Alderney (Braye Harbour)

Braye is a working island harbour rather than a marina: a long breakwater, a jetty, a sandy bay and a field of moorings, with Alderney's forts and the old town of St Anne above. There are no pontoon berths for visitors; you lie to a buoy and come ashore by tender or water taxi. It is quiet, a little wild and very different from the Solent.

The approach is governed by the tide. The Alderney Race to the east and the Swinge to the west both run very fast and can raise dangerous overfalls, especially with wind against tide. Time your arrival for slack water or a fair stream using the tidal stream atlas and almanac, and keep well clear of either in poor weather. The harbour is open to the north-east, so check the forecast before committing to a night there.

Braye is an approved port of entry for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Fly the Q flag and, before anyone goes ashore, fill in form GC27 (copies are at the top of the dinghy pontoon walkway) and post the white copy in the yellow Customs box there. Once cleared, you can sail straight on to Guernsey without clearing again. Leaving Great Britain for the Channel Islands counts as leaving the UK for customs purposes, so submit a pleasure craft report to Border Force and HMRC before you sail. Coming home, report again, fly the yellow Q flag from the 12-mile limit until you have finished reporting, and declare anything over your allowances.

The Harbour Office cannot reserve moorings, but it keeps 70 yellow visitor buoys; all the others are private. The States of Alderney publishes fees of £25 a night on a mooring, £10 a night at anchor and £40 a night for vessels over 14 metres, collected at your boat by the Harbour Launch, which listens on Channel 74.

The passenger landing pontoon is for dropping off and picking up only, with permission on Channel 74 during office hours; a separate dinghy pontoon is for the tenders of boats in the harbour. The landing pontoon is taken out of service before forecast bad weather and at the end of the season.

The States of Alderney lists fuel (red diesel and marine petrol), water, showers, toilets, laundry, engineering and chandlery, with Wi-Fi in a small tourist information room. Mainbrayce, in Little Crabby Harbour, supplies water, diesel, bottled gas, spares and mechanical help; it is reached about two hours either side of high water depending on draught, with a tide gauge at the entrance. The Harbour Office, beside the sailing club at the south-west end of the harbour, has weather forecasts.

Braye has a beach and a small harbourside settlement. St Anne, a walk uphill, is the island's town, with shops, pubs and places to eat; check opening times out of season. The island is ringed with Victorian and wartime forts and makes good walking. Around Burhou, a voluntary Puffin Friendly Zone asks boats to keep their distance.

A first stop on the way to Guernsey; crews happy on a mooring with a dinghy ride ashore; anyone who likes a quiet island with a lot of history.

North-easterly weather; skippers who want a pontoon and shore power; arrivals timed against the Race or the Swinge.

Guernsey, with St Peter Port and Beaucette, is the natural next leg, followed by Herm and Sark. Cherbourg and the Cotentin lie to the east across the Race. The States of Alderney lists Saye, Longis Bay, Telegraph Bay and Hannaine Bay as other anchorages, none with facilities and all only safe in calm weather or offshore winds.

Work out the Race and Swinge timings before you leave. Call the Harbour Office or Harbour Launch on Ch 74, pick up a yellow visitor buoy, and fill in GC27 under the Q flag before anyone lands. Leave if the wind goes north-east. Alderney Coastguard is on Ch 16 or 67.

The practical information in this Guide was checked against the source records below on 21 October 2026. Operational details can change.