Banff

The Assistant HM will be in attendance at the harbour during the forenoon watch only and at other times you need to contact the HM on his mobile to advise if you intend coming here later in the day.

Fin keelers should be able to enter the harbour four hours either side of HW.

You will see from the chart that the lead-in marks bring one in from the South East over fairly shallow water. We have given a Way Point on the two meter line but most skippers tend to line up from much closer in towards the entrance. The approach to this harbour has to take into account any swell from the North and the rocks which lie off the North wall and East Wall. In virtually any conditions you would be wise to clear away for entering harbour somewhere just inside the 5 meter contour to the NE of the harbour mouth (out of the swell) and then lay a course for a point about fifty yards to the SE of the entrance, running with the swell. You then have to line up with the harbour mouth, crack on a bit of speed, and judge the lateral movement as you run in; in a heavy swell and from half ebb onwards you will need quite heavy helm corrections and in some conditions the Harbour Master may suggest you go to Macduff!

From the summer of 2016 the much promised waiting buoy will be laid in the close-in approaches to the harbour. Until someone has sat on it at LWS it is uncertain what sort sea conditions will be expected, especially in Northerlies. Update 2023 This buoy was removed whilst Banff was closed and is expected to be back in place later in the summer

If you are arriving from the East, navigate outside the Collie Rocks off Macduff (our photo, No 1, gives you a clearing line for this) and then, having identified the pierhead light, make for that. A word of caution here, if you are coming in during the night it is very, very difficult to separate the pierhead light from the street lighting (even for skippers who are familiar with the harbour) and, of course, the clearing bearing mentioned above can't be seen. The sector light on the end of Macduff Pier is, on the other hand, easily identified so use that to indicate when you are west of the Collies.

From the West Macduff will be more obvious as you pass Whitehills, the Temple of Venus being very prominent. Keep that Temple open from the rest of the coast until you see Banff pierhead and then make for a point about two cables North by East of it before turning in. At night run in towards Macduff in the white sector of its pierhead light until Banff pierhead is abaft the beam before turning in. The harbour entrance lead-in marks are not painted so you should be careful not to confuse them with the other lampposts in their vicinity; at night their top lights are easily identified. (and are all round lights which can be seen from the West which helps to identify the harbour)

You should lean a bit towards the starboard side as you pass the harbour entrance and, as soon as the entrance to the inner harbour opens to port make straight for the middle of that. Previous instructions to scrape along the East Pier wall no longer apply though do not stray too far towards the beach in the outer harbour as it shelves quite rapidly towards that. Having said that, with a draft of a meter and on neap tides you can actually gain the harbour at Low Water – but you'll be running along a breaking swell outside to do so!