Christchurch Harbour

Christchurch Harbour is really only suitable for shoal draft craft, say 1.2m max, even at the top of spring tides.

It's important to note that Christchurch in common with many harbours in this area has a double high water (has four high waters a day). The Admiralty easy tide shows this clearly. At neaps the second high water tends to be higher, whereas on springs the first high water is the higher. The times given in the data in relation to Dover refer to the higher rise. Rain and river water have an effect on the depths within the harbour, and the speed of the outgoing flow through The Run. Even in normal circumstances it can flow between 2kn and 3kn, but in exceptional circumstances it can exceed 5 kn at times on the ebb. Christchurch Sailing Club have a good page for visiting yachts which adds to our description of the approach.

Christchurch Sailing Club : Visiting CSC

To give some idea of what you are facing there is a view in Google Street Maps showing the entrance at Low Water; note the dredger in operation! CLICK HERE

The Run is unstable and can often change in depth and in course, especially during the winter. Even in settled summer weather caution is needed. During periods of high pressure the depths of water within the harbour and the run in could be reduced by 0.3 m which is of great significance with so little depth to spare. With strong or prolonged winds from the South to the south-east a dangerous swell with a breaking sea on the bar can develop. Furthermore these winds rapidly affect the course and depth of the channel. The buoyage is organised by the Harbour Association, a voluntary body, and laid by a local boat. Caution should be exercised. Following the winterstorms the shingle is usually pushed across the entrance to the Run so depthsare unknown. Once the channel has been re-established the CHA go out and relay the buoys in the spring. Until then access is dubious and limited to about half an hour either side of HW.

There is less than 0.5 m on the bar, and this can be reduced further during easterlies. Within The Run it deepens out to around 2 m in places, but once within the average depths in the channel are less than 0.5 m, with a few deep holes of 2 m. The great majority of the harbour dries out to less than 1 m above CD.

This is obviously not a place for a deep keeled seagoing yacht to attempt, but with a shoal draft craft that can take the ground happily, this harbour has much to offer. A draft of 1.2 m at spring tides is probably the maximum possible, and for a proper exploration a draft of 1 m or less is better.

The entrance to the harbour lies about 1 mile to the NNE of the prominent Hengistbury Head, and it's off-lying charted shoals and rocks.... the safest course of action if coming from the West is to pass Hengistbury Head with a clearance of a least a mile, and to make for the Harbour and Buoyed Channel, when it is bearing between 310° and 290° from your position.

From the East, the entrance will be found to the East of Hengistbury Head, and identified by the buildings at the entrance, in particular a black house on the south side of the entrance. Make the approach from well out and well offshore on a bearing of about 290°. As the water gradually shoals to around 2.5 m (at CD), you should be able to pick up the buoyage, lying to the north-east of the harbour entrance. The bar and channel are constantly changing and the buoyage is shifted around to suit, so absolute positions can't be given. Make sure you identify the outlying red can and green conical buoys, and then follow the channel in, leaving the Reds to port and the Greens to starboard. It is assumed you have done your tidal calculations bearing in mind that the bar can have less than 0.5 m at LWS.

Follow the buoyage and it will lead you to The Run, which is less than 300 m wide and fronted by the Quay to the North and a shingly spit to the South. The deeper water is closer to the Quay, where the scour of the ebb has left the channel steep too.

Its important to locate the most outlying buoys before commencing your run in, and not to cut the corner of the shingle spit or to get confused by the green pile beacons on the beach. Stick to the buoyage.

After passing the black house the main channel trends southerly before swinging west and is marked by green conical buoys that you leave to starboard, and a little further on by red buoyage to port also.