Safe anchorages Bristolchannel

[Skik op reis]

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.

 

[david_bagshaw]

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..

 

[mattonthesea]

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.

 

[zoidberg]

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.

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.

 

[Skik op reis]

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.

 

[zoidberg]

Then there's Milford Haven/Dale Beach, the north side of Caldey Island, and Tenby....

After that, it's Cork!

 

[Skik op reis]

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.

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.

 

[Tranona]

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.

 

[Skik op reis]

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.