Langstone

[richgiddens]

Went into Langstone for a lunch stop on Saturday. Never been in before mainly because of the bad press it gets re being a bit desolate and nondescript.
I was pleasantly surprised. Admittedly, the entrance is a bit like driving into an industrial estate but, we anchored just behind the isolated danger mark where the two channels split and spent a very pleasant couple of hours. Certainly made a change from Chichester in terms of number of boats, we had the place to ourselves.
Just wondering what other people's opinions were.

 

[Seajet]

I'm sure Langstone Harbour has much to offer, and will be developed in future; this has been prevented so far by the RSPB brigade.

It is a bit desolate and grim on a grey day, but does offer free secluded anchorages, and open water for dinghy sailing / racing.

I have been a member of Langstone SC since 1977 and like it very much, have tried others as well in order to get deep water moorings but was not impressed !

LSC is on the road bridge to Hayling Island so has the choice of Langstone & Chichester harbours; I happen to prefer Chichester with its many places to go if time is short or the weather is bad, though the Langstone side moorings offer quicker access to the Solent and a slightly safer entrance in bad weather.

The members who sail in Langstone harbour, both dinghy and cruiser, seem very happy there and the open waters are very useful for dinghy races plus the Sailability for the disabled the club is heavily involved with.

The club is a very friendly volunteer only set-up with a good clubhouse & facilities, with our own boat hoist for cruisers at beginning & end of season and between if anything happens to a boat, which is a useful support.

The moorings are sheltered, half tide on soft mud and together with the hoist offer very good value IMO, and I've tried moorings all over Chichester & Portsmouth when I had a fin keeler...

 

[lw395]

Langstone has the advantage of a safe entrance with no bar, much better than Chi in big weather.
You do need to watch the Winner shoals either side of the fairway though.
As a harbour, it is remarkable for having about ten times the water area at high tide as at low tide, and for pretty poor land access.
However, if you want to anchor and watch the comic terns, it's OK.
The main channels stay deep, but do remember there is dredger traffic from both Kendalls and Havant.

 

[Seajet]

lw395,

what dredger traffic for Havant is that then ? There is none I'm aware of apart from extremely rare small mechanical digger work on the LSC moorings, which is usually done manually by volunteer work parties.

There is a dredger which visits the NW corner of the harbour regularly.

For people used to places like Chichester & elsewhere in the Solent the harbour is rather sparsely marked, and I wouldn't recommend a first visit in the dark due to things like the large steel ex-Admiralty paint staging rafts.

The only real facilities are at Southsea Marina, which has a tidal sill and would probably be best to call first as they don't get all that many visitors; however from there one may walk ( a long way ) or taxi to the delights of Southsea & Portsmouth, or take the foot ferry across the entrance to the Ferry Boat Inn; I'm not sure what hours the Hayling ferry operates though.

 

[Martin_J]

Hi..

I am intrigued as to whether you went into 'Langstone' or into 'Langstone Harbour'.

The former being the small industrial looking creek at the NE corner of the latter.

I agree that Langstone might look industrial.. but Langstone Harbour I wouldn't describe as industrial looking.

Sounds like you enjoyed it wherever you were...

You could have turned left and joined us at Southsea Marina where you would have a friendly bar and a great Indian Restaurant.

 

[lw395]

lw395,

what dredger traffic for Havant is that then ? .....

Medium sized dredger seems to go to somewhere up near the old Havant incinerator occasionally.
Looks big enough from a Solo dinghy!
Since I'm mostly down the other end of the harbour around HW at weekends, I guess there might be traffic more often in the week?
Just something to bear in mind if anchoring in the channel.
Other hazard is water skiers, but they are pretty sensible and sometimes good entertainment!

 

[Martin_J]

Any water-skiing should be in a defined area...
http://www.langstoneharbour.org.uk/boating-waterskiing.php

 

[Seajet]

On the other hand, ' Langstone Wharf ' is the wall outside the Ship Inn at the mainland end of Hayling road bridge, and like Langstone village ( a few rows of very nice old houses ) is more in Chichester Harbour !

The area has tons of history of course, from prehistory to the WWII ' Starfish 16 ' decoy system to lure Luftwaffe bombers away from Portsmouth, D-Day Mulberry Harbour, to Nevil Shute staying at Langstone windmill - he later bought a house there.

From Langstone village - there is n LSC vistors' mooring* by the bridge on the Chichester side but one definitely has to be able to dry out on mud - there is a very good walk by the Ship & Royal Oak old pubs, the real smugglers' Pook Lane, nature reserve by the Mill, and via Warblington cemetery ( where a lot of sailors lie inc Sir Peter Blake ) all the way to Emsworth.

It's a very nice spot and a bit of a well kept secret; and most Solent sailors would spit feathers if they knew what my annual fee for membership inc mooring costs !

* Langstone Sailing Club 02392 484577 Wednesday evenings & weekends, otherwise pot luck or PM me.

 

[lw395]

Hi..

I am intrigued as to whether you went into 'Langstone' or into 'Langstone Harbour'.

The former being the small industrial looking creek at the NE corner of the latter.

I agree that Langstone might look industrial.. but Langstone Harbour I wouldn't describe as industrial looking.

Sounds like you enjoyed it wherever you were...

You could have turned left and joined us at Southsea Marina where you would have a friendly bar and a great Indian Restaurant.

Langstone is a village at top right of the harbour, by the bridge to Hayling. Two pubs, nice at HW. Mud at LW.
Industrial creek is Havant/Bedhampton/Farlington Marshes.
The top of the Portsmouth side is a bit bleak too, views to Industrial estate, incinerator and er, Portsmouth, then the A27/A3M.
The Indian is not always that great in the marina. IMHO. There are good ones in Southsea.

 

[Martin_J]

Industrial creek is Havant/Bedhampton/Farlington Marshes.
.

Thanks ... and this is why I was intrigued how somebody sailing into Langstone could say it had an 'Industrial' looking entrance..

 

[Fantasie 19]

Medium sized dredger seems to go to somewhere up near the old Havant incinerator occasionally.
Looks big enough from a Solo dinghy!

...or a windsurfer (in my younger days!)

Not a dredger though, she's an aggregate carrier, concrete/road mix I guess... more here... http://www.langstoneharbour.org.uk/commercial-ships.php

 

[Seajet]

Langstone Sailing Club, at the top right NE corner of Langstone harbour, by the road bridge to Hayling Island; definitely not industrial !

www.langstonesc.org.uk

All near LW.

View attachment 44180 Over the Chichester side, Langstone village at centre of pic; prominent white building is the Royal Oak.

View attachment 44181 Ship Inn with public car park & half tide slip at top right.

View attachment 44182 Langstone Harbour side; the blocks are the remains of the old Hayling Billy railway, entrance is by the old turntable at bottom right of pic.

Don't look for the pylon, it's gone; as I say, these pics taken at LW.

 

[richgiddens]

Hi..

I am intrigued as to whether you went into 'Langstone' or into 'Langstone Harbour'.

The former being the small industrial looking creek at the NE corner of the latter.

I agree that Langstone might look industrial.. but Langstone Harbour I wouldn't describe as industrial looking.

Sounds like you enjoyed it wherever you were...

You could have turned left and joined us at Southsea Marina where you would have a friendly bar and a great Indian Restaurant.

Yes, sorry, Langstone Harbour. As ever, loads of useful info/comments. Fancied an anchorage rather than a marina and I think I'll come back and spend a night when I fancy getting away from it all.

 

[Seajet]

richgiddens,

most people from the club seem to anchor somewhere between N & S Binness Islands ( mud & marshland ) - nothing there except wildlife and very peaceful; long time since I've sailed in that particular area of the harbour so not sure of the depths at LW, worth checking...

There used to be visitors moorings off the E side just inside the entrance, handy for the Ferry Boat Inn - though one would have to watch the tide in a dinghy - I am not sure if they're still there.

Langstone Harbourmasters' office is close by the Ferry Boat Inn, at the W end of Hayling front; quite an interesting area especially if into quirky houseboats and walks among coastal heathland, and there's the Inn On The Beach ( which has a webcam ) further along the seafront.

 

[oldharry]

Are the jetskiers still around? I used to go in regularly, but was twice in succession greeted in the entrance by idiot jetskiers who thought it funny to do a racing turn to swamp my cockpit. Succeeded in ruining my mobile phone the second time.

So I have not been back since.

 

[Seajet]

Old Harry,

no idea, for the last few years my only visits have been crewing my chums' boat at launch and laying up times - if launching or hoisting ashore at LSC with the mast up but moored in Chichester, it means a trip around Hayling.

No sign of jetski's or water skiers at those times of year !

I hate to tempt fate, but I get the general impression both jetski's and speedboats are a lot better behaved nowadays everywhere, either the novelty has worn off - which must take about 5 seconds - petrol prices, or they have heard about a boom in sales of sniper rifles...

There are usually plenty of kite surfers on Hayling front towards the western end, always good to watch from ashore as they tend to like silly strong winds.

 

[Petertheking1982]

The main channel can get a bit lumpy in wind over tide conditions for peaceful anchoring, but there are some deep pools in russels lake between sword and mallard sands and in the sinah lake in the se corner of the harbor around the wreck post just past the moorings. You can also anchor just north of the mulbery harbor inside the moorings and 2h either side of LW sinah sands will be exposed to play on / bbq. Or you could try and spot the resident seals sunning themselves on sword and malard sands (which also make nice tidal islands to play on). But please dont land on the farlington marsh islands as you will scare the rspb, sorry scare the birds.

The marina has a tidal cill gate (1.75m 3h either side of low) and its outer holding pontoon is accessible most states of tide (about 1m on LW neaps, but i wouldn't try it on LW springs).

The water skiers are polite, but the jet skiers can be a pain around the entrance, but the past couple of years the harbor masters have been trying to educate them (by giving them speeding fines), and creating a jet ski area to the sw of the harbor entrance so they have got better.

i can understand the west side of the harbor entrance looking a bit industrial with the abandoned MOD buildings and the building site behind the pier at the entrance. But no worse than a lot of places.

 

[richgiddens]

The main channel can get a bit lumpy in wind over tide conditions for peaceful anchoring, but there are some deep pools in russels lake between sword and mallard sands and in the sinah lake in the se corner of the harbor around the wreck post just past the moorings. You can also anchor just north of the mulbery harbor inside the moorings and 2h either side of LW sinah sands will be exposed to play on / bbq. Or you could try and spot the resident seals sunning themselves on sword and malard sands (which also make nice tidal islands to play on). But please dont land on the farlington marsh islands as you will scare the rspb, sorry scare the birds.

The marina has a tidal cill gate (1.75m 3h either side of low) and its outer holding pontoon is accessible most states of tide (about 1m on LW neaps, but i wouldn't try it on LW springs).

The water skiers are polite, but the jet skiers can be a pain around the entrance, but the past couple of years the harbor masters have been trying to educate them (by giving them speeding fines), and creating a jet ski area to the sw of the harbor entrance so they have got better.

i can understand the west side of the harbor entrance looking a bit industrial with the abandoned MOD buildings and the building site behind the pier at the entrance. But no worse than a lot of places.

Once again, never posted a question on here without getting some great stuff back. Judging by some of the replies on here, the next time I go, the place'll be packed! Oh well, just as fond of company as I am solitude.

 

[Giblets]

One of the resident Langstone seals spent the day today in Southsea Marina hoovering up the mullet. Put the fear of god up me as it surfaced right beside us after we has returned from a (windless but very hot) trip around the eastern Solent! Never seen one THAT close before - he sure was a big bugger!

 

[Fantasie 19]

The main channel can get a bit lumpy in wind over tide conditions for peaceful anchoring, but there are some deep pools in russels lake between sword and mallard sands and in the sinah lake in the se corner of the harbor around the wreck post just past the moorings. You can also anchor just north of the mulbery harbor inside the moorings and 2h either side of LW sinah sands will be exposed to play on / bbq. Or you could try and spot the resident seals sunning themselves on sword and malard sands (which also make nice tidal islands to play on). But please dont land on the farlington marsh islands as you will scare the rspb, sorry scare the birds.

The marina has a tidal cill gate (1.75m 3h either side of low) and its outer holding pontoon is accessible most states of tide (about 1m on LW neaps, but i wouldn't try it on LW springs).

The water skiers are polite, but the jet skiers can be a pain around the entrance, but the past couple of years the harbor masters have been trying to educate them (by giving them speeding fines), and creating a jet ski area to the sw of the harbor entrance so they have got better.

i can understand the west side of the harbor entrance looking a bit industrial with the abandoned MOD buildings and the building site behind the pier at the entrance. But no worse than a lot of places.

Do the water skiers still have their pontoon in the middle of the harbour up towards the bridge? I'm only a tiddler and I was thinking it might make a nice overnight tying up spot..