Charges on the Hamble....

onesea

onesea

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"He also gave me a Hamble river booklet showing the charge, and no it's not for a mooring, short stay, or stopping to go ashore, it's Harbour dues for transiting the river,"

I have visited the Hamble a few times (must admit not last season)and have never been charged.

I am not disputing the OP just amazed...

Is it frequently enforced?
I guess its normally included in marina charges?

Is anyone else reluctant to visit there because of these charges?
 
It's certainly given me pause on occasion. But I don't often want to go there anyway.

Never actually been charged it.

Pete
 
The few times I have visited the Hamble - usually to go and stay at the Elephant yard - I haven't been hassled for dues, just as well as I'd simply do a quick 180 degrees !

The thing is, there's very little reason to visit, unless one likes looking at nautical car parks and a lesson in what happens when over development is allowed.
 
Seajet said:
The few times I have visited the Hamble - usually to go and stay at the Elephant yard - I haven't been hassled for dues, just as well as I'd simply do a quick 180 degrees !

The thing is, there's very little reason to visit, unless one likes looking at nautical car parks and a lesson in what happens when over development is allowed.
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Hello Grumpy!

The Hamble has good walks, a couple of superb restaurants, great cooked breakfast, friendly pubs, a well stacked chandlery or two and ample berthing. No reason to visit at all.

We go there several times a year. Normally over a weekend when all the racing crowd have come over to the Isle of Wight. I have never been charged fees for using the river.
 
I wouldn't touch the Hamble with a bargepole!! Nasty place, hateful inhabitants, appalling cuisine, rubbish atmosphere. Stay well away!!

And whilst you're at it, please don't come any further west than Ramsgate, or further east than Portland.

:D:D:D
 
Ex-SolentBoy said:
Hello Grumpy!

The Hamble has good walks, a couple of superb restaurants, great cooked breakfast, friendly pubs, a well stacked chandlery or two and ample berthing. No reason to visit at all.

We go there several times a year. Normally over a weekend when all the racing crowd have come over to the Isle of Wight. I have never been charged fees for using the river.
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Where do you stay then ?!

Bursledon has the dubious Jolly Sailor, or the other place - The Spinnaker ? - went through some sort of change rendering it unattractive, I forget the details it was a while ago.

Warsash had a good pub when I did a course there, but I didn't see anywhere handy for visiting boats; that was 1992.
 
Seajet said:
Warsash had a good pub when I did a course there, but I didn't see anywhere handy for visiting boats; that was 1992.
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Oddly enough I suspect things might have changed in the intervening 20 years.

When the windscreen imploded on my mate's 18' speedboat and we needed to stop somewhere to wash the blood off, we went to Warsash and moored at the jetty in front of the harbour office.

Pete
 
Apart from during emergencies, is said jetty available for overnight stays ? It wasn't when I was last there, as you say 20 years ago.

Compared to other places on the Solent there's not much to attract visitors to the Hamble, or Southampton Water for that matter.
 
Seajet said:
Where do you stay then ?!

Bursledon has the dubious Jolly Sailor, or the other place - The Spinnaker ? - went through some sort of change rendering it unattractive, I forget the details it was a while ago.

Warsash had a good pub when I did a course there, but I didn't see anywhere handy for visiting boats; that was 1992.
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I normally berth at Port Hamble marina, eat dinner in La Dolce Vita, drink beer in the White Hart and breakfast at the Galley Cafe.
 
Seajet said:
Apart from during emergencies, is said jetty available for overnight stays ? It wasn't when I was last there, as you say 20 years ago.
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No idea. We only stopped to pull the pieces of glass (luckily cubed safety glass) from the driver's face and rinse him off in the harbour office loos, then we went to the Rising Sun for lunch. That fortified him sufficiently to take the helm back to our launch point on the Itchen.

Seajet said:
Compared to other places on the Solent there's not much to attract visitors to the Hamble
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Not gonna argue with that :)

Pete
 
I have to say that since recently returning to Solent after 10 years away, I find that the "money-grabbing" by just about everyone has gone way too far.

I shall be off again soon.
 
onesea said:
"He also gave me a Hamble river booklet showing the charge, and no it's not for a mooring, short stay, or stopping to go ashore, it's Harbour dues for transiting the river,"

I have visited the Hamble a few times (must admit not last season)and have never been charged.

I am not disputing the OP just amazed...

Is it frequently enforced?
I guess its normally included in marina charges?

Is anyone else reluctant to visit there because of these charges?
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Just for confirmation, here is a scanned image of the page he showed me, it's not so much the charge, it's the officious way he came alongside boarded my boat to tell me he wanted money, at the time I thought if I was twenty years younger I would have tried a float test with him, arrogant git.

My boat is over 6mtrs loa and more than 10 hp so 6 quid charge applies, I did ask what if I wanted fuel at the fuel jetty/barge? his answer was 6 quid harbour dues. I refused to pay done 180 and pissed off out of his river never to return. this was May 2011 BTW.

Top-10_zps6c771e7b.png
 
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I seem to remember that their is a right to free navigation on any tidal water around the UK.
I always thought they can only charge you if you anchor or moor. Any maritime lawyers out there?
 
A few facts may be helpful:

Harbour Dues in the Hamble do not apply unless you touch the sides or bottom (ie if you berth or anchor (the latter is only allowed upstream of the M27 bridge). Harbour Dues do not apply if you are re-fuelling or simply going up and down the River without stopping.

Harbour Authority visitor berths, and marina and boatyard berthing fees for visitors include Harbour Dues (so nothing extra to pay). There is plenty to see and do in both Hamble and Warsash (where the Harbour Authority visitor moorings are concentrated). Overnight prices for Harbour Authority visitor berths range from £1.50 per metre per night for the mid-stream visitors' pontoon to £2.00 per metre per night for walk-ashore at Warsash (includes electricity), which makes it one of the cheapest places in the Solent to visit. First come, first served - no advance booking. Sadly, no showers (but if you want showers, there are plenty of marinas to choose from).
 
boatsRus said:
A few facts may be helpful:

Harbour Dues in the Hamble do not apply unless you touch the sides or bottom (ie if you berth or anchor (the latter is only allowed upstream of the M27 bridge). Harbour Dues do not apply if you are re-fuelling or simply going up and down the River without stopping.

Harbour Authority visitor berths, and marina and boatyard berthing fees for visitors include Harbour Dues (so nothing extra to pay). There is plenty to see and do in both Hamble and Warsash (where the Harbour Authority visitor moorings are concentrated). Overnight prices for Harbour Authority visitor berths range from £1.50 per metre per night for the mid-stream visitors' pontoon to £2.00 per metre per night for walk-ashore at Warsash (includes electricity), which makes it one of the cheapest places in the Solent to visit. First come, first served - no advance booking. Sadly, no showers (but if you want showers, there are plenty of marinas to choose from).
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Then prey tell kind Sir, why would I be asked by the HM representative to hand over 6 quid? and handed the booklet to enforce same, and told it applies even when bunkering, I have nothing to gain by lying,I had crew on board at the time who were privy to the exchange.
 
Though everything he wrote has to be taken with a very large dose of salt, Tristan Jones mentioned running into an officious prat of a harbourmaster at the Hamble, apparently trimarans were not welcome as they're too wide ( if it's true ).
 
Seajet said:
Apart from during emergencies, is said jetty available for overnight stays ? .
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Yes you can overnight on the pontoon in front of the Harbour Master's office - the ablutions block is basic, but clean and functional and of course The Rising Sun is but a stone's throw away.

The view from the Harbour Master's office is quite something - worth paying your mooring fees!
 
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