East Coast - Harbour Full

Lucky Duck

Lucky Duck

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I'm accustomed to the risk of finding a harbour full if rocking up somewhere on the South Coast on a busy weekend, but was a surprised to learn that by the first week of January Heybridge Basin was fully booked for the 2014 season bar three weekends and the Ipswich Haven is pretty much full for the August Bank Holiday.

Last year a club cruise was cancelled as Brightlinsea was fully booked for the first May Bank Holdiday.

Does this chime with other people's experiances?

I only remember finding this a problem (at Bradwell in 2002) once before in the last 15 odd years I have been sailing hereabouts.
 
No - never. The only thing I have ever booked is Limehouse last year - and that was a screw up that fixed itself when we arrived.

If the Inn is really really full, I guess go out and anchor or move to the next place. Not very far between any of the East Coast possibilities?
 
When we sailed with the sprogs in the 1980s/ 90s, anchorages like Stone Point and The Rocks were regularly packed with overnighters.
There was nearly always other kids for them to make friends with.
Recently I've noticed that these places can be popular during the day but are almost empty by evening when boats head back to the marinas.
Seems like everybody has to be back in the parking spaces before curfew.
More yachts but less yachting?
 
I have never had any problem getting a berth at Heybridge, I guess you were trying to book for a larger number? In that case I suppose they would only accept one or two such bookings for any weekend?

Ditto Brightlingsea, where last year the HM told us "we never turn anyone away", but again party bookings might be limited.
 
It was another forumite doing the actual booking, but we were looking for a spaces for a nominal six boats - so not an especially large group.

You are probably right in that a singleton rocking up may well find a space where it was not available for pre-booking.

Conversely, there seems to be far more empty moorings and berths at marinas in the last couple of years.
 
ditchcrawler said:
We (Woodbridge Cruising Club) take 10 ish boats most years to Heybridge.We do book early though.Martin generally will not turn single boats away and will find a space.
Click to expand...

Phew, delighted to hear it! Heybridge is high on our must do list for this coming season (got ancestors from there who left by sea, seems appropriate to make the return trip the same way!)
 
It is always worth giving Martin a call in advance as quite a lot of visitors just turn up, if he knows you are coming he tends to give you some priority. One year he was expecting us and one other on the afternoon tide, 7 other yachts turned up without warning. :eek:

He got everyone in somehow, if I remember correctly, a couple had to stay in the lock overnight until some left the next morning.
 
The weekend you mention at Ipswich is the MAritime Festival which is a great time ot visit. I booked last year in May and got in. There's always Neptune as well.

LAst year WMYC had our shake down to Brightlingsea and had around 20 boats, cruising in company seems to be growing in popularity, last year I tried to book late May in Chatham for WMYC and they were fully committed in January
 
Never been turned away at Heybridge, but always called beforehand. We have been rafted out in the basin, tied to Gladys and spent a night in the lock - but never turned away or refused entry.
 
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