Island Life

By now, we should have been in the Canary Islands, preparing to cross the Atlantic to the Caribbean. Instead, we are making do with visiting the Isle of Wight!

The Isle of Wight is not only an island, but it is also a county. It is known for its mild climate, coastal scenery and verdant landscape of fields, downland and chines. We have visited it several times in the past on family holidays and explored the interior extensively. This time, we would be exploring the coastline, especially its secluded bays.

Since leaving Ipswich at the start of September, we had spent most of our nights in marinas (the eastern end of the south coast is not known for safe overnight anchorages). One great thing about the IOW is that we have plenty of anchorages to choose from.

When spending a night at anchor, choosing the right place is very important. We need to consider the predicted direction and strength of the wind – no one wants to be awoken in the night with strong gusts blowing the boat onto the shoreline! We also check the water depth. Escapade has a 2m keel under her, so we need to be in water over 2m deep. We always check the depth before we drop the anchor, but also the state of the tide. In some areas of the Solent, the difference in water depth between high and low tide can be up to 5m. We have to ensure that we are in deep enough water to allow for the tide going out, but also that we have enough anchor chain out to allow for the tide rising. It takes some time to get it right, but it means that we can sleep soundly knowing we will be safe overnight!

A less popular anchorage is Alum Bay at the western tip of the island. Whilst the bay is popular with tourists during the day, it is rarely a safe anchorage at night. This is because it provides no protection from usual south westerly winds. We took advantage of a rare northerly wind and spent the night there.

The bay is well known for its multicoloured cliffs. I did read about how they are formed, but it was quite technical so, if you are interested, you can read it yourself! I do know that tourists can make ornaments using coloured sand layered in little glass jars. In the past, visitors could go and collect their own land from the cliffs, but this is now prohibited by law.

Alum Bay is also known for its great views of the Needles. The Needles is a row of three stacks of chalk that rise 30m out of the sea. The formation doesn’t look at all like needles. However, it takes its name from a fourth needle shaped pillar called Lot’s Wife. This collapsed in a storm in 1764 and the name stuck.

The lighthouse at the western tip warns passing vessels to keep clear.

Watching the sunset, that evening was an amazing sight!