Poole Harbour
Forty years ago the second coxswain of Poole lifeboat, John Clark, was splicing lines for a new boatyard on West Quay Road. He was one of the half a dozen staff who built 17ft Sovereigns. The owner, Robert Braithwaite, had grand plans to expand the 40ft yard, but trade in Poole was slow. The harbour could no longer accommodate deep draught ships and the only legacy of the once great Newfoundland cod trade was a handful of merchant houses.
Today, John still splices lines, only now they are up to 50mm thick and the boats are 108ft long. His son, Jon, is the coxswain of Poole lifeboat and the yard manager of the same company - Sunseeker. Sunseeker International now owns most of the frontage of West Quay Road . The superyacht builder employs 1,500 staff and is just one of the many businesses that have helped the rebirth of Poole.
The harbour attracts 12,000 visiting boats a year. It has been dredged to accommodate cross Channel ferries and coastal freighters. Poole is home to the RNLI headquarters, including the new £18 million Lifeboat College, and a Marine Skills Centre which opened in March 2005.
Being the second largest natural harbour in the world, Poole offers endless possibilities for RIB enthusiasts. Whether you are after a lively night on the quay or a quiet night at anchor, you are bound to find the perfect spot.
Approaches
You can identify the entrance to Poole Harbour by the white cliffs of Old Harry (Handfast Point). Beware of the race here on an ebb tide. The Swash Channel takes you to the entrance and is well marked. When possible, RIBs should use the boat channel, which runs alongside, especially when there is shipping in the main channel.
If approaching from the Solent, RIBs can use the East Looe channel, which runs close to the shore, but only when weather and tides are favourable.
The coast
Either side of Poole Harbour entrance are two very different stretches of beach. To the west, Studland Bay is pretty and fringed by sand dunes. Other than the tiny village of Studland it is undeveloped . A footpath leads to The Bankes Arms Inn, which has a beer garden overlooking the bay and is a good place to start a stroll to Old Harry Rocks.
To the east of the harbour entrance, multi million pound properties line Sandbanks beach, becoming high rise apartments all the way to Bournemouth.
The entrance to Poole Harbour
Poole Hharbour is accessible at all states of the tide and is only dangerous in very strong S and SE winds. Watch out for the ebb tide which can run at 3 to 4 knots. The entrance is 300m wide and a chain ferry crosses the narrowest point, its direction indicated by a white flashing light and a black ball hoisted at the front.
There is a 10 knot speed limit throughout the harbour, and a 6 knot limit in the Little Channel and Holes Bay.
The differences between north and south continue inside the harbour. To the south of Brownsea Island are peaceful anchorages, salt marshes and forested islands. While to the north are yacht clubs, marinas, bars and apartments.
Inside the harbour
Inside the harbour cruising in an anticlockwise direction you are likely to encounter:
South Deep
The prettiest anchorages are in the designated quiet area behind the islands. Yachts can anchor anywhere in the South Deep. West of Green Island is very quiet and accessible at most states of the tide. Blood Alley Lake in the lee of the harbour's largest island, Brownsea, is an option for shelter in a northerly. However, in the predominant south westerlies, Goathorn and Cleaval Points are more sheltered.
Pottery Pier
Continuing north is Pottery Pier, a jetty for Brownsea Island. The shingle beach between the pier and old jetty at Maryland is scattered with broken pottery - at one time pottery was a major industry on the island. This is a popular anchorage in the summer, and many yachtsmen pay the £4.20 fee (£10.40 per family) to explore the National Trust owned island.
The 200 acre nature reserve has had a variety of uses over the years but is perhaps best known as the site of the first scout camp, formed by Robert Baden-Powell in 1907, and still in use today.
Keeping a careful key eye on the depth, you can explore the Upper Wych Channel, which is marked by stakes as far as Round Island. Lowest depths are 0.5m and 1.5m.
Shipstal Point is a lovely, quiet anchorage and at MLWN there should be enough water for most RIBs to lie afloat.
Wareham Channel
If you are really seeking solitude, and the tides are right, you can anchor along the Wareham Channel. From Pottery Pier take Willis Cut to the Middle Ship Channel, but only at high water, as this is a notorious place to run aground. Once in the main channel, markers guide you past Poole Yacht Club, Moriconium Quay and Lake Yard to Wareham Channel. Just beyond Russel Quay the channel widens and the area between 78 and 80 buoys is a good place to anchor.
After Gigger's Island the channel becomes the River Frome and winds up to the attractive market town of Wareham, which has plenty of good pubs, shops and restaurants. If you draw more than a metre, only attempt the navigation one hour either side of high water.
Poole Quay
Poole Quay is the hub of the town. The front is lined with pubs, bars, restaurants and shops and in the summer is heaving with tourists. Each building has a distinct character, from the 18th century mill which houses Italian restaurant La Lupa to the smart apartments opposite Poole Quay Boat Haven. The tourist information office is attached to a fantastic free museum which tells the history of Poole.
Poole Quay Boat Haven is a great place to moor because it's so central. To ensure a berth, book ahead on Ch 80. You can also raft up alongside the town quay although it is very exposed in east and south easterly winds and the wash from coasters, which moor at the quay opposite can be uncomfortable. Commercial Quay, opposite, has fuel.
To get beyond Poole Quay you need to pass under the lifting bridge, which opens every two hours in the summer from 0730 to 1830, then 2130 and, on weekends and bank holidays, 2345. The channel runs past Sunseeker and the Lifeboat College into Holes Bay. Visitors can berth at Cobbs Quav marina, which is fully serviced has a clubhouse serving food.
North of Brownsea
The Middle Ship Channel is the most direct route from Poole Quay to the harbour entrance and is used by the ferries and commercial vessels. Stakes mark a small boat channel alongside.
The North Channel , which is only for small craft, branches off the Middle Ship Channel after the west cardinal buoy Diver, and takes you past the entrance to Parkstone Yacht Club and Salterns Marina, both of which have a few visitor berths.
At high water Whitley Lake, to the east of the North Channel, is a mecca for windsurfers and kitesurfers. At low water it's a muddy expanse full of cocklers. The North Channel rejoins the main channel at south cardinal Bell Buoy, and just round the corner is the harbour entrance.
Top five Anchorages:
- Studland Bay - perfect for the beach and the Bankes Arms Inn.
- South Deep - take care not to anchor over cable chain and oyster beds.
- Blood Alley Lake - quiet and in the shelter of Brownsea Island.
- Shipstal Point - great wildlife by the salt marshes and mudflats.
- Pottery Pier - good shelter in easterlies and to go ashore on Brownsea.