Lamenting Yarmouth Harbour

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Nobby1

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I've just re read Tom Cunnliffe's article on the (then) proposed development of Yarmouth harbour and walk ashore pontoons. Tom's (and that of many others) wish was for the marina development not to go ahead, though it is now completed. I've always enjoyed the berthing team at Yarmouth - helpful and accommodating. With commerciality, how things change. I pre booked several berths last weekend but an imminent SW Gale 8 made me decide not to take novices into the W Solent and with 48 hrs notice, I asked for a deferral of the credits at Yarmouth. I was told that I should email and make my request; I did so, and received a flat "No" from the "Chief Executive". In the past, I can't help think that there would have been no problem. In contrast, Bob and the team at The Folly that same night could not have been more helpful, despite themselves having had many weather related cancellations. Just thought I'd share.
 
Well, I was lucky then.

Middle of last week I decided we would go to Yarmouth for Saturday. I booked Forresters for dinner, then tried to use their online booking system to reserve a berth in the harbour. The system wouldn't let me (any other day yes, Saturday no), so I rang the harbour office to see if it could be done over the phone. The very pleasant lady said that all the bookable berths had gone, so I needed to turn up and take pot luck. I was half expecting that, so no problem.

In the end we decided that F7 in the Western Solent wasn't going to be pleasant, so abandoned the trip.

Sounds like I have you to thank for booking all of the available places. :p
 
Angele said:
Well, I was lucky then.

Middle of last week I decided we would go to Yarmouth for Saturday. I booked Forresters for dinner, then tried to use their online booking system to reserve a berth in the harbour. The system wouldn't let me (any other day yes, Saturday no), so I rang the harbour office to see if it could be done over the phone. The very pleasant lady said that all the bookable berths had gone, so I needed to turn up and take pot luck. I was half expecting that, so no problem.

In the end we decided that F7 in the Western Solent wasn't going to be pleasant, so abandoned the trip.

Sounds like I have you to thank for booking all of the available places. :p
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You were right to cancel your trip. It was a bit blowy down there last weekend.

Even coming back on Sunday we had 30 knots at one point.

For those of us that were in Yarmouth for the weekend it was fairly quiet.

Also, I can't see them keeping all the guys in the dories. There didn't seem enough work for them all, now that most people are on the pontoons rather than needing to get help to get on the old piles.

Cheers

Garold
 
It is a great shame, the guys in the dories at Yarmouth were probably the most professional and helpful I've met anywhere; the way Yarmouth is run now is not exactly over-popular !
 
Seajet said:
It is a great shame, the guys in the dories at Yarmouth were probably the most professional and helpful I've met anywhere; the way Yarmouth is run now is not exactly over-popular !
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Some 20 odd years ago in Guernsey, one of the harbourmasters' staff in a dory was a delightful girl, Rachel. She went on to be one of the first chief officers for, I think, BP on supertankers and the last time I saw her she was Captain of one of the fast ferries from Pompey to Wight.

Top lass.
 
I always preferred the buoys outside to the dodgems games inside, so Yarmouth was the place we most often used a water taxi, as it seemed sensible after an evening ashore.
Are there still adequate taxis going outside at slinging out time?
 
Seajet said:
It is a great shame, the guys in the dories at Yarmouth were probably the most professional and helpful I've met anywhere; the way Yarmouth is run now is not exactly over-popular !
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I think it is still popular and regularly full in the summer. Just it's now full with bigger boats paying more money for marina type facilities. I'm just glad that when my kids were growing up there was always a gaggle of families on the 30-foot-or-less pontoon up near the bridge. Those are the best berths in the harbour IMHO but no longer available to visitors.
 
DJE said:
I think it is still popular and regularly full in the summer. Just it's now full with bigger boats paying more money for marina type facilities. I'm just glad that when my kids were growing up there was always a gaggle of families on the 30-foot-or-less pontoon up near the bridge. Those are the best berths in the harbour IMHO but no longer available to visitors.
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I took a dinghy ride up river at the weekend and I'm sure that there was a 'visitors' sign still on the pontoon on the right just before going under the bridge.

You may still be ok there. But I think it's run by the adjacent boatyard.

Cheers

Garold.
 
At the end of June I sent the following e mail to the Harbour master. This tends to confirm there lack of interest in the lower fee payers!

Re Dinghy mooring
Rather than fill out you comments form where you would have undoubtedly had difficult reading my writing! I'm submitting this in lieu.
Last year, using the green pontoon, as I usually do, I was asked to use, for shore access via my inflatable the officially designated area
near the slipway west of your offices.
However during two recent visits, one of which was last weekend this has proved plainly 'not fit for purpose' being so overcrowded that getting ashore was nigh on impossible. Not a nimble as I used to be I had to take recourse to disembarking via the adjacent rib.
Suggestions:-
Make the area larger.
Do not allow the semi permanent of larger rigid craft (obviously not being used for short stop overs) in the same area.
And, as much as I dislike notices, ask users to use the full extent of their painters.
Thank you for your consideration, Yarmouth is one or our favourite ports and I would hate to put it on the 'no go' list because of access.
Regards


Needless to say no reply
 
DJE said:
I think it is still popular and regularly full in the summer. Just it's now full with bigger boats paying more money for marina type facilities. I'm just glad that when my kids were growing up there was always a gaggle of families on the 30-foot-or-less pontoon up near the bridge. Those are the best berths in the harbour IMHO but no longer available to visitors.
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I think the trend is the same everywhere, there just seems to be fewer and fewer sub 30' boats about.
 
l'escargot said:
I think the trend is the same everywhere, there just seems to be fewer and fewer sub 30' boats about.
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Maybe its just that there are more 30' plus boats about! :)

On a less flippant note, one consequence of the increasing marina-risation of everywhere is the loss of social contact and chance encounter.

Rafted up, you're cheek-by-jowl with other boats. Whether out of genuine friendliness or polite social-awkwardness, you'll exchange at least a few pleasantries with your neighbour. Most of the time, that's as far as it will go, but sometimes you'll find yourselves getting on really well - and a new friend or good acquaintance will be made!

By way of example, my young son has recently become firm friends with a boy his own age, who we met a few weeks' ago rafted alongside his family's small yacht in Bembridge, and we've subsequently arranged to meet up etc.

By contrast, the single-yacht occupying a single finger-pontoon is a self-contained, hermetically-sealed unit, where even the most cursory of social contact can be easily avoided.

We seal ourselves in our cars, we're sealed in aeroplane-style rows of seats on trains (as opposed to the old-fashioned arrangement of facing one-another in open carriages or shared compartments) - and we're sealed off in our marinas.
 
Babylon said:
Maybe its just that there are more 30' plus boats about! :)

On a less flippant note, one consequence of the increasing marina-risation of everywhere is the loss of social contact and chance encounter.

Rafted up, you're cheek-by-jowl with other boats. Whether out of genuine friendliness or polite social-awkwardness, you'll exchange at least a few pleasantries with your neighbour. Most of the time, that's as far as it will go, but sometimes you'll find yourselves getting on really well - and a new friend or good acquaintance will be made!

By way of example, my young son has recently become firm friends with a boy his own age, who we met a few weeks' ago rafted alongside his family's small yacht in Bembridge, and we've subsequently arranged to meet up etc.

By contrast, the single-yacht occupying a single finger-pontoon is a self-contained, hermetically-sealed unit, where even the most cursory of social contact can be easily avoided.

We seal ourselves in our cars, we're sealed in aeroplane-style rows of seats on trains (as opposed to the old-fashioned arrangement of facing one-another in open carriages or shared compartments) - and we're sealed off in our marinas.
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I was sat in a raft of boats talking about this yesterday. I think the weather over the last few years is partly responsible for the lack of socialisation. Here we are at the end of June and it was the first time the weather has been good enough to sit out in the cockpit both evening and morning. We actually talked to the people in the next boat. For much of this season and the past few seasons it has often been the case that we turn up, put up the cockpit canopy or disappear down below and put the heating on. Somewhere like Lymington years ago was alive with people sat in cockpits chatting and drinking until the late hours on warm evenings. More recently it tends to be empty boats with people sat in pubs or boats with eberspachers murmuring away.
 
There is a new generation of marina using larger boat newbies that will not know anything different. Yarmouth, another walk ashore, pay as you park marina stopover.

So in a sense, with all progress,eh? Happy memories living in yarmouth, sailing ( yup) in and out, and thru the bridge, rafting, quaint charm despite its popularity. Modern marina architecture has succesfully removed all such untidiness. B O R I N G . No wonder people put up the canvas shutters and disappear below, Eber churning at the neighbours, then leave and off to the next exciting marina..
Its all a bit Mobile Home like. At least they do move I suppose.. ( and I aint that old)
 
SOme years ago we sailed into Yarmouth and the dory driver said "that looks very new and shiny" and we told him it was brand new and this was our first outing after picking her up in Poole. "Ah, I'll put you on one of the piles and make sure no-one else goes alongside you", it was mid week and he was as good as his word.

I doubt you'd get the same now.

They also seem to be the only marina that insists on a deposit which you lose if the weather is extreme - other marinas seem to take it as part of the pattern and just say they hope to see you later on in the season. Big vote of thanks to Bembridge and Beaulieu who both took this attitude.
 
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