Brightlingsea Info

[cheeseboat]

Hi all,
I’m off to launch for the first time this weekend at Brightlingsea. I’m launching from the public hard. Am I right that I can leave my trailer off the left of the hard then just park the car wherever? Does anyone know the mooring situation for visitors? I.e. if I want to moor up and go for pub lunch. I mostly boat in Salcombe and they have the Whitestrand tender mooring. Does Brightlingsea have an equivalent or what’s the form there?

Any other tips for the area would be appreciated.

[Fenlander]

Unless something has changed recently yes trailers are left at the very top of the hard on the left side as you face the water... do bear in mind this area can flood at the highest tides.

Car park just a minutes walk away behind the harbour office. Newish toilets/wash facilities are a couple of minutes walk away opp the Yachtsmans Arms (walk off the top of the pontoon up the street and keep bearing left and situated in the base of the new marina development).

Slipway can be very muddy other than at higher tides. Not sure about launch charges currently. There has recently been a £50k court case to try and prove the slip is a public asset so should be free. If they are still charging it should be about £15.

Pontoon is free for first 3hrs. We come round for lunch having launched at West Mersea and that's plenty of time and we've never been short of a space.

You may prefer a pub but we use the Coach House café next to the harbour office which has always been good.

Harbour speed limit goes a fair way out to the marked buoys.... 4kts in the creek and 8kts until a little further out.

Do you have charts or a gps/plotter? Lots of drying or very shallow areas at lower tide states in this whole area.

You could of course do the opp to us and having launched at Brightlingsea go round to West Mersea where they have a good pontoon with two cafes and a pub adj.

[cheeseboat]

Thanks Fenlander, I've read a lot of your posts and they are extremely helpful for newbies like us. Please keep up the information flow.
I visited Brightlingsea once or twice recently and have seen low tide so its good to get an idea of higher tides in you pics.
Interesting you talk of Mersea as that is another option for us.

I have a chart plotter & GPS (yet to learn how to use it properly). I am aware of the shallow dangers but yet to actually experience them so thanks for the warning, it would be v v embarrassing to get stuck out first time!

I am also interested in a bit of tubing/kneel-boarding with the kids, am I right that once out of the 8 knot limit we are free to do that? (obviously with due respect to other craft) Is there a particular area where we should head to? I am trying to contact Brightlingsea ski club to see if the derestricted area to the right up the Colne is solely for their use or public. Any ideas on that.

Shame about the court case, what was the point of that? Surely a little fee assists in up keep and keeps decent facilities.

Cant wait to get out. Maybe we will see you around. how do you attach images to these posts?

[cheeseboat]

Just spoke to the harbour office. Its £20 daily or £50 for the year for harbour dues. No charge for the use of the slip.

[Fenlander]

We are running in our new "downshifted" OB with a few river trips at the moment so not about in the Mersea area for a few weekends yet.

Yes in general you are free to do as you wish tubing wise in open water but makes sense even if outside the limit to find an area that isn't a constant transit route for craft and that will be obvious once out.

The court case was mainly one man who had a bee in his bonnet but he did have a point supported by the judge that the slip area wasn't owned by either local council or harbour authority... and when some years back they managed to register it as owned with the Land Registry that was incorrect... I think that is now being rectified.

So the judge ruled they couldn't charge on the basis of ownership... but that didn't prevent a charge based on providing/maintaining a facility. Some real legalese stuff really.

Like you my attitude is happy to pay a reasonable fee if a facility is provided and if it's an honesty box (as quite a few places in Scotland) then I always donate. As it happens Mersea is free to launch but then our spend in the café/shop helps the local economy in a small way.

Re the derestricted area of the Colne to the north of Brightlingsea it is excluded from the 8kt limit for all and I can't see any way the ski club could have "ownership" of that water... but there may be a local agreement they take priority?? Having said that there are often idiots on jetskis up there and it may not be the best place to be if they happen to be about with their oh so close high speed passes!

[Fenlander]

>>>spoke to the harbour office. Its £20 daily or £50 for the year for harbour dues. No charge for the use of the slip.

The court case has produced a bit of crafty charging then... for your boat a few years ago it was £15 launch fee and £2.50 for a day harbour dues. So they are now making the slip look free by ramping up the daily harbour dues.

The £20 daily rate looks a bit fierce but I see it's just £50 for a year so that's decent value if you launch a few times over the year.

[cheeseboat]

Fair play, I don't blame them, it goes without saying... "be careful what you wish for!!!!!"

[Fenlander]

>>>"be careful what you wish for!!!!!"

Indeed.

Re images I'm always using a PC or laptop. Click Go Advanced at the bottom of the reply pane. Then Manage Attachments. Click Browse in the popup window then choose the image file on your device.

It may be different if you are using a phone app??

[cheeseboat]

[Bigo]

The ski area is actually owned by Morgan Marine I believe. They can also launch and retrieve you at any state of the tide (can’t remember the exact cost) they also have a great old school chandlery with everything and anything in it. It’s owned by two older guys who are both super knowledgable and can answer any questions you have about the area. Worth a visit it’s right down the end of the quay past Oliver’s Wharf. I always use their shop and services for my ribbing needs.

[cheeseboat]

The ski area is actually owned by Morgan Marine I believe. They can also launch and retrieve you at any state of the tide (can’t remember the exact cost) they also have a great old school chandlery with everything and anything in it. It’s owned by two older guys who are both super knowledgable and can answer any questions you have about the area. Worth a visit it’s right down the end of the quay past Oliver’s Wharf. I always use their shop and services for my ribbing needs.

Thanks Bigo, I'll take a look. Love a decent Chandlery!!!

[Orwell boy]

Make sure you have a long rope handy ,you may need to drop your trailer off the vehicle to get it deep enough to launch , i have seen more works vans with bubbling exhausts at Brightlingsea than anywhere else in Britain ,the hard is a very gentle slope, hope you get on ok ,if nothing else its always very entertaining,i have even seen a car outside the chip shop ,connected to a trailer just leaving the hard ,thats 50m apart

[cheeseboat]

Thanks Orwell boy. I'll be sure to entertain if I can! I'm dreading the looks of the pro's as I fall base over apex in the mud

[Fenlander]

Looks a nice outfit in the image CB. Yep tiptoe carefully in the mud and have a great first outing. We will be with you in spirit but just chugging along the local river on running in duties.

[Bigo]

How did it go cheese boat ???