Fleetwood Marina

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loverobot

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Could anyone with up to date knowledge of the above please advise as to the good / bad points esp as it will be my first Marina and not sure really what to be looking for? As a positive it seems very good value for a pontoon mooring but the land-side and the marina itself isnt too picturesque

Any first hand experience / advice is appreciated - also if you can suggest better alternatives I am very open to suggestions

I am looking for a marina I can do day / weekend trips from initially so short hops to other marinas and back sort of thing - I do not intend on it being a base for more than a season as have other plans!

Thanks
 
My knowledge of Fleetwood isn't very recent, but drawbacks are:-
i) The very short tidal window for lock access, which leads into a rapidly flowing river.
ii) The lack of anywhere to go without a lengthy day-sail, apart from Piel Is. that is.
eg IOM is over 50 M.
I'd bite the travel bullet and look at Whitehaven, better on both counts.
 
As Earlybird says the access window is rather short, though not by local standards - this is the Irish Sea! You normally get about 3 hours but at weekends when they operate early and late lockings this can be extended by nearly an hour each side. The canned music from the adjacent Freeport shopping centre can get on your nerves. The town is a bit scruffy but homely with lots of pubs/chippies/cafes. It has been suffering lately because the trams haven't been running from Blackpool due to the system being modernised, but now they are back in business. One point to check is the continued dredging of the channel now P&O no longer operate from the port.
 
Living in Leeds you are rather stuck for good sailing areas.

Fleetwood will be about 90 mins I would think, but has some limitations as stated.

Whitehaven will be nearer 3 hours, based on it taking me 2 hours to Windermere and it taking another hour to get there when we went for a look one rainy day, it looked nice though and the bloke in the marina was helpfull.

It may be worth considering Ardrossan or Conway, they will take you 3.5 to 4 hours to get to but I'm lead to understand that they are better sailing areas.
 
The best bit about Fleetwood is the Fish 'n' Chip shops, some of the best in Lancs. I reckon that's a good point :)
 
Good chippies is a definate must plus point!

Whitehaven at the moment are being really cagey and I cant seem to get a straight answer from them regarding spaces by telephone / email - they appear to be v popular which tells its own story but they wont commit to when / if they have berths which is a prob given I am looking at buying a boat and need somewhere to put it! I may need to drive up and badger them

Had looked at Conwy partly because I think it would appeal more to SWMBO - does look more picturesque and loads of little harbours etc around that area but is much more expensive - which I may as well avoid until my wife begins to take a more active interest as I am more interested in the sailing than land based stuff save for a decent pub and meal

Should I also be considering swinging moorings ? And if so where / whats is involved maintenance of tackle (!) wise?
 
loverobot said:
Whitehaven at the moment are being really cagey and I cant seem to get a straight answer from them regarding spaces by telephone / email - they appear to be v popular which tells its own story but they wont commit to when / if they have berths which is a prob given I am looking at buying a boat and need somewhere to put it! I may need to drive up and badger them
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It seems to me that Whitehaven are always claiming a waiting list, but I've never heard of anyone coming along with a boat and actually having to wait.
I suspect the list, if it exists, has a quota of people that haven't got a boat, and then don't take up a berth when one does get offered.
Also, the Marina won't like to openly admit it isn't full.
Could be wrong of course!!
 
It's been a good 10 years since we were in Fleetwood, but the worst thing (apart from the short tidal window) is that there's quite a long buoyed channel to reach deep water. For a small sailing boat, you usually only really have time in one tidal window, to get to the cardinal bouy marking the start of deep non-tidal water and back - OR you're committed to being out until the next tide. The "retail purchase experience park" might be handy of you're there with someone who prefers shopping to shipping, and as has been said, it's a nice, homely little town with generally friendly people and nice little cafes and chippies. That, and it's good value compared to Whitehaven. I don't know if there's much fishing still done from there but it could get a bit smelly by the end of a hot summer's weekend, depending on which way the wind was blowing!
 
Whitehaven is full unless you have a small boat, Maryport is another consideration But I think I would rather be in Fleetwood.

What about Glasson or Preston?
 
Croak said:
Whitehaven is full unless you have a small boat, Maryport is another consideration But I think I would rather be in Fleetwood.

What about Glasson or Preston?
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Preston is good. Good facilities, local shops etc. Nice and quiet, and can have a wee play sail in the dock at any time of the day/year. Only trouble is access. You can't day sail, as once you're out of the river, that's it until the next tide.

I've got two boats here though, and everybody is super friendly, especially the Miller family who run the place.
 
I've been in Fleetwood for many years and agree with all before. On a tide it is 3 hours at the most, plus an extra 2 hours at weekends if you are willing to put up with the chore of locking out and in. For a two day sail, IOM, Whitehaven and Conwy are in reach. For a day sail, there is only Piel Island which runs a ferry from the buoyed moorings on weekends. The food in the Ship Inn has vastly improved with the new landlord and Ulverston Brewery is a nice pint.

The channel up to Glasson Dock is long and poorly buoyed. Also the dock gates only allow access for 3/4 hour brfore HT so a sail on the tide is not possible. I wouldn't consider Preston which is a long sail/motor down the Ribble,
 
loverobot said:
Had looked at Conwy partly because I think it would appeal more to SWMBO - does look more picturesque and loads of little harbours etc around that area but is much more expensive -
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The price of a mooring should tell you how popular the place is, ie Conway is more expensive for a reason, but you knew that.

Preston is cheap for a reason too, it's 16 miles to the sea so as Nathan says you can't day sail, and he should know. The bloke in the brokerage told me it's more of a storage place than a Marina which sums the place up.
 
Ok..Just in

Whitehaven will be creating some new pontoons next week so there might be some more berths available, This might be why they were edgy when you spoke to them.

Might be worth giving them another ring.
 
loverobot said:
I am looking for a marina I can do day / weekend trips from initially so short hops to other marinas and back sort of thing - I do not intend on it being a base for more than a season as have other plans!

Thanks
Click to expand...

Hi
Not yet mentioned on here but have you thought of the East coast, my next door neighbour in the marina comes up to Royal Quays Marina on the Tyne from Leeds in 1 1/2 hrs as its all motorway and duel carriage.

We have 24/7 access to the sea with good marina facilities/ security and fish and chips! .

Mike
 
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