Liverpool is a magnificent city with a rich maritime history, far more concerned with big ships and cargoes rather than small craft. The Marina that sprang up a good few years ago in Brunswick and Coburg docks has dramatically improved the situation for a visitor on a small boat. There has been much regeneration around the waterfront centred on Albert Dock, the Maritime Museum, and the Tate Gallery.

The city itself is well worth investigating, known for its ethnic diversity, with a large Chinatown area. Absolutely all major stores and banks will be found, plus excellent transport links including it's international airport. Liverpudlians are well-known for their wicked sense of humour, which you may well encounter..

The big problem for the waterborne visitor to the Marina is it's isolation. Unserved by public transport, just getting out of the gated, security guarded dock and housing area involves quite a hike. When you do emerge you're not in exactly the most salubrious part of town, with Toxteth being the nearest district you're likely to find a supermarket or bank (and even that's a good drive away). Even getting chandlery isn't straight forwards, the nearest was Joseph Lambs (Ships Chandlers) and they were ever so helpful even though they were geared to ships. Sadly now they have gone.

Having spent a good while working on a boat here in the mid 90s I found the immediate outside environment to be a real eye-opener. Maybe things have changed for the better by now.

Although the Marina is fairly self-contained with its own bar and restaurant, having got as far as Liverpool you're going to want to get provisions and investigate the city attractions. For this you will need a cab.

Quick links to adjacent harbours and area coverage: Preston, Docks, Marina, River Ribble and River Asland (or Douglas) , Conwy (River) and Deganwy ,  Wales and North West England

Approaches to Liverpool by motorboat or yacht are made down the Queen's Channel, the Crosby Channel, and the River Mersey following the same route as the heavy shipping.

The channels are all well marked by numbered and lit buoyage (in fact the buoys are more like little ships themselves... to cope with the strong tides). A glance over the charts will show that this buoyage MUST be followed, there is no chance of lurking outside the channel in shallow water.

The channel runs between tall training banks that channel the scouring effects of the tide to keep the deep water approaches to Liverpool open. These training banks must not be crossed even at high water. The construction of these training walls must have taken enormous manpower and ingenuity.

More pilotage details:

In the approach to the Queen's Channel, strong onshore winds especially when combined with an outflowing tide can cause breaking seas dangerous to small craft. In these conditions it is best not to approach at all.

Locals sometimes use the Rock Channel just north of New Brighton. There is a gap in the training wall here, and for a small craft it's a shortcut out to sea. It is not buoyed in any way, and should only be attempted with local knowledge.

Upon approach to the Queen's Channel and onwards monitor VHF channel 12 for Mersey Radio who deal with the traffic reports, navigational warnings and weather.

Any kind of visit to Liverpool needs to take into account the power of the tides running in the Mersey and the approach channels. These can reach 5 kn at Springs, and that could be a conservative estimate. I have seen yachts sailing forwards but moving backwards, and small coasters pushing forwards with big bow waves remain in the same spot for over an hour. Do not underestimate.

Assuming more benign weather it is necessary to time your arrival at Brunswick Dock Lock for two hours either side of high water. Better to arrive a bit early and lurk about stemming the tide than a desperate struggle against a rapidly increasing ebbtide.

Upon approach to the Marina and the Brunswick lock, call them up on VHF channel 37 (M), callsign Liverpool Marina. They will give you instructions for the lock.

Brunswick Dock lies about a mile past the Liver Building on your port side, with the entrance being opposite the westerly cardinal Pluckington Bank buoy.

The lock is controlled by standard signals (three vertically arranged red/green lights), with the lock control building overlooking the whole scene.

Upon entry to the lock you will find floating pontoons to secure to on either side. The lock is easily big enough for vessels of 20m, maybe more. See the photo gallery.

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Once within Liverpool Marina, as described above, marina staff will direct you to a pontoon. Very large craft sometimes lie alongside the dock walls.

Prices in this Marina work out at £2.66 per metre per day, with reducing rates for longer stays. A link to their website is provided below:

http://www.liverpoolmarina.com/moorings-liverpool-marina/

If any reason you miss the locking in period at the Marina, your options are very limited. Although there is plenty of room outside of the channels near the marina, any kind of anchoring in the extremely strong tides is fraught with danger.

There are various small craft moorings laid off New Brighton and you may be able to find one vacant for a temporary stop. Alternatively it may be possible to anchor outside of the channel in this area. In particular the entrance to the already mentioned (local knowledge only) Rock Channel is entered via Rock Gut, just north of New Brighton and adjacent to the green light float "Brazil".

The fully competent skipper, with complete confidence in his anchoring gear may be able to squeeze out of the main tidal flow and remain afloat. Large scale charts will be essential, as the training wall is close by.

All the normal Marina facilities are available, with water and electricity on most pontoons, toilets and showers ashore.

Boats of up to 60 tonnes can be lifted, with limited storage ashore in the boatyard. The Marina has arrangements with a local shipwright Steve Roberts to organise repair works within the yard. He may also be able to arrange chandlery, as yacht chandlery is thin on the ground in Liverpool.

Charts and navigational equipment should be no problem in Liverpool, with DPM used to supplying chart portfolios for ships worldwide (City centre waterfront).

Calor gas can be obtained from a firm right near the marina entrance. Fuel is not available, although it may be possible to organise a tanker for large-scale bunkering.

Unless things have changed dramatically provisioning will be a problem, with nothing in walking distance..... and if you did venture out on foot (quite a hike past security barriers and guards), you may not feel too happy in the area you find yourself.

The nearest supermarkets are in Toxteth, and you will need a cab. You may be able to cadge a lift from one of the Marina residents... the locals are friendly.

Transport wise Liverpool is well connected, InterCity trains from Lime Street connect with many cities including London. John Lennon airport has national and international flights. Both are a good cab ride from the Marina.

Historically a part of Lancashire, the urbanisation and expansion of Liverpool were broadly brought about by the city's status as a major port. By the 18th century, trade from the West Indies, Ireland and mainland Europe coupled with close links with the Atlantic Slave Trade furthered the economic expansion of Liverpool. By the early 19th century, 40% of the world's trade passed through Liverpool's docks, contributing to Liverpool's rise as a major city.

Inhabitants of Liverpool are referred to as Liverpudlians but are also known as "Scousers", in reference to the local dish known as "scouse", a form of stew. The word "Scouse" has also become synonymous with the Liverpool accent and dialect. Liverpool's status as a port city has contributed to its diverse population, which draws from a wide range of peoples, cultures, and religions, particularly those from Ireland.

The popularity of The Beatles and the other groups from the Merseybeat era contributes to Liverpool's status as a tourist destination; tourism forms a significant part of the city's modern economy. In 2007 the city celebrated its 800th anniversary, and in 2008 it held the European Capital of Culture title together with Stavanger, Norway.

Tourism is a major factor in the economy and this has led to a great increase in the provision of high quality services such as hotels, restaurants and clubs. The buildings of Liverpool also attract film makers, who regularly use Liverpool to double for cities around the world and making it the second most filmed city in the UK. Liverpool is also one of the few cities in the world where cruise liners can berth in the city centre, and from 2008 a significant number of ships will either set sail or call at Liverpool's cruise liner terminal, including the Grand Princess, and the QE2. Large naval ships coming in to dock also draw large crowds on sunny days. Liverpool and its boroughs have a large number of sandy beaches accessible by Merseyrail, which prove popular in the summer months.

Port

In 2002, 716,000 passengers used the Port of Liverpool, with the Isle of Man and Ireland being the two most important passenger routes, goods trade which was very low in the past decades, is growing up now. Together, the Port of Liverpool and Manchester Ship Canal offer a comprehensive range of port facilities, handling more than 40 million tonnes of cargo and 15,000 ship movements a year – making the River Mersey Britain's third busiest estuary.

The Port and Canal form the "green" gateway to an economy of more than 120,000 industrial and commercial enterprises and a population equal to that of greater London.

The Port of Liverpool and the Manchester Ship Canal are now as one under the banner of Peel Ports, the UK's second largest ports group.

The text on this HISTORY page is covered by the following licence
 
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Text_of_the_GNU_Free_Documentation_License

With transport being a problem the visiting Mariner will probably avail himself of the marina's Bar and Grill, right on site.

For those into yacht racing, it may be worth checking out Liverpool Yacht Club who have premises at Coburg Docks. A link to their site is provided below:

http://www.lyc.org.uk/index.php

As already mentioned trying to get out of the marina area by foot is not really recommended, which then leaves the option of getting a cab to the city centre for a night out (or cultural/historical explorations).

There is no point in trying to explain the diversity of what you will find, suffice to say there are pubs and restaurants for all tastes and pockets in Liverpool.

There is little point in us providing links covering what's available, as the range is too huge (140+pubs), and the area too wide.