Brighton Marina Mud

[Gixer]

Thanks for the reply. I'm physically going down there tomorrow morning to have a chat with them and look at the marina. They say they do have moorings but want to get a feel for the place first. My draft is 1m, good to know about the dredging.
I've been told many yachts are leaving due to the 'portacabins' but don't know if its true.

Thanks again

 

[LittleSister]

I used to visit in a friend's boat (draft c7ft?) 1980s, and he later (early 90s?) had it berthed there. I don't remember any issues with depth ever being mentioned back then. IIRC I last visited about 2009, but my draft was less than a metre, and being mid-winter I was berthed right on the access channel.

Whether what they said was true or even possible I really don't know, but they were moaning about the Rampion Wind Farm which had started under construction down Channel a few miles to the West. They predicted that the base structures of the whirly gigs would alter the general seabed drift of sand/ shingle and mud along the coast and cause silting up at Brighton and Newhaven.

Having had some peripheral involvement over the years in the assessment of potential impacts of wind farms, seabed aggregates dredging, etc., on coastal erosion and silting, I very much doubt that the wind farm would make any significant difference to silting in Brighton Marina. (I'm also very familiar with various communities' suspicions that such installations and activities are the cause of their woes, rather than them being a continuation of the erosion or deposition that in some cases can be seen to have been progressing for the last 10,000 years!)

There will be a very local impact of the pylon bases etc., but any wider impact will be minuscule in comparison to the truly vast total quantity of sediment (millions of tons!) continually being transported backwards and forwards and round and round the Channel by tides and currents, in suspension in the water (hence we don't have sparkling, transparent azure seas in the eastern Channel and North Sea) and being dragged along the seabed.

The amount and size of suspended particles in the water is highly dependent on the speed at which the water is moving. Slow the water down, as happens in a harbour/sheltered marina, and suspended particles will fall out of the water to the bottom and gradually accumulate. Slow moving water will not scour that away. Silting is pretty much inevitable within a structure like Brighton Marina in that part of the world, unless you have a fast flowing river or other current running through it.

Why not give them a ring and ask when they were last dreged.

The question is not just when, as how much dredging and which areas were done when. I imagine they quite likely will have occasionally had the entrance and 'fairway' dredged, but dredging in way of the pontoons is a much more disruptive and expensive job.

That will tend to be put off as long as possible, maybe until the lack of depth starts seriously reducing occupancy rates and the fees that can be charged for seriously restricted berths, but perhaps not even then if the company has financial problems.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Called in there on Wednesday for fuel. It's a dump, looks unloved and deteriorating. Full of very untidy liveaboards, enhanced no end by a flotilla of floating huts and shacks. Not to Premier's normal standard in my view.

 

[Gixer]

Called in there on Wednesday for fuel. It's a dump, looks unloved and deteriorating. Full of very untidy liveaboards, enhanced no end by a flotilla of floating huts and shacks. Not to Premier's normal standard in my view.

Wow, ok. I'll set my expectations to 0 and work from that point.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

On the plus side, Brighton’s lively nightlife scene is only a tenner Uber ride away

 

[Lucky Duck]

I used to visit in a friend's boat (draft c7ft?) 1980s, and he later (early 90s?) had it berthed there. I don't remember any issues with depth ever being mentioned back then. IIRC I last visited about 2009, but my draft was less than a metre, and being mid-winter I was berthed right on the access channel.



Having had some peripheral involvement over the years in the assessment of potential impacts of wind farms, seabed aggregates dredging, etc., on coastal erosion and silting, I very much doubt that the wind farm would make any significant difference to silting in Brighton Marina. (I'm also very familiar with various communities' suspicions that such installations and activities are the cause of their woes, rather than them being a continuation of the erosion or deposition that in some cases can be seen to have been progressing for the last 10,000 years!)

There will be a very local impact of the pylon bases etc., but any wider impact will be minuscule in comparison to the truly vast total quantity of sediment (millions of tons!) continually being transported backwards and forwards and round and round the Channel by tides and currents, in suspension in the water (hence we don't have sparkling, transparent azure seas in the eastern Channel and North Sea) and being dragged along the seabed.

The amount and size of suspended particles in the water is highly dependent on the speed at which the water is moving. Slow the water down, as happens in a harbour/sheltered marina, and suspended particles will fall out of the water to the bottom and gradually accumulate. Slow moving water will not scour that away. Silting is pretty much inevitable within a structure like Brighton Marina in that part of the world, unless you have a fast flowing river or other current running through it.



The question is not just when, as how much dredging and which areas were done when. I imagine they quite likely will have occasionally had the entrance and 'fairway' dredged, but dredging in way of the pontoons is a much more disruptive and expensive job.

That will tend to be put off as long as possible, maybe until the lack of depth starts seriously reducing occupancy rates and the fees that can be charged for seriously restricted berths, but perhaps not even then if the company has financial problems.

There was a picture on a thread from about 10 years back showing a tender’s outboard kicking up mud at LWS as it went down the main fairway near the South breakwater.

A follow on issue has been when dredging has taken place it always seems to be in the summer leading to boats being turned away on their travels up and down channel

The houseboats and the decision to remove a good number of finger pontoons is, I think, more recent issue.

 

[Gixer]

On the plus side, Brighton’s lively nightlife scene is only a tenner Uber ride away

I'm too old for that now but in my 20's I spent many a night at the Zap Club and Royal Escape..

 

[veshengro]

If you need to get a bus or a Taxi from Town, just ask for Brighton Docks, which was the locally coined phrase when I wintered there a few years ago.

 

[SOTM]

I remember reading, before a visit, that Brighton Marina had all the atmosphere of a Tesco's carpark.
The good thing though is the nearness to the town itself.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

I remember reading, before a visit, that Brighton Marina had all the atmosphere of a Tesco's carpark.
The good thing though is the nearness to the town itself.

It’s not really near the town at all, it’s 10 quid in an Uber.

 

[V1701]

Thanks for the reply. I'm physically going down there tomorrow morning to have a chat with them and look at the marina. They say they do have moorings but want to get a feel for the place first. My draft is 1m, good to know about the dredging.
I've been told many yachts are leaving due to the 'portacabins' but don't know if its true.

Thanks again

Sent you a PM

 

[Gixer]

Well, I just got back and after setting my expectation to zero I was very pleasantly surprised. The weather was atrocious with rain and high winds, they did try and cancel the tour but I insisted and they obliged.

There didn’t seem to be an overwhelming amount of liveaboards on west pontoon and no rubbish, bikes or other stuff that would be an eyesore. I asked about this and they said they’ve been clamping down and have it under control. I can’t speak for East as I had no reason to go down that side but understand that’s where the majority are.

There was a huge dredger (Split Three) clearing the visitor moorings and they said many areas of the marina had been done. I mentioned my 1m draft and was told I should have no problems sailing from West at any state of the tide. They mentioned about the limit for silt removal and are working with the authorities on the restrictions.

I get what has been said about it not being the prettiest of places but once into the marina properly it felt like Port Solent and most other marinas of similar size. The staff were excellent and couldn’t be more helpful in explaining everything and offering advice. They answered all my questions honestly and offered good explanations.

I have to lock in/out at my current mooring and to have easy access to the sea makes this place perfect for me at the moment. The benefits of being a member of Premier also opens up more possibilities.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

It’s not really near the town at all, it’s 10 quid in an Uber.

Or, of course, a scenic walk, taking in the local sights such as the nudist beach.

 

[Daydream believer]

Or, of course, a scenic walk, taking in the local sights such as the nudist beach.

With the current state of the weather, I am not sure that the sight of a frozen t.. would actually turn me on

 

[johnalison]

Or, of course, a scenic walk, taking in the local sights such as the nudist beach.

Or much of the way on the electric railway, or better still, free on the bus with a maturity-pass. £10 for a few minutes car ride is equivalent to two or one bottles of wine, according to taste.

 

[Chiara’s slave]

With the current state of the weather, I am not sure that the sight of a frozen t.. would actually turn me on

You’d be sadly disappointed. It’s all overweight gentleman exhibitionists. I have been disappointed too many times to hope otherwise.

 

[laika]

I've been told many yachts are leaving due to the 'portacabins' but don't know if its true.

I really enjoyed my time in Brighton. We were lucky to be on a pontoon with some great neighbours. Resting in the mud at low tide became annoying given what we were paying but we stayed because we liked the people around us. Low tide access restrictions weren’t *too* bad and generally easy enough to plan around. It’s a rubbish place to sail from. Eastbourne is a hike, the solent more so and you need to fight the tide to get in to littlehampton.

We hauled out for a couple of weeks towards the end of our contract 3 years ago and when we relaunched they told us our berth had been “condemned” and gave us some crappy options for alternate berths well away from our pontoon so we decided it was a good time to leave. Actually they wanted to convert the pontoon to floating holiday homes which for some bizarre reason they denied at the time, but a few months later all the residents on the pontoon had been relocated and the fingers replaced with little houses.

Those floating homes do seem to be taking over. I guess from the marina’s standpoint they’re a win: they make money from the sale not just the berthing fees, the owners don’t complain about dredging and there’s no ambiguity about their function.

Busses to town are frequent. The stop is literally called “Brighton marina” so no need to call it anything else as previously advised in this thread. Volks railway is the novelty option but I always walked if I wasn’t in a hurry.

 

[johnalison]

I really enjoyed my time in Brighton. We were lucky to be on a pontoon with some great neighbours. Resting in the mud at low tide became annoying given what we were paying but we stayed because we liked the people around us. Low tide access restrictions weren’t *too* bad and generally easy enough to plan around. It’s a rubbish place to sail from. Eastbourne is a hike, the solent more so and you need to fight the tide to get in to littlehampton.

We hauled out for a couple of weeks towards the end of our contract 3 years ago and when we relaunched they told us our berth had been “condemned” and gave us some crappy options for alternate berths well away from our pontoon so we decided it was a good time to leave. Actually they wanted to convert the pontoon to floating holiday homes which for some bizarre reason they denied at the time, but a few months later all the residents on the pontoon had been relocated and the fingers replaced with little houses.

Those floating homes do seem to be taking over. I guess from the marina’s standpoint they’re a win: they make money from the sale not just the berthing fees, the owners don’t complain about dredging and there’s no ambiguity about their function.

Busses to town are frequent. The stop is literally called “Brighton marina” so no need to call it anything else as previously advised in this thread. Volks railway is the novelty option but I always walked if I wasn’t in a hurry.

I used to visit fairly often on our way back and forth to the West Country or the Channel Isles. I must say that I generally enjoyed our visits, even when we were detained for nearly a week by gales, with waves crashing over the sea wall. We generally used bikes, which was the easiest way into town. There is a marked cycle track on the front and to Hove and great fun can be had from frightening pedestrians that stray into one's path. We are not Asda shoppers generally, but the Asda is not at all bad.

The disadvantage of Brighton for a resident is that there is little to do but either go out for a day-sail or for a much longer trip, with neither the Solent nor Eastbourne being very convenient for a weekend jaunt.

 

[RivalRedwing]

The disadvantage of Brighton for a resident is that there is little to do but either go out for a day-sail or for a much longer trip, with neither the Solent nor Eastbourne being very convenient for a weekend jaunt.

Yep, the day sail options are thin too and revolve around going out into the channel and then back again the same day. Cross channel to Dieppe or Fecamp must be ready options, weather permitting. We transit through there but I wouldn't want it as a main base.

 

[Gixer]

Thanks for all the responses guys.
I’m planning to take a mooring in Brighton from the 1st of August. I really want to be in Gosport but until the kids are grown up I can’t see this happening.
I appreciate the comments, means I’m going in with my eyes open.