Southwold Entrance

[PaulRainbow]

A lovely harbour with water for our 1.4m at any state. Does it really take a whole tide to get from Shotley? Surely withe the tide assistance it's a quick journey?

HW Harwich is just over an hour after HW Southwold, so leaving Shotley at HW only gives you a touch under 5 hours to be at Southwold by LW. It's about 35 miles, so you'd have to average about 7 knots to make it in a single tide. Chances are. leaving Shotley at HW, you;d arrive at Southwold an hour or so after LW, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

 

[Leighb]

HW Harwich is just over an hour after HW Southwold, so leaving Shotley at HW only gives you a touch under 5 hours to be at Southwold by LW. It's about 35 miles, so you'd have to average about 7 knots to make it in a single tide. Chances are. leaving Shotley at HW, you;d arrive at Southwold an hour or so after LW, which wouldn't be a bad thing.

In 2010 we made our first trip to Southwold from Woolverstone. Like you I had thought that if we left Harwich around HW we would be at Southwold entrance an hour or so after LW.
In the event we had a cracking Westerly breeze and in spite of reducing sail we did the whole trip from Woolverstone in 6Hrs 22Mins, arriving just on LW!! We called up the HM and he said that with our draft, 1.4m, we should be OK to come in. We made it but did touch slightly just outside the entrance. On subsequent trips we have generally tried to arrive a bit later, but it does mean some adverse tide at the end.

 

[TwoHooter]

It's not a marina and the majority of boats are either working or made of wood. It definitely isn't posh (unlike the town).
But in my eyes it's one of the last "real" harbours left, and beautiful.

 

[LONG_KEELER]

It's not a marina and the majority of boats are either working or made of wood. It definitely isn't posh (unlike the town).
But in my eyes it's one of the last "real" harbours left, and beautiful.View attachment 86870

Yes. Timeless and adapted for our salty shores.

Bit like Tollesbury and Benfleet stagings but lots more water.

 

[Portland Billy]

Don't leave your moorings untended for too long.
Allow plenty of scope if going ashore for a meal.
I speak from Southwold experience!

 

[Leighb]

Don't leave your moorings untended for too long.
Allow plenty of scope if going ashore for a meal.
I speak from Southwold experience!

They do now have some floating pontoons so you are spared the excitement of being on the staging. Mind you precious little chance of visiting one of our favourite places this year?