Cost of Sailing

[Poignard]

I'm not. If you look at the cost of marina berths elsewhere in the UK the Solent offers exceptional value for money. The number of options for both short day sails and weeks away is enormous, as are the number of berths and anchorages with pubs and restaurants in walking distance. It offers all weather sailing for all abilities as well as a huge range of racing options and clubs as well as more training options than anywhere else in the UK. It also benefits from easy access for a large part of the population who can only afford a boat by being tethered to London and surrounding area. Nowhere else in the UK offers even half of this, so it's unsurprising other options are cheaper.

Money isn't everything, and cost is different to value

Interesting points and well put.

 

[Frogmogman]

I'm not. If you look at the cost of marina berths elsewhere in the UK the Solent offers exceptional value for money. The number of options for both short day sails and weeks away is enormous, as are the number of berths and anchorages with pubs and restaurants in walking distance. It offers all weather sailing for all abilities as well as a huge range of racing options and clubs as well as more training options than anywhere else in the UK. It also benefits from easy access for a large part of the population who can only afford a boat by being tethered to London and surrounding area. Nowhere else in the UK offers even half of this, so it's unsurprising other options are cheaper.

Money isn't everything, and cost is different to value

True. That said, I’ve just checked the cost of an annual marina berth at La Trinité sur mer for a 43 footer, and it’s €4065 pa. with the Golfe de Morbihan, and the Breton islands of Belle île, Houat, les Glenans etc there is no shortage of fabulous sailing possibilities on your doorstep. Whilst not convenient for London, vannes is only 2,5 hours from Paris by TGV.

Your point about supply and demand holds true, mind you, as you can keep a boat for half that price in somewhere less convenient in Brittany.


Mind you, it’s all highly theoretical as the waiting list for permanent berths in the Golfe de Morbihan is years long.

 

[st599]

Appreciate that short haul flights may not be environmentally friendly but wonder what the total carbon footprint must be if they can do it economically for some £30 yet an off peak train ticket Southampton to London costs IIRC some £60.

Air fuel taxation for international flights is zero rated due to a UN document dating from the 40s. I think one of the outcomes of COP may be realistic taxation on air fuel.

Many countries are removing internal flights - Germany has replaced many with high speed non-stop trains.

I think that is smart thinking
If I were footling around Europe a lot I would prefer a Spanish registered car to drive through France into uk rather than vice versa! Wot a tangled web ?

Is that not just the Geneva Airport problem but on a country wide scale? Before Brexit, UK drivers at Geneva airport heading in to France had to rent a very expensive French plated car (rather than a cheaper Swiss plated one) as an EU citizen could not import/drive a non-EU registered car in to the EU. I don't think the rules changed, so it may be the same for UK citizens driving in to the UK.

 

[DownWest]

Mind you, it’s all highly theoretical as the waiting list for permanent berths in the Golfe de Morbihan is years long.

Used to be years here too, but much less now. Friend was told 4yrs for Minimes, then got a call a few weeks later and was in.

 

[doug748]

Just a thought for some to consider.

For those that keep their boat on S Coast in a marina a major cost is the berthing.

If you like to go to the boat every weekend this is not for you to consider but if you go infrequently but for longer durations just want to tell you my experience for you to consider.

When in UK and working I used to get out on boat for a weekend about every 4 -5 wks.

Once retired it tended to be more in the summer and often for longer periods but still often a month or so between sails.

For this in 2012 I paid £11,700pa at Hamble Point Marina. Boat is 43'. Not sure how costs have increased over last 9 yrs but doubt they have gone down.

I now live in Portugal and sailed our boat down to Nazare 4yrs ago. Cost of berth here in Nazare is €1600pa inc water and electricity.

Ryanair have recently started a service Bournemouth to Lisbon twice a week with tickets starting at £4.99. Unfortunately just to drop someone off at Bournemouth is a £3 charge! Yes prices will increase and definately dearer during school holidays but in last 5yrs living here we have never paid more than £29.99 for Stanstead to Lisbon and usually its £19.99. Easyjet Lisbon to Gatwick has been about £30. All are 2.5hr flights.

Hence if you are retired and do you sailing for a week or so each time is it worth considering marinas with sunnier weather. There are lots along the Atlantic coast in France N Spain and Portugal. You just need to find one with easy links to a airport that is served by a budget airline.

Just wanted to illustrate my experience as it may give food for thought for others.

Its sunny and 19 deg here on Silver Coast at present. Green countryside as it does occasionally rain but mostly in February! Otherwise its usually consistently 6 to 10 deg warmer than UK on any day but with Atlantic breeze rarely goes above 30 deg C at height of summer.

I am sure there are many other nice and warmer places to consider berthing a boat just wanted to give you my experience for you to consider options.

I am aware of some that use there boats for just a few months a couple of times a year and they use marinas in S France (Atlantic Coast) but have there boats stored ashore. They phone marina when arriving and boat is already in the water. Suits some.

Interesting, I think Hamble Point should have been entered in the most expensive marina in UK thread.

£900 per metre 10 years ago. Anyone know the present metre rate there?



I felt sorry for the people with boats outside the UK this last two seasons, some folk here have been unable to visit them for two years. Odd things happen right out of a blue sky.






When did you last see your boat ?


.

 

[st599]

Interesting, I think Hamble Point should have been entered in the most expensive marina in UK thread.

£900 per metre 10 years ago. Anyone know the present metre rate there?

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/_assets/hamble-point-tariff-2021_1.pdf

up to £130/m/month in the water, slightly less out.

 

[BobnLesley]

Not a new idea though. We met a couple who lived and were still working full time in Leeds sailing on the Algarve almost twenty years ago who'd moved their boat down there from the west country and flew with Jet-2 to Faro almost every other weekend. To be fair they lived within a couple of miles of the airport at Yeadon and had a neighbour run them to/from the airport and a regular taxi driver who got them from/to Faro. They reckoned it was cheaper, they got more decent sailing weather and a shorter journey time than when they were driving to Dartmouth.

 

[Blueboatman]

Given the way the seabed is leased out to commercial operators from the crown estates here in the uk, I used Premier for some years and because I really really used my boat I thought it actually really pretty good value , one happy customer .
I lucked out though because I was a pipsqueek under a £1000 length jump in pricing
42 nights away when you don’t want to be on the hook in a blow , you could pop in and wait out the wind and rain ?
And fuel @ cost , pretreated for bug, yeah they were pleasant to deal with , great security too .

Rogers experience with 43ft at Hamble is in another league altogether .
The notion of just being able to pop down to the boat in St N on a sunny impromptu morning and head out for a few hours- lovely ??

 

[Sailfree]

Why Nazare? Having just been there, yes it's a nice town but the sailing options are pretty limited. You can basically go left or right, and you'd have to watch the swell carefully so as not to get stuck. Surely you get a bit bored of visiting the handful of ports that are within a few days sailing.

Why Nazare?

I was quoting personal experience on prices hence Hamble Point and Nazare.

Not suggesting Nazare for others just suggesting it's typical of many Atlantic ports with warmer weather. I dont want lots of you lot coming to Nazare and pushing prices up!

In my case because we moved to Portugal in 2016 and bought an apartment in Nazare. Then sold apartment in December 2019 (for 50% more- due to popularity of Nazare and big wave surfing publicity) and became livaboards in Nazare Marina for 18months while we had a new house build in a nearby village called Carvalhal. Cheapest living we have ever had for 18months! €1600pa for rent, electric, water and no council tax!

We have done trips South to Lisbon and North to Porto. In my case from Hamble Point I only went for extended trips East and West once and after that for 18yrs anything over 2 days always went South to France, Channel Islands and N Spain to get warmer weather, avoid rip off UK and enjoy better quality food. So in distance terms sailing from Nazare is no different from Hamble.

We are considering a 3 month trip to the med but regretfully our sailing life is coming to an end and we will sell the boat at some future date.

Hence Nazare is good for us. Personally I hate cold weather and can't understand UK sailors that live further N than the S Coast but different folk - different strokes. Inevitably I appreciate that many are tied to an area due to employments, family etc and want a nearby boat berth for weekend only trips.

Typing this sitting in 19 deg C of sunshine, clear skys and green countryside all around me! Please don't feel sorry for me - someone has to do it!

 

[doug748]

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/_assets/hamble-point-tariff-2021_1.pdf

up to £130/m/month in the water, slightly less out.

For our 13m boat, on the monthly rate, that makes a grand total of:

£20,849.40p
per annum.

PBO thinks the year rate is a lot less, maybe £1000 per month, anyone know for sure?


.

 

[Sailfree]

For our 13m boat, on the monthly rate, that makes a grand total of:

£20,849.40p
per annum.

PBO thinks the year rate is a lot less, maybe £1000 per month, anyone know for sure?

If that's true for some £19, 500 difference in price (allowing for exchange rates) that's a lot of flights or in my case when working as a consultant paid per day its more time I could take off to go sailing! No one has on their gravestone "I should have spent more time in the office"

I did not start this thread to suggest what I did would be right for others but to provoke thought regarding cheaper ways to own and berth a boat in warmer climates.

.

 

[Minerva]

I'm not. If you look at the cost of marina berths elsewhere in the UK the Solent offers exceptional value for money. The number of options for both short day sails and weeks away is enormous, as are the number of berths and anchorages with pubs and restaurants in walking distance. It offers all weather sailing for all abilities as well as a huge range of racing options and clubs as well as more training options than anywhere else in the UK. It also benefits from easy access for a large part of the population who can only afford a boat by being tethered to London and surrounding area. Nowhere else in the UK offers even half of this, so it's unsurprising other options are cheaper.

Money isn't everything, and cost is different to value

May I make a request to the admins? - when anyone requests information about sailing on the Scottish West Coast, can this post by Lustyd be an automatically posted response please?

My anchorages have been far too busy this year and I would appreciate more boats buggering back off to the Solent.

 

[Sailfree]

Pressed wrong button!

 

[sailaboutvic]

Just love it when someone comes up with a suggestion to help others out and people can't wait to put the boot in because it don't suite them ,

Our Sicilian marina for 7 months IS 1480 euros for 13 mts regarding our foot print.
I'm no expert but I say flying back and fro once a year or driving a hundred miles to a marina every week end I have a feeling we win hands down.

 

[dune16]

Interesting, I think Hamble Point should have been entered in the most expensive marina in UK thread.

£900 per metre 10 years ago. Anyone know the present metre rate there?



I felt sorry for the people with boats outside the UK this last two seasons, some folk here have been unable to visit them for two years. Odd things happen right out of a blue sky.





View attachment 125800
When did you last see your boat ?


.

Yes. 2020 was a problem getting to our med based boat due to uk lockdowns but this year we've got to her 5 times and off again this Friday. I don't miss having a boat in the UK at all

 

[lustyd]

For our 13m boat, on the monthly rate, that makes a grand total of:

£20,849.40p
per annum.

PBO thinks the year rate is a lot less, maybe £1000 per month, anyone know for sure?

That's the monthly rate, MDL don't seem to give out their annual rates but they are in line with others in the area, if a little more pricey. I'd suggest half that cost would be about right

 

[Sailfree]

Just love it when someone comes up with a suggestion to help others out and people can't wait to put the boot in because it don't suite them ,

Our Sicilian marina for 7 months IS 1480 euros for 13 mts regarding our foot print.
I'm no expert but I say flying back and fro once a year or driving a hundred miles to a marina every week end I have a feeling we win hands down.

Thanks for support.

Yes noticed that there are a fair number of what I call Knockers on here - always has been.

Yet funnily for the 11? Yrs I arranged the Scuttlebutt Cherbourg Cruise and met a lot of the Scuttlebutt contributors and they were all great guys.

If we do the Med circuit will tap you up for advice.

 

[Sailfree]

That's the monthly rate, MDL don't seem to give out their annual rates but they are in line with others in the area, if a little more pricey. I'd suggest half that cost would be about right

If it was £11,600pa in our last year 2012. I suggest its probably some £15,000pa now for a 43'. Just guessing.

 

[sailaboutvic]

Thanks for support.

Yes noticed that there are a fair number of what I call Knockers on here - always has been.

Yet funnily for the 11? Yrs I arranged the Scuttlebutt Cherbourg Cruise and met a lot of the Scuttlebutt contributors and they were all great guys.

If we do the Med circuit will tap you up for advice.

I have to say we met many from these forum and everyone except one have been really nice guys even the once I had ding dong with when met up we got on like a house on fire.
Forum some time can bring out the worst in people and other times the best.

 

[Povremeni pomorac]

Given the way the seabed is leased out to commercial operators from the crown estates here in the uk, I used Premier for some years and because I really really used my boat I thought it actually really pretty good value , one happy customer .
I lucked out though because I was a pipsqueek under a £1000 length jump in pricing
42 nights away when you don’t want to be on the hook in a blow , you could pop in and wait out the wind and rain ?
And fuel @ cost , pretreated for bug, yeah they were pleasant to deal with , great security too .

Rogers experience with 43ft at Hamble is in another league altogether .
The notion of just being able to pop down to the boat in St N on a sunny impromptu morning and head out for a few hours- lovely ??

Premier belong to The Wellcome Trust. An almost unique situation in the UK. I asked my son if he could get me a discount, as he is fairly senior there now, but alas! he can't