Cardiff or Swansea Marina

[lumphammer]

This summer we are planning on stopping in South Wales on our way home from Southern Ireland for our nephews wedding. The marina closest to the wedding venue is Swansea and closest to the wedding reception is Cardiff. Common sense suggests Cardiff would be a better place to stay over, but I've never been that way before so any comments about either marina would be gratefully received. We will be on a 36ft yacht with 1.6m draft.

 

[jonbclarke]

Hi Lumphammer,

I live and work in Swansea Marina but know both Swansea and Cardiff well. Both Marinas are locked behind a their own respective barrages.

The difference between Swansea and Cardiff is about 40 miles from Ireland and is about 6-8 hours sail with tidal considerations. Conversely the train from Swansea Centre to Cardiff Centre is about 1hr with a 20 minute walk to the train station from the marina so if you're tight on time that might be better?

Swansea marina is very central to the city but the operating times for the lock are only 0700-2200 in the Summer (less in Winter) whereas Cardiff offers 24hr locking so your arrival times, which will be guided in part by the tide, might make a difference to your choice I guess.

Swansea offers a better and much closer jumping off point (by boat or land) for the Gower Peninsula if you'll have time for that, the beaches there are excellent. Adjacent to the marina there is a Museum, Bars and Restaurants, Supermarkets (Tesco and Sainsbury's) and a Yacht Club in SYSAC. There is also Mumbles a short drive away for the original vanilla Joes Ice Cream (the local delicacy unless you fancy Laverbread and Cockles)

Cardiff has a great yacht club in CYBC which accepts visitors but is quite a way out of the city centre. They also have berthing on a pay as you go basis (last I checked it was literally a parking meter I think but I've not been for a few years) at Mermaid Quay which is a nice and well developed foodie area and is also closer/better connected to the City Centre than CBYC but has no water or electricity. The water buses and tripper boats run from Mermaid Quay so it won't typically be quiet and private but it's a good location. Cardiff has a much better city centre with all the amenities you'd expect of a capital city but many wedding venues are outside and North of the city so it so worth exploring how you'd get between venue and boat because that's quite a long way.

Both marinas are somewhat restricted access at LW Springs. Pay a lot of attention to tide as this can be up to 14m at the extremis and circa 6mph which can obviously hammer journey times in a sailboat if punching tide. Even Mean Spring tides are +12m. Watch for the Mixon Shoals in the Mumbles approach if you come to Swansea or Nash and Scarweather sands if you go to Cardiff.

Any questions please dont hesitate to ask, happy to help!

 

[Nessy]

Many thanks for this interesting info!

We also plan to cruise the Bristol Channel this year with a motorboat and currently I‘m searching for some details to plan our summer cruise.

Best Regards!

Stefan

MY Nautic

WYC Wiesbaden/Germany

 

[stephen_h]

Never been to Cardiff but did visit Swansea marina a couple of years ago.
Found the staff friendly and enjoyed our stay. We are a catamaran and they managed to squeeze us in.
Great location and found Swansea a great place to visit.
Absolutly loads of cycle paths and hire bikes very close to the marina. So good we stayed 10 days!

 

[oldmanofthehills]

This summer we are planning on stopping in South Wales on our way home from Southern Ireland for our nephews wedding. The marina closest to the wedding venue is Swansea and closest to the wedding reception is Cardiff. Common sense suggests Cardiff would be a better place to stay over, but I've never been that way before so any comments about either marina would be gratefully received. We will be on a 36ft yacht with 1.6m draft.

Cardiff is way out of your way, with big Bristol Channel tides that must be cheated to get from Swansea and no easy anchorage if you get it late. One punches the tide from Swansea to get to Nash Point and rise up with the 2 to 4kt tide to Cardiff or go to Nash on the last of the ebb. Nothing impossible and a normal trip for Bristol Channel sailors. We normally stopped at Mermaid quay but but Cardif Bay YC and Cardiff YC very welcoming. Cardiff Lagoon some distance from town centre but night life at Mermaid Quay is fun. One marina two YCs and a town quay with parking meter. I like Cardiff town but ....

Swansea has the entire Mumbles Bay to anchor in if too late or too early. Excellent Yacht & Scuba club by the Marina, excellent indoor market close by etc. Its near the fine Gower anchorage of Oxwich Bay with its excellent sand dunes but poor hotel/pub. As you would probably prefer to arrive at strange locks in daylight the council lock times restriction are not onerous and we have stayed on the waiting pontoon keel just in mud till tide rose enough. For a yachty Swansea is better and saves a days sail.

 

[mattonthesea]

All of the above plus:
The water turns blue to brown (flush the heads and you get a mud tide mark) as you get nearer to Cardiff; and the tide picks up so concentration is needed.

The slack water runs up the channel quite fast so you can get 7-8 hours of slack/good tide going that way. Going the other way slack water doesn't really exist. I use way points as decision markers. If we haven't got to here by then go to plan B (different for each way point).


I've always enjoyed the trip in and out - have fun