sailscotland 2020

EAST COAST

encourages yachts to visit many of its harbours. Some of these are ideally located for exploring Royal Deeside, while others offer a range of shops and restaurants. Turning west into the Moray Firth, the choice of destinations increases significantly. Both Banff and Lossiemouth boast new marina facilities, complementing those at Whitehills and the pontoons in the picturesque harbour of Findochty (pronounced Finechty). This stretch of coastline is a popular dolphin- watching area and some crews will be accompanied by dolphins riding the bow wave for at least a short distance. Vessels destined for the Caledonian Canal will head up the firth into Inverness, passing under the Kessock Bridge to reach the Highland capital. Travellers taking this route should note that the bridge has a clearance of 29m, sufficient for most but not necessarily all yachts, and that the canal is usually closed for 2 hours either side of low

marina is well suited to visitors from the continent who may wish to leave their boat for a few weeks while they fly back home from the nearby airport. There are further pontoon facilities available along the Forth at Granton that are ideally suited for an excursion into Edinburgh city centre. The use of the harbour is shared by both the Royal Forth Yacht Club and Forth Corinthian Yacht Club, which have access to both an all-tides pontoon and swinging moorings. Further north, beyond Anstruther and the Fife peninsula, pontoon facilities are available at Tayport, near the mouth of the River Tay, and a short distance across the estuary there is a marina facility at Arbroath. North of this is the longest stretch of ‘pontoon- free’ coastline, the next facility being at Peterhead Bay Marina some 60 miles away. However, there are still places to stop as Aberdeenshire Council now

coast destinations en route to either the Caledonian Canal or the Pentland Firth. As some of the facilities are smaller than others, it is advisable to check berth availability in advance. Starting in the south, the first east coast pontoon facility can be found in the vibrant harbour of Eyemouth. Once a busy fishing harbour, it now offers secure berthing for visiting yachts in the heart of the town with restaurants, cafe bars and shops just a few minutes stroll away. Port Edgar is still the main marina facility on this stretch of coast. From there, it is possible to cruise the Firth of Forth to destinations such as the new marina at Anstruther on the Fife coast, or further east around Bass Rock. Port Edgar hosts a busy sailing school which offers the RYA’s full range of sailing courses. It also has a new skippered yacht charter business, Edinburgh Boat Charters, which offers a range of packages for customers. The

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