Wells-next-the-Sea
It pays to look beyond a myth and discover the facts, especially when drafting your plans for a summer cruise, as Richard JohnstoneBryden discovered when he visited north Norfolk’s Wells Harbour
Sailing the north Norfolk coast
Wells-next-the-Sea should be a natural destination for those cruising the East Coast, not least because it is the only buoyed and lit port between Lowestoft and the Humber that specifically caters for private yachtsmen. However, the fearsome reputation of its bar has unnecessarily deterred yachtsmen in the past from including this picturesque location within their itinerary.
Although the bar can become very rough in a strong northerly wind, it is in fact quite benign in most other conditions, with few sailors realising that they have actually passed over it! So if you have ever sailed past this beautiful harbour as a result of such warnings, you have missed a real treat.
Whether approaching Wells Harbour from the Blakeney Overfall, the South Race, the Woolpack or the Burnham Flats, you will have no difficulty in laying and holding a course for the Wells leading buoy – a west cardinal mark. The long plantation of fir trees at Holkham Meals acts as a useful homing-in guide because Wells lies immediately at the eastern end of this plantation.
On closing the leading buoy it is advisable to call the harbour master on VHF Ch12 (Wells Harbour), who can provide you with the latest entry/berthing information. From this point onwards yachtsmen are asked to maintain an effective listening watch on VHF Ch12 and Ch16 while under way within the confines of the port. The harbour master is usually able to meet those who are either unsure about the channel or attempting to enter Wells Harbour at night, and escort them in his launch into the port and up to the quayside free of charge.
Craft that draw 1.8m (6ft) can enter Wells Harbour on neap tides at no more than two hours either side of high water. On spring tides there is a lot more scope, with vessels drawing up to 3m (10ft) being able to use the harbour at high water. Therefore, a boat with a draught of 1.5m (4ft 11in) can usually enter up to three hours either side of high water up to the lifeboat house on all states of tide. The channel is continually dredged from the entrance to the lifeboat house.
The entrance channel across the bar and into the harbour is subject to change from time to time. However, the buoyage system is relatively stable. The leading buoy should be passed to port for the
deepest water over the bar. Vessels arriving from the east should come close to the buoy or pass it to port before turning for the north outer buoy. From the leading buoy, steer 155° towards the north outer buoy, which is visible in most conditions.
After passing to port, make good a course to the south outer buoy. On approaching this buoy, the large green No1 conical buoy and the large red No2 can buoy, which is located on the bar itself, will be visible to starboard (south). You should make good your course to pass between them until the smaller buoys of the channel become visible, after which it is better to favour the starboard side, because two hours before high water there is a considerable east-going tidal stream across the harbour entrance. On passing the port-hand buoy No6, all craft are subject to a speed limit of 8 knots to prevent excessive wash sweeping young children off their feet on the beach and to reduce the erosion on the marsh banks.
From the starboard buoy No9, ‘Knock’, the channel bends away towards the south-east into quieter waters. The wide sweep to the east just past the lifeboat house must be made with the red buoys quite close on the port-hand side as the channel is relatively narrow. On passing the green buoy, ‘Pool’, sweep round to the south-west and follow the buoys until the last red can buoy (No14), at which point you should head back to the south-east, close to the marsh edge, and follow the red buoys all the way towards the town. On passing the final starboard-hand buoy No 19, all craft are subject to a 5-knot speed limit past the quay to the East End.
Long-term initiative
Historically, the main quay was dominated by the sight of cranes unloading coasters of up to 1,000 tons. However, the new generation of coasters coming into service in the early 1990s were too big to enter the port. Starved of their income from commercial shipping, the Wells Harbour Commissioners (WHC) turned their attention towards catering for the needs of yachtsmen cruising along the East Coast. This long-term initiative has proved to be a real success by attracting increasing numbers of European and British sailors every year.
The port has continued to add more pontoon berths to keep pace with the rising demand for visitor berths, and last year the Wells Harbour Commissioners opened a new floating facilities barge for visiting yachtsmen. Designed to look like a boathouse, it took the port staff a year to build the barge which boasts showers, toilets and a utility room. Those with young families will appreciate the larger cubicles in the ladies section which offer a higher degree of privacy and enough space for mothers to shower young children.
Wells Harbour’s seasonal influx of yachtsmen has been supplemented in recent years by a steady stream of people involved in the construction and operation of wind farms off the East Anglian coast. The advent of the renewable energy sector triggered the unexpected opening of a fresh chapter within the port’s commercial heritage and led to the construction of a new outer harbour which opened in 2010. Its facilities are mainly used by the wind farm support craft and include 165m of shore-accessed pontoons, fuel, fresh water and electricity.
Elements of the port’s rich heritage can be seen by visitors as soon as they step ashore. The smart flagpole by the harbour office, which was built in 1868 to accommodate the local lifeboat, provides one of the more visible reminders of the town’s seafaring past. It was erected in 1998 to commemorate the centenary of the coastguard disaster of 1898: five Wells coastguards died when their gig capsized on their way to collect stores from the government steam cutter Alarm. Unaware of the disaster, the captain of Alarm dispatched a six-man crew to row the stores ashore in one of the cutter’s own craft. However, this mission also ended in disaster when their boat capsized. Despite the search mounted by the Wells lifeboat, no survivors were recovered.
Intense activity
A less distant episode of the town’s commercial heritage is represented by the North Sea klipper Albatros, which dominates the main quay. The 40m (131ft) sailing ship was built in 1899 and remained in use as a freight carrier until 1997, making her the last sailing freight carrier in Europe.
It was towards the end of this earlier career that Albatros first came to Wells when she was used to transport soya. Following a three-year absence from the port, Albatros returned in 2000 as a charter vessel. She is now permanently moored alongside the main quay and operated by her owner, captain Ton Brouwer, as a B&B, bar, restaurant and music venue.
The eastern end of the quay is still home to Wells Harbour’s fishing fleet, which consists of 14 boats and five angling charter boats. Around high water the quay normally becomes the scene of intense activity as the fishermen return to port with their catch of the day, which is swiftly transferred to a convoy of waiting vans. Some of these boats can also be seen along the recently installed Tugboat Yard pontoons which are home to the former Wells RNLI lifeboat Ernest Tom Nethercoat, the Wells Sailing Club launch Natalie Gail and the restored historic lifeboat Lucy Lavers, which is available for pre-booked day trips.
Distinctive identity
A walk into the town reveals that it has managed to successfully resist some of the more unfortunate aspects of the 21st century. In stark contrast to increasing numbers of bland corporate town centres across the country, Wells-next-the-Sea has managed to retain a healthy population of local independent traders who give the bustling streets their own distinctive identity and can cater for the majority of a visitor’s requirements.
If you want to stretch your legs, why not
take the mile-long walk along the pathway that runs parallel to the harbour up to the lifeboat house? When you reach the lifeboat house you could keep going onto Wells beach, with its golden sand and collection of pretty beach huts. If you don’t fancy the walk back you could return on the regular narrow-gauge harbour railway service which runs from Easter through to the end of October.
Potential options
With so many nearby tourist attractions, it is easy to see why several visitors stay for an average of four nights in Wells Harbour. The potential options include catching one of the Wells & Walsingham light railway’s trains to the historic village of Walsingham, which has been a place of pilgrimage since 1061. With its timber-framed buildings, ruined priory and other religious sites, Walsingham is well worth a visit.
Alternatively, Norfolk County Council’s award-winning Coast Hopper bus service is a good way to see more of the North Norfolk coast, including the seaside towns of Cromer and Sheringham as well as Hunstanton, where you can catch the distinctive Wave Monster amphibious vehicle for a glimpse of the wash.
North Norfolk also has a number of notable stately homes that are open to the public, including the Queen’s Norfolk retreat Sandringham House, Houghton Hall which was built in the 18th century by the first Prime Minister Sir Robert Walpole, and the nearby Holkham Hall.
Those wanting to enjoy a slower pace of life while keeping their children fully occupied should try the classic East Anglian pastime of gillying. In the summer months there is no shortage of youngsters whiling away the hours around the quay with a bucket and fishing line trying to catch little green spoiler crabs.
An estimated 30,000 plastic buckets and reels are sold in Wells every summer: many of these end up in the harbour and subsequently cause injury or death to local marine life. To counter these problems, WHC introduced an ecofriendly alternative in 2016 to enable people to continue enjoying this classic pursuit in a responsible manner under the auspices of the Gilly Project. For £6, people can hire a steel bucket and a line on a wooden reel from the Gilly Hut on the quay. The fee includes a £5 deposit, which is refundable when the gear is returned.