boat owner

Rhyl Harbour is located to

the west of Rhyl and is the

boundary between Rhyl and

Kinmel Bay. It has a drying

height of 4m above chart

datum, and is only suitable

for vessels capable of taking

to the ground. Entry and exit

by a 1.5m-draught vessel

should only be undertaken

during the period +/- 2 hours

high water. Access to the inner

harbour is via the pedestrian/

cycle bridge and subject to

wind strength and tidal height.

To arrange opening, call the

harbour offi ce on VHF Ch14.

A good

landmark

On a clear

day, the Sky

Tower on Rhyl

seafront can

be seen from

12 miles away

and is a good landmark to

head for from the north.

If approaching from the

west, call the harbour master

to open the bridge when

reaching the Fairway Buoy

N53°19.60, W003°32.00.

If approaching from other

directions, call the harbour

master 1NM from the Seaward

On a clear day, the Sky Tower on Rhyl seafront can be seen from 12 miles away

Pilotage – approaching Rhyl

Preferred passage

Perch (Light Q.R), which

marks the start of the

channel, N53°19.45,

W003°30.43.

Note, when the concrete base

is covered, there is around 0.9m

of water in the shallowest part of

the channel. Stay no further than

15m from the Perch. Stay close to

the fl ashing port-hand beacons.

Deepest water is between 5m and

20m from the beacons. If arriving

out of hours, or if the bridge is

closed, moor alongside the

waiting pontoon. However,

this is used by commercial

vessels in the day, so is for

short stays only.

To proceed to the inner

harbour, leave the centre

harbour pontoon to starboard

(marked with a preferred

channel to port beacon,

green conical topmark

and G(2+1)6s light).

Pass under the pedestrian/

cycle bridge southern span.

Contacts

Rhyl Harbour, Horton’s

Nose Lane, Rhyl LL18 5AX

Tel: 01824 708400, email:

rhyl.harbour@denbighshire.

gov.uk

■ http://www.denbighshireleisure.

co.uk/rhylharbour.html

■ Rhyl Yacht Club,

http://www.rhylyachtclub.co.uk

Rhyl Harbour

facilities

■ 12-ton subhoist boat lift

■ Boat park and launch

■ Slipway (65 x 8.5m,

1 in 10 slope)

■ Moorings

■ Visitor pontoons with

power and water

■ Café, tourist information

and bike hire

Waiting pontoon

Preferred channel

to port beacon

Seaward Perch

Preferred channel

Rhyl

‘It’s best to avoid Rhyl in
north-westerlies to westerlies over
Force 4 because of the swells and
the diffi culty getting in,’ advises
Tony. ‘The channel is very narrow.
There are lots of sandbars, and it’s
diffi cult to control the boat when
the waves roll in. They pick you
up and you fi nd yourself surfi ng.’
Because of the damage Eleanor
sustained, Tony would like to see
the harbour wall extended. This is
something Arthur agrees with, as it
would defl ect swells and prevent
further silting of the harbour, which
worsened as a result of the bridge
works. There’s a bank marked by a
pink buoy, and the silt is being
dragged away by diggers every
three months. However, re-profi ling
work needs to be done gradually
so as not to disturb the ecology,
which is essential to marine life and
wading birds. Ideally, Arthur would
like to see a new marina at Rhyl
too, which would improve sea
defences and accommodate
yachtsmen at all states of the tide.
Before Christmas there were
developers on site looking at
the feasibility. ➜