide, you should acquaint yourself with "The rule of 12th's".

Better to dry on a beach you have seen at low tide, rather than find out it's too steep, too muddy, or too exposed and too late.

Also very important you check on weather conditions expected when you plan to float off, not good if the surf is up.

Having got that out of the way, I always drop an anchor over the stern on the way in, and head for the beach till I run out of water, take an anchor ashore and bed it, now paddle around the boat and make sure there are no surprises under the boat, steep drop, rocks, mud or other; if you find a problem you will still have time to relocate.

This avoids the waiting for the tide to go out, so don't be in a hurry, check the tide charts and work out the best time to land and float off using the rule of 12th's, add a small delay to the landing time and lift off to be sure.

Before lift off, take some weight on the stern anchor just to prevent any forward surge, the beach anchor should be stowed.

Hope this helps.

Avagoodweekend......;)
 
Personally, I'd be wary about keeping the engine running as she takes the ground as you could well end up with a blocked strainer.
Prepare a shoreline for picking up and use this to hold yourself ashore. Ground the forefoot and cut the engine. Have a kedge prepared for hauling back off into clear water.
 
Lots of good advice there, but it ain't no big deal in a Southerly. Calm water for grounding & refloating is essential. You don't want to be on a boat lifting off in 6" waves (never mind incoming rollers!) the noise & vibration is mind numbing, your teeth will rattle & you will be convinced the rig is coming down. It won't, the boat is designed to take it - but you will find it hard to take! Don't ask me how I know, just be aware that I don't take short cuts on falling tides any more!
 
beaching

Hi I do it all the time,although I do it in an estuary.I first check the area I wish to beach on.My purpose is usually to clean the hull.I normally go in with 2/3 hours to go to low tide.I raise the keel up part of the way so that when I ground its not with a sudden halt.I do not drop an anchor over the stern just in case I have to reverse off in a hurry.Once I touch bottom I leave engine in forward gear and raise keel slowly,this completes the grounding.I then release the keel down and this holds it in position,then turn engine off.Then the real work of cleaning begins before the tide leaves me high and dry.Then I put out a kedge which is run from the bow down the side of the boat to the stern cleat and then well out so that as soon as she lifts off I take up the keel winch her out and release her off the stern an let her swing facing out,and away I go usually having had a good beachcombing and acupa tea.My boat is a kelt 8.50 and I bring the rubber duck on the job.Good luck.CID
 
I always like to have my bow pointing to the sea because you never know what conditions are going to pick you up again. That means going in, dropping anchor, going out , waiting, then pulling back in with anchor over the stern. Once dried out, walk the anchor from stern to bow to pull you back out when the lumpy wet stuff comes in, I have been picked up by a force 8 and launched in a 6' swell, But both are best avoided.
 
Croak said:
...bow pointing to the sea... pulling back in with anchor over the stern...
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Depending on the beach and the boat that could involve bouncing on the rudder until settled. Bembridge and East Head are relatively steep beaches so I would only go in bow first, either dropping a kedge off the stern on the way in or walking one out once dried.
 
Beaching

I agree that going in stern first is a good idea providing the rudder is adequately protected. It is usually easier to exit the stern if you don't have a dinghy onto shallow sand and any waves will be better handled by the bow.
I always use an anchor to sea ward to enable a positive departure as soon as the boat is floating to minimise banging on the bottom. Likewise it would be good to be able to positively pull the boat into the sand with an anchor (shore) to minimise banging.
Where I beach my boat there is little tide mostly going out during the night due to off shore winds. So I pull the stern into near the beach where I can step ashore hold it in place with 2 or 3 anchors but not actually touching the bottom then haul out to deeper water for the overnight. good luck olewill
 
afterpegassus said:
Personally, I'd be wary about keeping the engine running as she takes the ground as you could well end up with a blocked strainer.
Prepare a shoreline for picking up and use this to hold yourself ashore. Ground the forefoot and cut the engine. Have a kedge prepared for hauling back off into clear water.
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With the beaches he's talking about - they are relatively steep and engine strainer will be in good water even when bow is fast on the sand. We are only talking tick-over anyway - so no strong stirring up of bottom etc.
I agree that with a gently shelving bottom that you may pick up sand etc. - but unlikely to block a strainer. I chug through weed, crud, sand, mud etc. regularly with my boat and only time I get blocked strainer is with weed / rushes.

To the Stern-to beach post ... I wouldn't advise it on Bembridge beach ...
 
Also consider if you are intending to spend the night on the beach which way you would rather have your bunks tilted, we prefer stern to for the ability to escape more easily and the bunks tilt with feet down, much more comfortable than head down! On our boat stern to is easier as the main anchor is just dropped from its normal position at the bow as you motor in backwards and the stern anchor is deployed by climbing over the back when we touch. Genrally considerably less anchor faffing this way around I find. Another plus is the engine is ready to drive forward to get off, as its an outboard it has much beter thrust in forward.
 
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