Littlehampton Harbour

If approaching from the West you will either be passing through the Looe Channel, or outside the Owers altogether.

It is necessary to give the land a good offing from the West to avoid various rocky patches off Bognor Regis, so after clearing The Mixon it is best to continue eastwards for a couple of miles. After this a generally ENE heading (say 60°to 70°) can be followed until you can pick up the leading marks, or observe the West Pier Head bearing 350°.

From seawards Littlehampton entrance can be recognised by a twin turreted "Fairy Castle" in the funfair on the eastern side of the entrance. There is also a conspicuous building to the East of the entrance which is made of red brick with a white tower with tiled roof...

Pilotage directions:

The waypoint given 50°47'.579 N 000°32'.318 W is directly on the leading transit, at the point where the charted depths drop to zero. If you approach this waypoint with it bearing 346°T from a distance of about half a mile away you should be able to pick up the transit marks.

The transit marks are both on the short eastern pier, the rear one consisting of a squat white lighthouse (Oc.W.7.5s.9m.10M) and the forward one a black steel column (F.G.6m.7M).

From the East it is simply a matter of giving the land a good offing and picking up the leading marks, or getting the West Pier Head bearing about 350°.

The West Pier is made of wooden piling, the pier head also being a timber piled structure. Running parallel to this pier is a training wall that covers at half tide. This wall is marked by black-and-white perches.

In the approach there is a West going set to the tide which starts one half hours before local high water, and finishes four hours after local high water. An East going set kicks in at one and a half hours before local low water, and continues until two hours before local high water. There can be a strong counter eddy inside the training wall.

A tide gauge on the pier head can be consulted from sea with the aid of binoculars, but remember there is 1 m less because of the drying height of the approach. Caution using this gauge should be exercised, especially on the ebb.

Once you are abeam the end of the West Pier, keep to the starboard side at a safe distance off the training wall. This may well be underwater, but it is adequately marked by perches with radar reflectors.

At night after passing the Eastern Pier Head there is a green light on the Fisherman's Quay (Q.G.4m.5M) and a Q.R opposite that on the West Pier that can help guide you up the harbour.

The speed limit in the harbour is 6.5 kn, and you need to keep out of the way of all commercial traffic. Vessels proceeding against the tidal stream (thus having more manoeuvrability) are to keep clear of those with the tide underneath them.

Tides can run up to 6 knts in the entrance.

Stop Press. There is a wreck about quarter of a mile WSW of the breakwater end, marked by buoys. For details see the harbour website below.

The Harbour Authority works on VHF channel 71, or telephone 01903 721215/mobile 07775 743078. A link to their website is provided below:

http://www.littlehampton.org.uk