Moorings in Kent coast

This stretch runs along the north Kent shore east of the Swale, round the North Foreland and down to the Channel ports. It takes in Whitstable, Herne Bay, Margate, Broadstairs, Ramsgate, the River Stour up to Sandwich, Dover and Folkestone. Rye, further west, belongs with the Sussex coast. There is no single harbour authority, so moorings on the Kent coast are let by several councils, port bodies and clubs.

Ramsgate Royal Harbour is the main yacht harbour. Thanet District Council owns and runs the port and its marina. The Western Marina is the main area for leisure boats, the Eastern Marina is used mostly by fishing and wind farm boats, and an inner locked harbour is reached through a lifting bridge and gate that open around high water. Berths in the outer harbour can be reached at any time. Margate, a short way up the coast, is a small drying harbour suited only to shallow draught boats that can take the ground.

Dover Marina is run by the Port of Dover, with berths in the Outer Marina and in Wellington Dock, which sits behind a lock. Folkestone's outer harbour dries at low water. The Folkestone Harbour Company offers drying moorings there for bilge keel boats, and a trot of moorings is rented out to the local yacht club, the Folkestone Yacht and Motor Boat Club.

The River Stour enters Pegwell Bay a short way south west of Ramsgate and winds up to Sandwich, a Cinque Port whose haven is overseen by the Sandwich Port and Haven Commissioners. Sandwich Marina offers long-term moorings on pontoons along the river and caters for liveaboards, and Highway Marine has berths by the swing bridge. Overhead power cables above the swing bridge stop masted boats going further upstream.

Whitstable is a working commercial harbour run by Canterbury City Council. It dries to soft mud and has no facilities for visiting yachts, and Whitstable Yacht Club is mainly for dinghy sailors. Herne Bay has no moorings available. For Kent coast moorings afloat, Ramsgate and Dover are the places to look.