Reviews: High Street Landing

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Simon Rycroft on Oct 21, 2024
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 40'
Draft: 3.7'

Rating: 3

Not the prettiest area. Naval ships across the way are interesting. BEWARE high tide covers dock planking which is deadly slippery...I put on quite the spectacle falling down and then battling to stand back up due to how slick it is. Pay attention to fenders as there is quite a tidal variance and some wake activity in addition to that supplied by the ferry which also docks here. There was constant bad music being played over the weekend from across the dock. We were also lucky enough to have an evangelistic person with speaker and microphone in competition with it for a number of hours. Some good restaurants within walking distance. We went to Guads Mexican restaurant, which was excellent and authentic! We also visited the German Bier garden which was also not disappointing. We stayed four nights due to needing some engine work done, which worked out well for marine mechanic access. There are some interesting naval museums and sites scattered about close by along with coast guard offices.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Anthonyohio Zehe, TRYST, on Oct 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 27'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 5

There is a conflicting sign on the seawall, before you enter the basin, that states NO DOCKING 12AM-6AM.
Inside the basin is a sign that states, Please limit docking to 36 hours.

Down main Street is an excellent German restaurant with a great beer selection.

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  The sign at the entrance is for commercial vessels.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Anthonyohio Zehe, TRYST, on Oct 17, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 27'
Draft: 3.5'

Rating: 2

This was a favorite stop on our trips up and down the coast... until now.
We were greeted with a sign that stated, NO DOCKING 12am-6am
There was only one boat in the basin and we could not tell if they stayed overnight.

Unfortunately, we are going to miss it on visiting the little German restaurant down the street and sampling their extensive beer selection.

• WG Editor Comment:
  

  The sign at the entrance applies to commercial vessels. Pleasure craft docking permitted.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Troy C on Jul 26, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 44'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Stayed here 4 nights and no one bothered me. Tide went over the boards twice in that time but is not really a problem.
There are three derelict yachts here with one being a live aboard.
No grocery store nearby but I saw a sign in the main street saying 'opening soon'.
You can see the marine electronics store from the dock. Claude is quite knowledgeable on Raymarine and Victron. Go to the Commodore theatre for dinner and a movie, it's just up the road and is a classic art deco building.
Ferry departs for Norfolk (almost empty) every 30mins to loud horn signals. Maybe they could make it every hour instead :)

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Jason Spitz, Breathe, on Jun 16, 2024
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 40'
Draft: 4.0'

Rating: 4

Nice dock during normal tides, which we had. The dock itself is low so will be a big step down from boat. Dock floods in high tides so be aware. There is no one in the check in booth anymore. It's no longer manned. There was one boat there that obviously hadn't moved in months. Other spots all empty when we arrived. We spent an extra day with no other boats and no one stopped by. We left when 2 other boats arrived to ensure space for anyone else who arrived later. Unlikely anyone will kick you out but let's all be courteous at free docks to allow as many cruisers to benefit as possible.

Town is nice place to walk on Waterfront and in main streets. Lots of restaurants and stores to visit. There's even a Victron electronics dealer just a couple stores up from the dock.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer, Do It Now, on Oct 29, 2023
Vessel Type: Power
LOA: 32'
Draft: 2.5'

Rating: 4

This is my second stay here and it was both better and worse. Better because the dubious boats I noted on my last stay were gone but worse because there was a constant generator noise from the naval drydock across the river. This time, the entire basin filled up with transient boats -- there were 11 in the afternoon with 9 of us spending the night. That's pretty much the limit for this spot. I was tied up on the river side of the basin in an area marked as reserved for a tour boat that wasn't operating. (Two of us parked in this area.) There was a lot less wake. The nearly full moon put the tide change at over 3 feet, which was a challenge for the high fixed dock wall, but with no current, loose lines made it tolerable.

See my other review from April 2023; just about everything still applies.

I would stay here again; it's a great option for the area with the ferry right there to take you to Norfolk if you want to visit the museums and restaurants there. And you can't beat the price.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Francis Gravel on Oct 27, 2023
Vessel Type: Sail
LOA: 36'
Draft: 6.7'

Rating: 2

great for a free dinghy dock. don't overnight at that place. ferry horn at every 30 minutes and military boats repair shop on water 24h a day every day. If you stop there with kids go see the Children's Museum of Virginia. kids will love it and it's at 5 minutes walk.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: Capt Maria Langer, Do It Now, 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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

Review for High Street Landing

Reviewed by: David Rowe on Sep 5, 2022
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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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.

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer

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).

View location on the Waterway Guide Explorer