Peterhead

[OceanSprint]

Im thinking of trying to get a berth in peterhead as the drive to my boat is putting strains on using the boat. we go in for day sailing mainly, with very occaisional longer sails.

I am used to Moray Firth. What will it be like in Peterhead? Do day sailors get out of the harbour much?

 

[pagoda]

Im thinking of trying to get a berth in peterhead as the drive to my boat is putting strains on using the boat. we go in for day sailing mainly, with very occaisional longer sails.

I am used to Moray Firth. What will it be like in Peterhead? Do day sailors get out of the harbour much?

I spent a winter berth in Peterhead. Didn't see anybody go out - other than dinghies from the sailing club - into the harbour. It is quite well sheltered, but in a real strong easterly some motion does get in. Not much but you can feel it. You wouldn't be going anywhere then anyway! HM is friendly, facilities basic pontoons, but the inside berths are the most sought after. Diesel from the commercial berth. No shops walking range close (Asda 10mins if you have a car). Perhaps a regular will chip in with more detail?

 

[wully1]

What will it be like in Peterhead?

Not as pretty as a harbour on the Moary coast...
Its a pretty grim place. I wonder if the reason for it being known as
' The Blue Toon' is because that's the colour you'll be in the freezing cold?

'Spose it'll be OK if you're a fan of old prisons , oil field support boats and infrastructure?

 

[Malo37]

Where are you driving from?

 

[markhomer]

Its cold , very , gets big waves even in harbour , ive trained and raced in cats there , first time was in tornadoes , inside harbour , you couldnt see coasters on other side of huge swell rolling in! , nother time racing outside harbour , i had recruited a local crew , who was promply seasick !!! , said they dont normally sail outside the harbour ,another time in force 4/5 when in the trough of a wave you could not see another boat , hurricane5.9 s i was racing then had masts over 30 foot .

Cold cold cold and nowhere togo . I actually began to wonder why anyone sailed there .

Also sailing club near marina ,had to remove EVERYTHING at night and put up steel shutters ,

Staying in a local hotel,we asked where best to go out in town , advice was ,dont !!!!


Oh did i mention , its cold !

 

[jamie N]

You mention that you're around the Moray Firth; would a Fortrose mooring work for you? I do know that there are still a few available for next year at the Chanonry Sailing Club.
I've only ever worked in Peterhead, or joined vessels there; just saying that it's cold, is something of an understatement.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I called there on the way south from the Clyde. I'd echo what people say about the harbour-master staff being friendly and helpful - we were a bit nervous about the refuelling facilities, which are designed for commercial craft rather than leisure boats, but the guy on duty reassured us and told us exactly what to expect before we got there - it happens that the refuelling jetty is not readily visible from anywhere near the marina basin! You go alongside a sort of "flubber" on the end of the pier, and they toss lines down to you. Also, as we arrived after midnight and left late in the evening, they adjusted our fees downwards! The outer pontoons do get a bit of swell in through the breakwaters, but the inner ones are much less exposed. The outer harbour is large, so there is a bit of swell in it, and of course, the movement of commercial craft causes wash. However, it is only the outer pontoons that are seriously affected, and these appear to be reserved for visiting craft mainly. It is a VERY long walk to the town, and the nearest shops are quite some distance; we did little shopping there!

One minor point; they do ask that you contact VTS before arriving or leaving. The gap between the pier-heads isn't that large and the piers are too high to see over, soI guess that meeting a trawler or rig support vessel going the other way might spoil your whole day

I didn't study the potential for local cruising - we were on passage, and had a hard deadline at Whitby. But we chose Peterhead precisely because there isn't a lot of choice for non-tidal, all-weather ports in that area. Fraserburgh and Aberdeen do not encourage leisure craft, and most of the other harbours going south have tidal restrictions. Stonehaven was a place we looked at hard, but there is a possibility of getting trapped there if the wind blows up from the East.

 

[westhinder]

I called at Peterhead on my way south three years ago. When I contacted VTS I was advised that with my draught of 2.1m I could not enter the marina as it was LW and the entrance was silted up after a severe storm.
The man at VTS was extremely helpful, he allowed me to berth temporarily alongside one of the harbour vessels, invited me up into his control tower and told me the history of what was originally a fishing harbour, the decline of the fishing industry and the rise of the offshore industry.
When there was enough water I entered the marina just for the night and I remember well the fuel berth as AntarcticPilot describes it. Based on just one night, it certainly is not a favourite, but the friendliness of the VTS man has made a lasting impression.
http://www.ossian.be/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/IMG_3186.jpg

 

[Deleted member 36384]

I have never had a pleasant experience sailing those waters, it's the only place that you can get a gale with fog while raining hard with a threat of snow. Sticking bamboo splinters under my fingernails would be more fun.

 

[jamie N]

...it's the only place that you can get a gale with fog while raining hard with a threat of snow.

That was a great summer though!

 

[wully1]

I have never had a pleasant experience sailing those waters, it's the only place that you can get a gale with fog while raining hard with a threat of snow. Sticking bamboo splinters under my fingernails would be more fun.

Thanks for that...I've been trying to suppress the memories of The Blue Toon and local sea areas as there is a very real possibility of having to stop off there on a new year delivery trip.

Im trying to focus on the superb sea kayaking I enjoyed on that coast line in summers past..

 

[Humblebee]

Slight thread drift but as well as being cold enough to turn your fingers blue, the name "The Blue Toon" comes, I believe, from the blue moggins i.e. socks that the locals used to wear, presumably to stop their toes turning blue too.

 

[Halo]

It does not seem to get the shelter and relatively good weather of the moray firth. It's hard enough being so far north without being in an exposed shoreline running sw to ne.
On the plus side the Indian Restaurant in Peterhead uses the most generous measure I have found. A large wine is half a bottle!

 

[Impaler]

Im thinking of trying to get a berth in peterhead as the drive to my boat is putting strains on using the boat. we go in for day sailing mainly, with very occaisional longer sails.

I am used to Moray Firth. What will it be like in Peterhead? Do day sailors get out of the harbour much?

I kept a boat there for a while. The marina is ok but there's a lot of dust from the nearby offshore supply base. The weather is nowhere near as good as further round the coast into the Moray Firth. Often a swell outside the harbour and quite prone to the haar. You'd be better off in one of the Moray coast harbours if you can get a berth. I'm in Banff which is lovely but there's usually a waiting list.