A Trust Port Managed by the Sandwich Port and Haven Commissioners under Acts of Parliament
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Welcome
to the website of the Sandwich Port and Haven.
The Sandwich Port and Haven is a Trust Port managed by the Sandwich Port and Haven Commissioners for the safe benefit of all Users / Stakeholders.
Although the Port and Haven in its recognisable form has been around for over 200 years, the
activities of the Haven go back as far as Roman times.
Sandwich - the entry port to the British Isles for 1000 years - and Richborough before that.
- by raid and by trade.
More under the HISTORY tab.
DO PLEASE INFORM
THE PORT AND HAVEN
…IF YOU ARE GOING TO DO WORK THAT WILL AFFECT SAFE NAVIGATION, OR THE WATERWAY IN THE HAVEN
Forms are available for specific activities and are to be found on the Health and Safety tab above. They are mandatory!
Their use triggers issue of a Notice to Mariners on your behalf. They are:
Diving
Tree Felling or Pruning works
Use of Hovercraft
Irregular Occurrence Reporting (Incident / Accident)
Construction or Dredging
Hot Works
Navigation Marks Reporting
This site is the Intellectual Property of the Sandwich Port and Haven Commissioners
Copyright 2016©
Unless otherwise shown all pictures on this website were taken by the Webmaster Robert Holden. If you have something you would like to contribute relevant to the
River Stour we would be pleased to hear from you. Contact details on the contacts page via the site navigation buttons above.
Leisure boating guide
USERS - PLEASE OBSERVE THE SPEED LIMIT OF
8 KNOTS
Byelaw 3 Refers
PLEASE ALSO CONTROL YOUR ‘WASH’ THROUGH MOORINGS AND
REDUCE SPEED ACCORDINGLY.
Byelaw 2 refers
Note that there are wide areas of shallow water in Pegwell Bay and in the entrance to the river. Be careful to avoid grounding, hitting the river banks and causing damage to the sensitive saltings and mudflats. The Harbourmaster is available to assist with advice.
Captain Colin Carr
Tel: 07958 376183
VHF marine radio, Channel 08
Please also…
Do respect other water users – keep well clear of other craft.
Observe the Speed Limit of 8 Knots, less if necessary through moorings to avoid disturbance to moored craft.
Swimmers. Swimming is not encouraged, especially around moored craft where the run of the tide makes swimming extremely dangerous. If falling in near moored craft, strike out for the centre of the river and land where it is easy to climb out clear of moored craft. Getting very muddy indeed is considered better than drowning.
Comply with the ‘rules of the road’ – consider taking an RYA approved course. Sandwich Sailing and Motor Boat Club run courses. Tel: Paul Miller on 07595 839044.
Wildlife…
The river and it’s margins are important wildlife habitats of international importance…
Be aware of wildlife and avoid sensitive areas
Do not disturb birds nesting in the salt marshes and scrub. Many species of birds are protected by law.
Watch your wash. Excessive wash causes riverbank erosion and is a nuisance to other boaters.
Check the weather and tides before going afloat
Wear a lifejacket, carry a marine VHF radio.
Personal Rubbish
Dispose of your rubbish safely and sensibly and not
by littering the Haven. Leave nothing but your ‘wake’.
Effluent. Please do not discharge grey or black water into the waters of The Haven - or higher up the river.
Useful contacts
Kent Marine Police
Address: Tactical Operations, Coldharbour, Maidstone, Kent ME20 7SL
Telephone No: 01622 608056
Project KRAKEN
Project KRAKEN is a joint initiative aimed at encouraging the public to report suspicious or unusual activity around the coastal and maritime environment.
Seen or heard anything unusual? Report it.
Call your local Police on 101 or contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. Quote KRAKEN.
COOKIES
This site does not knowingly use third Party Cookies.
Google Analytics is though used periodically to
interrogate visitor usage and
Preferences, but the user remains anonymous .
Info: Cookies are used to track a persons usage , usually for the purpose of target advertising.
Latest Notices to Mariners (NtoM)
Major changes to estuary buoys.
See the tabs above - NAVIGATION INFO/Notices to Mariners and NAVIGATION INFO/Estuary Chartlet
Links page updated 05/09/2017 with flooding information.
Seals picture above update. On entering the river early on the morning of 1st September 2017 comfortably in excess of 100 seals were counted.
Drone video of the river estuary at low tide received 11th July 2017. See page: NAVIGATION INFO / Aerial Photos