Bristol harbour festival 2010

We'll be there, don't have to even move the boat!

Do others feel the festival is becoming more and more a "music festival" in lieu of Ashton Court and less and less about boats?

This is relected in the lack of visiting craft of interest and the same old rescue dogs and RNLI rib performing on the water.

A good time is allways had though, and enough booze drunk to sink a sports cruiser!
 
Those who went last year, will get a guaranteed place this year. (Assuming they send back their invite. This normally goes out around May/June)

If you have not been before, you need to contact Bristol Harbour Tel: (0117) 903 1484

They will put you on the waiting list and tell you "We will try and get you in"

I have yet to hear of anyone being turned away, as long as they were on the waiting list.

There is a fee for your pontoon mooring (not a lot) for the whole weekend.

If you are on the waiting list you should get an invite confirmation during June. i.e.. Once the previous years have confirmed their attendance, they offer the remaining berths to the waiting list, in date of application order.

If you have not asked to be on the waiting list, you wont get a pontoon mooring and may have difficulty berthing in the harbour.

At least, that's how I understand it works
 
Last year the music did take over a bit too much.... Like when they were doing the RNLI displays and the rescue dog one, you could just not hear what was going on because the music kept playing. Might go to Cardiff or Swansea instead.
 
Just turn up

If its oversubscribed you can just turn up at the locks lock in and pay normal harbour dues.

We have done this several times,you wont get a pontoon berth but usually can find somewhere to moor if your willing to raft up.

PS just followed the link to the Festival Website. On it is a photogallery with 13 pictures of bristol 2009 unbelievably not one pic has a boat on it . The 5 minute video has a few seconds of boat footage followed by all music dancing etc,may as well have been filmed at Glastonbury but without the mud.shows the organizers priorities I think. :-(
 
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We'll be there, don't have to even move the boat!

Do others feel the festival is becoming more and more a "music festival" in lieu of Ashton Court and less and less about boats?

This is relected in the lack of visiting craft of interest and the same old rescue dogs and RNLI rib performing on the water.

A good time is allways had though, and enough booze drunk to sink a sports cruiser!

When sponsored by Lloyds it was a festival of the sea / sail with freebies for boats coming in from the channel. But its gradually changed into an event with little to do with the sea and a preponderance of canal boats and mobos. Nothing wrong with that if thats where your interests lie, but in my view there isnt much there to attract sailing boats.
 
I hear what you are saying Bosun Higgs, but there are so many events for Sailing boats and nothing for power.

If the Harbour Festival was more power orientated that's great. Its the ONLY event I look forward to each year.

However I think its good for all power and sail. We always get chatting to a mix of boats and thoroughly enjoy it

The lack of water orientated displays and too much music and art is completely wrong. It needs to be based more around the water.
 
I hear what you are saying Bosun Higgs, but there are so many events for Sailing boats and nothing for power.

If the Harbour Festival was more power orientated that's great. Its the ONLY event I look forward to each year.

However I think its good for all power and sail. We always get chatting to a mix of boats and thoroughly enjoy it

The lack of water orientated displays and too much music and art is completely wrong. It needs to be based more around the water.



Totally agree and with the stupid H&S rules they stopped the helicopter rescue demo 'incase someone got grit blown into their eyes!' The music was rubbish and too loud. Not enough boaty stuff going on.
 
I hear what you are saying Bosun Higgs, but there are so many events for Sailing boats and nothing for power.

Interesting comment that - never thought of it that way. Are there no rallies for mobos? Or cruises in company? Clearly you cant have mixed racing but thats the only thing yotties do that I can't see mobos doing.

Possibly the difference is clubs. Nearly all the yottie events are club based, but many of the clubs dont accept mobos or only a small number of them and its my impression that most mobos are marina based.
 
You are correct most Mobos are marina based.

Many of the clubs are just too sailing orientated. We dont know what they are talking about half the time, its all very technical.

Also a most, not all, of the sailing crowd dont seem to want to chat to mobos.

It does not worry me, I will chat to anyone.

May be we should create our own mobo rally !
 
You are correct most Mobos are marina based.

Many of the clubs are just too sailing orientated. We dont know what they are talking about half the time, its all very technical.

Also a most, not all, of the sailing crowd dont seem to want to chat to mobos.

It does not worry me, I will chat to anyone.

May be we should create our own mobo rally !

Who, we have the bones of nice mobo cruising group now :)
 
You are correct most Mobos are marina based.

Many of the clubs are just too sailing orientated. We dont know what they are talking about half the time, its all very technical.

Also a most, not all, of the sailing crowd dont seem to want to chat to mobos.

It does not worry me, I will chat to anyone.

May be we should create our own mobo rally !

Create your own Mobo club! Or join Cardiff Bay Yacht Club which is half mobos (and we do talk to them - have to keep to one syllable words of course but we do. :D ) or Cabot on your side of the river.

Got to admit I'm a clubby sort and couldnt imagine boating without club membership. Thats the way that yachting developed but its beginning now to change, sadly.
 
All the cruises organised by Cardiff Yacht Club are open to both yachties and mobo but, as yet no mobos have joined us. Yesterday I got an invitation to join a cruise to Gloucester later this year with some mobos. At CYC we all chat together, there seems to be a bigger divide between the drinkers and non-drinkers!
Allan
 
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