Arbroath
At a Glance
Harbour Master 01241 872166 VHF11
Arbroath has an inner harbour and an outer drying harbour....
.... approached from the South East through a narrow dredged
channel bounded by rocks. The entrance to the outer harbour faces
SW and is guarded by a wave barrier. This makes for a tortuous
entry. Be advised you are entering the region of the lobster pot
and the sea to either side of the approach is packed with them and,
at LW, their ropes are far too long.
The harbour has been developed from the original inner harbour, the
outer harbour, along with the breakwater, being added in the mid
nineteenth century. Initially it was involved in the general
coastal trade and the export of jute & flax but, like all the
other harbours on this coast, became heavily dependant on the
fishing industry until the middle of the 20th century. The
flax/linen industry declined as steam took over from sail because
much of their cloth was used as sail cloth (they were very
innovative in the treatment of linen to extend the life of their
sailcloth)
Nowadays it is more dependant on the leisure industry and there is
a gated marina in the inner harbour whilst a small lobster/crab
fleet operates from the outer harbour.
You may have heard of the "Arbroath Smokie" – a kipper to
all intents and purpose; except that it is smoked haddock as
opposed to smoked herring (which is the kipper) Another contributor
to the local economy is 45 Commando of the Royal Marines, and,
until the 1970s there was a Royal Naval Air Station here which was
also home to the FAA Artificer's school.
From the point of view of the cruising sailorman there are two main
points; the harbour is unapproachable in strong SW through South to
East winds and there is a tidal limit making it unusable except
about three and a half hours either side of HW depending on your
draft. (you would probably be able to get a shallow draft boat into
the outer harbour at LW Neaps but you'd have to be very careful and
it would have to be settled sea.)
Arbroath
Approach
The waypoint above is on the leading line into the entry channel....
.... but the first object you will see coming up or down the coast to Arbroath is the white signal tower which was used to communicate with the Bell Rock lighthouse in days of yore.
You should stay well off shore (a good couple of miles) until this signal tower is on the beam before turning in towards the harbour. This is not just because of the rocky reefs girding the approach but will keep you clear of the maze of lobster pots which impede the aproach. If you can't locate the leading marks/lights ( highly unlikely because they are very prominent) you should be able to locate the twin towers of St Thomas' Church and if you run in with them between the beacon on the west breakwater and the small lighthouse on the end of the pier you should eventually pick up the white leading marks just to the right of the signal tower to continue inbound.
The HM here would appreciate a call on #11 to advise him that
you are coming in.
Be very careful of the tall,yellow post (Fl(4)Y) marking the end of
the diffuser on the rocks to the SW of the entry channel (ie port
hand side coming in) - it is close enough to the channel to be
mistaken for a sort of outer end channel marker and it is nothing
of the sort!!
You will of course have to be careful, it's a narrow channel ending
with a blind turn to starboard into the Outer harbour and, on top
of that, the deeper water is to the pier side of the channel, which
means that you are unlikely to be able to spot the mastheads of
outbound traffic, and certainly not small angling boats. It would
be an idea to check with the HM on channel 11 to avoid any
surprises and it's probably best to swallow your pride clear up for
entering harbour whilst still well out and motor in..
The times for the dock gate this year 2022 can be found at the link
below (may open in a separate tab on some computers)but tend to be
about 3 hours either side of HW between 0700 and 2000. This means
that, if you want to make an early start you may have to move out
of the marina to a pier wall the evening before especially if HW is
at dawn and you are headed North.
Arbroath Marina Gate Times
£ GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
You will get berthing instructions from the HM on channel 11....
.... or just tie up to the nearest available hammerhead and pop ashore to the HM's office. The original layout had two long pontoons with fingers and some rasta charts on chart plotters may still show this but, in fact, there are now three long pontoons with fingers - so there is a choice of three hammerheads for visitors.
There are berths with ladders available alongside the
wall in the outer harbour but you would need to check with the HM
on this as many are permanent berths for the gentlemen earning
their living from the sea. These are obviously unserviced so if you
need shore power the inner harbour is your only choice.
A berth in the inner harbour (2022) is £29.00 per day irrespective
of length but this now includes free shore power. A berth in the
outer harbour is £20.00 per night.
Marinas and Mooring
Arbroath Harbour Master
Harbour Office
Ladybridge Street
Arbroath
DD11 1PD
Facilities
There are toilets and showers (they've just installed
two new shower cubicles) in the building on the South corner of the
inner harbour which also houses laundrette facilities for which you
need tokens from the HM Water/ shore power is on the pontoons and
included in your harbour dues.Everything else, including diesel
fuel is available. Calor gas refills can be found at Morrisons
(where there is also petrol) and, thanks to kurrawong kid we can
confirm that Base Camp in Westport (DD11 1RF) street does 907
camping Gaz refills..
There is a boatyard for repairs but the chandlery is reported to be
closed.
Chandlers
Sea and Shore
Units 2 &3
324 330 Broughty Ferry Road
Dundee
DD1 3NN
When living a lifestyle on the sea, you need the support of a dedicated marine specialist who can provide all aspects of marine supplies. You also need friendly, expert advice to help you choose the right equipment for your range.
We are North East Scotland's leading marine and industrial supplier stocking Mariner engines, Yanmar engines as well as the repair of engines, boats, trailers and sails. We carry a full range of chandlery, paints, sailing, clothing and equipment and we offer a complete rigging and splicing service with guaranteed quality and competitive pricing.
Our own fully equipped workshop and our professional mechanics
and engineers can repair and service all makes of outboard engines.
Whatever your marine needs, at Sea and Shore, we aim to give you
great service and leave you satisfied.
What to Do
Eating and drinking is standard fare here, the usual fast food outlets and bars with some good hotels.
Pubs
Arbroath pubs and bars; pubs in arbroath # beerintheevening.com
E ating out
Restaurants & Places to Eat in Arbroath -
Tripadvisor
Having said that, remember that this is home to both the "Arbroath
Smokie" and the "Aberdeen Angus" (for the uninformed that is a
breed of steer renowned for its steak) and this gives rise to some
very good, upmarket restaurants – you may even be able to
source a wild salmon steak as the Perthshire rivers are some of the
finest salmon rivers in the world.
History
Local Business
Rigging-and-Riggers
Riggerous Ltd
The Shed
Port Edgar Marina
South Queensferry
Edinburgh
Lothian
Gerry Fitzgerald is an experienced yachtsman who has sailed and worked on boats all over the world. He is also a trained laminator with Robertson's of Sandbank, a yachtmaster
Uncategorised
Sea and Shore
Units 2 &3
324 330 Broughty Ferry Road
Dundee
DD1 3NN
When living a lifestyle on the sea, you need the support of a dedicated marine specialist who can provide all aspects of marine supplies. You also need friendly, expert advice to help you choose the right equipment for your range.
We are North East Scotland's leading marine and industrial supplier stocking Mariner engines, Yanmar engines as well as the repair of engines, boats, trailers and sails. We carry a full range of chandlery, paints, sailing, clothing and equipment and we offer a complete rigging and splicing service with guaranteed quality and competitive pricing.
Our own fully equipped workshop and our professional mechanics
and engineers can repair and service all makes of outboard engines.
Whatever your marine needs, at Sea and Shore, we aim to give you
great service and leave you satisfied.
Montrose Rope and Sail Co Ltd
Unit 7, Brent Avenue
Montrose
Montrose
DD10 9PB
Arbroath Harbour Master
Harbour Office
Ladybridge Street
Arbroath
DD11 1PD
Riggerous Ltd
The Shed
Port Edgar Marina
South Queensferry
Edinburgh
Lothian
Gerry Fitzgerald is an experienced yachtsman who has sailed and worked on boats all over the world. He is also a trained laminator with Robertson's of Sandbank, a yachtmaster
Tide Information for arbroath
April 2026 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Please note: It is the user's responsibility to ensure that the data is suitable for their intended purpose. VisitMyHarbour must not be used by vessels for navigation.