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I have had this problem with the kids in the same spot.

However one day at low water there were 3 or 4 large motor boats beached there for scrubbing off and cleaning.

Have a look yourself at low water one day?

The beach is quite steep and you can nose a small boat on if you are quick or on a rsing tide, keep the leg right up and stay in the middle of the small bay, there are submerged rocks to the right.

The other method that I have used is to nose up as close as you can/dare, cut the motor, step off the bow and hold and push the boat into postion on the sand, you will be wet up to your middle but you get to stay with boat and recover the POB!

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Be careful of the rock platter on the left of the beach. These pics were taken Easter weekend last year - remember, hot, sunny and no wind?

This chap thought it would be a good idea to beach on the nice soft sand and didn't realise his mistake until the tide went out. The grinding he took as the tide came in was enough to make one weep.

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Saturday we had our first experience of "rafting up" I believe it's called?

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It is generally considered that one "sacrificial yacht" is good protection for up to 3 proper boats.

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Anyway he's only a pond skipper.

Tom

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Yes thats true The "Guide to rafting" as above, is a slightly ammended (for generic use) version from my original "Guide to rafting" previously posted some time ago which relates specifically to "Pond skipping" and if anyone is interested here is the original.
PS- Never heard the term "Pond skipper" before ......... but I like it

A guide to rafting

ahem...
First bloke (ideally the biggest) drops anchor then deploys lots of fenders on preferred side. 2nd bloke comes along side at great speed. Wives, daughter’s girlfriends etc all climb onto bows and hang over stern and or sides grappling for ropes which are being badly thrown by other people’s wives daughters etc.

Wives, daughters etc then tie all the ropes including springs and make fast. Blokes then re tie all the ropes which have been deemed to be a total cock up, some to tight some to slack some on wrong cleats, he then drops anchor (ideally 2nd blokes anchor should be dropped then reverse onto 1st bloke etc therefore setting anchor correctly but hey its Windermere and we don’t necessarily do it right)

3rd bloke then decides if he likes 1st bloke or 2nd bloke the best before deciding which boat to come alongside asking via vhf or very loud (and optional) wife, daughters etc. When offer accepted 1st or 2nd bloke puts loads of fenders out and the steps above are followed again.

At the end with 3,4,5 or more boats successfully rafted a meeting of the blokes is called for in order to decide who has the biggest fridge with the most beer, who has the most nibbles onboard and most importantly who is the designated "smoking" boat.

The kids and the blokes then go for a swim and mess about in dinghies, canoes etc until its bbq time when copious amounts of food, beer and wine is precariously loaded onboard dinghies. Then everyone including the wives, girlfriends etc (who are pissed by now) row to the shore.

The blokes do blokey things like light fires and drink beer, the kids do kiddie things like scavenge for wood for said fire, and the girls do girlie things like moan about the fact that the fires to big and the lake warden might see it and bollock us (oooh scary) and that the burgers are no where near done and the wine (that you chose cos it was £2.99 from Somerfield is shite.

At the end everyone except kids under 16 are pissed, someone falls in on the way back and in the morning you hope you are still where you anchored and not drifted 1/2 mile onto LDNPA (lake district national park) car park.

This is a typical rafting technique and a typical weekend on Windermere.
I hope you found it informative and hope you feel ready for rafting.

Very Important Note
It is advisable to raft with at least one yacht of about 32' in length, therefore if you start drifting in the night his keel will hit before your outdrive does.
It is generally considered that one "sacrificial yacht" is good protection for up to 3 proper boats.

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Looks like a great idea, can us stinkies go, or is it strictly Rag and stick only

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