Lowestoft Area?

[Tim Good]

Just about to make landfall around Lowestoft after a 3 day passage from Norway. Never sailed around here before but we'll be stuck waiting a few days for the SW winds to pass before heading West along the English Channel.

Can anyone recommended nice places around Lowestoft, River Blyth or River Alde? Which would be a good places to make landfall and spend a few days?

Thanks!

 

[Bru]

Royal Norfolk & Suffolk Yacht Club at Lowestoft is pretty good but the surrounding area has little to commend it

Southwold would be my favourite choice. HW is 15:49UTC today so you should be about right arrival time wise (it's 10 to 12 miles South of Lowestoft and entry is best on the last of the flood)

Probably worth giving the harbour master a ring if you've got a mobile signal on 01502 724712 and you must call up on channel 12 before entering the harbour

Make sure, if you go for Southwold, that you keep close to the North harbour wall once inside the piers as there's a shoal on the South side that extends to the middle of the river. Once you're past the ferry landing it's plain sailing

 

[Malish]

The Alde / Ore is great, but the entrance needs respect, see the chartlet here
http://www.eastcoastpilot.com/Ore2017_v2.pdf
Best going in with the tide towards high water. Both Orford and Aldeborough are nice places to stretch your legs, no marinas, some visitors moorings and plenty of room to anchor.

 

[Tim Good]

Roger that. Heading to RNSYC and will then check out the Alde / Ore in coming days.

Thanks

 

[CliveG]

You could head inland onto the Broads through the lock at the top of Lowestoft Harbour.
You can get a few miles up and down the River Waveney without going under any bridges.
You will need a permit - that is obtainable from the lock keeper.
Once you have that the mooring are free.

 

[PeterWright]

Roger that. Heading to RNSYC and will then check out the Alde / Ore in coming days.

Thanks

Good choice to go for RNSYC first but, as Bru says, not much in Lowestoft to keep you there. I wouldn't bother with the Broads, especially during the summer hols, but wouldn't miss out on Southwold. Everything you need to know about entering Southwold is on this excellent video from Harbour Marine Services:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ckyC93brD88

A wider discussion of Southwold's merits is here:

http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?483365-Southwold-first-timer

If you have more time to spend cruising Suffolk's coast, the Ore and Alde are great, but I actually prefer the Deben, even though it's a bit busier. All these estuaries are wonderful, imho, and offer better sailing than the overpopulated and very wet SW coast of England where we are currently cruising.

Happy sailing.

Peter

 

[Tim Good]

Thanks all. Made landfall in Lowestoft. Gosh what a difference from
Norway where we've been since March. There every local would be pleasant and chatty and we arrive into Lowestoft at the yacht club without even a hello or 'how was your crossing' from the staff. Good facilities though. Agreed, the town and waterfront wasn't much.

Anyway in route to Aldburgh now.

 

[Bru]

Anyway in route to Aldburgh now.

You're missing the best bit!

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

Thanks all. Made landfall in Lowestoft. Gosh what a difference from
Norway where we've been since March. There every local would be pleasant and chatty and we arrive into Lowestoft at the yacht club without even a hello or 'how was your crossing' from the staff. Good facilities though. Agreed, the town and waterfront wasn't much.

Anyway in route to Aldburgh now.

living up to their nickname (Royal Nobs and Snobs) then?

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Thanks all. Made landfall in Lowestoft. Gosh what a difference from
Norway where we've been since March. There every local would be pleasant and chatty and we arrive into Lowestoft at the yacht club without even a hello or 'how was your crossing' from the staff. Good facilities though. Agreed, the town and waterfront wasn't much.

Anyway in route to Aldburgh now.

living up to their nickname (Royal Nobs and Snobs) then?

Just to balance things a bit - we arrived at the RNSYC after a 27 hour passage from Whitby last April, and (having called them on VHF before entry) were met on the pontoon by a very helpful lady who helped us get settled and made us very welcome. This was especially appreciated as we'd just had a rather trying overnight passage through the oil rigs of the North Sea, and had to hand steer as the autopilot was on the blink! We were, understandably, pretty tired by then.

The bar and restaurant staff were very pleasant, and later on we enjoyed a very nice meal in the club house. Of course, we were in sailing clothes, but despite there being customers who were dressed up to the nines, we were made very welcome and made to feel at home.