"The Firth of Forth is a good cruising venue for the experienced dinghy sailor. The mix of open and sheltered sailing allows for a satisfying cruise in most conditions. In all but our least common easterly winds you can work a weather shore. The lower Forth is exposed to occasional North Sea swell that causes surging in affected harbours. Even then there are good opportunities upstream, especially above the bridges. Dinghy sailors are treated with the usual kindness and many harbours do not take dues!"

Thus wrote Ed Wingfield who has cruised the Forth extensively over a number of seasons. Based on this experience Ed wrote the 'Firth of Forth Dinghy Cruising Pilot' some time in the 1990s. This circulated as a Word file among dinghy cruisers and was updated and developed with their input by Ed. The last version, dated Spring 2003, was passed to myself, Osbert Lancaster, and with Ed's approval I have transferred it to this wiki site.

The original introduction stated:

This work is dinghy-specific. It includes information such as suitable safe beaches to dry out on, friendly clubs, launderettes, toilets and showers.  It includes some havens seldom or never visited that are absolute gems. It omits all the very useful supplementary information given on Imray C27. That chart is essential if you sail this water and duplication is pointless.

The Pilot covers an area from Dunbar in the south-east and Fife Ness in the north-east to the limit of navigation at Stirling. It includes those islands worth landing on and those that offer shelter.

The online pilot will follow the same principles.

View this map on Google Maps

Living on the southern shore of the Forth, I plan to use the pilot to explore these waters on my doorstep, and to update these pages as I do so. I invite others to join me, on the water and in updating and correcting the pilot - request access to this wiki via the link at top right.