Harbour

Royal North Sea Yacht Club

Name: Royal North Sea Yacht Club
Address: BE
Telephone: +32474688278

4.5Belgium

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Maximum draught: 8 ft

Yacht club at Ostend on the North Sea coast, founded in 1906. Fuel berth on site. Maximum draught 2.5 metres.

Guide

Approach and anchoring

The harbour master, Simon, meets arrivals from the shore or by dinghy to find a berth; if he is away, use the i-marina app. Berthing mixes pontoons with bow or stern-to moorings and a buoy astern, and in season expect to raft. The entrance shoals towards low water, so watch the depth going in; one boat drawing 1.7 metres saw 0.1 metre under the keel at low water. It is poorly protected in a north-west wind, when swell works in past the quay walls, and the Mercator dock through the lock lies quieter.

Practical

Fees are high for the area, roughly 35 to 50 euros a night depending on length and season, paid by the i-marina app or QR code, or at the office. The showers are small and dated but kept clean, and there are laundry and good WiFi; the pontoon water is reported as not drinkable. For Schengen, fill out the police pleasure-craft declaration and take passports to the Federal Politie in the building by the train station, which some find awkward; Zeebrugge is simpler.

Ashore

The clubhouse restaurant is excellent, with a terrace over the water, and 't Ostend Cafe nearby is good value. A bakery is 50 metres off, a fish market about 300 metres, and Spar and other grocery stores are within a short walk. The beach and town are on the doorstep, and the train reaches Bruges in about 13 minutes, with the Atlantic Wall museum also within reach.