Port Hamble

[Nosealegsyet]

Starting today visiting all the different marinas looking for a home berth.Port Hamble is beautiful, does anybody moor there? They gave me a cost for a year , £6600.00.....sheesh...........for a 9 metre boat.........I forgot to ask them, im assuming that would be the same price in all of there Marinas. For you guys that more there, would you recommend, any pitfalls? Thankyou

 

[superheat6k]

If you venture above the A27 road bridge the rates fall by ~ 1/3 to 1/2, and some decent yards - Eastlands, Foulkes (Riverside) and The Cabin, and all just a few minutes from the motorway. I pay £328 / month for 32' (£3,926) with just one month notice to leave at any time, and free electricity at Foulkes.

Also Port Hamble has horrendous tides rushing through especially on Springs, and lots of charter and school boats to add to risk of poor helming incurred damage.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Thanks Superheat, just before i reached Port Hamble, i saw a small marina type place, and i was just going past the sign when i noticed it, and im sure it was EAst something or other, might that have been Eastlands?........What does 'on springs ' mean, thankyou

 

[superheat6k]

Thanks Superheat, just before i reached Port Hamble, i saw a small marina type place, and i was just going past the sign when i noticed it, and im sure it was EAst something or other, might that have been Eastlands?........What does 'on springs ' mean, thankyou

The first marina is Hamble Point, also on the left side as you enter the river from sea ward. The moorings / berths to the right are Warsash hard, and are a very small yard (Stone Pier), plus Harbour masters and some other private moorings. Eastlands is right up the top of the river and is the last yard on the right side just above the M27 motorway bridge.

However, I assume from your question you might be quite new to boating in tidal waters, but Spring tides in the Hamble, especially the ebb tide, runs very hard. Springs occur in conjunction with the New and Full Moon, so have their effect for several days every 2 weeks, not just in April / May.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Yes very new, i think tides and stuff will be more clear this week, ive just started the day skipper theory, ive completed the safety and meteorology cant complete the rest until all the charts come hopefully tomorrow, and then i think all this terminolgy will start to sink in.

 

[superheat6k]

Yes very new, i think tides and stuff will be more clear this week, ive just started the day skipper theory, ive completed the safety and meteorology cant complete the rest until all the charts come hopefully tomorrow, and then i think all this terminolgy will start to sink in.

You are at the start of an incredible journey into boating, so please enjoy every moment as you learn literally the ropes.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

You are at the start of an incredible journey into boating, so please enjoy every moment as you learn literally the ropes.

thankyou very much , that's very kind, im going to try and do my very best.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

You're finding that Hamble river marinas are costly, there are plenty to choose from but all are pretty dear. Mid river pontoon moorings are cheaper but inconvenient especially for a newbie. As Superheat6k has said there are some options right at the top of the river but you need a boat that will fit under the motorway bridge. And, not mind the traffic noise. If mooring cost is an issue you could look at Portsmouth Harbour (Gosport, Haslar. Port Solent) or Southampton Water (Hythe, Ocean Village) which might save you a few quid. Or IOW, much cheaper but ferry costs and travel time delay add up.

My compromise is Chichester. It's very peaceful but tidally limited, and it takes 4 hours to get to mid-solent in my yacht of which the first hour is getting from the marina to the sea. A mobo could do that trip in 60 -90 minutes depending on which Chi Harbour marina you picked, there are several. Sparkes is nearest to the sea but very slow to get to by road when it's busy.

 

[STEVEDUNSTABLE]

Thanks Superheat, just before i reached Port Hamble, i saw a small marina type place, and i was just going past the sign when i noticed it, and im sure it was EAst something or other, might that have been Eastlands?........What does 'on springs ' mean, thankyou

Spring tides for a (newby) are best explained as ...... On springs, the tide comes in much higher (eg..up the sea wall) and goes out a lot further (eg.. emptying the river) a lot faster than neap tides therefore causing much faster speeds of flow as a much larger volume of water has to move in either direction for (approximately) the same amount of time .....

 

[ashtead]

If cost is a concern but you have units of time to fill tidal marinas tend to be cheaper than all state of tide marinas and those on the island e.g. Down the Medina or a buoy in Bembridge harbour cheaper still. As a Haslar boat we could find cheaper berths on Solent but every marina has downsides and up sides.
Factors might be road conditions to marina e.g. Hamble point traffic going to be far worse with all those houses near Tesco I imagine, day trippers to the witterings delay respectable boaters reaching Chi and bird ham marina. Gosport drivers are highly unpredictable as they tend to stop then indicate etc. Once at the marina what's the security and showers etc like ? If you boat is not in the marina but on a pontoon in river even its afloat can you reach it as water between you and end of long pier ( look at Wicor at low tide) . How long after day out on water does it take to reach berth at low speed ? In summer a run down the harbour is fine but somewhat loses attraction in winter months. How much space do you have to Malvern inside marina e.g. Sparkes is tight inside and you can still run aground on entry home if you try hard enough . You might find a copy of a marina price survey useful. We started at Wicor marine and then looked around by boat for other places we might prefer which is another approach.

 

[jcwads]

I’m a resident at Port Hamble.

Pro’s

Best location with a 3 min walk to the village with good pubs
Not far to the Hamble entrance, so quick access to all cruising grounds
Banana Wharf is great for a drink and no fuss food
No onsite work yard meaning less going on other than boating
Nice new facilities for berth holders

Con’s

New facilities not big enough with ques to use. Not good enough.
Tides are challenging. Learn to ferry glide or it’s too easy to lose it.
Full of charter company boats with inexperienced skippers. Lots of bangs and clangs. One on my boat last season!
Expensive, but you pay for the location


I stay there as my wife wants the location. We’ve moved berths away from charter boats so hopefully less risky.

Overall am happy there, whilst the funds allow it.

 

[dustywings]

If you venture above the A27 road bridge the rates fall by ~ 1/3 to 1/2, and some decent yards - Eastlands, Foulkes (Riverside) and The Cabin, and all just a few minutes from the motorway. I pay £328 / month for 32' (£3,926) with just one month notice to leave at any time, and free electricity at Foulkes.

Also Port Hamble has horrendous tides rushing through especially on Springs, and lots of charter and school boats to add to risk of poor helming incurred damage.

My 38 foot boat is also at Foulkes on a pontoon that is not attached to land but literally a stones throw away, I pay £210 per month and keep a dinghy in the water there at no cost.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

You're finding that Hamble river marinas are costly, there are plenty to choose from but all are pretty dear. Mid river pontoon moorings are cheaper but inconvenient especially for a newbie. As Superheat6k has said there are some options right at the top of the river but you need a boat that will fit under the motorway bridge. And, not mind the traffic noise. If mooring cost is an issue you could look at Portsmouth Harbour (Gosport, Haslar. Port Solent) or Southampton Water (Hythe, Ocean Village) which might save you a few quid. Or IOW, much cheaper but ferry costs and travel time delay add up.

My compromise is Chichester. It's very peaceful but tidally limited, and it takes 4 hours to get to mid-solent in my yacht of which the first hour is getting from the marina to the sea. A mobo could do that trip in 60 -90 minutes depending on which Chi Harbour marina you picked, there are several. Sparkes is nearest to the sea but very slow to get to by road when it's busy.

Im going to take a look at Chi SCala, thankyou.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Thanks.

 

[Nosealegsyet]

I’m a resident at Port Hamble.

Pro’s

Best location with a 3 min walk to the village with good pubs
Not far to the Hamble entrance, so quick access to all cruising grounds
Banana Wharf is great for a drink and no fuss food
No onsite work yard meaning less going on other than boating
Nice new facilities for berth holders

Con’s

New facilities not big enough with ques to use. Not good enough.
Tides are challenging. Learn to ferry glide or it’s too easy to lose it.
Full of charter company boats with inexperienced skippers. Lots of bangs and clangs. One on my boat last season!
Expensive, but you pay for the location


I stay there as my wife wants the location. We’ve moved berths away from charter boats so hopefully less risky.

Overall am happy there, whilst the funds allow it.

IN which case its probabley not the best for me....Its beautiful though

 

[Nosealegsyet]

Spring tides for a (newby) are best explained as ...... On springs, the tide comes in much higher (eg..up the sea wall) and goes out a lot further (eg.. emptying the river) a lot faster than neap tides therefore causing much faster speeds of flow as a much larger volume of water has to move in either direction for (approximately) the same amount of time .....

Yes got it!....And im assuming the faster the tide, the harder it is to manoeuvre the boat?

 

[Nosealegsyet]

If cost is a concern but you have units of time to fill tidal marinas tend to be cheaper than all state of tide marinas and those on the island e.g. Down the Medina or a buoy in Bembridge harbour cheaper still. As a Haslar boat we could find cheaper berths on Solent but every marina has downsides and up sides.
Factors might be road conditions to marina e.g. Hamble point traffic going to be far worse with all those houses near Tesco I imagine, day trippers to the witterings delay respectable boaters reaching Chi and bird ham marina. Gosport drivers are highly unpredictable as they tend to stop then indicate etc. Once at the marina what's the security and showers etc like ? If you boat is not in the marina but on a pontoon in river even its afloat can you reach it as water between you and end of long pier ( look at Wicor at low tide) . How long after day out on water does it take to reach berth at low speed ? In summer a run down the harbour is fine but somewhat loses attraction in winter months. How much space do you have to Malvern inside marina e.g. Sparkes is tight inside and you can still run aground on entry home if you try hard enough . You might find a copy of a marina price survey useful. We started at Wicor marine and then looked around by boat for other places we might prefer which is another approach.

Thankyou, very imformative, crikey ive got a lot to sort out and think about!

 

[Elessar]

Yes got it!....And im assuming the faster the tide, the harder it is to manoeuvre the boat?

No not harder if you know what you’re doing.
But it goes wrong quicker and costs more if you don’t!

 

[Nosealegsyet]

No not harder if you know what you’re doing.
But it goes wrong quicker and costs more if you don’t!

Ill do it!..I wont give up lol!

 

[maby]

we spent a couple of months in Port Hamble and quite liked it. The marina is well equipped and reasonably friendly and the village is nice enough with a couple of decent pubs. Do be aware that the current rips through there - getting off and back onto a pontoon can be an entertaining exercise!