Aberaeron
At a Glance
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Contacts:
Harbour Master Send an email to clic AT
ceredigion.gov.uk FAO Harbour Manager to contact
Aberaeron YC 01545 570077
There has been a harbour here since the early nineteenth century when a "planned village" and harbour was built at the mouth of the River Aeron. At that stage it served the local fishing industry and encouraged new industry. The arrival of the railway reduced the importance of the harbour to the town's industries though the ship building and fishing continued but slowly declined.
The little town and harbour is now part of the Cardigan Bay
tourist industry and is a popular destination which is revisited by
many of those who find it. The harbour dries to firm sand and mud
and is populated by many bilge keelers lying in trots to fore and
aft moorings. The River Aeron runs down the north side of the
harbour but has not scoured a deep enough course to provide deep
moorings along that wall (although the Admiralty chart shows
permanent water there, it is only a couple of inches deep at LW!)
In the NE corner of the harbour there is a very small inner harbour
in which the water is maintained at a couple of feet deep by a cill
where shallow draft boats are moored on running moorings to the
wall; it is not available to visitors.
In NW weather this harbour is not a good place to run for as the
sea makes the entrance dangerous and the swell gets into the
harbour making it very uncomfortable.
Their website can be found at https://www.aberaeronyachtclub.co.uk/
Aberaeron
Approach
In anything over a force four to five from the West through to the North the entrance.....
.... to this harbour is dangerous and conditions inside the harbour untenable.
The approach could not be simpler; 120°T from the Way Point to head
straight between the harbour walls. At Night the SW pierhead has a
flashing green light and the NE pier has a flashing sector light
and you'll be in the white sector from the Way Point. If you are
deep keeled there is only enough water for an hour and a half
either side of HW to get in and if there is a strong wind or swell
from the NW the harbour entrance becomes dangerous.
If making a night approach be very aware that the white sector of the sector light covers a very wide arc some of which, especially towards the red sector, is dry at LAT.
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Waypoint
Charts
Rules & Regs
Hazards
Tides
Berthing
The visitors mooring is in the corner on the South side of the entrance;
........ie you come in and when you reach the end of the wall on the starboard side turn hard to starboard, go round the end of the wall and hard to starboard again and tie up facing NW, starboard side to. (See our gallery for extra directions) The length of that bit of wall means that they are restricted to about 30 ft and you'll need to be able to take the ground.
It would be reasonable to expect that this would be sheltered from any westerly sea but it's not; apparently in any westerly weather the sea gets in and bounces around the harbour causing surges where you wouldn't expect them. They don't get a lot of visitors but the HM tells us it that in the right weather it is more than common that a boat will come in for a night and stay for several days because it is such a nice spot. They charge (2022) £18.50 a night regardless of boat size but they have a new HM (since June this year) and the Council has set up pricing in a way that suggests that they are unfamiliar with the yachting world and have lumped us in with Trawlers for water and shore power. As shore power is non existant and water is of the bucket and tap variety I wouldn't mention it when paying!!
Marinas and Mooring
Aberaeron Harbour Master
Harbour Office, South Beach, Aberaeron, Dyfed. SA46 0BE
Facilities
Showers and toilets are in the yacht club and the HM can give an entry code for when it's not open. Water is from a tap on the YC wall and if you have enough electric string you can also get shore power from the YC (need about 80 foot)
There is still a petrol station in Aberaeron which is open until
8pm Mon to Sat and 7pm Sundays petrol and diesel in cans and they
do Calor & Camping Gaz (907s) refills.
There are enough shops for restocking the boat and a chandlery
(Cambrian Marine) about a mile to the north of the town.
What to Do
It's a holiday resort; enjoy
Yacht Clubs and Associations
Aberaeron Yacht & Watersports Club
South Beach Car Park, Aberaeron., SA46 0DP