Trailer parking
Available at Caffa Mill and Old
Station Yard car parks in Fowey
and at Penmarlam Boat Park.Launching facility
Public facility at Caffa Mill in Fowey
(harbour dues payable to Fowey
Harbour). Fowey Harbour also
operates a private launch facility
at Penmarlam with casual access
and payment at the entrance barrier.Facilities
Harbour office Open 0900-1700
weekdays and 0900-1300 Saturdays
in the summer. Tel: 01726 832471.
Freshwater At Albert Quay, Berrill’s
Yard and Penmarlam Pontoons.
Fuel Diesel pay-at-pump pontoon
upstream of Bodinnick car ferry.
Diesel and petrol also available from
C Toms & Son Boatyard in Polruan.
Showers Fowey Gallants Sailing
Club, Royal Fowey Yacht Club,
C Toms & Son Boatyard and
Penmarlam Boat Park.
Laundry C Toms & Son Boatyard.
Waste and recycling Facilities on
most visitor pontoons with a central
collection point on a pontoon in the
entrance to Pont Pill.
Sewage Pump-out facility available
at Berrill’s Yard pontoon.
Weather forecasts Posted daily in
harbour office, and refer to Polruan
National Coastwatch Institution (NCI).
Water taxi Contact Fowey Water
Taxi on VHF Ch6 or 07774 906730.
Tourist Information Located by
the church. Tel: 01726 833616.
Web: http://www.fowey.co.uk.Marine services
Mixtow Marine Indoor boat storage,
launching and recovery, chandlery
and repairs. Based at Penmarlam
Boat Park. Tel: 01726 870954.
C Toms & Son Boatyard
Boatbuilding, repairs, slipway, winter
storage, chandlery, fuel, showers.
Tel: 01726 870232.
Fowey Harbour Marine Engineers
Mobile repairs. Tel: 01726 832806.
SAL Marine Services FHC-approved
divers. Tel: 01726 844749.Yacht clubs
Fowey Gallants Sailing Club
http://www.foweygallantssc.co.uk
Royal Fowey Yacht Club
http://www.rfyc-fowey.org.ukPolruan to Fowey. ‘There’s not a lot of
love lost between Polruan and Fowey,’
Paul says. ‘Polruaners say Fowey is the
money side and they’re the sunny side,
and Fowey folk call Polruan Little Russia
as it can be very cold in the mornings.’
We head past a row of blue visitor
moorings towards Pont Pill, where
you find visitor pontoons 1 and 2. The
Swinging Ground at the entrance to the
creek is where they turn the big ships.
Occasionally, Paul will find a visiting yacht
anchored here and have to wake the
skipper at dawn. ‘We don’t encourage
people to anchor in the harbour; they
tend to go in inconvenient places,’ says
Paul. ‘The spot might seem sensible,
but we’ll have left it clear to swing a ship.’
That said, Paul agrees there are nice
places for a bilge-keeler to anchor upriver
towards Lerryn and Lostwithiel. Just talk
to the harbour office first, as there are
salmon fishing nets and it’s useful to
know the channel and how it moves.
We continue up the estuary past
Bodinnick where Paul points out Ferryside,
the house that used to belong to Daphne
du Maurier’s family. Her son Kits now lives
there, and waves to us from his garden.
The cottage is built into the cliffs and
only has three walls. It was here that
Daphne du Maurier wrote her first novel,
The Loving Spirit, though she never lived
in the house. Instead, she stayed with
her housekeeper on the other side of
the river, it being considered incorrect in
those days for a young lady to live alone.
On the western bank on the river is the
new self-service fuel pontoon. Just ahead
of that, by the swinging ground, are two
large wharves where the ships load the
china clay. The cargo is brought here by
rail and by a private haul road linking to
the operations in Par. A little-known fact,
Paul tells me, is that the Queen uses that
stretch of railway on the Royal Train. ‘It’s
a beautiful railway. They’d stop the clay
trains, and she’d park up on the river St
Winnow for her breakfast.’
Wiseman’s Reach is the limit of the
lower estuary, but before we head back
Doorways through St Catherine’s Castle
Berthing
PoLruan PooL
Blue swinging moorings available for
vessels up to 15m. Vessels over this
will be directed to yellow moorings
marked V2 to V5. Orange SBM
moorings are for smaller dayboats.PoLruan PonToon
Shore-linked pontoon, short stay only
(two hours) for vessels on outside,
some tidal restrictions apply.PonT PiLL
Unattended vessels will be asked to
use the blue fore and aft moorings
where possible. Pontoons 1 and 2
suitable for all vessels.underhiLLs
Pontoons 3, 4 and 5 are suitable
for all types of vessels.BerriLL’s Yard
Shore-linked pontoon is short
stay only between 0800 and 1800
(two hours) for vessels on outside.
Overnight stay chargeable.aLBerT QuaY
Shore-linked pontoon short stay only
two hours) for vessels on outside.Grid irons
Visitor berths on outside (west) only.PenMarLaM (MixTow)
Shore-linked pontoon, visitors south
side only. Showers, toilets and café.wiseMan’s reach
Three blue swing moorings available.GoLanT, LerrYn and
LosTwiThieL
Some drying berths or anchorages
are available but please check first
with the harbour office.C Toms & Son Boatyard in PolruanAnchorages
Anchoring is prohibited in or near the main navigational fairway or swing ground.
Areas clear of moorings in the upper estuary or in Pont Pill may be used but must
be attended at all times. Seek guidance first from the harbour office. Harbour dues
for anchoring vessels are the same for those using a mooring.➜FOWEY