Bosun Higgs
N/A
Anybody moored there? If so what are the moorings like. Looks like a pretty place but crowded and with questionable access.
helford moorings?
- Thread starter Bosun Higgs
- Start date
Boreades
New member
Do you want long-term mooring or are you just planning to anchor there for a few days?
Lady Campanula
N/A
Simon Walker of Helford River Moorings is probably the man to speak to. He tells me they manage about 480-500 moorings, use tested components, inspect biannually, and haven't had a 'failure' in 10 years.
The pubs are good, when not heaving with 'emmitts'.
The pubs are good, when not heaving with 'emmitts'.
jimi
Well-known member
Its not always crowded ;-)
Moorings are solid, not cheap,and it can roll a bit in an Easterly.
snowleopard
Active member
My experience of them is only of the visitors' buoys which are very close together. As well as the mooring availability check on car parking, dinghy landing and storage. When you go ashore to the pub on the S side you are asked to pay for use of the all-tide pontoon. On the North side I visited Helford Passage by road last year and there was very limited vehicular access.
Achillesheel
Well-known member
I had a mooring there for a season. It was just off the ferry steps, on the South side, ie Helford, not Helford Passage.
I joined the Helford SC, so I could launch my dinghy there. Accessible most of the time; they have extended the SC pontoons in the last couple of years, so dinghies can be launched from the far end at all states of tide now I think. I think you have to be a member of the club for about 20 years to get a permanent dinghy space on the pontoons.
There is a large public car park, but with no access to the water.
The clubhouse is huge, the food is wonderful the showers are fine.
Moorings can be lumpy in easterlies. I was at first offered a mooring at Durgan, on the north side, and further seaward than Helford. I was told "it should be ok, as long as your deck cleats are sound" which worried me, so I waited for a mooring further in.
The vehicular access to the North side, Helford Passage, Durgan etc is not easy, no car parking.
Access by car to helford is a bit long winded unless you're coming from the West, of course. Its probably 20-30 mins from Falmouth by car.
If you're asking about visitors moorings, they are well maintained, but popular; you need to get there early, and/or raft up. Very friendly/helpful chap collecting mooring fees. Ferry will pick you up/drop you off at your boat.
Beautiful spot, bit remote for a permanent mooring unless you are local anyway.
I joined the Helford SC, so I could launch my dinghy there. Accessible most of the time; they have extended the SC pontoons in the last couple of years, so dinghies can be launched from the far end at all states of tide now I think. I think you have to be a member of the club for about 20 years to get a permanent dinghy space on the pontoons.
There is a large public car park, but with no access to the water.
The clubhouse is huge, the food is wonderful the showers are fine.
Moorings can be lumpy in easterlies. I was at first offered a mooring at Durgan, on the north side, and further seaward than Helford. I was told "it should be ok, as long as your deck cleats are sound" which worried me, so I waited for a mooring further in.
The vehicular access to the North side, Helford Passage, Durgan etc is not easy, no car parking.
Access by car to helford is a bit long winded unless you're coming from the West, of course. Its probably 20-30 mins from Falmouth by car.
If you're asking about visitors moorings, they are well maintained, but popular; you need to get there early, and/or raft up. Very friendly/helpful chap collecting mooring fees. Ferry will pick you up/drop you off at your boat.
Beautiful spot, bit remote for a permanent mooring unless you are local anyway.
Bosun Higgs
N/A
Been offered a mooring but its at Durgan which is even more exposed in an easterly than the main bunch are. I was wondering how others had found it having their boat there for the summer season. Issues like parking, dinghy launching, security in bad weather
Achillesheel
Well-known member
Parking at Durgan v difficult. Dinghy launching off the beach ok, but I don't think there is anywhere to store it. You'd have to drive the car down, unload dinghy etc onto beach, take the car back up the hill to a car park, walk back down, etc.....
I was offered Durgan at first and turned it down, but was then offered my spot at Helford itself a few weeks later.
I was offered Durgan at first and turned it down, but was then offered my spot at Helford itself a few weeks later.
SimbaDog
Active member
We rented a cottage in Durgan & it came with a deep water mooring
Also took a Pico for the kids which we kept in the dinghy park & launched off the beach, there is no space for non residents & also no parking except for a public park about 200 yds up the hill. Durgan is owned by the National Trust &
I reckon it would not be feasible to access boat from there.
Wouldn't want to have a boat on a mooring there in a big Easterly.
phantomlady
Member
Our home mooring is on the Helford river and when we are using it we park our car in the car park behind the Ferry Boat Inn which is £1 per day (got to be the cheapest in Cornwall) and if we are going off for the weekend we just buy multiple tickets to stick on the dashboard.
We pay to keep our dinghy on the beach in front of the Ferry Boat Inn (can't remember how much it was last season but it didn't break the bank!).
Not had any problems so far....
Tried lots of other parking/dinghy combinations but found this to be the best/cheapest/easiest.
We are locals and wouldn't recommend leaving a boat out on a mooring at Durgan in any sort of bad weather.
We pay to keep our dinghy on the beach in front of the Ferry Boat Inn (can't remember how much it was last season but it didn't break the bank!).
Not had any problems so far....
Tried lots of other parking/dinghy combinations but found this to be the best/cheapest/easiest.
We are locals and wouldn't recommend leaving a boat out on a mooring at Durgan in any sort of bad weather.
Last edited:
Bosun Higgs
N/A
All summer season.
monkfish24
Active member
I've got one just south of bar bouy, unfortunatly this is my first season so can't really describe it to you but I've been told by a few people that it's fairly good. Looking at the wind direction statistics from Culdrose over the past year (http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_culdrose.htm, lumpy easterlies aren't common. (obviously SW being the prevailing)
Looking forward to it though!
Looking forward to it though!
Lady Campanula
N/A
Oh, dear. I guess there will be several who'll take issue with that act of faith, and describe in rivetting detail what happens when High Pressure stabilises to the north of the British Isles, and a Low moves in over Northern France, squeezing the isobars.
I've experienced many times the increasing easterly gales which result, blowing hard down Channel for days on end, giving a 200nm fetch and big seas, most of which roll directly into Helford - and break vigorously across the Bar right where your mooring is positioned.
These conditions are quite common in early spring.....
monkfish24
Active member
Oh, dear. I guess there will be several who'll take issue with that act of faith, and describe in rivetting detail what happens when High Pressure stabilises to the north of the British Isles, and a Low moves in over Northern France, squeezing the isobars.
I've experienced many times the increasing easterly gales which result, blowing hard down Channel for days on end, giving a 200nm fetch and big seas, most of which roll directly into Helford - and break vigorously across the Bar right where your mooring is positioned.
These conditions are quite common in early spring.....
lucky I'm not there in early spring
I'm just going off what other people have said. I'm more than likely going to be there whenever anything like that happens as I'm only round the corner.
Boreades
New member
FWIW, if you get crowded out of the Helford moorings (e.g. peak summer times) you might still find moorings available round the corner in Gillan Creek.
I have in the past moored in Gillan Creek for several days, but that was done on neap tides. Do beware, you might start bouncing off the bottom in spring tides if your keel is more than 1.6m deep.
Check out St. Anthony boat moorings
I have in the past moored in Gillan Creek for several days, but that was done on neap tides. Do beware, you might start bouncing off the bottom in spring tides if your keel is more than 1.6m deep.
Check out St. Anthony boat moorings
fisherman
Well-known member
Simon Walker of Helford River Moorings is probably the man to speak to. He tells me they manage about 480-500 moorings, use tested components, inspect biannually, and haven't had a 'failure' in 10 years.
The pubs are good, when not heaving with 'emmitts'.
If he is the man from the 'Ferryboat' side, he's being economical with the truth, since I picked up a yacht with parted top chain, came from that side, 5 years ago, sure it's the same lot.
After spending an hour securing it, and a considerable time and many mobile calls to the Cg and others, to id him get the info to him he said: "I know I can't possibly thank you, so I won't try" and he didn't.
fisherman
Well-known member
As regards Easterly wind, if there's enough we used to go into Port navas creek, deep and safe, until it goes SW, or into Frenchman's on the mud. In really severe weather there is a surge which I've seen to empty and fill the whole of the creek outside the Shipwright's Arms over several minutes, leaving the crew of a 44ft fishing boat frantically fitting the legs, they had been trying to help another boat caught on the beach, and sweeping small craft off the outhauls and into a heap up by the footbridge. Not seen it like that for over 30 years.
I think it was the same gale that wrecked the Ben Asdale in Maenporth.
I think it was the same gale that wrecked the Ben Asdale in Maenporth.
Duffer
New member
When it's blowing from the East head over to St Mawes or up the Fal.
Lady Campanula
N/A
fisherman
Well-known member
"You may very well think so. I couldn't possibly comment...."
I could. This is really anal, but I have the mobile bill here, for 10th sept 2006. The number on which I spoke to the mooring people is the same. Never had a failure? Balderdollocks!
It was a 26ft yacht up on a steep rocky bank. I was very unhappy about towing this yacht around, but had to do something, my outboard very unreliable, so dared not go down through the moorings in the 19ft ebb tide, could have got in a lot of trouble. Towed it up to Tremayne, where I was going to anchor it in deep water, but met the Gweek boatyard launch, he took it down to a visitor mooring. If I was able to establish it was a bilge keeler I would have left it on its anchor on the mud.
