Peel ports tell us that it is not possible to predict when the Haven Bridge will be ready for use and it is in the hands of the Council atr the moment. I am assured that they are "getting there" but the person I talked to was unwilling to guess when it would be ready. Ring 01493 335522 for the latest information.

I have just received email from Norfolk County Council. The bridge is undergoing a mechanical and electrical upgrade and is currently non operational. Consequently craft that require the bridge to be lifted cannot pass through the bridge at present. The contractor is currently reviewing the programme and I will provide an update when I have more information.

I received the following from Norfolk CC Bridges Team on 21st December 2022 :
"The mechanical and electrical works at Haven Bridge have not been completed (and it is) not capable of being opened at the moment. We expect the works to be completed and the bridge returned to normal operation by the end of January".

I reviewed these notes in May 2022. The Haven Bridge is still not working and there is no prognosis for its repair.

Haven Bridge remains closed. My plans to visit the River Yare this year were thwarted by the continued closure. Moreover, neither Norfolk County Council nor the Harbour Master could provide information about progress on the repairs. The Yarmouth Mercury however was more forthcoming.

The "bridge will not lift again until March 2022 due to upgrade works (started February 2021) being delayed after the previous contractor went into administration and ceased to trade in September. The bridge remains open to road traffic and pedestrians, and small vessels will still be able to pass under the bridge but it will not be possible for the bridge to be lifted for larger vessels until the work is complete."

I reviewed these notes in April 2021. The Haven bridge is broken and undergoing major repair work. The outer harbour is still verboten for leisure boats and your welcome in Yarmouth sketchy.

These notes were reviewed again in April 2019. Nothing has changed and the welcome mat for yachties remains threadbare

Eight years since my last transit of Great Yarmouth, this year I went from here to Lowestoft for an overnighter. Bridges were pre booked by email at both Breydon and Haven and the service was like clockwork. The bridges and harbour are all on ch.12 vhf and seem to be in communication with each other, all the same we called each individually and received polite and helpful replies.

The facilities in GY harbour have not changed in that they are pretty much non-existent for the yachtsman. The berth at Town Quay just to the seaward side of Haven Bridge requires a berthing plank to keep a yacht off the wooden pile supports and the climb up the slippery dangerous ladder is the same as ever. Shame on you Great Yarmouth.

We left the harbour on the last of an ebb tide and this is probably not a good idea. The seas were extremely steep due to the river ebb undercutting the north flowing tide with a southerly wind behind it. We leapt out of the water and dived into deep troughs with severe rolling if we caught a wave anything other than exactly square on. The narrative on this harbour on this page advises against this timing but we really did not want to enter Lowestoft in the dark for the first time and so we chose to brave the seas. On balance, I wouldn't do it again.

Our entry the next day was also on the last of an ebb and while a bit lively with a following sea in a F4 south easterly, was more comfortable than our exit. We ran the engine up to match the speed of the rollers going in and surfed through the entrance, heading towards the southern harbour entry marker saw us begin our entry slightly sideways due to the north going tide. In these conditions it is important to stay downtide and allow the tide to take you across rather than to be near the starboard side and have to fight the tide to stay off the harbour piling that side.

From then on our transit of the harbour was uneventful, if slow, against the ebb and we only just made our bridge time as we could make but 4 knots over the ground for the two mile transit.

There is no change here in respect of the welcome to the leisure skipper. The New outer harbour is still prohibited to non commercial traffic.

These notes were reviewed by Don in March 2015. Some hyperlinks have changed but little else.