Pilot notes are meant as a general guide, or for use in conjunction with a Pilot book or chart.
St Marys Harbour
The Pilotage district comprises all waters within a 5 mile radius of the southern end of Samson Island (49 55.65’N, 006 21’W).
Pilotage is compulsory for all vessels (including sail training ships) navigating within the Pilotage district of the Isles of Scilly except for Her Majesty’s and foreign warships, Trinity House vessels engaged in the maintenance of navigation marks, commercial vessels less than 30m in length, trawlers less than 47.5 metres and yachts under 30 metres. The Duchy of Cornwall was appointed as the competent Harbour Authority for the Isles of Scilly in 1987. The procedures in the downloadable file outline the way in which the Pilotage service is operated and the standards it maintains.
PLEASE NOTE THAT OLD TOWN BAY AREA ARE PRIVATE MOORINGS AND NOT TO BE USED BY VISITING YACHTSMEN
For fuel Sibleys have a filling station on the Quay.
For more information follow this link
MOORINGS
We have 38 large visitor mooring buoys, 10 of which are suitable for vessels from 40ft to 60ft and are GREEN in colour. The remaining YELLOW buoys are suitable for vessels up to 40ft in length. We also have 1 mooring available for vessels up to 80ft. Vessels may raft up on any of our moorings.
Vessels Alongside Quay Wall
essels are invited to berth alongside the quay wall at the inner berths only, ahead of the white line painted at the top of the inner steps. While here you may collect water, top up the electric or stay for overnight berthing. Skippers should be aware that the inner berths are approximately 1 metre above Chart Datum. Please note that tying to the handrails, or using these berths for hull cleaning, is strictly prohibited. It may be possible for larger vessels to lay alongside the Quay’s outer berth on certain nights; however this must be arranged with the Harbourmaster.
Small Visiting Craft
In the Harbour we can provide a number of moorings for people wishing to bring small craft (R.I.B’s, Day boats, etc.) to the islands normally for use while staying on the islands. These moorings should be booked with the Harbourmaster in advance and rafting may be necessary in the high season.
Rafting
he visitor’s moorings within the Harbour are suitable for rafting and this is a well recognised procedure, particularly in fine weather. However, we would like to remind our customers that consent should be sought from the vessel already occupying the buoy and that both skippers should be happy with the arrangements before making fast.
PONTOON
A Pontoon has been established at the inner berths of the Harbour. Visiting yachts are granted access to the pontoon upon payment of Harbour Dues.
Local Area Charts
Navigation for the local area can be found in the
Admiralty Charts numbers 883 and 34.
Tides
Various tide books can be found in the shops around the islands and tidal graphs and figures are available in different almanacs. In certain places around the islands the currents can be quite strong causing choppy conditions when the wind and tide are against each other. It’s worth having a look at the directions and speeds, normally found on the admiralty charts and almanacs, before your visit.
High water Dover -0630 Devonport -00.55
Maximum rise, Springs 6.2 metres
Mean rise Springs 5.7 metres
Neaps 4.3 metres
Weather Guide
A weather forecast is displayed on the notice board outside the harbour office and copies are usually available in the office during busy periods. The inshore waters forecast is given by Falmouth coastguard at 0710 LT and every three hours afterwards. These forecasts are currently announced on VHF channel 16 and broadcast on VHF channel 86.
