United Kingdom - Facts

UK FAQs

Pre-Arrival Boat: Report to HMRC and Border Force 2 to 24 hours before arrival. See Clearance for how this is done. Make sure you don't have any prohibited food items on board. See Biosecurity for details.
Pre-Arrival Crew: The UK has a new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme which means everyone wishing to travel to the UK (except British and Irish citizens) needs permission to travel in advance, either through an eVisa or the new ETA. See Immigration for details.
Where can I enter? The UK no longer has official ports of entry. See Clearance for details.
Are fees high to enter by yacht? There are no clearance costs - see Fees for details.
What security concerns should I know about? The UK is generally a safe country. See Security for more info.

UK Facts for Sailors

• The UK left the European Union on 31 January 2020 ending 47 years of membership. Immigration and Customs procedures will have to be carried out by all small craft arriving in the country.
• The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland incorporates the three countries of England, Scotland and Wales, the six counties of Ulster in Northern Ireland as well as several smaller island groups such as the Scillies, Orkneys and Shetlands. The Isle of Man, situated in the Irish Sea, has a special status and enjoys a certain degree of autonomy. The Channel Islands enjoy even greater autonomy and are therefore treated separately.
• With hardly anywhere over fifty miles from the sea, the British Isles has always been a maritime nation and produced some of the greatest sailors and navigators in history, a tradition which has continued into the modern age, when British cruising yachts were among the first to penetrate the furthest corners of the world. Sailing is a national pastime in Britain and the proportion of yachts per head of population is among the highest in the world.
• The most popular cruising areas are the Solent and Isle of Wight, the south-west counties of Devon and Cornwall, East Anglia and the west coast of Scotland. The British Isles provide a vast cruising ground with plenty of variety, the greatest drawback being the weather, which rarely ensures enjoyable cruising conditions for more than a few days at a time. Most visiting yachts limit their cruising to the south coast, where there is an abundance of yachting facilities, but also an abundance of local craft, resulting in crowded harbours. There are many cruising attractions and more space to be found elsewhere.
• Mooring facilities vary both in quality and availability. In some of the fishing and commercial harbours, these can be very basic. Not all yacht clubs have their own moorings, but when they do a place can usually be found for a visiting member of an overseas club. There are some 150 purpose-built marinas scattered about the coasts of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. All marinas operate on VHF Channel 80, which is monitored during normal working hours. Most marinas keep a number of berths for visiting yachts, however, those on the South Coast are seeing unprecedented levels of demand from resident and visitor berthing due to Covid restrictions and Brexit, so there is very little space to accommodate vessels, regardless of nationality, particularly of the larger sizes over 14m.
• There are numerous anchorages around the coast. Some areas are restricted to protect marine life. Check the charts.
• The most comprehensive range of repair facilities is to be found in the area between Southampton and Portsmouth where the biggest names in the British yachting industry are concentrated. It has been said that whatever cannot be fixed there probably cannot be fixed anywhere else in the world.