Day 6, 7th July 2019 - Reeth Bay to Freshwater Bay

Reeth Bay to Freshwater Bay, about 13 miles.

We returned to Reeth Bay at about 1pm to find only two other people there. I registered my passage plan with the Coastguard and fitted out the boat. No sun cover on the boat today as the weather was dull with drizzle, my first wet day, and virtually no wind. The forecast was for a south-easterly light breeze, force 2, increasing to force 3 later.

I set off as the tide was turning in my favour, the sea being slightly disturbed as I rounded St Catherines Head and the lighthouse. The sea soon became fairly calm and I carried on about one mile offshore to clear the rocky Atherfield Ledge and other rocky areas.

St Catherine's Point in the distance, about 8 miles away.

However after about two hours the wind started to increase and it quite quickly became a full force 4. The waves also got bigger, rolling up behind me with white horses on their tops. The boat was rocking and rolling, I had to work the oars hard to stop the boat slewing round and I couldn’t stop rowing for more than a few seconds. I've only got photos of relatively calm seas since I cannot stop rowing to sort out a camera when it gets rough.

The waves were tipping into the back of the boat before draining out again (it's a self-draining, unsinkable hull) and almost everything got wet. I just had to row really hard for the last 3-4 miles to Freshwater then at full strength as I turned into the sheltered side of the Bay and up on to the beach. Just over a three hour, really hard row.

 We heaved the boat up a steep stony beach.  That lie-down was bliss!

It really was a row to remember.  This South Coast of the Isle of Wight is most inhospitable and offers no shelter. I think I was the only fruitcake out there this afternoon since I didn’t see a single other boat or ship in any direction at any time.

Click for video of todays row.


 To complete my IOW rowing challenge I now only have to row the 12 miles round the Needles and the Shingles bank and back to Mudeford. I’ve been looking, very very carefully at the forecasts for the next couple of days. I have to pass the Needles around high tide, in the next few days possible times are to leave either mid-afternoon or at the crack of dawn.

On Monday morning, 8th July I decided, after looking at the weather forecasts for Freshwater and Mudeford over the next few days, that the forecast winds at the times of the twice daily tidal windows for passing the Needles, would probably be too high. Continuing to pay for accommodation on the IOW didn't make sense so we have returned to Mudeford, prepared to go back to Freshwater to complete the challenge asap, hopefully in the next 3-5 days.

I spoke to the guys running the Freshwater Bay Adventure Activities Centre and they instantly kindly agreed to keep my boat in their kayak compound, then took one look at me and said "We'll get your boat here from the beach"  Three young guys in wet suits had the boat up the beach, over the prom, down to and over the road and car park and into their compound in 10 minutes!  Brilliant!  And Thank you Joe!

I’m now looking forward to my Zumba and Aerobics classes, a much less stressful way to exercise.

Children On The Edge charity donations link:   https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/Graham.Myers