oldgit
Well-known member
Thanks.
Dover Marina
- Thread starter John_Silver
- Start date
Biggles Wader
Well-known member
There is a Dover Marina website which shows all their rates and charges-----including a rate for anchoring in the outer harbour. I dont know if they actually allow it though.
Tradewinds
Well-known member
Thanks. Scoured their website and can't find any mention re anchoring other than what you wrote. I guess it will be the new marina in future. It's a shame as I never paid anything (or have been asked to pay anything) in the past. Dover for me is just a passage stopover - not a place to stop and explore (I know I could be missing something great but hey-ho).
johnalison
Well-known member
I agree that Dover for most of us is a stopover, though the castle should be seen, and the Grand Shaft if possible. Shopping is disappointing. My wife failed to pack her knickers once and had a devil of a job finding any to tide her over, I think ending up with paper ones.
veshengro
Well-known member
On voyages up the East Coast, usually to the Humber to visit relatives, I used to anchor in The Downs, inshore of the Goodwins, just South of Deal Pier. Not needing to go ashore, I anchored there a few times. I never did so in really bad weather but always managed to get a few hours sleep there in fair weather.
Motor_Sailor
Well-known member
I’m sure the original anchoring ban was due to construction operations and traffic. If all the construction work has finished and there’s a fee for anchoring on the website, I would anchor and see what happens.
johnalison
Well-known member
I'm too much of a coward. I'd contact the harbour first.
Juan Twothree
Well-known member
Don't worry - you're not!
AndrewB
Well-known member
We had an easterly F5-6 in Dover a couple of days ago. With the new wave-break, boats on the inner pontoons of the marina were unruffled, but the entrance was a bit choppy and two yachts on the very outmost pontoon were rolling a bit. Hard to say whether there would be a real problem in a SE gale, which is when Dover harbour can get very rough (see my pic below).
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Biggles Wader
Well-known member
Great pic. That shelter brings back some interesting memories of my teenage years!
I can also(just!) remember the railway line that used to run along the road there.
I can also(just!) remember the railway line that used to run along the road there.
Motor_Sailor
Well-known member
Great picture! Brings back lots of memories of dinghy sailing off the beach at Dover.
Kent county council had a sailing 'centre' there where three of us from school went on school 'sports afternoons' the late 60's. It was a small wooden shed presided over by an old man and a motley collection of wooden dinghies including our beloved Albacore, but no rescue boat or anything. We went year after year including the winters when we helped him with maintenance in a workshop excavated into the bottom of the cliffs. Anything to get out of playing team games.
He gradually became convinced we could sail okay, but one Wednesday, we arrived down to see the harbour look like the above photo. Horrible grey waves dumping onto the steep shingle beach. "Sorry lads, I'm not even letting you three out on a day like this". We could see he had a point but were thrilled when he offered to show us around the Dover lifeboat. There was also the new Clyde class boat there on trials and he seemed to know everything about them. "Hey mister - how come you know so much about lifeboats?" "I'm the coxswain."
In those days I think coxswains had to retire at 40. I wish I was an old man in my 30s again.
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Biggles Wader
Well-known member
Arthur??????
Motor_Sailor
Well-known member
Not sure. Kids weren't really on first name terms with adults back then. In fact, I don't think we ever knew his surname either. Just Mister or perhaps Sir.
Biggles Wader
Well-known member
When I was a kid the local lifeboat Coxn was Arthur, a knarly old seadog(probably about 40 
) who was quite a character and not averse to controversy as were some of the crew. A bit like today they were sometimes at odds with the RNLI powers that be over the odd unauthorised launch and at least one resigned over it. I recall a call out to a yacht being blown towards the rocks just East of Dover one night and they launched with only four crew without permission. Several people were lifted from the yacht just before it was wrecked. One of the LB crew was a local fisherman and driving instructor who taught a relly of mine and a couple of mates. Names escape me but I will probably remember in a day or two
) who was quite a character and not averse to controversy as were some of the crew. A bit like today they were sometimes at odds with the RNLI powers that be over the odd unauthorised launch and at least one resigned over it. I recall a call out to a yacht being blown towards the rocks just East of Dover one night and they launched with only four crew without permission. Several people were lifted from the yacht just before it was wrecked. One of the LB crew was a local fisherman and driving instructor who taught a relly of mine and a couple of mates. Names escape me but I will probably remember in a day or two
Gargleblaster
Well-known member
I also anchor in the Downs for a sleep single handed on passage. I have had many comfortable nights just north of Deal Pier just opposite the Royal Cinque Ports Golf Club.
I also anchor north of Dungeness about half a mile to a mile in. If there is a NE blowing I anchor just to the south of Rye entrance.
Often I am the only one and particularly east of Dungeness the fishermen give me an odd look.
If anchoring off Dungeness watch the tide depth, I think at high water I have had to anchor in 9 metres to make sure I don't bump in the night.
all of the above are shown on the charts as recognised anchorages.
AndrewB
Well-known member
A nearby anchorage I've used is behind Boulder Bank off Fairlight. Surprisingly settled for winds between NW and NE, IMHO better than outside Rye. As you warn, at night local fishermen can take an unhealthy interest.
If anchoring overnight on the east side of Dungeness, keep clear of the Hythe firing range (when it's operational there is a protection boat).
Tomahawk
Well-known member
When last we visited, there was a rather good Indian in teh basement of the terrace to the left of the underpass. Still miss The Light of India