Small sailboats visiting Portsmouth Harbour

[Greenheart]

I'm curious what fees apply to non-local boats landing at The Hard, just north of the railway terminal. Are small boats permitted to pay on landing here, or must a day-permit for sailing in the harbour be applied for in advance? Is it possible to park a boat here for an hour, assuming it can take the ground or be pulled up, while the crew visit Pizza Express?

 

[Seajet]

Dan,

the main snag with that is it means crossing the harbour, leaving the Small Craft Channel side on the West; yachts etc doing that must ask permission from QHM on VHF 11 first.

Same applies for Camber Dock, which would be the usual place to go.

Do you mean in a tender ? If so it might be a bit hairy with things like ferries of various sizes and speeds whizzing about, not to mention inconsiderately fast charter fishing boats, and again I doubt QHM would be very impressed.

I'd stick to the Gosport ferry, though a return trip on that after closing time has its' own hazards !

 

[VicS]

I'm curious what fees apply to non-local boats landing at The Hard, just north of the railway terminal. Are small boats permitted to pay on landing here, or must a day-permit for sailing in the harbour be applied for in advance? Is it possible to park a boat here for an hour, assuming it can take the ground or be pulled up, while the crew visit Pizza Express?

I think this is the one listed in http://www.boatlaunch.co.uk/ as Portsea Common Hard

It is a Public hard described as "well used by locals"

There is no mention of fees.

Is there such a thing as day permit for sailing in the harbour? All perfectly free last time I visited Portsmouth!

 

[rotrax]

I think this is the one listed in http://www.boatlaunch.co.uk/ as Portsea Common Hard

It is a Public hard described as "well used by locals"

There is no mention of fees.

Is there such a thing as day permit for sailing in the harbour?

NAFAIK. As Seajet says, if crossing the harbour the regulations say you must obtain permission from the Queens Harbourmaster on VHF channel 11. Apart from having to comply with local rules-I am sure the QHM website will help there-its free sailing.

 

[VicS]

NAFAIK. As Seajet says, if crossing the harbour the regulations say you must obtain permission from the Queens Harbourmaster on VHF channel 11. Apart from having to comply with local rules-I am sure the QHM website will help there-its free sailing.

It is essential to know the regulations for small craft using the lower part of the harbour and the small boat channel.

Its all on the QHM website but not as easy to find IMO as it might be

http://www.qhm.mod.uk/portsmouth/

 

[Greenheart]

Thanks for these words. I was only speculating about where might be a convenient spot to meet mates off the train; and I was thinking of Chichester Harbour, where I believe some payment is due whether one is based in the harbour or just visiting for a day.

Fine, if the Gosport ferry is the best answer. I've no wish to get in the way of commercial operators or the Grey Funnel line.

I assume there's a decent safe/secure place to tie up or haul out briefly, at Gosport marina? It's not obvious from Googlemaps.

 

[lw395]

You can get ashore at the Hard, but it's weedy and dirty except at HW.
Not sure there is anywhere to leave a dinghy ashore.
It's pretty much locals there, there is no parking etc.
I expect anything not well chained to a solid object would disappear.
Personally I would use the town camber slip, about 15 min walk from Gunwharf at most.
There is a barrier with a coin slot at the top, but most of the time you could leave a small dinghy there without opening the barrier.
With a tender, you might be able to use the old slip at the back of the camber, near the linkspan onto the fishing boat pontoons. That is a much shorter walk to Gunwharf.
Visiting yachts often moor near the Bridge Tavern, against the wall.
Or you can probably take the yacht into Gunwharf itself if there is not an event on.

 

[Nicholas123]

NAFAIK. As Seajet says, if crossing the harbour the regulations say you must obtain permission from the Queens Harbourmaster on VHF channel 11. Apart from having to comply with local rules-I am sure the QHM website will help there-its free sailing.

What happens if you hav'nt got a radio?I have been sailing out of Portsmouth & have tacked back & forth across there on numerous occasions & never had any trouble from anyone.I should think that hard is perfectly alright & particularly in winter when the traffic won't be anything like as heavy as in the summer.

 

[Seajet]

What happens if you hav'nt got a radio?I have been sailing out of Portsmouth & have tacked back & forth across there on numerous occasions & never had any trouble from anyone.I should think that hard is perfectly alright & particularly in winter when the traffic won't be anything like as heavy as in the summer.

Nicholas123,

radio or not, it's written in large letters on the offshore port hand buoy of the Small Craft Channel " Small vessels to use engines ".

Not sure what sort of boat you were tacking across the entrance in, but I'd have expected a word from the MOD PLOD on behalf of QHM - Queens' Harbour Master !

Dan,

what sort of 'hauling out' were you talking about ?

You mentioned Gosport - a marina ( ex Camper & Nicholsons of course ) with all that goes with it - but I suspect as lw395 did that you meant that hard by the rail terminus ?

In which case he got it spot on, I would leave my worst enemys' tender there !

 

[Greenheart]

what sort of 'hauling out' were you talking about ?

You mentioned Gosport - a marina ( ex Camper & Nicholsons of course ) with all that goes with it - but I suspect as lw395 did that you meant that hard by the rail terminus ?

In which case he got it spot on, I would leave my worst enemys' tender there !

My knowledge of Portsmouth Harbour is picking up car & foot ferries to the I o W. So, I was looking at Google maps to see if there's a landing place near the railway station, to come alongside in the type of boat Mr Claus may send me sometime before next summer...

...and in terms of convenience, the large ramp just north of the station looked ideal. Why is it only for worst enemies? I mentioned Gosport as the obvious alternative, if the 'rail-terminal hard' is rendered unsuitable by the necessity to ignore QHM rules.

All I'm wanting to know, is where (close to the station) is the best safe, reasonably secure place to stop while I meet people getting off the train. No desire to obstruct busy areas or break anyone's rules. Aren't visitors required to give advance notice before tying up and leaving a boat in the Camber Dock or Gunwharf?

 

[sailorman]

My knowledge of Portsmouth Harbour is picking up car & foot ferries to the I o W. So, I was looking at Google maps to see if there's a landing place near the railway station, to come alongside in the type of boat Mr Claus may send me sometime before next summer...

...and in terms of convenience, the large ramp just north of the station looked ideal. Why is it only for worst enemys? I mentioned Gosport as the obvious alternative, if the 'rail-terminal hard' is rendered unsuitable by the necessity to ignore QHM rules.

All I'm wanting to know, is where (close to the station) is the best safe, reasonably secure place to stop while I meet people getting off the train. No desire to obstruct busy areas or break anyone's rules. Aren't visitors required to give advance notice before tying up and leaving a boat in the Camber Dock or Gunwharf?

The Camber is a long walk from the train.
the wharf is subject to lots of wash.
Campers + the ferry would be better

 

[mcframe]

I'm curious what fees apply to non-local boats landing at The Hard, just north of the railway terminal. Are small boats permitted to pay on landing here, or must a day-permit for sailing in the harbour be applied for in advance? Is it possible to park a boat here for an hour, assuming it can take the ground or be pulled up, while the crew visit Pizza Express?

I've heard it claimed from the skipper of a recently-built-to-old-lines-and-located-nearby 45' pilot cutter that he dried out on The Hard earlier this year for a quick scrub.

Mind you, /that/ particular boat is so pretty that EH would probably give him a grant for parking it to add 'scenic ambiance' and take sepia pics of it next to Warrior to sell as postcards ;->

 

[Topcat47]

It's bin a while since I had to do anything like this. I now keep my boat in a club marina in Gosport. The hard to the north of the railway station is surrounded by glutenous mud in which all sorts of strange objects have been dumped over the years. I'd not take my rubber duck in there under any conditions. If you left it there it is open to the road and you might well find it vandalised.

If you know when your "crew" are there, you might be very naughty and collect them from the back of the Ferry pontoon in Gosport, I've done a couple of stop'ngo pickups from there in the past. It is prohibited in the local bylaws I think.

Last time I was in the ex-Campers marina (on foot) there was a keycode for getting on the pontoons. (I was collecting diesel in a can from the fuel pontoon. No don't ask.) You might be able to get round the pontoon on south wall by going through the boatyard.

I think there's a keypad on the gate for Haslar Marina also. There's a slip under Haslar bridge that might work for a dinghy pick up but you'd not get a moderately sized sailing boat up there. There's a pool between Haslar Marina and Hornet where you can donk around in circles while someone collects in a dinghy.

We usually used Priddy's hard for pick-ups with the dinghy. Gosport Hardway club is quite understanding about stop 'n go Pick-ups by non members but their pontoon is only accessible at high tide. It's a long way from the ferry though.

Gunwarf are very expensive if you have to stop, even for a short time. The only time I called in there (picking up someone) I had an extended conversation with someone who wanted money from me. Luckily for me it lasted long enough for my mate to get aboard and we left without paying but I wouldn't rely on this.

 

[VicS]

We usually used Priddy's hard for pick-ups with the dinghy. Gosport Hardway club is quite understanding about stop 'n go Pick-ups by non members but their pontoon is only accessible at high tide. It's a long way from the ferry though.

Hardway sailing club's pontoon has perhaps been extended since you last looked at it.

1.5m at LW at the seaward end on neap tides although "almost dries" on a big spring tide

Public pontoon is very much shorter.

A good walk from the ferry agreed.

Royal Clarence marina any good as pick up point? It's within a reasonable walking distance of the ferry.

 

[Seajet]

Topcat,

brilliant! not that I would do such things...; )

I agree not a fun place to just stroll up with a dinghy.

 

[Greenheart]

Gee...keycodes, bylaws, vandals, jobsworth pontoon-guards, high fees for short stops, underwater obstructions, military police...what an inviting port!

Given that I only proposed Portsmouth because it's on the end of the railway line from Waterloo, I'm only concerned with convenience...so just how expensive is it, for a big dinghy to tie up at Gunwharf for an hour while the skipper walks round to the station to meet a mate?

And will the boat be secure there, unattended?

 

[Seajet]

Gee...keycodes, bylaws, vandals, jobsworth pontoon-guards, high fees for short stops, underwater obstructions, military police...what an inviting port!

Given that I only proposed Portsmouth because it's on the end of the railway line from Waterloo, I'm only concerned with convenience...so just how expensive is it, for a big dinghy to tie up at Gunwharf for an hour while the skipper walks round to the station to meet a mate?

And will the boat be secure there, unattended?

Dan,

may I suggest the best bet is to come along for a sail from Chichester one weekend, Portsmouth may have its' snags - just like any other port; I've known major street fights in Poole, Weymouth and Fowey, just battened down and cowered, trying to be invisible ! -

But it- Portsmouth - is a great place with huge amounts to offer, I used to live on the seafront...

There's the historic dockyard museums inc HMS Warrior, those alone deserve over a day, then the submarine museum at Gosport, Marines Museum, and a lot more...

In an ideal world with a decent long weekend forecast, you and your wife are welcome to come along on my boat and we'lll get to go and see all this.

All great plans for the New Year...

Andy

 

[Greenheart]

Thanks Andy, that's really a very kind invitation. A few weeks ago, next year felt a long way off...suddenly I'm feeling I need a boat for next season, even more urgently than I'll need thick socks for next month!

I do realise Portsmouth's got plenty to offer. Years ago I bought the Ordnance Survey 10km x 10km map (it was out of date, then)...I liked it for the amount of land that isn't on it...it only shows a few acres of Gosport, Portsmouth, Hayling... & Seaview across the Solent.

Now I think of it, my school took me to see the Alliance Museum, and the Victory, ages ago...and I visited Portchester Castle quite often. I've nothing against the place...on the contrary, I'll gladly find the fee for visiting, assuming the boat will be safe for an hour.

Happy Christmas to all!

 

[Nicholas123]

Nicholas123,

radio or not, it's written in large letters on the offshore port hand buoy of the Small Craft Channel " Small vessels to use engines ".

Not sure what sort of boat you were tacking across the entrance in, but I'd have expected a word from the MOD PLOD on behalf of QHM - Queens' Harbour Master !

Seajet;I did'nt say I tacked backwards & forwards across the entrance & I made no mention of an engine.
I used to tack backwards & forwards across the main body of water upstream from the Gosport ferry & to within a hundred yards or so of the various Navel vessels moored up there often with the Police keeping a close eye on me but no problem.
I'm sure it is not beyond the wit of man to get to that hard which I believe is the one we are talking about along side the Warrior?Never have I used a radio nore am I aware it is compulsory.

 

[Nicholas123]

My knowledge of Portsmouth Harbour is picking up car & foot ferries to the I o W. So, I was looking at Google maps to see if there's a landing place near the railway station, to come alongside in the type of boat Mr Claus may send me sometime before next summer...

...and in terms of convenience, the large ramp just north of the station looked ideal. Why is it only for worst enemies? I mentioned Gosport as the obvious alternative, if the 'rail-terminal hard' is rendered unsuitable by the necessity to ignore QHM rules.

All I'm wanting to know, is where (close to the station) is the best safe, reasonably secure place to stop while I meet people getting off the train. No desire to obstruct busy areas or break anyone's rules.

I should think you could tie alongside a boat moored there briefly & pick your mates up in your dinghy (supposing you have one ) no problem.I can't see what all the fuss is about!