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Lochmaddy

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Courtesy Flag

Flag, Red Ensign

Waypoint

57° 36.3N 007° 05.0W

Charts

AC 2825-1 Lochmaddy; AC 1795; Imray C66 (with harbour plan Lochmaddy)

Rules & Regulations

No anchoring East of a N/S line through the concrete dolphins at the Roro Terminal

Hazards

Numerous rocky islets in the approach. Entry without reference to large scale chart ill advised. The AC 2825 has more detail than the one on Imray C66

Tidal Data Times & Range

HW Lochmaddy is 40 minutes before HW Ullapool. MHWS 4.8m MHWN 3.6m MLWN 1.9m MLWS 0.7m

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General Description

Contacts
HM (Lewis)  07854 009911

Marina         01876 536335

Lochmaddy is situated at the North East corner of North Uist at the head of Loch Maddy. The entrance is bounded by Weavers Point on the Isle of Flodday on the North side and Leac nam Madadh on the South side. Weavers Point has a light house but Leac nam Madadh and its off laying rock Madadh Mort at the SE corner is not lit

The village itself is the terminal for the Uig to North Uist Calmac ferry and has just majorly improved its facilities for yachts. They’ve fitted pontoons to the West of the ferry terminal which can take boats up to 3 metres draft on the outside and a little less on the inside. The pontoons are exposed from the East to the South West (Yes, the SW, it funnels across North Uist) when winds can make the manoeuvring of large yachts a tad awkward. The whole facility is now completed  (May 2019). The shower/toilet portacabin is all but complete and they have plans for a diesel tank in the very near future (certainly by the 2016 season). The village, though small has quite a lot to offer within a very small walk.

Approach

We have given a way point out in the middle of the entrance to the loch.....

..... but in practice most yachts will be approaching from either Stornoway or from the South and the corners can be cut.

From the South, give Macach Mort a reasonable offing (but it is quite steep to) and then turn along the coast to pass between Ardmaddy Point light and Glas Eilean Mor. Both these have prominent perches and are lit accordingly at night. (Note that the deeper water is on the South side of this channel).  Ahead on the starboard bow there will appear two islands and the area around the pier and pontoons is not immediately visible – just continue westerly leaving the islands to starboard passing through the middle of the gap between the Southerly island and the shore and the pier will open from behind the island. The most Southerly of that cluster of islets is lit but give it a sensible berth due to the rocks outwith it. From there it is simple and there is plenty of room to have a wander up, have a look round and choose a pontoon and then retreat for a little sea room to clear up to go alongside (there isn’t really any need to douse the sails until the pier comes into sight as there is plenty of room to drift about whilst doing this.
From the North, you can cut round Weavers Point, inside Madadh Bead and make for the PHM to the North West of Faihore Islet or, if you prefer you can take the Southern entrance round Ruith Leag.
If you are coming in at High Water, be aware that many of the small lumps have substantial skirts of submerged rock so give them a sensible offing.

Berthing, Mooring & Anchoring

As mentioned above the Loch is exposed to winds from the....

....East to the SW  so you need to choose your spot with the forecast in mind. 
There are mooring buoys on the South shore at Ardmaddy Bay but the two buoys that were near the pontoons have been lifted.

Anchoring is possible at various of the little bays and inlets.

The pontoon facility is in the little inlet to the West of the Calmac Ferry terminal and there is a basic layout of that in our navigation image gallery.  The spot is very exposed to SE to SW winds so you need to pick your pontoon carefully remembering that you could have trouble getting away from your chosen spot if you are being blown on. If you have picked a pontoon where you are being blown off then you need your thickest warps and double them up. Snubbers are a very good addition to your inventory for this location.

In 2022 they are charging £2.00 a metre (which includes all services) for a pontoon berth.

Lochmaddy Marina website

Facilities

There is shore power and water on all the berths. There are also showers, toilets and a laundrette. Petrol and  diesel are available. Gas, Gaz and propane are for sale at the pontoons but at very high prices when compared to the mainland.
Wifi is available at the hotel and café ashore and is being provided to the marina when it is sorted out.  Mobile connection is a bit iffy for some providers, with EE coming out on top here – others may have to wander around ashore to get a connection

Eating, Drinking & Entertainment

The Lochmaddy Hotel does food 
There is also a café which does good short order food, has Wifi and is opened from 10am to 5pm seven days a week.
The village shop is at the far end, collocated with the petrol pumps. It’s fairly well stocked but closed on Sundays.

Links

Your Ratings & Comments

4 comments
Update July 2023
Written by scottatsea | 16th Jul 2023
Diesel is now available and Wifi is also available with some further Wifi upgrades planned.
Phone numbers and website still valid as last season and Welcome Anchorages download has been updated with the latest contact info.
1 of 1 people found this helpful
UPDATE AUGUST 2022
Written by Don Thomson 3 | 11th Aug 2022
I reviewed these notes in August 2022. I'm hearing good reports on this facility on sailing social media. The price is an amazing £2.00 pmpn and has been for over five years. Even in the early years when they were struggling they moved on quickly to having arrangements in place for just about every need a yachtie has. They were the second harbour in the western isles after Stornoway to have a go.
1 of 1 people found this helpful
Lochmaddy Marina is back online for 2022
Written by scottatsea | 26th Jan 2022
After the problems of 2021, some investment and a new sub committee to run the marina, we are all pleased to announce that for the 2022 season the marina will be fully functional.

You can check out the full story here:

https://lochmaddymarina.scot/what-happened
1 of 1 people found this helpful
Update Spring 2019
Written by Don Thomson 3 | 24th May 2019
These notes were reviewed in May 2019. Lots has happened here since we first researched here. I got caught here in two consecutive SW Force 9s (needed life jackets on the pontoons!!) ; The Calcmac Ferry did a wipe out on the pontoons (Lost go-astern gear!!) All the services have been installed and George has retired. I'm trying to get this year's prices but communications is not easy.
2 of 2 people found this helpful
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