PILOTAGE SWAPPING STUDLAND FOR SWANAGE

Studland's valuable anchorage is now a no-anchor zone, so Ken Endean looks at alternatives

- Ken Endean

 Studland’s voluntary no-anchor zone, enforced by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), has been designated to protect the seagrass growing in the southern part of the bay. The new restriction will have an obvious impact on both inshore recreation in the bay, which has traditionally been Poole’s playground, and coastal cruising, for which Studland has always been a valuable refuge in strong westerly winds. Compliance is voluntary but there is a threat of compulsion if boat owners do not cooperate. The MMO has stated that there will be no prohibition on emergency use; it is not clear whether this would include sheltering from a gale, although an exact definition of ‘emergency’ is not critical while the rule remains voluntary.

ARE THE BOUNDARIES CLEAR ENOUGH?

When we visited Studland in August 2022, about a dozen boats were anchored inside the new zone: behaviour that could provide an excuse for a compulsory anchoring ban. Most were powerboats but four yachts were in a group off Redend Point. Their skippers may have thought they were clear of the zone, because some reports have described it as being the area in front of the South Beach, but the northern limit is actually much further north (see chartlet D2 and Photo 1). The coordinates of the zone have been published and its boundary is now being shown on charts, but if the MMO really wants the voluntary ban to work it would surely be sensible to lay marker buoys.