Sailing site

The sandbank at Hoylake is one of the largest and best sailing sites in the country. Called the East Hoyle Bank it's a huge expanse of sand.

The limits are from Dove Point Groyne at the north-east end to Hilbre Point boundary at Red Rocks (south-west). The Hilbre Point boundary marks the start of nesting and feeding grounds for sea birds (west of the boundary) and should be avoided. The ground can be hard going there anyway, being quite muddy and criss-crossed with deep gullies.

Red Rocks to the south-west are easy to locate, but the north-eastern boundary is a little more tricky, especially when you are a considerable distance away from the sea wall. Dove Point is before the Leasowe Lighthouse (not shown on the map) which has recently been given a new coat of bright white paint. Looking from the sea towards the land, if you look along the sea wall to the right of the Lighthouse, you will see two vertical metal poles of approx 5 metres. This is the Dove Point Groyne. You are advised to stay well away from the groyne as it has a sewage outlet close by. The effluent discharges into a gully which leads almost directly north, and well away from our sailing boundaries.

No sailing is permitted within the first 300 metres of the sea wall. Many pilots sail their yachts or buggies through this area to get out to the better parts of the bank. As long as this can be done quickly and safely, it is not a problem.

Tidal behaviour

A large sandbar, about one mile out and parallel with the sea wall, protects the sailing area. When the high tide is less than approximately 8.3 metres, the sea does not rise over the sandbar, so The Pan starts to dry out.

Please note that due to the presence of the sandbar, we normally refer to the sailing site as a sandbank, as the tide does not move in and out at regular intervals like on a beach for example. The tide height is critical and as it changes with the cycle of the moon, there are only certain times when the sandbank is suitable for dry sailing. Please check the Availability page for further details. Please do not turn up without checking the availability first, as the site is usually completely flooded when the tides are wrong for sailing!

Sailing conditions

Once the sandbank has had a good 24 hours to dry out, it can stay dry for up to seven days, making perfect conditions for sand yachting and parakarting. Conditions usually improve further as the site stays dry. Ripples on the sand's surface are usually blown out with a decent wind, making the surface very smooth. Moderate rain showers also smooth out the sand, but because of the high mud content under the top layer of sand, the site does not drain quickly and it can take a few hours for any rainfall to drain away. After any rainfall (or after the first sub-8.3m high tide) the sandbar dries out the quickest. On days when the tides are marginal, it is still possible to find dry areas out on the sandbar. These can be quite large, but the Class-3 pilots would probably still find them a little restrictive.

The first 200 metres or so of the site, from the sea wall are usually covered in mud, so the parakarters walk all their equipment out to the far side of the pan, near the sandbank. The sand yachters usually sail across the mud out to the firmer dryersand.

Please note: The mud near the sea wall can be quite deep, and frequently traps unwary drivers who take their vehicles down on to the bank. The Club's all-terrain vehicles cope well and they were selected for this very reason, but very few other vehicles are as capable. The club's vehicles are licensed for use on the bank by the local authorities. Without the proper authority, other vehicles enter the bank illegally - please be warned!

Beyond the mud, there are several square miles of usable area, so wind direction is irrelevant. An on-shore wind gives us the longest possible reach, but the site is wide enough to allow it to be traversed with a minimum of turns.

The sand on the seaward side of the sandbank is often glassy-smooth, and provides some truly excellent high-speed ground. For this reason it has been nicknamed The Dragstrip.

Be prepared!

Sand yachters have an advantage in that they do not need to carry a lot of equipment, but parakarters should be prepared to load up their buggies with everything that they need for a day out on the site. Kites and buggy obviously, but don't forget anything, as it's a long walk back to the parade. Many people take beach shelters out to the sand bank to protect their more sensitive equipment and to provide somewhere to get out of the wind.

Expended energy and fluid lead to tiredness and dehydration. You general state of health (body and mind!) deteriorates quickly without nourishment, and (as experience has taught us) we often stay out for as long the light allows, so we get well stocked up with plenty of food and drink.

Please also read the Hazards page for further details.