Buckler's Hard Redevelopment

Lucky Duck

Lucky Duck

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Plans announced to increase the number of berths in the marina and connect the 'island' pontoons just upstream to the shore.

The immediate downside, if I have read the announcement correctly, is the place will be shut over the next two winters when the mooring charges are eminently far more reasonable

https://www.beaulieuriver.co.uk/redevelopment/
 
Little Grebe said:
Plans announced to increase the number of berths in the marina and connect the 'island' pontoons just upstream to the shore.

The immediate downside, if I have read the announcement correctly, is the place will be shut over the next two winters when the mooring charges are eminently far more reasonable

https://www.beaulieuriver.co.uk/redevelopment/
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I note that they say that people no longer like to raft... I do remember being a long way from shore at Poole years ago and not being too concerned (nor were those inside us). Earlier this year we were moored up when a French regatta came in. We ended up with six boats outside us. Each had 5/6 persons on board so the footfall over our bows was interesting. All were pleasant and courteous and we were invited to their ‘party’ ashore complete with travelling brass ensemble. All very nice. Rafting can be fun.
Furthermore they (apparently) locked out at 0700 the next morning but I was totally unaware, possibly the sign of a good night...
 
dslittle said:
I note that they say that people no longer like to raft... I do remember being a long way from shore at Poole years ago and not being too concerned (nor were those inside us). Earlier this year we were moored up when a French regatta came in. We ended up with six boats outside us. Each had 5/6 persons on board so the footfall over our bows was interesting. All were pleasant and courteous and we were invited to their ‘party’ ashore complete with travelling brass ensemble. All very nice. Rafting can be fun.
Furthermore they (apparently) locked out at 0700 the next morning but I was totally unaware, possibly the sign of a good night...
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For me that’s certainly true - I dislike rafting now when twenty years ago I saw it as part of sailing up upsides socially. Not sure why I’ve changed apart from age and having bigger boats (which moves your mental picture of the boat from being a tent in a campsite to being your own house)
 
Looks good to me!

I'm not keen on rafting it must be said. It's inconvenient at best, a ruddy nuisance at worst. Not that I won't, of course, and I'd never try and prevent another (suitable) vessel rafting to us if the situation warranted it but, for example, having to wake some poor old Dutch bloke up a couple of hours after he'd completed a single handed overnight North Sea crossing wasn something I was particularly happy about having to do! (He'd rafted to us very neatly and without us being aware of his arrival despite my being a light sleeper! No problem with that at all but unfortunately we had to be on our way!)

I like Bucklers Hard, a lot and the only down side of this expansion scheme from my p.o.v. is the replacement of the surpisingly (relatively) cheap river pontoon visitor moorings with marina price walk ashore pontoons, more convenient though they may be
 
It is going to be a hell of a walk from the outer reaches of the new pontoons to the shore ramp. .....Best take a packed lunch with you if you go for a shower.
 
Having the mid stream pontoons provides a quieter mooring for the night at a budget price so a shame to lose this choice however the shore linked pontoons would have elec and water so some benefits but at a price!
 
Yes, it seems redevelopment is afoot in a grand way in the Solent. I am not keen on the Lymington Town Quay redevelopment, especially as everyone I mentioned it to there seems to think it's purely a cash grab effort, but I would guess they have to take what they can with limited council funding. Allegedly there will be some "affordable" berths left on the outside of the pontoon. If it goes the same way as Yarmouth (which was about £28 recently for a 24' boat including electricity surcharge—I'm sure I remember paying £20 tops with electricity only 2-3 years ago) I shall probably take my custom elsewhere... indeed, if the difference between the quay and the extravagant luxury of the facilities at Berthon goes from x2 to near parity, I doubt the former will compete from me.

On rafting, I don't mind it at all—and indeed have met some lovely people by doing so. In a place like Yarmouth it is very much expected, but I must say I do slightly grate at being charged full marina rates (as they now do) when I'm rafted three deep...

To return to the original subject—hadn't heard about the Beaulieu redevelopment now, but of course it's been going that way for a while. It's a lovely place to spend a night on a buoy, but unfortunately their 'interesting' policy of giving the "TransEurope" discount from which I benefit to marina visitors but not to buoy users makes it cheaper for me to duck into the marina, so, on my last visit, I did...

William
 
The loss of the mid-stream pontoon is a shame.
It’s a quiet spot that feels more like waterworld, and less like a boat car park.
Requiring the tender to go ashore makes it a mini-adventure.
 
FlowerPower said:
The loss of the mid-stream pontoon is a shame.
It’s a quiet spot that feels more like waterworld, and less like a boat car park.
Requiring the tender to go ashore makes it a mini-adventure.
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And it’s often easier to get on to rather than wrestling with the current on the walk ashores by the fuel pontoon, or in the normal marina berths.

When we had a berth in Bucklers Hard, you had to be alert when the river was in full flow.

Garold.
 
Refurb is well needed - i'm just gobsmacked they got planning permission and all the required environmental consents to do such enormous works in the middle of New Forest & protected areas/waters!
 
ocdale said:
Refurb is well needed - i'm just gobsmacked they got planning permission and all the required environmental consents to do such enormous works in the middle of New Forest & protected areas/waters!
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I seem to remember that they are pretty much the "planning department" for the area.
 
ocdale said:
Refurb is well needed - i'm just gobsmacked they got planning permission and all the required environmental consents to do such enormous works in the middle of New Forest & protected areas/waters!
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If you own Beaulieu estate, the river and the marina I guess these are not a problem.
 
They've refurbed the loos and showers there recently, and they easily equal the best of the other facilities available in the Solent (yup, as good as Berthon). Good to see they are making it easy for vessels to join them. I hope that part of the works includes dredging the area at the SE end of the visitor's pontoon.
 
RobF said:
They've refurbed the loos and showers there recently, and they easily equal the best of the other facilities available in the Solent (yup, as good as Berthon).
Click to expand...
Agreed. Really good.

RobF said:
I hope that part of the works includes dredging the area at the SE end of the visitor's pontoon.
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Hoho. I ran aground there, rudder first then all ... mid-springs ebb, earlier this year, we went from floating all in control. to totally lost it, in 30 seconds of mayhem. No harm done but 3+ hour wait to float again, a bit embarrassing and completely unnecessary. Locals probably know it's very shallow but not mentioned in the pilot or on the chart. A port hand withy at a cost of say, £5, would have done the job.
 
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