Harty Ferry meet up

MoodySabre

MoodySabre

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Earlier in the year I said that I'd like to go to Harty Ferry via the forts and windfarm. I have been a couple of times when I had a boat at Westcliff - but never ventured ashore.

Dates are proving awkward. Ideally I'd like a tea-time HW - get to the Whittaker at LW and come down and up the Swale on the tide. Getting back would also be helped by that timing.

BH and 5/6th September are difficult for me at the moment and the next good weekend for tides is 20/21 September. I assume it has to be weekend for others (otherwise 18/19/20 August is good).

Anyone up for it?
 
Hi Roger

Heading south for a change would be good but as with you rapidly running out of dates to fit everything in will have a chat with SWMBO and see what we can come up with
 
Bernie - using the rudimentary route planner on Belfield it looks like 45nm for you and about 35nm for me. No where convenient for you to stop en route except perhaps Brightlingsea (or anchoring off Frinton /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif).
 
Sounds like a wheeze !. Will consult the diary at the weekend and revert /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.
 
We were down at Harty earlier in the year - great location - a night in the Shipwright's arms would make a great forum event. Those coming from further north than the Blackwater or Crouch might want to try for a friday nighter in B'lingsea or the Pyefleet

I think we'd prefer the Sept date - we're planning to be clog-side later in Aug.
 
Ok, here are some suggestions from a local.
The Shipwright's Arms...bit biased here, the pub manager and his landlord (the boatyard owner) between them were the reason for our club (Hollowshore) being 'evicted' at short notice. Furthermore the landlord is a miserable so-and-so (doesn't like customers, basically), the food is very ho-hum, but the beer can be interesting. Interior is obviously charming and quaint.
Access will involve a dinghy trip from Harty (unless you are all going to be brave), mud, and may well be difficult.
The are two much better pubs at Oare. These would be a one-mile walk up a lane from the southern causeway at Harty. The first pub you get to is a Shepherd Neame pub, the Three Mariners, where the food is good, as is the beer (well I would say that wouldn't I). The other pub, the Castle, is a more earthy place but we do like it.
Fifty yards from the Castle is our new clubhouse......I could get someone to open up early on and do you cheap drinkies, but can't manage food for a small gathering really.
Downside with Oare (unless you all go up the creek, I presume you won't want to do this) is that the south shore at Harty is probably a no-no for leaving a dinghy. Strange goings-on at night. I wouldn't leave one there.
You could all go up to Faversham if you are brave, go on the Brents jetty near the top on the right. Lots of splendid pubs nearby. Obviously you will all dry out...in mud.
I reckon your best bet is to do none of these things, but instead to land on the northern causeway at Harty and go to the Ferry House Inn. This is only a 5-minute walk, I think the dinghies should be safe, you will return at LW when the tide will be off the causeway but the mud is pretty firm (or the bits I've walked on are!). Food is pretty good, as is the beer. Don't blame me though.
Very regrettably I can't join in with this, we have a long-outstanding visit from family that weekend and cannot change it (unless they do).
 
Ferry House Inn it is then /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif Mud, strange goings on, creeks in a fin keeler - you cannot be serious /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

Sorry you can't make the provisional date - things may change, as they do. Good to have local input, thanks.
 
Perhaps you can enlighten me?

When we were at Harty the other week, on our first visit, the chart indicated a couple of wrecks/obstacles on the northern shore where there were only two (visitors?) buoys anyway, and not a lot of water it seemed, so we moored the other side near the landing you refer to.

We picked up a large white buoy marked 'WCC' but couldn't think who might own that one or several others of similar colour or size.

Then there were many orange unmarked buoys with visitors hanging on them plus another with a small fishing trawler and its crew too.

There was only one, yellow, buoy with a boat name on it 'Serendipity' that we could see

So are those white buoys and the orange ones for visitors or privately owned, do you know? Also as I wouldn't want to be disturbed by an irate fisherman at dead of night, are any of these commercial moorings and if so how does one tell?

In the event we didn't go to Ferry House as it was blowing a F5 ENE with quite a chop and the 1/4 mile in the inflatable didn't seem worthwhile for a pint and a meal for the three of us.
 
The two big white WCC buoys are owned by Whitstable Cruising Club and intended for members' use; similarly there are two identical buoys marked CCC - Conyer Cruising Club - and two smaller new orange buoys, which are (or will be ) marked HCC, these are my club, Hollowshore.
Basically visitors are free to pick any of these up, and I doubt that any club member will come along and throw you off.
As for the other moorings on the south side, indeed there are quite a few 'private' ones ('Serendipity' is one of these) although the three or four nearest Faversham Spit are not used permanently to my knowledge. The rule at Harty really is that you can use any mooring provided you are prepared to be chucked off, which could happen but only if the mooring 'belongs ' to someone - best avoid those with boat names on them, and those closest to the causeway, many of which are used by fishermen.
Nobody should be collecting money for any of them although we as a club gave some cheeky chap a hefty bill when he parked his (broken) boat on one of ours for 6 weeks! Possibly the owner of the trawler might come asking for money, but I would question him closely if he does......I've not heard of this happening, though, for a long time.
I'm not too well acquanted with the buoys on the north shore - I know the pub landlord was going to lay some, perhaps these are the visitor buoys you mention.
The north shore does shoal, so watch the depth there.
The holding everywhere at Harty is really excellent, so you could always use that clean shiny thing hanging on your bow! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Thanks, Dick, that clarifies the situation a lot.

At the moment I'm a little averse to anchoring after an overnight stay in Sharfleet Creek, the other week, when my boat danced merrily around its anchor all night, rotating a full 220 degs. for two hours either side of a tide change. It all reminded me rather of an uncontrollable boisterous puppy in the park on a long lead.

I didn't sleep a wink from past midnight to dawn, so I shall have to experiment with buckets, over the stern, storm jib up the backstay and other marine delights to while away the hours, I suppose
 
Are you allowing rabble from the Medway to join in?
I could get Fred to clean up the eggy stains on his WW2 U Boat commanders jumper (recently purchased from a war surplus boutique) if that would help.
Promise we'll try and have fenders of approximately the same size and colour and that our chalky off-white vessels will be both chalky and off-white.
Fred has also been known to talk "Sheppey" and may be able to communicate with the locals, especially if there's a bargain to be had.
We have been known to get a large flotilla of almost two boats within sight of each other after only several months of planning so in fact even if you said "yes, we'd love to have you visit" I think you'd be safe. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
Any old rabble can come, us norf essex boaty types ain't posh or fussy.

I've read about Sheppey on a certain less-than-complimentary website so an interpreter might be useful. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
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