Our ‘favourite place’ post for July offers a glimpse of some of the places along the River Deben. The tidal, navigable section stretches for nine miles from the North Sea entrance as far as the Wilford road bridge at Melton. With no commercial traffic it’s a delightful river to explore in a small or reasonably shallow-drafted sailing boat. There are plenty of lovely moorings, anchorages, shoreside pubs or restaurants and places to go for a stroll. The OGA regularly runs events along the river and for several OGA Members the Deben is their ‘home port’.
Navigation can be challenging but the entrance and river are well-buoyed. There are some unexpected changes in where the deep channel is, so keep an eye on the chart and depth sounder as it’s very shallow in places! The river has a rich seafaring history as well as historic buildings along the banks. The church at Ramsholt is a particularly fine example of an early Saxon round tower and of course there’s the royal burial ship at Sutton Hoo near Melton, managed by the National Trust.
Felixstowe Ferry/Bawdsey/Woodbridge Haven
John White, Harbourmaster, operates a ferry and water taxi service between the Ferry and Bawdsey quays. He’s also an excellent person to seek advice from if you’re new to the River. The tides flow extremely strongly in the mouth of the river entrance and crossing the sand bar can be daunting amongst all the surf. There is a pub, fish and chip shops etc., at Felixstowe Ferry and an excellent cafe on the Bawdsey shore behind the Sailing Club. Bawdsey Manor, which housed the first fully operational radar station in the world, is in private hands, but it is possible to walk up the beach from Bawdsey Quay to see this impressive building. There is an interesting small museum at Bawdsey, open from April – October, telling the story of radar. One radar mast still remains on the Bawdsey Estate.
Ramsholt and the Rocks
Opposite the popular pub/restaurant ‘The Ramsholt Arms’ there are numerous mooring buoys. These are privately owned, but the Harbourmaster, will allocate a vacant one as a visitor mooring, if required. Close to Ramsholt are ‘the rocks’, a very popular anchorage, although there aren’t any rocks, just a lovely beach ideal for a barbecue!
Waldringfield
Waldringfield has a Boatyard, lively Sailing Club and pub, ‘The Maybush Inn’. The moorings are managed by the local Fairway Committee, phone Tony the Harbourmaster for information.
Woodbridge
As the River Deben winds past Waldringfield, the Woodbridge Quayside comes into view with the historic white Tidemill buildings. The town still has a public quay, home to many houseboats, as well as the Tidemill Yacht Harbour, the only marina on the River Deben, sited in what was the mill pond of the Woodbridge Tide Mill.
Woodbridge & Waldringfield Boatyards
Approaching Woodbridge, the first boatyard is still known locally as ‘Eversons’. Founded in 1889 by local boatbuilder, AA Everson, it has been an active yard ever since. The yard has a keen interest in traditional boats and undertakes maintenance, restoration and repair. The yard is very close to Woodbridge, either by road or a short walk along the riverside. In 2023 the owner, Eric Reynolds acquired Waldringfield Boatyard, re-uniting the two yards, Waldringfield Boatyard was founded in 1921 by the Nunn brothers, Harry and Ernie, Ernie having apprenticed at Everson’s. In 1921, Alfred Everson rented a piece of land in Waldringfield to the Nunns for them to set up a workshop which has been busy ever since.
Tidemill Yacht Harbour and beyond
The Tidemill YH is a marina providing the full range of services including pontoon floating berths, storage ashore as well as maintenance, chandlery, fuel etc. It is a friendly, sociable community of boaters in walking distance of the railway station and all other town facilities. Boats may arrive/leave between 1-2 hours before/after high water dependent on draft.
Beyond the Tidemill, the channel narrows and the river dries but remains navigable with tidal restrictions. There are limited options for deep water moorings, but exploring the river further in a small dinghy is an excellent way to drift with the tide and explore the riverbanks. There’s Honolulu Beach to take a rest, accessible only from the river and plenty of wildlife if you pass under the bridge at Melton. There are three more historic yards before the bridge; Robertsons, Melton (aka Granary Yacht Harbour) and Deben (formerly Larkmans) Boatyards.
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