Pilotage information.. on your phone
Contact
Marina Tel 01475 521485 VHF # 80
Inverkip is a small village which was somewhat dominated....
.... by the tall chimney of it's power station. The long established and good sized Kip Marina is formed at the mouth of Kip Water, on the opposite side to the village.
Plenty of new housing has gone up around the Marina, and the place is developing residents of its own, an area known as Kip Marina Village. It is a handy spot to berth your boat for exploring sheltered waters nearby.
For the passing yachtsman or motorboater, the Marina offers a secure and peaceful berth, together with all the usual facilities expected.
Inverkip village is only small and doesn't offer a huge array of shopping or entertainment (although it does boast a supermarket), but has reasonable transport connections.
Approach for small craft is straight forwards, there are no off lying dangers....
.... it is simply a matter of leaving the coastline at a suitable offing. The Firth of Clyde channel is well marked for shipping, and there is plenty of room to keep well out of the way.
For those of you returning to the Clyde after years away; the "lum" on the power station was removed four or five years ago and is no longer there to assist the lost sailor. The marina had at one time redecorated their red roofs but relented and returned them to their Admiralty chart designation (Ed's note - I wonder whether it was yachtie complaints or pressure from Faslane submarine captains that brought this about!!)
Approaching from north or south, staying outside the 10m depth contour will keep you away from shoreside rocks and drying patches. The power station jetty to the South of the Marina projects quite a way into the 10m contour, and the ends are lit at night by 2F.G (vert). Although the jetty is still there (2022) it is scheduled for demolition.
It is necessary to locate the green conical Kip (Fl.G.5s) buoy, moored to the West of the Marina. This marks the start of a buoyed and dredged channel leading straight into Kip Marina. This channel has plenty of water at all states of the tide.
The Marina works on VHF channel 80, telephone 01475 521485, with the link to their website below:
Call the Marina on VHF channel 80 for allocation of a berth.......
.......staff should be around 24 hours a day. Other contact details for the Marina have already been given. Prices here work out to £2.81 per metre per night which includes VAT and shore power. (This is cheaper than Holy Loch, Largs or James Watt Dock)
The visitors berths are on "B" pontoon which is the pontoon on the starboard bow as you pass through the entrance.
In settled offshore weather it is possible to anchor in the small bay just to the south and the Marina, north-east of the power station jetty.
A little further south also, anchorage can be had in Wemyss Bay. See both of these on the charts.
Anchorages and moorings on the West side of the Firth are covered elsewhere.
Water and electricity (You may need your own long cable) are available on the pontoons, showers, toilets, sauna and laundry ashore. There is 24 hours security with CCTV. Diesel and gas bottle exchanges are available 24 hours, and there is a Chandlers on-site. There is no petrol at the marina and the nearest is in Wemyss Bay several miles away.
WiFi is available throughout the Marina.
Boats can be lifted up to 50 tonnes with outside storage and a covered workshop. Most specialists will be found including GRP repairs, marine engineering, electrical engineering, riggers, sail and fabric repairs, outboard specialist, and Yanmar diesel distributors. Check the directory.
Facilities in the small village include a cashpoint, a post office, Sainsburys Local, cafe, pharmacy, and railway station connecting with Glasgow.
Trailer Sailers will find a free slipway just to the south of the Marina, with access at three quarters of the tidal range. This is not suitable for larger boats.
Launching can also be accomplished at the Marina with charges, at all of the tidal range. Contact details already given.
Inverkip (Scottish Gaelic: Inbhir Chip) is a village and parish in Inverclyde, Scotland. It lies about 4 miles (6.4 km) southwest of Greenock on the A78 trunk road. The village is served by Inverkip railway station, on the Inverclyde Line.
Inverkip was made a burgh of barony before the Act of Union in 1707, with the parish containing all of Gourock, Wemyss Bay, Skelmorlie and part of Greenock. Inverkip Parish Church dates from 1804 and is on the site of an earlier (twelfth century) kirk. The graveyard contains the tomb of the chemist Dr. James Young who was nicknamed 'Paraffin' because of his pioneering work in oil technology. He lived at nearby Kelly House, which burnt down in 1913, the report laying blame with the suffragettes.
The parish of Inverkip's chief claim to fame (or notoriety) was in relation to witches in the mid 17th century. A local verse recalls
"In Auld Kirk the witches ride thick
And in Dunrod they dwell;
But the greatest loon amang them a'
Is Auld Dunrod himsel'."
'Auld Dunrod' was the last of the Lindsay family of Dunrod Castle. As the result of a dissolute life he lost all his possessions and fell into the black arts. Local reputation had it that he was in league with the devil, and he died in mysterious circumstances in a barn belonging to one of his former tenant farmers. Nothing now remains of the castle which stood at the foot of Dunrod Hill.
Today Inverkip is mainly of significance because of the large marina which has grown steadily since the 1970s and now boasts a small community of its own called Kip Village. Nearby the flue of the mothballed oil-fired Inverkip power station – another creation of the 70s – looms large.
Cornalees, a nature reserve up the back of Inverkip and alongside the Greenock cut is a place to relax and is also a recommended attraction for sightseers and hillwalkers, with a lot of beautiful views and paths.
Lunderston Bay is a popular picnic spot nearby and the classical Ardgowan House, built for Sir John Shaw-Stewart in the 17th century stands outside the village. It occasionally has open days and charity fêtes. The late 15th century Ardgowan Castle is a ruin within the estate.
At the top of Langhouse Road a building reminiscent of the cold war can be found. The site which also used to house the HMS Dalriada includes an underground bunker and a surface building.
Inverkip is mainly a residential village and does not boast a huge number of businesses. A sub post office and convenience shop is located on the Main Street, plus a retail and business block, named Kip Park, located to the side of the village comprising of a cafe', fast food outlet, supermarket and a private nursery. A pharmacy is located in a temporary portable building next to this new development. A hotel is also present in Inverkip, as well as a B&B .
On-site at the Marina housed in the conspicuous buildings is the Chartroom Bar/Restaurant, serving the Marina village, and locals.
A short trek to Inverkip village will reveal...not too much! The Inverkip Hotel comes well recommended (meals too), the Elbow Room does not..avoid, but the Chartroom already mentioned has a VG Reputation and is on the doorstep so to speak.
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