Anyone at Port Solent ?

[Sadlerfin]

I have a boat in the water at Port Solent which has slight water ingress after the sail-drive seal was replaced, boat went back in the water 10 days ago, now not looking like such a good idea.!! Thing is i live near by and shop at the Tesco extra close by so my daily exercise could be a walk from Tesco to check on the boat and make what are essential repairs (or try to ).

A member on another forum reported he had a mail from Port Solent saying the marina was closed and access to boats was denied, all I've been told is that the lock is shut and nothing on their web site. I have mailed PS and waiting on a reply . Anyone here at PS heard this?

So I'm insured and well so it is what it is but it would be nice to know.

There are a number of liveaboards there can't be easy for them.

Thanks Derek

 

[nicho]

Port Solent has told owners to stay away, and I think the tags have been disabled. However, I am pretty sure they would make arrangements for you for as an emergency. Call the Lock Office and speak to Richard or Dan.

 

[Sadlerfin]

Port Solent has told owners to stay away, and I think the tags have been disabled. However, I am pretty sure they would make arrangements for you for as an emergency. Call the Lock Office and speak to Richard or Dan.

Thanks they just mailed me back and offered to go on board and check.

 

[bdh198]

Yep, they’ve got staff there 24 hours a day. They haven’t told owners to stay away, they’ve “asked owners to stay away” in accordance with government advice. It’s a subtle difference but important because although the marina reception is closed the marina itself is still open.

However, in order to leave your home and visit the marina you would need to satisfy yourself that it was a genuine emergency which the onsite marina staff could not deal with for you in order to have a “reasonable excuse” for leaving your home under the Restriction of Movement Regulations which came into force today.

 

[SimonP85]

The latest update on Premier's website reads:

We are sorry but in order to comply with the Government’s latest directives and advice on reducing the spread of coronavirus we have, until further advice is issued, closed our marinas and boatyards to leisure users.

During this closure, we are unable to welcome our berth holders and leisure boating visitors onto our sites, and our locks at Port Solent, Chichester, Brighton (inner harbour) and Eastbourne will be closed to all vessels with the exception of essential commercial services and the emergency services.

Like you, we are committed to doing all we can to protect our families, our staff and our customers and we look forward to welcoming you back to our marinas in happier times.

To me this sounds like they've deactivated access fobs so essentially telling them to stay away rather than asked as you won't be able to get onto the pontoons? Unless people know differently?

 

[Dawnrazor]

They’ve blocked-off access to the boardwalk, so gaining access to some pontoons isn't possible.

 

[ashtead]

You could ask a liveabords to collect your keys from the marina office and have a look saving the travel if you know one. We have a pontoon network so a number have offered this service if anyone is worried and maybe PS has same helpful owners ? Clear the visitor would not carry out work but could no doubt Skype if matters of concern found.

 

[stevejacobs]

"gaining access to some pontoons isn't possible."

That's not quite right. Only the wooden boardwalk is blocked. The pathway between the boardwalk and the marina is still open. For what it's worth, there were people working on their boats in the boatyard yesterday (Thursday) evening.

 

[Aardee]

I can see someone working on their boat on the hardstanding as I look out of my kitchen window this morning.

 

[Blue Sunray]

I can see someone working on their boat on the hardstanding as I look out of my kitchen window this morning.

Could that not be a professional rather than an owner?

 

[bdh198]

I did my daily allowance of exercise by walking round the marina earlier today. As stevejacobs says, the boardwalk is blocked in front of the commercial premises, but there is full access around the marina itself. My key fob still allows access to the marina pontoons and there were several people quietly attending to jobs on their boats. There are even people doing anti-fouling jobs with boats on the hard (not quite sure how that fits into a “reasonable excuse” for leaving home under the regulations).

Although the marina is accessible there is a large sign at all entrances saying “COVID 19 RESTRICTED ACCESS - ...This Site Is Now Open ONLY To The Emergency Services, Tenants and Contractors Carrying Out Essential Works”. I don’t know if berth holders would be considered “tenants”?

By the looks of things you can clearly get access to your boat, and there is no physical obstacle to getting onto the pontoons. My reading of Premier’s closure notice is that attending your boat should only be undertaken in accordance with the government regulations I.e. there needs to be a good reason (“reasonable excuse”) and “necessary“ to be attending your boat (which a concern over water ingress clearly would be), and only if a contractor or the marina staff can’t assist with the problem on your behalf.

 

[eddystone]

Or if you live abooard

 

[Dawnrazor]

"gaining access to some pontoons isn't possible."

That's not quite right. Only the wooden boardwalk is blocked. The pathway between the boardwalk and the marina is still open. For what it's worth, there were people working on their boats in the boatyard yesterday (Thursday) evening.

I couldn’t gain access to the boardwalk and Pontoon P.

 

[stevejacobs]

You can't go through the boardwalk, you need to walk round it. All bridgeheads are accessible. Start at the lock, walk toward the boardwalk, keep the water on your left and keep walking. You will not have a problem.

 

[Dawnrazor]

You can't go through the boardwalk, you need to walk round it. All bridgeheads are accessible. Start at the lock, walk toward the boardwalk, keep the water on your left and keep walking. You will not have a problem.

Pontoon P is in oyster Quay, they are private berths at the flats, not the main marina. There was fencing up yesterday, as I access the area from behind the cinema, not from the lock end.

 

[stevejacobs]

OK, follow the instruction I gave earlier. Or park in the car park by the boatlift behind the sunsail building. Walk to the marina edge, turn right and follow the black fencing, walk behind the Harvester as usual, there are no restrictions going this way. There are a lot of residents walking round the marina (one lap is roughly one mile.) as their daily exercise.

BTW do you have a key phob for Oyster Key, if so you can access from the other side, the phobs are not the same as the main marina. I do have a little local knowledge of this area.

 

[Dawnrazor]

OK, follow the instruction I gave earlier. Or park in the car park by the boatlift behind the sunsail building. Walk to the marina edge, turn right and follow the black fencing, walk behind the Harvester as usual, there are no restrictions going this way. There are a lot of residents walking round the marina (one lap is roughly one mile.) as their daily exercise.

BTW do you have a key phob for Oyster Key, if so you can access from the other side, the phobs are not the same as the main marina. I do have a little local knowledge of this area.

I've been at Port Solent on that private berth for years mate, as well as having been on the main marina berths so know all of Port Solent rather well.

Oyster Quay fobs given to people who lease private berths only activate a small gate at the end of the walkway (next to Oyster Quay flats, near the Indian restaurant) Trust me on this, they only operate the one gate giving access to Pontoon P. They are different to the fobs given to owners of flats, so you can't access berths from the Oyster quay private car parks. I had this conversation with the residents committee a few years ago when a mate of mine was the chairman. The lease terms used to allow us use of the Oyster quay car parks, but this was removed a few years ago as some of the residents complained about lease holders taking up parking spaces.

And yes i do have a main Premier marinas fob as i get access to the facilities and main car park if i need them - all part of the £65/year fee to Premier Marinas, plus i have this for use at other Premier marinas where my busines is based.

At the end of the day, i know what i saw, and i couldn't gain access to my boat from the one available route to Pontoon P. Temporary fencing was in-place and I'm not sure why you are disputing what i saw.

I've not been down to my boat since Wednesday evening so the fencing i saw may have been removed, as i have spoken with Pete Bradshaw about it (CEO of Premier - i'm also their 3rd biggest commercial customer) If it has then i will easily be able to get to my boat, although they are not operating the lock, so it's all pretty much irrelevant anyway.

I was merely saying when i went down to there, by the Indian there was fencing up stopping me getting through.

Moving swifly on now..............

 

[stevejacobs]

OK,. Of course I'm not disputing what you saw when you saw it. All I'm saying is that as a resident, looking out of my window I must have missed the temporary fencing being erected and removed and I apologize if I implied it has never been there. Clearly it must have been when you visited.

I'm guessing it was very quickly removed once it was realised the effect it was having on residents. I haven't walked that way for a couple of hours so quite possibly it's back again. If it is I apologise again for misinformation.

 

[bdh198]

I've been at Port Solent on that private berth for years mate, as well as having been on the main marina berths so know all of Port Solent rather well.

Oyster Quay fobs given to people who lease private berths only activate a small gate at the end of the walkway (next to Oyster Quay flats, near the Indian restaurant) Trust me on this, they only operate the one gate giving access to Pontoon P. They are different to the fobs given to owners of flats, so you can't access berths from the Oyster quay private car parks. I had this conversation with the residents committee a few years ago when a mate of mine was the chairman. The lease terms used to allow us use of the Oyster quay car parks, but this was removed a few years ago as some of the residents complained about lease holders taking up parking spaces.

And yes i do have a main Premier marinas fob as i get access to the facilities and main car park if i need them - all part of the £65/year fee to Premier Marinas, plus i have this for use at other Premier marinas where my busines is based.

At the end of the day, i know what i saw, and i couldn't gain access to my boat from the one available route to Pontoon P. Temporary fencing was in-place and I'm not sure why you are disputing what i saw.

I've not been down to my boat since Wednesday evening so the fencing i saw may have been removed, as i have spoken with Pete Bradshaw about it (CEO of Premier - i'm also their 3rd biggest commercial customer) If it has then i will easily be able to get to my boat, although they are not operating the lock, so it's all pretty much irrelevant anyway.

I was merely saying when i went down to there, by the Indian there was fencing up stopping me getting through.

Moving swifly on now..............

I walked past pontoon P yesterday afternoon. No restrictions in place at that time and fob key worked on all gates.

If you are on a mooring that’s been sublet to you by a resident then your access isn’t restricted by Premier. The person you are subletting from is a ‘tenant’ of a long lease of the pontoon from Premier and on their notices (which aren’t displayed in the location of pontoon P, because that’s a pontoon for residents) specifically doesn’t seek to exclude ‘tenants’. The restrictions to leisure users concerns those on a mooring sublet directly from Premier in the main marina.

However, having said that there were again this morning several people ‘messing about‘ on their boats, and clearly running the risk of being in breach of the government regulation.

 

[Sadlerfin]

At my request the one of the marina staff went on my boat today to check on my slight water ingress and all is well I'm on Pontoon E.

Interestingly they called me to report back and told me my fob was inactive and only the people living on their boats have access to the Premier pontoons at least.

I have to say great service they went on board sent me photos of the problem area and called me to report back within an hour of contacting them and offered to check weekly