Brighton Marina

[chinita]

How about Ramsgate/Dover? 1.5 hours from the smoke,easy access to the continent, LOADS of destinations within easy reach; east coast, south coast, Thames, Medway, the lot

I spent a summer in Dover; the smoke from the thousands of HGVs rumbling only a few yards from the marina is much worse than the smoke you are talking about.

As for Ramsgate, probably the marina with the worst reputation if we are to believe reports on these boards.

 

[Bobc]

I spent a few nights there recently and found the staff friendly, helpful, and efficient. They even made me and SWMBO a cup of tea while they were checking us in.

 

[Tidewaiter2]

If my marina fee rises next year I'm holding you responsible!

+1,tell Seajet to stop letting everyone know how good it is!
Go to Northney Marina!

 

[Seajet]

+1,tell Seajet to stop letting everyone know how good it is!
Go to Northney Marina!

For the right boost to the seajet retirement funds, Emsworth could suddenly become truly awful, built on the site of an old plague quarantine swamp, before that a Red Indian Burial Site...

 

[Champagne Murphy]

I spent a summer in Dover; the smoke from the thousands of HGVs rumbling only a few yards from the marina is much worse than the smoke you are talking about.

As for Ramsgate, probably the marina with the worst reputation if we are to believe reports on these boards.

If I read the OP's query correctly he was looking at destinations, not start points! (and Ramsgate's alright, except in a SEerly!)

 

[Tidewaiter2]

For the right boost to the seajet retirement funds, Emsworth could suddenly become truly awful, built on the site of an old plague quarantine swamp, before that a Red Indian Burial Site...

Enough, or I'll force you to anchor off East Head every sunny Sunday afternoon for a whole 'summer'!
And lock out of Chi Marina beforehand too!
Don't forget, Apulderum Sewage works has been on overspill discharge all summer too!

 

[aquaholic]

I spent a summer in Dover; the smoke from the thousands of HGVs rumbling only a few yards from the marina is much worse than the smoke you are talking about.

As for Ramsgate, probably the marina with the worst reputation if we are to believe reports on these boards.

Unjustified reputation in my view, yes it's run by the local authority which isn't always best, but has a lot going for it. We are regular visitors so maybe a little biased but i look forward to a night in the Belgian bar

 

[Talbot]

I keep my boat in Brighton for the following reasons>

Ease of access from Gatwick airport (frequent trains to Brighton, and buses from that station direct to the marina).
Friendly and helpful marina staff.
Good restaurant and supermarket access.
The marina charges are lower than the solent.
free use of other premier marinas for more days than I need.

The bad part of this>

No ability to get my boat out of the water.
Sailing destinations are a day away. (although I have ben quite happy to single hand to both the solent and Cherbourg from Brighton).
Access to and from the marina in bad southerlies is an interesting experience, but too many people make a meal of this by waiting to take their sails down at the last minute, and then spend some time in the reflected wave area - not a good idea. The only sensible way is to punch through that area as quickly as possible.

 

[GlennG]

I used to keep my boat in Newhaven. It's slightly more 'boaty' than Brighton and Eastbourne and the best access of the three in a blow. But Newhaven is a grot-hole with dreadful facilities, clapped-out fittings, silting problems and a horrible town.

Whilst Brighton has a great town, it's not a particularly good marina. A bit Googie Withers; Within These Walls. If you're choosing a marina for its facilities and nightlife (Brighton's second to none), this would be the best.

Eastbourne's OK but well out of town. There's plenty of mediocre restaurants but an excellent yacht club.


All three of them suffer from a very boring coastline. If the wind's blowing up the Channel, you're not going out, there's no alternatives. There's nowhere to anchor unless it's totally calm. France is about 12 hours away.

There are other marinas to consider; Shoreham, Littlehampton, etc. All suffer from the same problem of a dull coastline with no anchorages.

I'd suggest that if they're close to home, it's worth trying for a year, but it's not the sort of coast that's got hidden treasures.


I ended up moving my boat up to Chatham - an excellent marina with really good facilities and staff. The Medway's a great place as there's plenty of river to play in where the weather has little consequence. Lots of interesting creeks and anchorages.