High Street Landing

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South Passenger Ferry Landing Basin
Portsmouth, VA
Elizabeth River, Southern Branch 0.8

Lat / Lon: N 36° 50.126' / W 076° 17.787'

4.20

(10)

4.20 out of 5 stars

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Maria Langer on Apr 15, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 32'
Draft: 2.5'

Rating: 4

This is a free dock in a basin close to downtown. On my arrival there were three boats: a friend in his Mainship, an obviously derelict boat that had been towed in and parked, and another boat in dubious condition. We spoke to a local conservation police officer who was trying to resolve the two boats and get them removed. Apparently, one of the city attorneys has an office overlooking the basin and reports anything out of place. The boats had been there only a few days.

The basin is open to the Elizabeth River, which gets a good amount of boat traffic as a shipping lane and part of the ICW. Wake from the opening to the basin comes in and can aggressively rock any boats tied up along the opposite wall. That was my boat since my options were limited when I first arrived. You'll want fender boards or large fender balls to keep your boat from hitting the vertical posts, many of which do have small cleats.

I did not notice any issues on high tide while I was here, but the moon was just past last quarter so the tide wasn't at its highest. It got within 10 inches of the top of the dock but never splashed over, even with wake.

There are no facilities, but there are nice walking areas along the river that include plenty of grass for a dog. The Portsmouth Naval Shipyard Museum is adjacent to the basin and the old Portsmouth Light Ship is parked behind it. Several blocks of downtown Portsmouth offer a wide range of dining and shopping opportunities, including a convenience store-like market and a Dollar General. We ate at the German restaurant about two blocks away and it was very good.

On a Friday afternoon and evening, there were people walking around the area -- enough for me to draw my starboard side curtains for privacy. No one bothered me. I did bring in several small, easily removable items from my aft deck (float cushion, fishing net, life jackets) before turning in for the night. (I had a BBQ grill stolen off my boat at the free dock in Peoria, IL so I'm a bit more protective of easily stolen items.) I did not feel unsafe at night, but I was up like a rocket when the boat rocked unexpectedly at around 4 AM. (Because my motion sensor light did not go on, I can only assume it was wake.)

The ferry toots a backup signal on its horn -- one long and three short -- every single time it backs out of its dock at the mouth of the basin. That's every 30 minutes until at least 10 PM. But as of 8 AM on this Saturday morning, it hasn't appeared and it's been very quiet.

There's a 36-hour limit on stays here so I think that although I could probably spend a second night, I prefer to move on.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Jose De Freitas, Viva Libre, on Nov 17, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 30'
Draft: 3.6'

Rating: 5

Nice place with amenities close by. No flooding of docks at high tide. Get ready for the 5:30 am horn blast from the ferry. Makes for an unwelcomed wake up call.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Xiaolun Sun, Anodyne , on Nov 6, 2022
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 32'
Draft: 4.5'

Rating: 5

Very nice free dock right in downtown. There are many restaurants nearby and the old town is very pretty. We were not at all bothered by the ferry landing.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: David Rowe on Sep 5, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 38'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

The best kind of dock is a free dock, and this one is all that, and just a short walk to plenty of restaurants and bars. We always stop here on our way by. To sweeten the deal, the nearby ferry landing will take you across to Norfolk for a very small fare.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Christopher Carmody on Jun 30, 2022
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 43'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Good place to dock free if there's room. Safe but not 'private' since ferry landing is at the same basin so lots of foot traffic.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Heath Phillips, Philyria , on Nov 3, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 35'
Draft: 6.0'

Rating: 4

Great spot to stop. The brewery next to the dock is great. Close to lots of bars and restaurants.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Jason King, Elysium, on Jul 3, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 33'
Draft: 3.0'

Rating: 4

Nice free dock. Friendly people all around. Plenty of restaurants and shops within walking distance. Good protection from the wind. Limited space available. Ferry comes and goes like every 10-15 minutes. Was only here for a few hours but enjoyed it.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Simon E. on Jun 8, 2021
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 22'
Draft: 1.5'

Rating: 4

This dock is nice. It is right connected to the ferry dock to Norfolk. It also has Legend Brewery right next to it. Nice place to eat and drink. Sometimes the city, (pre covid) would do Thursday night music there. Hopefully it will come back. The only bad thing is when theres a big high tide or the wind is blowing the right direction, the water covers the dock.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Scott A Westwood on Apr 21, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 32'
Draft: 4.2'

Rating: 3

Nice place to stay. If you come at high tide (Only high) you will have to tie up and walk across 4-5 inches of water to get ashore. The rest of the time it is dry. It is in the center of town so you can get to many things like NASA Museum. Can't say anything about safety in downtown at night? Had us concerned but we did have a "moat" late in the evening to help protect us. Mostly military around so probably very safe?? It is small so look from outside as much as possible to see if it is full. Only had 2 other boats when we arrived.

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Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Allan and Lindsay, SV Scout, on Feb 28, 2021
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 6.1'

Rating: 4

Good free dock option. Large change in tides (approx 3.5 feet). Sometimes water rises above dock at high tide. Please note- ferry runs daily (picks up and leaves from same dock area).

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