Seahouses Marine Club Intro Page

SEAHOUSES MARINE CLUB
An Introduction

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SECTION 5

Affiliated Club Member

Links - Click below

Moorings as High Water - The Farne Islands are on the horizon
The Seahouses Marine Club was originally known as the North Sunderland Marine Club, the name is still officially the harbour title (as found on charts), although it is more popularly known as Seahouses. The village originally relied on lime export and farming, with fishing becoming the main activity at the start of the 20th century. Although fishing has now dramatically declined, there are still many small craft that fish for shellfish, with a couple of fishing boats still operating from Seahouses. During the early years, Seahouses was a very busy fishing ports. For more information about the picturesque village of Seahouses, visit the community website at www.seahouses.org .

Pleasure craft used to share the inner harbour at Seahouses, with the working vessels. The growth in passenger traffic to visit the Farne Island bird and seal sanctuary, and the growth in smaller fishing craft numbers, resulted in the harbour becoming congested.

Pleasure craft were relocated to a shallow sheltered cove on the south side of the harbour, known as the Fluke Hole. The area has been dredged to improve water depth, and this process requires to be done every few years, depending on silt build up. Although surrounded by rocks, the bottom is sandy, and there is a narrow entrance channel with marker poles. N.B. Members and their vessels have an unwritten agreement that they will NOT take shellfish. We also regret that we cannot accept DIVE vessels, on our moorings.

The moorings consist of four ground chains running approximately east to west, provided by the club. Boat owning members provide two bow and two stern chains, in accordance with Club Rules Click for specifications. A Mooring buoy marks their mooring lines when the boat is absent, and all mooring lines must sink and NOT float, so as not to cause danger to other craft moving through the moorings.

A Northerly gale in April 2005 (Force 7, gusting 9), two members' vessels take a pounding. Fortunately, they were well moored and survived in tact. See the Photo Library for further Photos of this storm.

The moorings are usable from Easter to late October. All craft must be removed for the winter, as easterly winter gales tend to wash into the moorings, and can cause potential danger to craft still moored there. During the boating season, the moorings are usually quite safe and sheltered.

Looking for a selection of old Photos of Old Seahouses Fishing Boats (and old Seahouses Lifeboats),
visit - Peter Loud's website