Whitby and great yarmouth

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Erwin Swart

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Have plans to go whitby and great yarmouth but not al clear at this moment.
For whitby: i have a draft of 1.6 mtrs is this possible since i read different depths.

For great yarmouth: is there a pontoon or are there only moorings?

Many thanks for help
 
Erwin Swart said:
Have plans to go whitby and great yarmouth but not al clear at this moment.
For whitby: i have a draft of 1.6 mtrs is this possible since i read different depths.

For great yarmouth: is there a pontoon or are there only moorings?

Many thanks for help
Click to expand...

Yarmouth has a town quay that you moor against.
It's not easy for a yacht.

Lowestoft on the other hand is very yacht friendly.
 
Last edited:
The usual mooring at Whitby is on the pontoon above the swing bridge.

The depth varies as the river is dredged from time to time. With 1.6M you should be ok - mainly because you are likely to be 3 or even 4 boats out from the pontoon. Even if you touch the bottom is soft mud and you'll only be in it around low water - and you have to be much nearer to HW for the bridge to open to let you out.

Its well worth the visit - Whitby is a lovely old town, famous for its fish & chips, Abbey and Dracula legend.

Keep offshore towards the N Cardinal buoy before turning on the final line into the harbour then make sure to keep well to the West on your way in, the flood tide sets strongly west to east across the entrance , and if the wind is northerly best give the harbour master a shout (Ch 12) - it can get very nasty as you close the piers.
 
Great Yarmouth

Great Yarmouth is my home port and I'm also a Port Control Officer there. Facilities for visiting yachts are not the greatest. Mooring is alongside the town hall quay which is immediately south of Haven bridge, rise and fall on springs can be 2m, the tide/current can reach between 3-5 knots especially on the ebb on springs and the quay is piled meaning an interesting night of repositioning fenders especially at the turn of the tide.

Taking all of the above in to account I've still had some pleasent stays there but if you want better facilities, pontoon moorings, friendly yacht club and less chance of drunks trying to board you late at night then carry on the extra 7 miles or so to Lowestoft instead.

If you're still set on great Yarmouth then ensure you are aware of the tidal flow direction and rate so that you don't get swept on to haven bridge, also either take your mooring lines round the mooring ring and back onboard or tie of with a knot not easily undone when under tension,
be aware it is a very busy commercial port so keep a listen on ch 12 at all times and don't forget to ask for permission to enter or leave.

I've painted a picture at its worst and like I've already mentioned the good times have out weighed the worst but it's just not a nice wall to lay alongside

Any further questions feel free to ask.
 
andylink said:
Great Yarmouth is my home port and I'm also a Port Control Officer there. Facilities for visiting yachts are not the greatest. Mooring is alongside the town hall quay which is immediately south of Haven bridge, rise and fall on springs can be 2m, the tide/current can reach between 3-5 knots especially on the ebb on springs and the quay is piled meaning an interesting night of repositioning fenders especially at the turn of the tide.

Taking all of the above in to account I've still had some pleasent stays there but if you want better facilities, pontoon moorings, friendly yacht club and less chance of drunks trying to board you late at night then carry on the extra 7 miles or so to Lowestoft instead.

If you're still set on great Yarmouth then ensure you are aware of the tidal flow direction and rate so that you don't get swept on to haven bridge, also either take your mooring lines round the mooring ring and back onboard or tie of with a knot not easily undone when under tension,
be aware it is a very busy commercial port so keep a listen on ch 12 at all times and don't forget to ask for permission to enter or leave.

I've painted a picture at its worst and like I've already mentioned the good times have out weighed the worst but it's just not a nice wall to lay alongside

Any further questions feel free to ask.
Click to expand...

+1 need fenderboards and checkmooring costs can be expensive ! it was free if waiting for the bridge's (booked for opening)
 
Thanks for responses....
Lowestoft i have seen many times and want somthng different.
Some other nice suggestions to visit in harbour with pontoon mooring at east coast since i dont have a dingy with me.
Dover, ramsgate, london of course have seen many times
 
Another confirmation for you that Whitby will be fine. There's a deep pontoon below the swing bridge on which you can wait for the bridge, if you need to. There's plenty of water under the pontoons above the bridge also - they don't "guarantee" more than 1.5m and state "rapid silting" may cause this to reduce, but I've never seen it actually happen, and boats drawing much more than 1.5m are commonplace visitors.

You will probably need to wait for the tide to rise a little before entering Whitby though - it's prone to swell in some directions and is quite shallow in the entrance at LW. The bridge only opens around HW anyway (full details obviously in your pilot book).

Whitby is currently considering the installation of a weir and a lock, so they can have a new, even deeper, marina with 500 berths - and a permanently deep section of river much of the way up to Ruswarp. It'll be lovely!!

Some information on sailing in Whitby, and lots of Whitby information generally on this excellent website:

http://www.whitbyonline.co.uk/

East Coast Pilot guides for sale on Ebay at the moment here:

Forth, Tyne, Dogger, Humber: Blakeney to St.Abbs by Henry Irving
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140743564290

Royal Northumberland Yacht Club (RNYC) Sailing Directions Humber to Rattray Head
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140743566746

Orford Ness to Whitby (incl Lowestoft and Gt Yarmouth) latest Admiralty Folio for sale on Ebay here:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/140746484599
 
Erwin Swart said:
Thanks for responses....
Lowestoft i have seen many times and want somthng different.
Some other nice suggestions to visit in harbour with pontoon mooring at east coast since i dont have a dingy with me.
Dover, ramsgate, london of course have seen many times
Click to expand...

A little bit South of Lowestoft is Southwold.
Nice old fashioned place that's worth a visit.
There is a bar at the entrance that needs a bit of timing but from memory 1.6 will be ok.
 
Reverend Ludd said:
A little bit South of Lowestoft is Southwold.
Nice old fashioned place that's worth a visit.
There is a bar at the entrance that needs a bit of timing but from memory 1.6 will be ok.
Click to expand...

+1 for Southwold, lovely place. A bit further south and the river Orwell is well worth a visit. Wolverstone or Ipswich itself.
 
andylink said:
Any further questions feel free to ask.
Click to expand...

Hi Andy

I am helping a pal bring his boat (33ft steel motor-sailor) from Grimsby down to the Orwell. Five years ago I came down the Norfolk coast, perhaps only half a mile off the shore from North of Great Yarmouth right down to Lowestoft, negotiating the obstruction (wreck??) just near Lowestoft.

Do you know if that is still a good route for a boat with 5 ft draft and is it difficult to avoid the shallows which I have heard about when approaching the Northern-most bit from the Wash?
 
MrCramp - From what I can recall of my brief passage around that area I think it's probably worth investing in the most up to date chart you can get your hands on. And then call the GY HM (or similar authority) to confirm it's still valid - as the sands can change drastically, rapidly. And then cross fingers that no heavy conditions have changed things since the HM last checked.
 
Whitby is a great town to visit and you will have no problems as long as there is not a norterly sea running (as mentioned earlier).
There are new pontoons at Scarborough which is also well worth a visit. The area of the pontoons has been dredged and you should have no problems at 1.6m. but be wary of mooring alongside other boats if you are close to the harbour side as the dredging ends abruptly (there is a duty harbour person 24/7 so call them as you come in and they will position you). Scarborough is open to the South and Whitby to the North so they complement each other in terms of a rough weather haven.
I would avoid Bridlington which has the worst facilities I have found anywhere.
Hartlepool is great for shopping and restraunts with good marina facilities and is also well sheltered from the N. The marina is limited access (about + /- 4h )but you can always shelter at Hartlepool in the Kafega landing area of the docks - just sail in and tie up
 
Wells Next the Sea is another alternative along that coast.

Although like many other entries it has a bar and the tide runs quick, the harbour master is always very helpful and it's a lovely destination, very boater friendly with good facilities.

http://www.wellsharbour.co.uk/

Also has webcam so you can see how busy it is before you get there..
 
MrCramp said:
Hi Andy

I am helping a pal bring his boat (33ft steel motor-sailor) from Grimsby down to the Orwell. Five years ago I came down the Norfolk coast, perhaps only half a mile off the shore from North of Great Yarmouth right down to Lowestoft, negotiating the obstruction (wreck??) just near Lowestoft.

Do you know if that is still a good route for a boat with 5 ft draft and is it difficult to avoid the shallows which I have heard about when approaching the Northern-most bit from the Wash?
Click to expand...

Large supply ships regularly transit inshore of the scroby sands wind farm to Yarmouth and also the inshore route to Lowestoft so draft shouldn't be a problem. Strong persistent winds can move the sand banks about so it's always worth having up to date charts although the main channels are well buoyed. Yarmouth as a port are only interested in their own port limits which are surveyed regularly but anything outside of the limits we will not be able to comment on.

I've gone from Yarmouth to Lowestoft more times than I can remember in various craft with drafts over 2m inshore of the banks and also north to the humber, Grimsby too and always gone inshore. Grab a chart and spend half an hour studying it, well worth it.

If you make a Port stop at Yarmouth let me know and if I'm about I'll come and catch your lines.
 
Coming from the North I have found that a direct line for the cockle buoy avoids most hazards. You can then navigate round the close in to the coast using the channel. Most of the inside passage runs due S. Be prepared for fun and games with the sat nav / radar due to the wind turbines sprouting all over the place - suggest regular chart work and verifiation of position when you can. Previously a forumite reported calling out the lifeboat because his sat nav failed approaching the Norfolk coast !!
 
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