How do you find a mooring...?

[LymingtonPugwash]

With the sort of marina prices on the south coast now, have you considered finding some place in France or the Med where they have cheap charter flights connections and the prices can be at least a quarter of the price of the south coast?

 

[Birdseye]

Cheshire? There should be something available in north wales, and if there isnt, you can easily find a berth in south wales.

So many people only consider one area, from plymouth to the solent say, that other UK areas have plenty of space and are much more reasonable value. quite why anyone would want to base themselves in that marine NCP called the solent, I can never understand

 

[Guest]

Because that is where it's all happening old boy, what, what! /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[LymingtonPugwash]

Forgot to say.... your 33' 6'' boat would cost just about exactly £1k a year all in for the marina in the part of Greece i'm in at the moment and there are charter flights from 5 UK cities direct to the small airport only 20 minutes from the marina!

 

[Birdseye]

[ QUOTE ]
Forgot to say.... your 33' 6'' boat would cost just about exactly £1k a year all in for the marina in the part of Greece i'm in at the moment and there are charter flights from 5 UK cities direct to the small airport only 20 minutes from the marina!

[/ QUOTE ]

Would cost you the same in Cardiff. The weather is a bit worse, but its nearer home and the natives are friendly.

 

[bluemoongaffer]

Could try Exmouth. Last year the HM said he had a mooring or two. Easy to get to from M5. Close (ish) to Dartmouth.

 

[oughtoc]

Heck!! - Ok see what you mean about prices. Annual cost of berth in some pleace is about the same as I'm planning on paying for a whole boat!

So plan is to
1. apply to all the ones I want to end up in and get on the waiting lists
2. Go down in person and gently beg with cheque book at the ready
3. Have some of my friends down there see what they can find out at the clubs.
4. Get the one mooring that must be left in the country until I get into the area I want.

Looks like there may be one at Torqay or somewhere near Plymouth. I'm going to stick as near to the chosen area as we have friends down there & the water suits my lack of yachting knowledge.

Thanks for all the suggestions & advice. There will be more postings as I flounder my way through buying a boat and learning how best not to look like a complete idiot while sailing it.

 

[mikejames]

TWO GRAND ! Thats a bargain for a marina round here.
I gave up at 3K per annum for 24 foot in Port Hamble two years back.
Actually if you buy a cat or something that stays upright in mud, I think there are even spare swinging mooring spaces on the Hamble in the drying muddy bits.

 

[Seven Spades]

[ QUOTE ]
...quite why anyone would want to base themselves in that marine NCP called the solent, I can never understand

[/ QUOTE ]

Well if you lived West of London where else would you keep your boat. Just think how large the population of London, Surrey, Kent , Berkshire, Sussex and Hampshire is 13m (2001) that's just short of 25% of the population and I have ignored Dorset, Bucks, and Wiltshire. It is a long way to anywhere else so of course the Solent is going to be busy and expensive.

I would love to be somewhere else, like the West Country, but I am 1 hour from my boat and can sail in all weathers in the shadow of the Isle of White. At this time of year it is as quiet as anywhere else and it seems to me that everywhere else is busy in the summer, especially the West Country.

 

[rjp]

As others have said, North Wales has some nice cruising and convenient for Cheshire. You might get a place in Port Dinorwic Marina for a bit over £2.5k or try Caernarfon Harbour Trust for swinging deep water moorings in the SW Menai Strait.

John

 

[oleander2]

What is wrong with Weymouth?
1. None existent tidal streams, mooring is a piece of cake.
2. Relatively few commercial ships
3. Cheap moorings, £400 a year.
4. Best sailing waters in Northern Europe. see YBW NEWS PAGE
5. Short hop to Alderney

 

[jcmmarine]

Pleanty out there - But you get what you pay for.

Basically it come down to cost/location/facilities.

You do not stipulate your constraints.

Good sailing, good facilities, good price; go North.
Reasonable sailing, reasonable facilities, reasonable price; go East.
Fair sailing, good facilities, ridiculous price, go South.

If you say what facilities you want, distance you are prepared to travel and what you are prepared to pay then we could give you good advice

 

[CSFenwick]

We live in Cheshire and keep our boat in North Wales and before you discount it you really should at least drive over to Conwy/Menai and have a look around. It obviously depends on how much time you plan to spend aboard but especially in the first year(s) you’ll want to sail often and having to drive that far when you’ve excellent sailing less than 2 hours away seems a shame.

You should have no real trouble getting a mooring in Conwy, the Menai Straits or Holyhead Harbour. For marinas, Port Dinorwic have berths available (if you can squash in) as do Holyhead. Holyhead marina are currently expanding and have just finished their new buildings which are so nice we're moving there from Conwy next month. Holyhead and Port Dinorwic are the cheapest marinas (with availability) on that coast at around £2,500 for a 10m boat. Of course North Wales has brutal tides but take your time to get to know them and the rest of the country seems like a doddle. If you can get a mooring in the straits between Menai Bridge and the Gazelle then it’s extremely sheltered – albeit the water moves past you at 3 knots for most of the time! – and you have easy access beyond Puffin Island to the sheltered waters on the E side of Anglesey.

You could always give Conwy School of Yachting a call and arrange a week-end on one of their boats to try to learn a little bit about the area before you decide?

http://www.nwvyc.org.uk/visitors/moorings.htm Gives an excellent overview of how to find a place to keep your boat on that coast should you decide to give it a go.

 

[jb2006]

In 2005 we were in Gosport on a monthly mooring for about £500 a month on a "temporary" mooring then out of the water for a lot less at the quiet Quay Lane yard over winter till we got offered a "permanent" marina contract in 2006 as existing customers. Marina prices in the Solent are shocking, but we still pay them.

Where there's a will there's a way Grub... welcome to the forums

 

[StugeronSteve]

There is nothing wrong with Weymouth, infact it is one of my favourite "central" S. Coast harbours. As I live a long way from the boat Weymouth wouldn't suit me, because everywhere is <4-5hrs sail away (swmbo hates there and back in a day, she likes to feel that we have been somewhere). I can drive down to the Solent on Saturday morning and have a choice of destinations, all within 2-3hrs. This is particularly important on Sunday as the boat can be back in its berth early afternoon, cleaned and shut up, allowing me to get home at a reasonable time.

The road system between the Solent and E. Mids is also good and doesn't tend to grind to a halt at Bank Holidays a la M5 and W. Country routes.

 

[Gin]

Wherever you finally decide to moor, I recommend joining a club first.

This will give you local knowledge and back-up if you have problems beyond your experience or ability to deal with alone.

Also if you choose wisely you will certainly find that Club moorings are far cheaper than commercial ones/marinas- which if you choose the South Coast can be astronomically high.

I am sure you can find a club nearer home- so do try that first as it will at least give a cost reference point.

Best of luck