Yachting Monthly - April 2016

ANCHORAGES

P

ort Gaverne on the north Cornish

coast hides in the shadow of its

famous neighbour next door, the

Port Issac of Doc Martin fame.

Port Issac is a proper harbour

with a couple of breakwaters to offer

shelter, whilst Port Gaverne, just to the

east, has no such luxury, it being just an

open cove. In the past Port Gaverne was

used as a port to export the special slate

from the Delabole Quarry a few miles

inland and a quay was carved out of the

solid rock on the east side of the harbour.

This quay was a drying berth so the

sailing ships loading there had to take a

chance that the weather did not deteriorate

over the tide. For an overnight anchorage

at Port Gaverne where you can remain

afloat you need to stay further out, but

you can find adequate water and still get

the shelter of the cliffs. These cliffs shelve

down fairly steeply but there is a rocky

bottom along both sides of the cove so for

better holding ground on a sandy bottom it

is best to stay in the middle of the channel

The ships coming in for the slate would

bring in the raw materials such as the coal

and limestone and land them into horse-

drawn carts on the beach.

Port Gaverne is not the most sheltered

anchorage on this exposed coast but it

is a rewarding spot for those who want

to find somewhere off the beaten track.

Anchoring here is like turning the clock

back 60 years. W

If you want to find

somewhere off the

beaten track, Dag Pike

recommends this quiet harbour

and navigate in using your sounder.

There are only a few small fishing and

angling boats that operate from Port

Gaverne these days so you should not be

blocking anyone’s passage by anchoring.

With the wind anywhere from the south

round to east there is good shelter, and

even if the wind swings round to the south-

west there should still be adequate shelter

but you may find the swell rolling in

around the headland if it builds up outside.

Ironically, Port Issac cove next door

offers better protection when you anchor

outside the breakwaters but here you

may have a more disturbed night. Port

Gaverne seems to value its peace and

quiet and the local hostelry, the Port

Gaverne Hotel, is located a couple of

hundred yards inland from the beach.

Here you will find good food and drink

but if you want to go really posh then

there is celebrity chef Nathan Outlaw’s

new restaurant conveniently located

between Port Gaverne and Port Issac,

and tere are more pubs in Port Issac.

Landing is by tender on the beach at the

head of the cove and if the tide goes out

when you are ashore, you could have a

long carry to get back to the water. Apart

from the slate quay there are other traces

of Port Gaverne’s seafaring history to

be seen. The original fish cellars and the

kilns where limestone was converted into

lime for the farmers are both still there.

2

4

6

GavernePort

Hotel

Beach

Castle

Rock

Main

Head

PORT

GAVERNE

0 100m

Port Gaverne, Cornwall

Photo: Dag Pike. chart: maxine heath

Port Gaverne

with the old slate

quay on the right

Port

Gaverne

Port Isaac

Padstow

Newquay

CORNWALL

0 10nm

58 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com APRIL 2016