Braye Harbour
| Braye Harbour Alderney Harbour | |
|---|---|
 Braye Inner harbour – outer harbour and breakwater in the background | |
 Click on the map for a fullscreen view | |
| Location | |
| Country | Channel Islands |
| Location | Alderney |
| Coordinates | 49°43′46″N 2°11′31″W / 49.72933°N 02.192°W |
| Details | |
| Opened | Old harbour 1736, new harbour in 1857 |
| No. of berths | +70 |
| No. of piers | 2 |
Braye Harbour (also known as Alderney Harbour) is the main
The harbour precinct contains harbour facilities, a knitwear factory, a sailing club, toilets, and several places offering food and drink.
History
The original main harbour at
Between 1847 and 1864 a massive breakwater was constructed. A tramway was laid down to carry the stone and these were tipped into the sea to form the breakwater. Messrs Walker and Burgess were the engineers and Jackson and Bean the contractors.[6]
During the second world war the Germans put a boom across the harbour and incorporated a Rescue buoy into the boom.[7]: 95
Harbour layout
The western side of Braye Bay has been extended towards the east with a pier, which has created this sheltered artificial harbour. The best time to enter the harbour is during rising tide, as it dries when at low water
In the 19th century, according to the Admiralty charts of Braye Harbour, the depth of water was three fathoms at a distance of 450 feet (140 m) from the inner face of the western pier. It was also noted that from this pier, the four fathom depth line was at 400 ft from the eastern pier. Considering this situation, at that time, it was considered unsafe to moor ships of the Royal Navy here.[10]
The anchorage is in the middle of the bay where there is firm ground of sand. However, rocky bed is also encountered, more so at the entrance to the harbour. Anchor lines are used in shoal areas when the tidal range in the spring season of up to 6.9 metres (23 ft) permits such a use.[3] Special permission is essential for anchoring near the Braye jetty or even tying to the jetty. The speed of boats or ships approaching the harbour is limited to 4 knots.[3]
Other safety precautions prescribed relate to watching the approach conditions from
Even though there are a number of other anchorage locations in the Alderney at Saye Bay, Longis Bay, Telegraph Bay, Hannaine of Fort Clonque, and Burhou – the Lug, SW end of Burhou (these are not preferred as compared to Braye Barbour) where conditions are favourable only in calm weather and/or offshore winds conditions.[11]
Daily Tidal Charts with times and heights of high and low waters have been published for the harbour by the States of Alderney Harbour Authority and their agents.[3]
For customs clearance and entry to the Island, Braye is the designated port of entry and it is compulsory for all vessels entering from outside the Bailiwick to clear customs formalities at this harbour. The commercial quay here is being developed now.[12] Following these developments, two large container vessels berthed simultaneously at Alderney. The first largest vessel to be berthed here recently was the Huelin Dispatch.[13]
Breakwater
The 3,000 feet (910 m) breakwater at Braye Harbour was built by the
Harbour facilities
Facilities available at the harbour are of the Harbour Master and Coastguard from its Harbour Master’s Office located at the SW end of the harbour and weather forecasts. The harbour has 70 yellow visitors’ mooring buoys to be used during good weather conditions; howsoever other mooring buoys here can be used only with prior permission. The nearest Railway Station is by the crossroads at the end of Braye Street, where a post box is also available.[3]
Braye Harbour has a slipway but it doesn't have a marina (yet) and there are no alongside pontoon systems to berth to. There are plans to develop the marina. A 300-berth marina is expected to be built from spring 2011.[15]
Regulations
The main Channel Islands have their own Merchant Shipping Legislation. Hence, all charter angling and diving vessels that visit Braye Harbour should abide by it. The Harbour Authority acts as the Maritime Authority.[12]
References
- ISBN 978-1-4020-8638-0. Retrieved 15 November 2010.
- ^ a b "About Alderney". Island Life. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i "The Alderney Sailing Club". Sailalderny.com. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ ISBN 1-85284-288-1. Retrieved 7 November 2010.
- ^ a b Lane, Louisa (1851). The island of Alderney. Oxford University. pp. 15–16. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Harbour of Refuge in Alderney". Illustrated London News. Scotland. 20 February 1847. Retrieved 19 November 2022 – via British Newspaper Archive.
- ^ Channel Islands Occupation Review No 38. Channel Islands Occupation Society. 2010.
- ^ Great Britain. Hydrographic Dept (1897). The Channel pilot, Part 2. J. D. Potter. pp. 369, 372. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ Brow, J.H. (1860). The Mercantile Navy List and Annual Appendage to the Commercial Code Of ... Oxford University. p. xliii.
- ^ Pollock, Arthur William (1857). The United service magazine, Volume 83. H. Colburn. p. 614. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Sail to the Island of Alderney" (PDF). Visitalderney.com. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Braye Harbour". Alderney Government. Archived from the original on 30 November 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "Aldernay Quay Refurbishing". alderneyquay.info. Archived from the original on 20 September 2019. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
- ^ "History of Alderney". Island Life. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
- ^ "Where to catch fish: Braye Harbour, Alderney, Channel Islands". Monthly Journal on Boat Fishing. 7 January 2010. Archived from the original on 7 February 2010. Retrieved 8 November 2010.
Further reading
- Alderney Place Names, Royston Raymond, Alderney 1999, ISBN 0-9537127-0-2
- Dictionnaire Jersiais-Français, Frank Le Maistre, Jersey 1966