Priory Bay anchorage - your experience

carrswood

carrswood

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Hi
I'd like to try and enjoy a night on anchor at Priory bay on the Isle of Wight. Mainly because of the beach for the kids etc. I've only visited by RIB a few yrs ago and I recall its pretty shallow. That said I do remember a lot of larger motor boats rafted up etc.

Our boat draws 1.8m (6ft). Am I going to end up a long way offshore?
Please let me know if theres a specific place to aim for?

cheers
 
There are mooring buoys set out all along Priory Bay, I was there last week for lunch, bit rolly. The depth was okay and fairly level, you can get in reasonbly close, your chart will show you depth contours, Theres Culver Cliffs just round from the lifeboat launcher, worth looking to see which is less rolly for the night. (sorry, Whitecliff Bay below Culver )
 
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I'd second what Chrissie says... the bottom is fairly flat so you can work out what depth you need then motor in on the echo sounder. With 6 foot draught you will end up a fair way out from the beach. It can also be rather 'rolly' so if you can't stand it be prepared to go elsewhere. Great beach for the kids and a barbie though.
 
alahol2 said:
I'd second what Chrissie says... the bottom is fairly flat so you can work out what depth you need then motor in on the echo sounder. With 6 foot draught you will end up a fair way out from the beach. It can also be rather 'rolly' so if you can't stand it be prepared to go elsewhere. Great beach for the kids and a barbie though.
Click to expand...
about a mile from the beach ;)
Why not pop into Bembridge? Lovely walk round the headland in the morning and cafe serving breakfast etc.
 
Chrissie said:
There are mooring buoys set out all along Priory Bay,
Click to expand...

Where are these mooring buoys? ... they must have magically appeared this year!. Are you sure you don't mean SeaView?

As for Bembridge, the OP was interested in an anchorage, not a grossly overpriced and usually overcrowded pontoon with rafting-up. Also access time would be severely limited with that draft.

As a 1.2m bilge keeler, I often anchor right in by the beach at Priory, but it is very rarely completely free of swell with the inevitable bumping over low water.

Vic
 
I have seen quite prominent rocks in the shallows off Priory Bay, keep well off !

Always regarded it, like Osbourne, as generally a day time anchorage, even if the weather is OK there may be a lot of wash from ships ( ferries mainly ) & pilot boats etc.
 
The rocks are mainly off the point between Priory and Seagrove bays. There is (or was) a deeper 'trench' just off the beach at Priory bay and running parallel to it. When we had a cat that only drew 1/2 metre we could anchor very close to the beach and stay afloat virtually the whole tide. Trouble was, once the tide dropped, you were stuck there for the next several hours so you had to be sure of the weather and the potential swell. You can actually get slightly closer in at Seagrove bay, there's also a cafe/ice cream shop there for the kids, unfortunately it's also a lot more popular.
 
Rocky at each end - Horestone Point (between Seagrove and Priory bays) and Nodes Point (Priory/St Helens). Nowhere near as rocky now as it was a few years ago. The channel close inshore has all but disappeared now.
The wash from passing ships is insignificant as well these days, as we don't get the large liners any more (more's the pity). It shouldn't be a problem as long as you have a couple of feet of water under the keel (or you are firmly aground.....)
If you're tempted to go round the corner to Whitecliff Bay make sure you miss Bembridge Ledge.
 
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