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Caernarfon Harbour (and Caernarfon Bar)

Your Comments: 18 Read or add your comments

Courtesy Flag

Flag, Red Ensign

Waypoint

None Given

Charts

Admiralty 1464, 1970

Rules & Regulations

5 Knts Speed Limit

Hazards

Caernarfon Bar...dangerous in onshore conditions, see text

Tidal Data Times & Range

HW = Dover -0130 MHWS 5.2m, MHWN 4.0m, MLWN 1.9m, MLWS 0.6m   (links)

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General Description

The reputation of the Caernarfon Bar and the Swellies is often enough.... ... read more

Approach

Unless entering the Menai Strait from the North and passing the Swellies,..... ... read more

Berthing, Mooring & Anchoring

Moorings for visiting boats are either in the small Victoria Dock Marina,.... ... read more

Your Ratings & Comments

18 comments
Doc Victoria, Caernarfon 2024
Written by Charlie Bravo | 3rd May 2024
The marina now has a separate Ladies only shower and toilet area, a comfort for those who didn’t like the old mixed set up.
Fuel is available from the Doc Master at the pontoon below his watch tower office.
The small chandler Above the Brine, has a boat lift which can handle a 35 footer or a little larger, they would need a spring tide of 5 meters if you have a 1.9 M keel, and can fix most things if you have problems.
Once in, the water is 2 meters deep or more in most of the marina, but shallower if you come in and head straight towards the crane at Above the Brine, so come in and head port or starboard as directed by Robert the Doc Master , contact him prior to entry for clearance to enter.

Visiting here needs your charts updating to show buoy positions as they do get moved, and a wealth of information and sailing directions can be found at the Caernarfon Harbour Trust web site.
1 of 1 people found this helpful
UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2022
Written by Don Thomson 3 | 6th Sep 2022
I reviewed these notes in September 2022.. The Harbour website has been improved a lot in the last few years, some of the links have changed and we have updated ours to theirs. Be careful as some of the old pages still exist and if you use an old link you'll get old info. If you've downloaded a chartlet of the approach channel, check the date because they change that channel every year.
1 of 1 people found this helpful
UPDATE SUMMER 2021
Written by Don Thomson 3 | 2nd Aug 2021
I reviewed these notes in August 2021. All the information, including the harbours buoyage, has been updated. The only doubt is the provision and prices of buoys where you can tie up to await the Victoria dock flap gate. Landerne Pier (up river from the dock) is available but can be awkward to tie up to.
Update Summer 2019
Written by Don Thomson 3 | 9th Jul 2019
We have uploaded the Caernarfon Bar chart. Note that the buoy positions differ from the latest charts produced by the Harbour Master
Extra-curricula activities
Written by Pardela | 27th May 2019
Caernarfon is a town that seems to enjoy tourists and you’ll find a warm welcome and lots of places to spend your evenings/money. There are two sailing clubs in the town, the Caernarfon Sailing club is right beside the marina, but if you venture a little further along the town wall you’ll find the Royal Welsh Yacht Club, which is not as pretentious as it sounds. There is no food apart from pork scratchings and the usual snacks, but the bar prices are good, the range of drinks is good too, and whenever I’ve been there have been interesting people to chat to. If the weather is good, the view of the setting sun from the terrace is itself worth the passage from Eire.
Caernarfon C9 to C11 shallow warning
Written by Macboatmaster | 26th May 2019
There is a large build up of sand between the C9 and C11 buoys. Depths are 0.5mtrs or more, less than datum.
Reference may be made to the Local NtoM 14/19
http://www.caernarfonharbour.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/14-19-NtoM.pdf

OR the main Harbour Trust site link
http://www.caernarfonharbour.org.uk/

I know it reports 0.5mtrs but I believe it to be far more in some places. I have heard reports that it may be as much as 1.5mtrs
UPDATE SPRING 2018
Written by Don Thomson | 3rd May 2018
First things, first; this years admiralty chart shows the C10 and C7 buoys in their rightful positions and is the one uploaded here. There is a link to the Caernarfon Bar chart on their website; I've down loaded the chart from our images because you can't really see it properly. Visiting charges have gone up - especially the charge for shore power in the marina.
C7 and C10 Menai Strait Caernarvon
Written by Macboatmaster | 18th Jul 2017
As previous post from Pezza - Mariners navigating this area should exercise caution if familiar with the previous position of C10 close in to the mainland shore. It has moved some considerable distance away from the Caernarvon shoreline. Confusingly there is a red mooring buoy in more or less the previous position of C10 and from a distance it is easy to confuse it has the C10 port hand mark.
The Caernarvon Harbour Trust Bar Chart does not of course show C10 and C7 and although the Harbour Trust NM lists the new positions the Chart BA1464 on the Harbour Trust site still shows the old positions.
The significant change can be seen easily when comparing BA1464 on the Harbour Trust Site or the one above with the latest online ones
I very nearly got it wrong today. Had checked bar buoy positions but those move regularly, C10 has never moved for years.
2 of 2 people found this helpful
Main channel Buoy positions C10 Red C7 Green
Written by Pezza | 17th Jul 2017
The charts shown 17/07/17 with positions of the cans shown for a passage over the Caernarfon Bar is out of date - also positions of cans C10 and C7 in the mid channel have changed - refer to the Caernarfon harbour website / notices to mariners / for updated positions www.caernarfonharbour.org.uk/notices-to-mariners/. These are important when approaching from over the bar travelling Eastwards towards Caernarfon.
3 of 3 people found this helpful
UPDATE APRIL 2017
Written by Don Thomson | 19th Apr 2017
I reviewed these notes in April 2017. The prices in the Victoria Dock marina have gone up a little. The showers and toilets block has been in use for a while now and seems to be OK.

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