Battery (Spring Vale)
The Battery (aka Spring Vale aka The Boat House)
Notes by Clive Dakin
6.5 nautical miles "as the crow flies" - approximately a 1.5 to 2 hour journey.
Spring Vale is often referred to as "The Battery" at Seafarers as the pub at this cruise destination, now "The Boat House", was, until a few years ago, "The Battery Hotel". It is a quiet, location sheltered from southerly winds with a very gently shelving beach. It provides an uncomplicated landing area.
Location
North-east Isle of Wight between Ryde and Seaview. For general location , find 'Ba' on Cruise Destination Map.
Lat/Long: 50°43' 31.41"N, 1° 07' 38.46"W (50.7254, -1.1274)
Google Maps: click here.
Reports of Cruises to The Battery
You will find reports of cruises to the Battery/Spring Vale/Boathouse within the Cruise Reports as follows:
- 2005: 10 July
- 2006: 12 September - Cruise 12
- 2007: 5 August - Cruise 7
- 2014: 1 June - Cruise 4
- 2019: 30 June - Cruise 4, 21 July - Cruise 5
- 2019: 28 July - Ad Hoc Cruise
- 2021: 11 July - Cruise 5
Photographs of Cruises to The Battery
You will find albums of photographs of cruises to The Battery within the Gallery Archive as follows: 5 August 2007, 30 June 2019, 21 July 2019, 28 July 2019, and 11 July 2021.
Useful Links
- The Old Barracks - restaurant and tea gardens
- The Boat House
Why go to The Battery?: This destination provides a fairly straight forward passage with little sea traffic once the main channels through the Solent are crossed. There are options for refreshments as well as public conveniences.
How far is it?: The direct "as the Crow Flies" distance is 6.5 Nautical miles. Therefore if this destination is selected with a south westerly or similar wind direction it can often be voyaged on a single point of sail both outbound and return.
Planning: Wind direction and tidal flow are the primary considerations. The destination shore is preferably to windward, i.e. wind in the southern arc. It is vital to consider tide for the chosen day both in terms of flow and height. Tides in the destination area of the Solent certainly turn promptly to the west at 2 hours before High Water Portsmouth if not before. More importantly are the obstacles of the local shingle bank directly to the west of Spring Vale and the extensive Ryde Sands, further west. They extend so far into the Solent, being able to sail over Ryde Sands both on the outbound and return journey should be a primary passage plan consideration for a dinghy. Therefore to provide a reasonable departure and return time for a day cruise the optimum time for HW on the day will be 1400hrs or later. This will support a tidal flow assisted mid-morning departure and return journey starting at 1400hrs or later. This approach could also make the use rollers to beach the dinghies unnecessary.
Route: As stated above the route is quite straight forward, Ryde is visible from the club and this provides an initial point to aim for. You may wish to stay in the central Solent or get over to the south early depending upon wind strength and or tidal flow. After you pass Ryde you will see the tower on the beach near Puckpool Point. To the east of Puckpool Point the Boat House Public House will be visible (As shown in the heading picture). Dinghies can be beached or anchored, along the foreshore with impunity.
Navigation: The route will cross both the north and southern Solent shipping channels. It also passes across the route taken by the Portsmouth Fishbourne car ferry, the Ryde Fast Cat and Hovercraft. All that traffic may sound daunting however this is not a congested area and the leisure craft population is generally low. If the tidal consideration mentioned above is considered then Ryde Sands should not be a navigation restriction. There is a shingle bank that extends out from Puckpool point which is shown below.
.. Shingle bank off Puckpool Point
.. Puckpool Point and Dell café - At this position the shingle bank is beneath you
Landing and Mooring: Closing the beach is safe and straight forward once you have passed Puckpool Point. The picture below shows the beach at low tide. It can be seen that the red posts indicate the hazard of water outfall pipes which have been cut back and blanked off and therefore present no hazard beyond the posts. The beach shelves very gradually and is good for anchoring or beaching with the use of inflatable rollers.
.. Spring Vale Foreshore
Refreshments: There are three options for refreshments including food. "The Boat House" public house shown in the header picture serves cooked food and draught beer. "The Old Barracks" tea rooms was renovated in 2018 and has a fresh interior, hot & cold food and drinks are served here. Public toilets are close by in the park. The Dell café located at Puckpool point also serves similar fare and sometimes has live music on Sunday afternoons.
.. The Old Barracks tea rooms.
Return Journey: The return journey should be straight forward if the journey is planned to be conducted in a good height of tide. If sailing in a favourable tide and a significant westerly or south westerly wind you can expect the return journey to be a fair bit wetter than the outbound therefore your choice of clothing for the day should consider this. As you approach the mainland the white building of Hill Head Sailing club is a prominent landmark and provides a pointer for an initial heading.
Last updated 13:49 on 22 April 2024
