Harbours in Isle of Man

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AndCur

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Folks

Having not cruised the Isle of Man waters before can you give me some advice on what harbours dont dry out. I have been lead to beleive that i can go into Peel and lye against the outer pier and sholud have lots of water is this true. What other harbours should i be looking at? As i am a fin keeler dont really want to dry out in a strange harbour.

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You WILL dry out in the inner harbour in Peel - lots of fin keelers do though, without any problems.

Peel also has (or at least had four years ago) three or four visitors' moorings. I've overnighted there in a Sigma 33 (draught 5' 9") on the outer mooring, but there wasn't a lot under the keel at low water - do your calulations carefully. These moorings in the bay would be very exposed in a Westerly blow.

We got an excellent welcome in Peel Yacht Club . . . they were apologetic that they weren't serving food, gave us a run-down on the local carry-out options and invited us to come back to the club to eat our carry-out. We got an excellent Chinese just up the road and when we returned they set a table with cloth, plates, knives and forks for us and served us beer at the table. Much respect.

- N



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I'm not up to date but your information about Peel used to be correct. There is deep water at the end of the breakwater, where I have berthed alongside a OYC yacht, maybe 60 ft, for a couple of days. Fishing boats also use this deep water and berthing is pretty limited.

Port St Mary used to be the only deep-water port, alongside the outer wall. Gets very crowded in summer.

Douglas had deep water pontoons outside the main harbour. There is now a half-tide gate closing off the entire inner harbour allowing you to remain afloat. I believe that the pontoons are no longer there.

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Outer pontoon still in place at Douglas last summer but its a little intresting when the ferries turn in the outer harbour. The waves set up can cause considerable movement in the trots that hang off the pontoon...

Peel is due to get a flap gate for the inner harbour like the one at Douglas and I believe it is due to be operational this summer (this was as of June/July this year)

If you don't want to dry out you can still visit Castleton and Ramsey from Douglas or PSM by the Manx railway.

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We cruised the Isle of Man last Summer and visited Port St Mary, Peel, Castletown and Douglas. Port St mary had an outer harbour wall and good facilities for visiting yachtsmen, the wifes criteria for good facilities being good showers!! Douglas also had good facilities and deepwater moorings in the reasonably priced Marina. Peel was a bit more difficult, there is an outer harbour wall with plenty of water but this leaves you with quite a long walk into town. The showers also leave a lot to desire. This is were you get to see the Basking sharks though, we passed through a shoal of 15 or so. Castletown is really pretty and also has an outer harbour which is close to town. Facilities here are excellent.

We also called in at Port Errin on extroverts recomendation but didn't moor there as it was a bit exposed for my liking. It was a bit windy while we were there.

Overall a good trip...

Hope this helps
Steve



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I went into Douglas this September and October and didn't spot any pontoon by the Battery pier although I looked for it. I was told to tie up against the sea wall near the inner harbour to await the bridge opening. Douglas marina operates "a first come first served" system and you cannot book in advance. I got a pontoon both times but there seems to be plenty of room to tie up against a wall in the inner harbour and raft up if necessary. I went to Douglas the last time as Conwy told me that they were full. I have always managed to tie up in PSM although with rafting and I avoid the weekend.

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Again, I don't know if my information is up to date, but in the past Douglas removed the outer pontoons in September. I visited for a week in about the second week in Sept before the inner harbour gate was installed, expecting to lie to the pontoons. In the event:
a. The pontoons had been removed
b. It blew F 6-7 from easterly directions for 5 days and the pontoons would have been utterly untenable.

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The pontoon in Douglas outer harbour is only in place during the summer; it's removed in September, As stated, there is a flapgate to the inner harbour, accessible a couple of hours either side of HW, where you may get a pontoon, otherwise tie up alongside the harbour wall. At Port St Mary, the landward section of the outer wall is reserved for yachts; fishing boats using the seaward section. There are also several visitors buoys, but these can be rolly if is there is any swell. The inner harbour dries. Port Erin, as has been said, has a couple of big steel visitors buoys and can be very pleasant, but is open to the west. Peel also has visitors buoys, & you can lie alongside the outer breakwater, but there is no area reserved for yachts. The flapgate has now been delayed about 6 months, but we are told work will start any day now. The project isn't expected to be complete by summer, but the gate should be working albeit with a restricted entrance controlled by traffic lights! There is no provision for pontoons - so it's against the wall.

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The pontoon is removed if there is any east in the wind, I have know them move all the boats off and tow it away due to strong easterlies forecast,
Castletown is a great place to dryout against the wall just outside the swing bridge the facilities are great and the Glue pot is excellent. I have a fin keel corsair and was a bit unsure about drying out but once you have done it its easy and safe in Castletown.
Mike

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Just to update you on the situation in Peel. Work began on the flapgate scheme a month or so ago. Completion isn't expected for around 12months, and in the meantime the width of the inner harbour entrance will be reduced. This shouldn't be a problem for visiting vessels -- in fact it will probably allow less swell into the harbour in northerlies. Nav lights are now in place, so even night entry should be no problem.
As well as the flapgate, the scheme includes a pedestrian swing-bridge, which will make the hike from the outer breakwater to the town far shorter.
The seabed alongside the outer breakwater was dredged in 2002 and has plenty of depth almost to its root. Anyone who visited Peel in 2003 may have noticed that the horrible old iron visitors mooring buoys have given way to far more boat-friendly plastic ones. Sadly, these are still without pick-up tails, on the usual grounds of liability. The moorings can get very lumpy in any blow with north in it.
As for the sailing club showers, there are plans afoot for major improvements, if grants can be secured...

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