You should check with the individual local authority for any current requirements (eg permits, insurance, etc) for the launching and retrieving of boats in the Mersey Estuary.
Always apply caution and commonsense when venturing onto the water and be careful to use all safety aids and the correct clothing. Tidal conditions can be extremely dangerous in the Mersey Estuary and only experienced sailors should venture into open water.
If new to the sport, you should always participate in supervised activities with qualified staff. When planning an offshore trip, it is wise to notify the coastguards.
If watersports are your interest, you'll find just about every kind catered for in the Mersey Estuary. The area's strong sailing traditions are maintained by a range of welcoming sailing clubs all round the area. Just beyond the tourist magnet of the Albert Dock, you'll find boats sitting on moorings within Liverpool's smart, modern Marina, the hub of a stylish new community where hundreds of waterfront houses and apartments have sprung up in the past few years.
For the past 25 years the Mersey River Festival has taken place in June. It features a range of activities on the river and ashore, including the colourful Parade of Sail, one of the most exciting sights of the year - both for the spectators and the local boat owners participating. The Festival has also hosted the start and finish of the Tall Ships Races which are set to return in 2008.
The docks themselves are also frequently alive with the multicoloured sails of windsurfers and small dinghies. Courses in sailing, windsurfing and canoeing are all available at MCVS Mersey Sport in Queens Dock (0151 708 9322). Rowing facilities too are excellent, with thriving clubs in both the Liverpool and Birkenhead docks. The long tradition of rowing on the Mersey is maintained at Warrington, where the once-famous regatta has been revived.
Meanwhile Liverpool's Duke's and Salthouse Docks are popular with scuba divers keen to brush up their skills. Instructors report that the clearer water has added a new dimension these days with visitors often amazed by the size and number of crabs, eels, jellyfish, shrimps and colourful sea anemones they can observe at close quarters. Across the river lie the moorings of one of the oldest sailing clubs in the UK, namely the Royal Mersey Yacht Club and also close by, Tranmere Sailing Club, the latter best known for its annual midnight race to the Isle of Man.
Liverpool Sailing Club now has prestigious new premises at Speke & Garston Coastal Reserve, near Speke Hall, where facilities are available for all watersports activities and training, while West Bank Boat Club caters for enthusiasts in the Widnes and Runcorn area. Further upstream towards Warrington you'll find Fiddler's Ferry Sailing Club and a yacht haven with launching facilities. At the other end of the Estuary coastal sailors will find moorings in the mouth of the Alt and a welcome at Blundellsands Sailing Club.
Powerboat and jetski enthusiasts are also catered for, with expert offshore training facilities available. New Brighton (Marine Lake) and Liverpool (See page 36) can offer specialist sailing and windsurfing tuition.
From the Mersey, offshore enthusiasts can easily reach Wales, Ireland and the Isle of Man, while day sailors have over 20 miles of sheltered waters in the River Mersey and one of the North West's most attractive sailing areas off Hilbre Island in the River Dee.
Dinghy and windsurfing enthusiasts are catered for by the superbly sited marine lake at West Kirby. On Sefton's natural coast there's also the Crosby marina while just a little further afield lies Southport's marine lake, the base for two sailing clubs and the home of a nationally famous 24-hour dinghy event.
