Contacts
Harbour Master         01834 842717 (summer only) mob 07812 559483

Tenby is one of the foremost tourist destinations on the South Wales coast; virtually all the buildings you can see from the harbour (and most of those behind that) are involved in the industry either as accommodation or commercial outlets linked to the business.  The town itself originally developed as an adjunct to the fort on Castle Hill and eventually became an important sea port only to be fought over twice in the Civil War and then decimated by the plague. It fell into decay and eventually was rejuvenated as a tourist destination at the beginning of the nineteenth century and this is what it is now.

Castle Hill splits the sandy beach into the North Beach and the South Beach and on a sunny weekend in the summer both the beaches and the waters surrounding them are packed with people enjoying themselves and in the evening they return to the town to pack the restaurants and pubs which abound.  This is not a get-away-from-it-all harbour but it is great for a weekend run ashore!

Back in the nineties the inner harbour was not at all friendly to yachtsmen being the domain of the local fishermen, but we are told that things have improved since then.

The harbour lies behind to the West of Castle Hill and St Catherine’s Island with a breakwater extending NW from Castle Hill. This harbour dries completely at LW and then the beach extends out way beyond the harbour wall. You can see from the Google link just how far out boats are moored to remain afloat at all states of the tide.

Getting here is going to be the fun bit; no problem from the East

.... because a rhumb line from Worms Head to Caldey Island will keep you clear (just) of the Carmarthen Bay danger areas and you can alter towards Tenby as you pass the yellow Danger area buoy, DZ3. A straight line from there to Castle Hill will keep you clear of all the shallows (particularly Woolhouse Rocks)

Coming from the West is a different kettle of fish because the Carmarthen and Manorbier ranges stretch out to sea for miles off the Pembrokeshire coast and can double the distance to the run from Milford Haven from 20 to 40 miles. You do have “right of passage” through the danger areas and the range would go “weapons tight” until you are clear if you claim that right but, as most of the young men training up there on the cliffs will soon be overseas at the moment (2013/14) it would be considerate to stay clear.

The ranges tend to be closed at the weekends so the coastal run from Milford then becomes attractive as long as you give the overfalls at Linney Head and St Govan’s a widish berth. If you intend coming through Caldey Sound it’s probably best to skirt round the Giltar Spit PHM as the depths off the South Beach on the chart are a good thirty years old. As you approach Tenby, St Catherine’s Island off Castle Hill will be become obvious but watch out for Sker Rock just to the ESE of it.

Your first choice, dependant on tide and draft, will

....be alongside on the wall at high tide but remember if you are Westbound (on the ebb) you will have had to wait outside for the tide to get in and, if you are Eastbound, you’ll have to shift outside at high water to wait for the flood up the Channel. The overnight charge (2022) for this was £20.40 per night irrespective of LOA.   Do not use the steps as these are used by pleasure boats and the Caldey Island ferry; there are fendered ladders for visitors.

There were occasions in the nineties when you could anchor fore and aft on the beach just to the North of the slip in the harbour entrance (it made for a much shorter row to the shore!) and, we are told, that the harbour authorities would not object to this nowadays.

 It goes without saying that a visit here in North Easterly weather is a non starter.

They have a new amenities building here of which they are proud. It contains showers, toilets, laundrette, a galley and a lounge as well as the harbour office.  There is water on the quay and, nowadays, shore power. Diesel and petrol have to be collected in cans from the petrol station about half a mile away (just past the railway bridge marked on AC 1482)  Morris Brothers  hardware shop just up from the harbour on St Julian’s Terrace does a full range of Calor and Camping Gaz and carries a limited stock of shackles and the like. They also have a branch on the High Styreet opposite Boots which may have a larger stock.

Check out the Sailing Club for a quiet pint before foraging with the holiday makers! For other watering holes see

tenby pubs and bars; pubs in tenby # beerintheevening.com

And Eateries at

 Restaurants & Places to Eat in Tenby 2022