dlovelock
New member
Does anyone have any advice on anchoring and/or landing at Steep Holm or Flat Holm? We are experienced sailors with a well found 24ft gaffer, but new to the Bristol Channel.
David.
David.
Steep Holm & Flat Holm anchorage
- Thread starter dlovelock
- Start date
LizzyD
New member
Hi David,
I've only done it once. It was a few years ago when I had my bilge keeler, a 20' Leisure 20. We went to Flat Holm to have a picnic. We got there with about a couple of hours to go before low water. The tide went out, and I moved the anchor from the bow to the stern ready for when we were ready to leave.
I took my dog Kaiser along for the ride and my friends quickly set up the picnic spot on the beach. We took a disposable barbeque and got the chicken legs on. The sun was shining and all was well with the world. I took Kaiser away from our little camp site as I suspected that he might want a piddle and walked around some rocks to discover a little bay. At the top of the bay was a notice on a board and I went up with Kaiser to see what it said. The board read,
"No landing boats without permission. No dogs. No campfires."
I scurried back to the crew who were tucking into chicken legs and lager and we collectively decided to use section 1 of the Ignorance Act 1820 if any official should come down to reprimand us.
As the tide rose, we were already aboard the boat and once we were lifted off, we went back to Cardiff before we got a hell of a telling off! You can contact the Island at Flat Holm and ask to land, although I don't know what they'd say. Steep Holm isn't Welsh and I think belongs to Somerset Council. They do have a website though.
Take care,
Lizzy D
I've only done it once. It was a few years ago when I had my bilge keeler, a 20' Leisure 20. We went to Flat Holm to have a picnic. We got there with about a couple of hours to go before low water. The tide went out, and I moved the anchor from the bow to the stern ready for when we were ready to leave.
I took my dog Kaiser along for the ride and my friends quickly set up the picnic spot on the beach. We took a disposable barbeque and got the chicken legs on. The sun was shining and all was well with the world. I took Kaiser away from our little camp site as I suspected that he might want a piddle and walked around some rocks to discover a little bay. At the top of the bay was a notice on a board and I went up with Kaiser to see what it said. The board read,
"No landing boats without permission. No dogs. No campfires."
I scurried back to the crew who were tucking into chicken legs and lager and we collectively decided to use section 1 of the Ignorance Act 1820 if any official should come down to reprimand us.
As the tide rose, we were already aboard the boat and once we were lifted off, we went back to Cardiff before we got a hell of a telling off! You can contact the Island at Flat Holm and ask to land, although I don't know what they'd say. Steep Holm isn't Welsh and I think belongs to Somerset Council. They do have a website though.
Take care,
Lizzy D
Sneds
Well-known member
Be nice if they planted a couple of mooring bouys there.
DIOGENES
New member
The holding around Flat Holm is not very good unless you can get out of the tide which means being close in. Being close in means you need to move every couple of hours. Coal beach, the shingle beach on the east side of Flat Holm has two old telegraph cables running up it so its easy to foul your anchor there. My fave anchorage is near Jackdaw point, the bay east of the lighthouse, not easy to get ashore though. I wouldn't recommend leaving a boat unmanned off the Island as a chop can pick up really quickly here and you could find it hard to get aboard your vessel.
You need to contact the Flat Holm Project to land on Flat Holm and pay a landing fee.
You need to contact the Flat Holm Project to land on Flat Holm and pay a landing fee.
wakeup
Active member
There used to be a mooring buoy off the eastern side of Flat holm about 6 or so years ago, we used it on our power boat level 2 to practice ferry gliding to and from in the tidal flow. Once used it to moor up for a picnic. Pity it isn't still there..
Csail
N/A
We rafted up with the girl in Padstow who is the warden on there, if you phone you can land there. Must admit some buoys would be good.Can't we drop our own?
DIOGENES
New member
I laid two buoys there over the years, to be afloat at low water they have to way out and they dont last long due to the wave action they get.
Cable on the beach
Not the way to visit
Landing jetty
Cable on the beach
Not the way to visit
Landing jetty
Csail
N/A
Don't remember that green ship popping in there, when was that?
DIOGENES
New member
A few years ago now, must have been mid 90's, heavy rain showers were the cause I've been told.
Sneds
Well-known member
Or not looking where you're going? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
graham
Well-known member
Welcome to the forum David.Re Steepholme not much of an anchorage but there is a small bay on the ENE corner of the Island on which you can land. There is a shingle bank that curves around outside the bay so sound in and out carefully if low water. Theres a trust based in Weston S.M. that "runs" the Island.
I visited a few years ago in a small bilgekeeler .Anchored very close in in a flat calm and waded ashore to be told by a "warden"we couldnt land. Told him we allready had ,spent an hour ashore looked at the ruins of the old hotel and waded back out before the tide started to rise.
Old Hotel and landing beach at Steepholme
I visited a few years ago in a small bilgekeeler .Anchored very close in in a flat calm and waded ashore to be told by a "warden"we couldnt land. Told him we allready had ,spent an hour ashore looked at the ruins of the old hotel and waded back out before the tide started to rise.
Old Hotel and landing beach at Steepholme
graham
Well-known member
[ QUOTE ]
Cable on the beach
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Looks like a leg? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
Cable on the beach
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Looks like a leg? /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif