Safe anchorages Bristolchannel

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Skik op reis

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Hi there, I'm retired recently. I've visited the South Coast frequently in the past years. Up to the Scilly's. From Holland that was about the limit for my holidays. Now I really want to see what's around the 'corner'.
Looking on the maps the first thing I noticed, off course, is the exposure to (south)westerly winds. I'm a huge fan of anchoring and drying out ( bilge).
What are safe spots and is there an oversight that is better than VSM?
How can I plan a safe stay on this magnificant shores?
Any advice is greatly appreciated.
 
Cant comment about the dry out bit, but Anchorages are limited,
Have personally used
Camel estuary Padstow & round the headland from the rumps, off port Isaac, Clovelley.

River Taw near Yelland, quite good in a gale, so long as you are there already.
watermouth cove, will be a good one for you as you can dry out..
Porlock weir
Minehead. difficult to get ashore at low water..
 
Again, can't comment on drying out except to say that, once passed Hartland PT, the tides run fast. Genuine question: having settled in the mud with the tide in one direction, would a fast incoming tide in the opposite direction cause any problems? Tides run up to 6 kts in some places.

You do not want to be on that coast in a northerly above F3. It is generally inhospitable. The fishermen used to hide from strong northerlies in the lee of Lundy.

However, if you are happy to venture to the north side there are some lovely anchorages on the south Wales coast.
 
mattonthesea said:
You do not want to be on that coast in a northerly above F3. It is generally inhospitable. The fishermen used to hide from strong northerlies in the lee of Lundy.

However, if you are happy to venture to the north side there are some lovely anchorages on the south Wales coast.
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There's Newquay.... Padstow and The Camel, Clovely and Appledore.... but you need to be very sure of your weather for several days - and that's rarely practicable.
 
Thanks everyone. It is big fun to figure this spots out on the map and make a good list for later use.
In Dutch we call this pre-fun. You will,without a doubt, also have a word for it. But I don't know that yet.
 
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zoidberg said:
There's Newquay.... Padstow and The Camel, Clovely and Appledore.... but you need to be very sure of your weather for several days - and that's rarely practicable.
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I hope that my retirement gives me time to wait for suitable conditions. There's no need anymore to be back home in time. I'm planning a 'Round UK' for a few years. Now and then I will leave the boat for a few months. Probably on the Irish coast though, due to the post brexit rules. But Ireland is never far away. On my last trip I visited Norway. Beautyful. But I still prefere the UK. I'm addicted to scones and learned to eat them both Cornisch and Devon depending on the places that I'm in.
 
There are no practical constraints on leaving your boat in the UK. The boat enters under the TA rules which give a minimum of 18 months, although the guidance says this only applies when you are using the boat. The clock stops when you leave the boat . The constraint is on you with the 6 month limit. So no need to go to Ireland for this reason, but of course plenty of other valid reasons to go there!

With regard to places to explore, N Cornwall is interesting particularly if you are a surfer. It is almost permanently a lee shore with few places of refuge, so largely ignored by cruising yachts. The Welsh side is more hospitable but still a lee shore. While you can port hop up the coast the combination of tidal gates around the headlands and limited anchorages mean it is slow and most people seem to hop over to the Iriah side for better progress to and from the much more attractive West Coast of Scotland.
 
Thank you Tranona. This information is very welcome! I didn't read the Guidance. Should have but didn't. My wife always complains that I don't read manuals. This gives me much more flexibiliteit. Very happy with that.
 
Quite a few years ago, the front cover of Practical Boat Owner showed a boat sailing in the Bristol Channel. The picture had been taken on a beautiful day yet the boat looked as if it was sailing in a sea of chocolate. I wouldn't have believed it except that I once looked at a boat that was for sale in Watchet harbour and knew that there is a lot of mud about. But I hadn't realised that the strong tides scoop it up till the water is a dark brown. I vowed on seeing that picture that I never wished to venture into that area and I am sorry for those for whom it is the most convenient sailing area.
 
Bodach na mara said:
.......as if it was sailing in a sea of chocolate. .....I never wished to venture into that area and I am sorry for those for whom it is the most convenient sailing area.
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Yussireebob!
I've sailed into and from both sides of the Briz'l Channel. Everything and everybody is soon coated in gritty black - or brown - mud which takes a season of elsewhere to wash off.

The 'East Coast of Wales' is much fouler tha the East Coast of England. Over Norfolk and Essex way, the black mud is honest and friendly to boats and boatfolk!

;)
 
Bodach na mara said:
Quite a few years ago, the front cover of Practical Boat Owner showed a boat sailing in the Bristol Channel. The picture had been taken on a beautiful day yet the boat looked as if it was sailing in a sea of chocolate. I wouldn't have believed it except that I once looked at a boat that was for sale in Watchet harbour and knew that there is a lot of mud about. But I hadn't realised that the strong tides scoop it up till the water is a dark brown. I vowed on seeing that picture that I never wished to venture into that area and I am sorry for those for whom it is the most convenient sailing area.
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The outer edges of the BC past Worms head or Hartland don’t suffer from muddiness, it’s a delight to sail out past St Anne’s head to Skomer in the clear waters, but I agree I wouldn’t consider keeping my boat anywhere in the inner BC, even though it is 100miles nearer to home for me.
 
It's worth the OP bearing in mind that the Celtic Sea - west of an arbitrary line joining Tenby, Lundy, Hartland - is actually Atlantic Ocean. And it's wide open to the big gales and high breaking seas that are blasting through tonight.
 
Dellquay13 said:
The outer edges of the BC past Worms head or Hartland don’t suffer from muddiness, it’s a delight to sail out past St Anne’s head to Skomer in the clear waters, but I agree I wouldn’t consider keeping my boat anywhere in the inner BC, even though it is 100miles nearer to home for me.
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The view from the M5 is enough to put me off
 
zoidberg said:
It's worth the OP bearing in mind that the Celtic Sea - west of an arbitrary line joining Tenby, Lundy, Hartland - is actually Atlantic Ocean. And it's wide open to the big gales and high breaking seas that are blasting through tonight.
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One look at the map shows the BC, in SW orW is a trap for Waves from the ocean. The coast that I want to visit is often promoted as a surfers paradise. Wich, off course, gives some doubt for the yachtsmen. On the other hand, being Dutch I'm quite used to an exposed coast with muddy waters. But we are not used to mud sticking to the hull. Is it a different kind of mud there?
 
Bodach na mara said:
Quite a few years ago, the front cover of Practical Boat Owner showed a boat sailing in the Bristol Channel. The picture had been taken on a beautiful day yet the boat looked as if it was sailing in a sea of chocolate. I wouldn't have believed it except that I once looked at a boat that was for sale in Watchet harbour and knew that there is a lot of mud about. But I hadn't realised that the strong tides scoop it up till the water is a dark brown. I vowed on seeing that picture that I never wished to venture into that area and I am sorry for those for whom it is the most convenient sailing area.
Click to expand...
You should try swimming in it then. It's quite normal to use who grew up in this area. It was far worse when the coal mines were in operation. The coal dust would be dumped into the rivers and end up in the sea. Any kid who swam in the sea off Barry Island would come out covered in coal dust, especially around the snotty nose area.
But in those days far worse was floating past, you might be unlucky to step in some on the way back to mama and the towel.
 
Tamar said:
You should try swimming in it then. It's quite normal to use who grew up in this area. It was far worse when the coal mines were in operation. The coal dust would be dumped into the rivers and end up in the sea. Any kid who swam in the sea off Barry Island would come out covered in coal dust, especially around the snotty nose area.
But in those days far worse was floating past, you might be unlucky to step in some on the way back to mama and the towel.
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For the benefit of our courteous and well brought-up Dutch OP, that's Wales..... not Zummerzet. And yes, they have a different kind of mud over there.... :eek:
 
zoidberg said:
For the benefit of our courteous and well brought-up Dutch OP, that's Wales..... not Zummerzet. And yes, they have a different kind of mud over there.... :eek:
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For the further benefit of Skik, that’s the eastern end of Wales in the BC, at the west wales end it’s clear water, dolphins and seals, puffins and gannets.
And big waves. BIG waves
 
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Skik op reis said:
Thanks everyone. It is big fun to figure this spots out on the map and make a good list for later use.
In Dutch we call this pre-fun. You will,without a doubt, also have a word for it. But I don't know that yet.
Click to expand...
If you go around the corner i think the southern coast of ireland is much more appealing.
 
I sailed the Bristol Channel a lot about 50 years ago, mostly based out of the Axe at Weston-super-Mare, and dinghy sailing at Portishead. OK the upper parts are brown water of dubious quality in some places, but one ebb tide takes even a small slowish boat out past Foreland Point from where onwards west the water gets blue. On the northern side you need to go a bit further - to around Worms Head to get nice water. There were no marinas then, just about every harbour was drying or anchor off, and most boats were small. It was actually a rather good place to sail, though a strong westerly against an ebb tide could get interesting.

Once swam off the boat anchored off Skokholm: lots of puffins in the sea within ten feet of me. Some did conventional brake for landing, some dived in and some just switched off wing action a foot or two up and tumbled in.
 
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