boat owner

Meet the people who make Rhyl work...

Destination guide

Frank

Goodchild,

Rear

Commodore,

Rhyl YC

‘I like to go

out fishing

from Rhyl.

You catch a lot of mackerel in

the summer, and a few cod

and bass.

‘We have boats at Rhyl all

year round, although the

majority lift out for the winter.

We mainly go to Conwy from

here – it takes around five

hours. Lots of our members

moor there for the summer but

lay-up here over winter as we’re

cheaper than anywhere else.

It’s easy to park up and there

are nice walks along the

seafront, too.

‘There are two pubs down

the road, and both of them are

pretty good and keep their

prices down.’

‘Strategically, it’s always been
thought that this is a good area for
a marina,’ says Arthur. ‘It’s a good
stopover for Liverpool, which you
can only access an hour-and-a-half
either side of high water. It would
be similar to Conwy, with a moving
sill.’ In the meantime, plans are in
place to build a stone groyne to
the west of the harbour entrance,
which will break up the wave action
in westerly to north-westerly winds,
making the entrance safer and
reducing sandbanks.
Tony releases the lines and
Simon takes the helm, driving out
past the port beacons that mark
the entrance to the channel. This is
a trial run for Eleanor before she
takes passengers out fishing on
the weekend. In the distance I
can see the Rhyl Flats offshore
windfarm, a 25-turbine operation
that yachtsmen mostly sail inside
of unless heading to the Isle of
Man. Work is still being carried out
at the site by catamarans, and one
was brought back to Rhyl Harbour
recently by the RNLI after a crew
member slipped and broke his leg
while trying to put out a fire.
After a motor along the coast,
Tony is satisfied that Eleanor’s
running well, and we turn around
and follow the channel markers
back into port. Simon points out
the 240ft Sky Tower, a landmark
since 1993 when it was acquired
from Glasgow Garden Festival. He

remembers going up the tower

with his friends, but tells me it’s

now closed, and the gondola

removed amid safety concerns. He

also points out the site of a pub

where he used to play in a band,

but that was later demolished.

‘They let Rhyl get run down,

but it’s nice they’re putting it back

together again,’ he says. ‘There

was so much that was good about

this place that they could have

kept going, and now they’re

having to redo it all.’

Like many Victorian seaside

resorts that lost out to the package

tour industry, Rhyl might have

seen better times. However, Simon

points out the site where work will

shortly begin on a new retail and

leisure park. As we return to port

under the lifting bridge, and pass

the latte-drinking crowds outside

the Harbour Hub Café, I sense the

town’s revival is just around the

corner. And as for a marina? Well,

watch this space!

Fishing boat Eleanor in a remote-control hoist

...until the boat reaches the water

Arthur Davies reverses the hoist down the slipway...

Eleanor floats free of her slings

Tony Parry, skipper of

fishing vessel Eleanor

‘There’s a preferred channel

marker in the harbour – probably

the only one in the Irish Sea! It’s

a preferred channel to port: you

can use the starboard channel if

you wish, but this becomes a pain

in the backside for us when we’re

trying to manoeuvre from pontoon

Arthur Davies,

harbour

master

‘Up until the

’60s this quay

wall was used

by coasters

bringing timber

from Scandinavia. The boatyard

was a timber yard, and it had its

own railway. Just outside our

building we have a turntable, and

that was the old engine shed.

‘We’re here in the summer from

8am until 8pm and in the winter

from 9pm until 5pm. We don’t

get many visitors. We have a few

from the Wirral and West Kirby.

Generally, they’re 26 to 28ft

bilge- and lifting-keel yachts.

We have space for half a dozen

visitors here. When the yacht

clubs lift out for winter, we’ll get

a dozen or so rafted up in the

inner harbour the night before.

‘It’s not a bad trip to Conwy

from here. Launch here an

hour before high water and you

can still get in over the banks

at Conwy, to save you going all

the way to the Fairway buoy –

which adds three to four miles.’

(See ‘Convivial Conwy’

PBO October 2015).

Mike George,

secretary,

Rhyl YC

‘It’s really easy to

keep your boat

here and launch,

although the

harbour can be a

little challenging at times because

of the currents. I tend to go out

on the ebb to the windfarms, do a

bit of fishing and come back on

the flood. If I was to go overnight

I’d head for Conwy.

‘Rhyl is a private members club,

but visiting boat owners are

welcome. We have toilets and

shower facilities. Any member

of the club would be pleased to

welcome you. If you’ve got time

to explore, you can head down

the coast to Colwyn Bay and

Llandudno. St Asaph cathedral is

also really beautiful, especially

when there are choral services

going on. They always make

you feel welcome.’