Most people walk through this moment on the way to the café. The boats lean, the ropes slacken, and everything that floated an hour ago sits in mud. It is not the harbour on the postcard. It is more useful.
I had planned to take the 17:40 ferry. At 17:20 the sky was doing the sort of thing that makes every photograph look dishonest, so I stayed on the wall. Missing the ferry was not brave. The next one was at 19:10.
The harbour is three places
Empty, filling, and working. Most visits only include the third. Arriving before low water gives you the other two, plus a better chance of finding somewhere to sit.
Practical note: the wall near the office dries first. The bench by the car park stays wet until noon.
At 18:05 the water reached the lowest rope. By 18:30 the harbour had started making its working noises again. I finished the thermos and stopped pretending I would catch up on email.
For next time
Park near the wall rather than the main car park. Check the tide before choosing the day. Do not check the return time every ten minutes. The ferry is late on Tuesdays and nobody has ever drowned because of it.