Amble Pilot

With the safe harbours of Blyth 14M to the south and Holy Island 17M to the north this harbour is useful for coasting yachts and dinghies or as a base for access to the beautiful Northumberland coastline. The river Coquet offers 1.5M sheltered sailing when at HW it is possible to navigate to Warkworth with a shallow draft. The town of Amble offers all the facilities the sailor could want ie. Pubs, restaurants, B&Bs, launderette, chandler, boat repair, public slipway, marina (vhf 80) and yacht club with slipway. Warkworth is a delightful little town with castle, excellent pubs, restaurants and B&Bs.

Coquet Island, a nature reserve 1M offshore, has a lighthouse with a sectored light. The island has large breeding populations of Puffins and Eider Ducks, with a small colony of Roseate Terns and landing is not allowed. Shallow draught boats can anchor close in on a sandy patch amongst numerous rocks and see all. In an onshore gale the lee of the island offers poor shelter. In normal conditions boats approaching from the south with good pilotage may cut inside the island using Coquet Channel. The approach from the north is more straightforward when only Pan Bush, a shallow patch 4 cables ENE of the entrance, should be avoided.

Two concrete piers with lights protect the dredged harbour entrance. Currently (Nov 2006) there is little water at LW springs. Enter at half tide except when onshore swell can make it dangerous. If Pan Bush is bad then the entrance is usually the same. The deep water channel is a couple of boat lengths from the south pier until the marina, thereafter the moorings will be your guide. A small, drying dock at the end of Broomhill Quay may be entered, use the steps for landing only, do not tie up as they are in constant use with fishermen or tripper boats. Go to the west wall where there are vertical ladders which are much less used. The marina has a LW sill, if going in be sure to check the height gauge. Coquet Yacht Club has a pontoon which you may temporarily use until you find an officer and make arrangements. The public slip is immediately downstream of the club.

Proceed up to Warkworth by dinghy with the castle directly ahead about –1HW or when there is sufficient depth over the weir. The best place to moor is against the wall close to the Church. Because of the weir the rise and fall is about 1M. Do not dry out here as the bottom is rocky.

The remote ‘natural’ north side of the river is in complete contrast to the busy, developed south. A good place for overnighting, picnics or snoozing is on the north shore opposite the boat yard where the upper third of the beach is clean and sandy. Close by, a shallow meandering creek works inside the sand dunes, this is navigable to light draught boats for ?M at HW but tricky. After half-tide the wave trap inside the northern pier covers and gives more sheltered sailing and is a good place to dry out on firm sand for a rest or boat maintenance.

The town of Amble and the lower harbour were developed for the coal trade which finished in the 1960s. Fishing continues and a small fleet of attractive trawlers and inshore cobles occupy the quays, a couple of tripper boats work the bird watching trade to Coquet Is.

Contacts
CYC Hon Sec. Neal Hill 01665 711179 or jnhill@pontew.demon.co.uk
Harbour Commissioners 01665 710306
Myself ed_wingfield@yahoo.co.uk

Whilst this information is given in good faith and every effort has been made to avoid errors, no responsibility is accepted regarding its complete accuracy and the author or the DCA will accept no responsibility for damage or loss arising from any mistake or omission arising from its use.