Walvis Bay - Docking
- The anchorage at Walvis Bay, Namibia – photo courtesy of SY Gryphon 2 Jan. 2015
Anchoring:
The location of the Walvis Bay Yacht Club (WBYC) is not readily apparent.
Port control will expect you to take the direct route to the anchorage.
The anchorage area is just past the southern end of the commercial harbor. Space is quite restricted due to dredging, although the holding is good.
There is also three meters or more depth between Pelican Point and the Yacht Club, so there is no reason to use the dredged channel or get tangled with the commercial shipping.
Be aware that sometimes the prevailing wind changes to strong winds from the NE and this creates a significant swell in the anchorage and harbor, with at times, breaking waves. Mornings tend to be calmer, with the wind picking up by the afternoon.
The Pelicans and Seals here are king!
Moorings:
The anchorage contains many mooring balls, but most are privately owned. The Yacht Club may have a mooring available, for which there will be a charge. Mooring space is limited however and is allocated on a first come first served basis. Inquire at the Yacht Club office, or in advance by email.
Visiting yachts that stay for longer than a few days in the anchorage are asked to pay 500N$ per person for the duration of their stay to the yacht club. This includes but is not limited to the following;
- A high quality membership card which allows you 10% discount at the bar and restaurant.
- Travel and assistance to Customs and Immigration to clear in and out.
- Use of hot showers and toilets.
- Trash disposal.
- Collection and delivery of laundery.
- Potable Water at the end of the jetty.
- Tie-up at yacht club jetty for your dingy.
- Contact with repairs from yacht club support members.
Dinghy Docks:
The WBYC has a dock that can only be reached by dinghy. There is also a commercial tourist dock which can be used.
Ashore:
Almost everything is available for visiting yachts in Walvis Bay. Repairs are easy to do as there are good mechanics and machine shops with German quality.
It is a long walk to the town centre from the yacht club, however, the town is safe.
Security:
Walvis Bay is fairly safe on and off the water. While incidents of theft are few and far between, be vigilant as crimes are mostly crimes of opportunity. The Yacht Club advise not to leave valuables in the dinghy at the dinghy dock, as there is not 24 security to look after your assets.
Always be vigilant when using your credit card/pin number, as cloning does happen in Namibia.
Last updated: August 2022
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Port Navigation
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Walvis Bay is large commercial port, but has an anchorage with yacht club aside from the main commercial docks. The anchorage has many mooring balls which seem to be mainly privately owned, but believe the yacht club may maintain a few. The anchorage is exposed to wind and we had a consistent 20-25 kts of wind most days which would come up towards mid day. Mornings were nice and still so best to head to shore earlier. The small waterfront consists of several restaurants and casual cafes and food was decent.
The local yacht club is the feature with helpful staff and popular restaurant. Checking in requires a taxi ride to port and was fairly straight forward. Stores are a taxi ride away and charged about 30 NAD (2.50 USD) per person. There is modern mall called Dunes Mall that has many major brands from South Africa. Cell reception was really poor at the anchorage and WiFi was equally poor at the yacht club.
Fuel and water can be arranged through Steven – Namib Marine Services. A trip to Swakopmund is a must. Local seals are friendly and have been trained to board the charter boats to entertain patrons so expect a visit. Beautiful flamingos and enormous pelicans can be found along the anchorage. Overall we felt safe, but felt little need to remain in Walvis longer than needed.
Updates from Walvis Bay Yacht Club:
Our Mooring Fee is N$150-00 per day.
Yacht Club Fee is N$300-00 per week (which includes fresh Water, Showers, Wifi, Electricity).
Daily Shuttle to Swakopmund (reliable & safe) N$170-00 per person return. Visitors will be collected from the Yacht Club and taken to Swakopmund & will be collected when they are ready to return to Walvis Bay. (EC – Execu-Cab) +264 81 267 3392 or + 264 81 205 9934.
Bulk Fuel & Water can be delivered to your boat.
Our Restaurant offers great food & service.
We visited Walvis Bay earlier this year and consider it a dangerous harbor for the following reasons. It is very shallow and open north and from time to time strong northeasterly winds send a big swell into the harbor which whilst we have there destroyed a pier, damaged restaurants and made the surf landing at the yacht club impossible. There is usually a certain amount of surf. Dredging has reduced the area available for anchoring considerably.
We anchored well outside the mooring field and after checking the holding for several days in all conditions we traveled inland for a few days. However, the mooring of a yacht belonging to a club member was moved into our anchor radius whilst we were away and a collision resulted causing considerable damage. No responsibility was accepted. If you would like more information please email me at roger@wapitiyacht.com.
Meanwhile, we would recommend that boats are never left unattended, which is also what the harbor master recommends.