Cheap overnight mooring buoys in the Solent?

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thecommander

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Rip-off Solent! Any advice on overnight moorings for mere peasants?

Newtown River - £17 a night - very nice but not worth that sort of money. Do National Trust members get a discount?

Beaulieu River - probably more expensive than Newtown?

Keyhaven? £16 a night - little bit cheaper than Newtown.

Bembridge? Need a bilge keeler.

Wootton Creek? Like the idea of staying there. Could I take a vacant mooring buoy for the night?

Anywhere else?

P.S. What's the etiquette on taking vacant mooring buoys - just be prepared to move if someone arrives?
 
thecommander said:
P.S. What's the etiquette on taking vacant mooring buoys - just be prepared to move if someone arrives?
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Yes, we do it lots of times and only ever make brief visits ashore if we do. When I had a mooring I was delighted for others to use it and once or twice I had to moor up on another until they came back or even tie up to them. Lots of threads about rip off marinas, well here's a chance for us to pull together!
 
You could always anchor in Newtown. They sometimes ask for a donation to the National Trust, but it's optional.

I often anchor in the lower reach of the Beaulieu. I believe they have an official charge for anchoring in the river, but I've never been asked for it. I've occasionally managed to pick up one of the two visitors' buoys there (usually they're both occupied when I arrive). Not always asked for money, but we were last time (and obviously I'm happy to pay for using someone else's tackle). I can't remember the exact price but I think it was under a tenner.

You have it about right on borrowing moorings, at least in this part of the world (the Scots are much more possessive!). Ensure as best you can that it's suitable for your size (ie don't pick up a tiny float intended for an angling dory), don't lassoo ropes around the buoy as this can damage some types, and be prepared to move off immediately if the owner should return (which does mean not all going ashore and leaving the boat).

Pete
 
Further east Portsmouth, Langstone and Chichester Harbours all have a lot of buoys, including some visitors buoys.
 
I think £16 a night for actually being somewhere in your boat is not too bad.
It costs money all the time, don't begrudge getting some use out of it.
OTOH, you can anchor quite a few places.
It's worth asking some of the sailing clubs if they have a visitor's mooring.
 
prv said:
I often anchor in the lower reach of the Beaulieu. I believe they have an official charge for anchoring in the river, but I've never been asked for it. I've occasionally managed to pick up one of the two visitors' buoys there (usually they're both occupied when I arrive). Not always asked for money, but we were last time (and obviously I'm happy to pay for using someone else's tackle). I can't remember the exact price but I think it was under a tenner.
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Things have changed for the better in 2016, 8 buoys have be categorized for visitor use. Flat rate of £10 per night.

http://www.beaulieuriver.co.uk/visiting

SPECIAL OFFER - VISITOR MOORINGS

Enjoy spectacular views of the Solent on one of our new visitor moorings. Located just ten minutes from the entrance, our new visitor buoys offer a cheaper alternative to our marina. There are 8 swinging moorings marked with a green V that can accommodate vessels up to 40ft.
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Solent price deflation, coming to a harbour near you soon :)
 
I'm usually very happy to pay a modest cost for an official visitors buoy - they don't cost nothing to lay and maintain, plus the fee helps recoup broader costs of river management and facilities - but there's nothing like just getting used to anchoring!

Many a night I've also borowed a vacant buoy, and only ever needed to move a handful of times when the owner has returned.
 
thecommander said:
P.S. What's the etiquette on taking vacant mooring buoys - just be prepared to move if someone arrives?
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Taking someone else's mooring really should only be a case of last resort, especially if vacant visitors buoys or adequate anchoring is available. Remember that some of the fee the person who owns the mooring is paying goes towards the upkeep of the mooring site generally, and so does part of the fee you pay on the visitor's mooring. Taking a vacant private mooring to dodgy the visitors fee does nothing to help support the upkeep and maintenance of the site.

And I would strongly argue against leaving your boat on a private mooring unattended, even for very short periods. Putting myself in the position of the owner who returns to their mooring to find an empty vessel illegally attached would not endear me to the friendly, neighbourly attitude we want to promote between fellow boat users. Imaging returning to your marina berth to find another vessel illegally moored in your space. Stay with your vessel and be prepared to move immediately.
 
jonjo5 said:
Can you give an example?
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From your link;

We also offer a variety of swinging moorings further upriver, which are marked with a yellow V. Please see below

Visitor River Pontoon and Swinging Mooring Rates

Length (Feet) Price per night
<20 £11
21-23 £13.50
24-26 £14
27-29 £16
30-33 £17
34-36 £20
37-39 £21

Last year I was charged £17 for a mooring but I suppose it is possible they have held their charges and I was billed at the lower band
 
bdh198 said:
Putting myself in the position of the owner who returns to their mooring to find an empty vessel illegally attached would not endear me to the friendly, neighbourly attitude we want to promote between fellow boat users. Imaging returning to your marina berth to find another vessel illegally moored in your space. Stay with your vessel and be prepared to move immediately.
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What is all this nonsense about "illegal attachment"?

In the vast majority of cases we are all leasing our space afloat from someone and the hierchy of subletting ends with the Crown or Lord Montagu.

The "owner" of a buoy let on an annual basis probably signed a contract giving the local harbour master a right place short-term visitors on the buoy when it is unoccupied.
 
Little Grebe said:
Last year I was charged £17 for a mooring but I suppose it is possible they have held their charges and I was billed at the lower band
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I think the charge in the £20 band has been fixed for 3 years.

£20 to moor a 35ft boat 1 mile down river from the main marina facilities and shoreside attractions feels like a poor deal to me but ok if within 100m of the marina. The new lady boss at Bucklers Hard is making incremental improvements and I suppose a more finely graded fee structure based on distance to the marina would confuse visiors. Anyhow the tenner a night deal is now one of the Solent's bargains when the weather is conducive to hanging on a buoy in such a great location.
 
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bdh198 said:
Taking someone else's mooring really should only be a case of last resort, especially if vacant visitors buoys or adequate anchoring is available.
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Certainly agree that borrowing a mooring when a dedicated visitors' one is available nearby is not on. If you did, I'd expect the harbourmaster to demand the visitors' charge anyway if he recognised you weren't the owner; between that and the possibility of having to move, there's really nothing to be gained by it anyway.

bdh198 said:
And I would strongly argue against leaving your boat on a private mooring unattended, even for very short periods. [...] Imaging returning to your marina berth to find another vessel illegally moored in your space.
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Happens to me occasionally, as our berth is on the outermost point of the marina so convenient for those on mid-river moorings to land briefly (though there is a dedicated area for that further along the pontoon). So far they've always been on board and quick to move with good grace, so I don't mind too much - very similar situation to a borrowed mooring. As you say, though, I would be pretty miffed if the boat was unoccupied. At least with a mooring you could tie up alongside and transfer the mooring strop, though of course you shouldn't have to. Rafting onto the interloper is not really an option on my berth, and of course involves additional complication when they finally leave.

Pete
 
16 17 quid a night is far too much for us. I don't mind paying that once or twice a year, or a little more for a proper marina, but 3-4 times a month would break the bank.

£10 a night at Beaulieu sounds like a winner. I'm guessing you have to be there early? Do you have to contact the harbour master or does it work similar to Newtown?
 
thecommander said:
How sheltered how these Beaulieu river moorings in SW, S winds? They look quite exposed
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The water is sheltered behind Gull Island, so remains calm. The wind can whistle across though, especially at high tide. However, on a mooring you're always going to be bows into it, so assuming you have a sprayhood etc you shouldn't be uncomfortable.

Pete
 
thecommander said:
Do you have to contact the harbour master or does it work similar to Newtown?
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Would never occur to me to ask in advance anywhere that has visitors' buoys - just pick up one that's free and expect a knock on the hull for money some time during the early evening or next morning.

Pete
 
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