How full is your Marina?

[prv]

I need somewhere to park it, and since that is always going to be my start and end point I have some demands as to what I want.

This is the bit I don't get, if by facilities we mean showers etc. Surely however nice the marina showers are, your own bathroom at home is preferable. So on the way out, you will have had a shower at home before you left (or if not, it's not because you were waiting to jump into the marina ablutions before getting on the boat), and after getting back you're about to drive home to where your own bathroom is waiting. Why delay that to take your washbag and towel into someone else's bathroom?

It's when you're cruising away from base that you need the facilities on offer to be nice.

Pete

 

[maby]

This is the bit I don't get, if by facilities we mean showers etc. Surely however nice the marina showers are, your own bathroom at home is preferable. So on the way out, you will have had a shower at home before you left (or if not, it's not because you were waiting to jump into the marina ablutions before getting on the boat), and after getting back you're about to drive home to where your own bathroom is waiting. Why delay that to take your washbag and towel into someone else's bathroom?

It's when you're cruising away from base that you need the facilities on offer to be nice.

Pete

We've been in this marina for the last four days. Often stay here for a week or more continuously. I go to my office from here - don't want them locking me out!

 

[Flying Penguin]

This is the bit I don't get, if by facilities we mean showers etc. Surely however nice the marina showers are, your own bathroom at home is preferable. So on the way out, you will have had a shower at home before you left (or if not, it's not because you were waiting to jump into the marina ablutions before getting on the boat), and after getting back you're about to drive home to where your own bathroom is waiting. Why delay that to take your washbag and towel into someone else's bathroom?

To save yourself a crack of dawn start to get to the boat by coming down the night before?

If you don't live within a short drive of the boat it can be the difference a 7am wakeup and a 5am wakeup.

 

[prv]

We've been in this marina for the last four days. Often stay here for a week or more continuously.

Ah, well, if you live on board without going anywhere then it makes perfect sense. Seems an odd thing to want to do, but I guess that's a mobo / raggie thing - I have a boat to go sailing, not to sit around on

Pete

 

[longjohnsilver]

Agreed.. for work reasons I use the boat at weekends only and then on holiday, but I need somewhere to park it, and since that is always going to be my start and end point I have some demands as to what I want.
I agree though that I am paying a fortune to have the boat sitting unused for most of the week.
In fact it is even worse than that, as I take it out of the water for probably 4-5 months of the year.
If you can find a nice marina where I only pay for those days I use my boat, please let me know !

Surely that's any marina with visitors berths.

 

[blackmagicthe1st]

HA!!! Visitor berths, never seen one of those!

I'm on Lough Erne in Northern Ireland and our marina, Castle Archdale, is useless. Maybe not expensive compared to your prices on the mainland but £1500+VAT with electric on a floating pontoon.

Problem is, duck 5H1T all over the jetty(and boat) so when it rains the jetty is slippy as hell. Not safe!

The really annoying thing is, for the size of the lough, if you are cruising away from your home berth, Castle Archdale is the only place within 1.5 hours to get food and supplies, it is well marked on the map to have everything. Problem is, you arrive and can't get a berth. The public jetty is always full and there are no visitor berths.

I had my boat hit and achor and roller ripped off last year, no one saw it and the security cameras that I had always though were working, apparently haven't been on for the last 4 years!

 

[volvopaul]

Just out of curiosity how big is your friends boat? Anthony asked me to move to an inside berth to accommodate a boat that was due in shortly, according to Ant and Tony they are full to the brim, maybe like us they don't turn people away and will always make space somewhere.

Cheeky bugger, it's a targa 43. So about same loa as you.

 

[OAF]

Cheeky bugger, it's a targa 43. So about same loa as you.

"cheeky bugger" totally agree, didnt really mind that much really as I have only moved to the inside of the same pontoon and at least I will be on the end instead of being sandwiched in.

 

[volvopaul]

"cheeky bugger" totally agree, didnt really mind that much really as I have only moved to the inside of the same pontoon and at least I will be on the end instead of being sandwiched in.

You may notice next time you pass my boat we have all been moved closer to each other, to the point where in my opinion it's dangerous to moor up in anything but a trickle, I've made my point to the Marina, it took over a week to get a reply, I'm not saying anymore at the moment but shall we say that owners vote with there feet in a situation like this.

 

[OAF]

Is that the reason for a Targa 43 coming to my marina? I do know what you mean!

 

[maby]

Ah, well, if you live on board without going anywhere then it makes perfect sense. Seems an odd thing to want to do, but I guess that's a mobo / raggie thing - I have a boat to go sailing, not to sit around on

Pete

Can't speak for mobos, but we're raggies and many of our raggie friends in the marina spend long periods simply living on board. We also have a boat to go sailing, but still have to go to work to pay for it. The boat, in a nice marina, is simply a nicer environment for living and working than the house.

 

[volvopaul]

No he was at cabin then at Gosport on winter rate mooring now on cheaper upper hamble, John is good at £ stretching!!

 

[Garold]

The boat, in a nice marina, is simply a nicer environment for living and working than the house.

+1

We lived a boat for couple of years when first married and there's something magical about living aboard a floating home. And if you can work from the boat too, well done.

Garold

 

[maby]

+1

We lived a boat for couple of years when first married and there's something magical about living aboard a floating home. And if you can work from the boat too, well done.

Garold

Glad I'm not alone on this! I work in IT sales and spend most of my working day writing bids and proposals - can do it from anywhere with a decent internet connection, so the marina is a very good option.