Contacts
Cromarty HM 07751 244065   (He doubles as the Skipper of the Nigg Ferry so will be on
                                                  that during daylight hours)

Cromarty Harbour Trust   01381 600596be 

Cromarty Boat Club  http://www.cromartyboatclub.org/  There are links there to email them

Cromarty is a small harbour situated on the South side of the entrance channel to the Cromarty Firth and just behind the headland called The Ness at the landward end of the channel. It provides good shelter from the East but poor shelter from Westerlies. The whole Firth has been used as shelter in adverse conditions since time before written records were kept but these days it has been taken over by the oil industry which builds and services rigs all over the place.

In strong Westerlies better shelter may be found tucked in behind the pier at Invergordon but this is a very industrialised area with much noise from “windy hammers” and brightly lit at night.

The harbour was built in 1784 and the “Admiralty Pier” was added in 1914 (now pretty well derelict; lots of rusty iron and rotten piles). It’s run by a Trust which struggles manfully to make end meet so depths vary over the years depending on when they last could afford to dredge it. At the moment (2012/13) there is about 1.5 meters at the seaward end of the central pontoon but best consult the HM before entry. 

Originally it was two piers extending out from the shore with the north pier curving towards the south to form an entrance. When the “Admiralty” pier (now referred to as the "Commercial Pier") was built to seaward of the south pier it was joined to it by a lattice bridge so now you have a north pier, an entrance facing NNW, a detached pier (the inside of which is used by fishing boats and the Nig Ferry) and a south pier. Through the middle of this a 50m pontoon was laid in 2004.  The Google Earth satellite images give a recent image of the harbour and we have left our chartlet of the harbour in the navigation images in our gallery to supplement this.
There was a visitors berth at the head of the pontoon but that has now been taken by a kreel boat which offered them enough money for a 12 month contract; so a no brainer.. There are moorings out to the SW of the harbour belonging to the Boat Club but unless you have a small outboard for your dinghy it is a long pull to the shore, especially if the tide is running.

The village itself is a lovely little spot with a strong sense of community; the nearest town of any size is Inverness and those of the inhabitants that still work, do so either there or on the oil rigs at Invergordon. 

There is a Dylan Winters Keep Turning Left video of this coast which we include here. Cromarty starts about minute 10

The entrance to the Firth is steep-to and deep so,.....

..... unless you try to collect birds eggs off the stacks around the South Sutor (ie go closer than any self respecting mariner should) that holds no dangers; we have given a waypoint in the middle of the channel but, as you can see from the chart there is no real reason for the average yacht (fin or bilge keeled) to adhere religiously to that.

Be aware on your exit from here on an ebb tide that it will be running into the NE/SW tide running in the Firth - can give quite lumpy seas in normal conditions - add a wind and it can be worrying.

There is an ebb current of up to 2kts in the channel so to avoid spending an hour or so doing the last mile and a half of your trip it’s better to go in on the flood. Make for a point about a cable off the headland and light house you can see on the port bow further up the Firth and stay out there until you see the harbour mouth completely open on the port quarter before turning in and, at the same time keep an eye on the Nigg ferry which plies between Cromarty and the boatyard on the other side.

Having established where the HM can berth you, proceed in with caution because, if there is any current outside the harbour, you will be subject to it inside. Also be aware that it is a very small harbour, there is little room to manoeuvre so have everything stowed away and ready to come alongside before you start your final approach. It’s so tight in there you might want to think about turning to face Westward before you come alongside; or even warp her round as you come in if you have a boat which is difficult to turn at slow speeds. This is because the currents through here can really get a hold of you and trying to start your departure going astern from stationary just adds to the complications!

Otherwise, lay a course past the harbour to the moorings and pick up a visitor’s buoy there; that may sound easier than it is because, when we were there, there was little evidence of a visitors buoy and you may have to lie to an anchor. If this is the case, plenty of anchor cable will be required due to the currents.

At the seaward end of the pontoon if the HM can confirm...

.... there is enough water for you to stay afloat at low water. It may be possible to lie alongside the inside of the north pier but you will have to be able to take the ground and will be limited to about an hour and a half either side of HW.  A 10 metere boat would be able to lie alongside the Commercial Pier (which has recently been refurbished) but you would need good fendering and plenty of it.

Otherwise anchor to the SW of the Admiralty Pier.

Inside the harbour  they are still charging £20 a night irrespective of boat size and this has remained unaltered for ten years or more.  

The local Yacht Club has three visitors moorings to the West of the harbour which used to be free of charge but you should be warned that the currents flow strongly between them and the harbour so an outboard on your dinghy would be a distinct advantage.

Shore power (included in the harbour fee) and water is available on the pontoon; some of the pillars looked a bit ropey but they did work. Showers, toilets and a laundrette can be accessed by a key code which you can get from the HM (on his mobile from the Nigg Ferry!). They are situated in the white, square tower at the north end of the foreshore overlooking the boat compound. These were recently refurbished so are quite smart.

You can get diesel from the HM but no petrol and there are no gas supplies.

The village has a small supermarket, a Post Office and a lovely bakery

The Royal Hotel on the fore-shore does excellent food in nice surroundings, whilst, just round the corner there is a great pizza shop (near enough to get a take away back to the boat whilst still hot!). Further into the village you will find the Cromarty Arms which is another good pub/restaurant and has a folk music session once a month.

Restaurants & Places to Eat in Cromarty - Tripadvisor

All told it’s a pretty little place to explore and small enough not to need your hiking boots to do so. If you need to go into Inverness for a night out there are hourly buses and the last leaves Inverness at about quarter past eleven.

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