Whitby and great yarmouth

**Erwin Swart** · 12-05-12, 22:52

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

**Reverend Ludd** · 12-05-12, 23:05

Originally Posted by Erwin Swart

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

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.

**Beadle** · 12-05-12, 23:52

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.

**andylink** · 13-05-12, 08:50

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.

**fergie_mac66** · 13-05-12, 09:02

Originally Posted by andylink

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.

+1 need fenderboards and checkmooring costs can be expensive ! it was free if waiting for the bridge's (booked for opening)

**Erwin Swart** · 13-05-12, 10:07

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

**CaptainBob** · 13-05-12, 10:14

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

**Reverend Ludd** · 13-05-12, 10:24

Originally Posted by Erwin Swart

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

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.

**Huttoft** · 13-05-12, 11:28

Hello.
I've visited Whitby several times with a draft of a tad above 2m. I contacted the HM before entry and never had any problems.
Good luck.

**andylink** · 13-05-12, 12:19

Originally Posted by Reverend Ludd

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.

+1 for Southwold, lovely place. A bit further south and the river Orwell is well worth a visit. Wolverstone or Ipswich itself.