Compared with the rest of the south Holderness coast Stone Creek is a ‘busy place’. Two of the main arterial drains of Sunk Island have their confluence here, Keyingham Drain and Ottringham Drain, and the resulting outflow has developed into a tidal river mouth (see above). From the point seen in the photo the outflow channel meanders across the saltmarsh before reaching the Humber waters proper. Here is the base for the Sunk Island Boat Club with its members boats and jetties. The environment thus created is similar in many ways to sections of the lowland coast of north Norfolk, Brancaster and Wells for example, although less likely to attract the Home Counties yachting fraternity.
I’m not an expert on inshore sailing but there are other minor and major marinas along the Humber Estuary. On the south bank the ones that come to mind are Winteringham Haven, always seem to be lots of sailing craft there when I have passed, South Ferriby, Barton and Grimsby. There is no doubt that for whatever reason the business at South Ferriby moorings beside the lower Ancholme River has declined even though the boat repair yard on the east bank seems quite busy. At Barton there is no marina as such but there is a thriving boat building and repair business on the west bank of the lower Barton Haven. The river mouth at Barrow Haven has unloading moorings for commercial vessels but not a marina as such while the mouth of East Halton Beck, on the boundary between Goxhill and East Halton parishes, there are no mooring facilities which always seems odd as the mudflats either side of the watercourse would provide moorings as at Stone Creek (see above). At Grimsby the marina takes-up a corner of the man-made dock beside the M180.
(to be continued)