Scrabster, Thurso & The Pentland Firth
At a Glance
Contacts
HM (Jason Hamilton) 01847 892779 VHF 12
We have included Thurso in these notes for the sake of completeness only to say that you don't want to go there! The harbour at Thurso merely consists of reinforcement of the banks of the River Thurso, dries to a rocky boulder strewn bottom and has rocks and reefs guarding the entrance; best go to Scrabster.
For the tidal streams through the Pentland
Firth there are zoomable charts and full descriptions available
at:
Pentland Firth
On the other hand Scrabster is an invaluable haven for those
cruising in these waters, it can be a bit open to the East unless
you can get a berth in the inner Harbour (of which more later) but
basically its network of Ro-Ro piers and docks within docks means
that it is easy to get into, each entrance being narrower than the
last so that, even in easterly winds the entrance is not hazardous.
Your only problem is if you are coming from the East you have the
Pentland Firth to deal with before you round Dunnet Head (or after,
if departing to the East).
The harbour is situated about eighteen miles west of Duncansby Head
in the Western corner of Thurso Bay; it's sheltered from the north
by Holborn Head, from the east by Dunnet Head and from the North
East by the Orkneys. In NE winds you will get a considerable blow
but there is not enough sea room for a swell to build up and block
the entrances to the harbour.
There has been a harbour here since Viking times and the present
harbour was started in 1841 and has been added to along the way.
The ferry to Orkney was started up 15 years later and has been
running ever since. The harbour is very much a commercial operation
with quite a large fishing fleet coming and going from the fish
dock and much HGV transport in support of that. It is also the main
jumping off point for the Orkneys, serving both the tourist trade
and the supply lines for the islands. On top of that there are
regular visits by cruise ships which attract the local souvenir
vendors, pipe bands etc. The main problem for cruising yachts in
the past has been that there has been little provision for them
here and nearest town is Thurso, over two miles away across the
bay.
That has changed. Early in the summer of 2012 major work was
undertaken to widen the pier between the Fish Dock and the Inner
Harbour and pontoons were installed in the innermost of the two
inner harbours (See the photo in our gallery). That installation
of pontoons was completed and, at the moment, there are some
visitor berths on those pontoons.
Scrabster, Thurso & The Pentland Firth
Approach
From the West there is very little to trouble you,.....
.... just watch out as usual for creel markers and give Holborn
Head a reasonable offing (it is steep too and has very little in
the way of overfalls);
You should call the Harbour on channel 12 for entry instructions
and they will expect you to defer to commercial traffic to a
certain extent but they tend not to issue priorities; as long as
everyone is aware of everyone else they leave you to get on with it
yourselves. Watch out for the inbound Orkney Ferry as he will
approach very fast and, at the last moment, turn to port and then reverse in to the dock.
From the East you'll be coming round Dunnet Head and straight
across the bay to the harbour; stay a bit out from that headland as
there are still the dying efforts of the Pentland Firth running
past and also it's quite high and can throw down quite a wind
shadow. It is also a popular spot for creel potters.
At night it will be a bit confusing as there are lights on the ends
of all the piers all of which are against a background of sodium
floodlights.
£ GMT
Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
There are pontoon berths available to visiting yachts in the inner harbour from the summer of 2013. You must call ahead and advise the harbour of your intentions and requirements, especially if you need shore power which is only available on the pontoons.
If you get a pontoon you'll be charged £20 per night
plus £2.71 for electricity. On the wall it's £15 per night
Just call on VHF 12 and the HM will allocate a berth (if you need
shore power you should mention it and maybe you'll be lucky!)
There is no anchoring permitted within the harbour (unless in an
emergency)
It is possible that the entrance to the Inner Harbour may be obscured by a large vessel moored against the wall on the port side opposite the Ice factory just before the turn in to enter. Give yourself enough room for a final 120 degree turn to port when you have cleared that ship's bows/stern.
Their alternative is a pontoon on the East side of the pier with the Ice House on it and there is no power or water on that. You should expect to end up here if multi-hulled.
Marinas and Mooring
Scrabster Harbour
Thurso
KW14 7UJ
Facilities
Shore power and wateron the inner harbour pontoons. Our previous
info that there is an amenities block was incorrect and the only
showers are in the fish market or the Seamans mission.
For all provisioning you will need to go to Thurso or at least to
the LIDL bus stop near Thurso. There is no public transport from
Scrabster to Thurso apart from:-
http://www.stagecoachbus.com/ for the X99 service
from Inverness to Scrabster. This runs about twice a day to match
the Orkney Ferry and stops in Thurso.
There are always taxis
A company called Simpsons Oils supplies Diesel in the harbour and you should call 01955 604444 to make arrangements with them.
Petrol is available in cans at the garages in Thurso on the
opposite side of the bay (they won't dispense it in the
harbour) Gas & Gaz is also available at W & D Ross,
Riverside, Thurso
There are various workshops and boat yards around the harbour if
you need to scrounge for spares but no yacht chandlery per
sé.
Chandlers
The Rope Centre
24 John Street
Stromness,
Orkney
KW16 3AD
What to Do
You will find a café at the Ferry terminal but the
best place to go for breakfast is the Seamen's Mission. For more
up market eating there is the Ferry Inn pub/restaurant near the
Harbour Office. There is also a small seafood restaurant called the
Captains Galley but it is uncertain whether that is still
trading.
Other than that you will need to go to Thurso which has some
excellent shops and food outlets. The Caithness Horizons Museum is
worth a visit (they do a good coffee there) as are the castle ruins
on the East side of the river.
Eating Out
History
Local Business
Uncategorised
Scrabster Harbour
Thurso
KW14 7UJ
The Rope Centre
24 John Street
Stromness,
Orkney
KW16 3AD
Tide Information for scrabster
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