Moorings in The Wash

The Wash is the broad, shallow bay between Lincolnshire and Norfolk, with sandbanks, deeper channels such as the Boston and Lynn Deeps, and shifting shallow channels. Four rivers flow into it, the Witham, the Welland, the Nene and the Great Ouse, and each leads to moorings for leisure boats. Tides run hard in all of them, especially at springs, so moorings in the Wash are usually reached by planning a passage around the tide.

At King's Lynn, on the Great Ouse, the King's Lynn Conservancy Board is the statutory port, harbour and pilotage authority. Visiting leisure craft use pontoons at South Quay, which take a maximum draught of 1.5 metres and must be booked. Above the town the river is tidal up to Denver Sluice, where boats can lock through to the Environment Agency's Great Ouse navigation, and Salters Lode lock nearby gives access to the Middle Level.

On the Nene, Fenland District Council runs the port and yacht harbour at Wisbech, about seven nautical miles from the Wash, with serviced pontoon berths and a boatyard beside it. Boats bound for Wisbech must arrange passage through the swing bridge at Sutton Bridge, where Cross Keys Marina, only about two nautical miles from the river mouth, has permanent and visitor moorings.

Boston, on the Witham, has no all-afloat visitor moorings on the tidal river. Instead, boats lock through the Grand Sluice, where the advised maximum air draught is 2.74 metres, to Boston Gateway Marina and the river beyond towards Lincoln. On the Welland, Fosdyke Yacht Haven sits about six nautical miles up from the Wash at Fosdyke Bridge, the limit of seaward navigation, with a boatyard that can lift boats of up to 50 tonnes.