Left High and Dry on Ullswater

Yorkshire Astronaut

Yorkshire Astronaut

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We have a swinging mooring (from Dalemain Estates) at the North end of Ullswater, for our Eagle 525 sailing boat (a Skipper 17 in old money). We normally use Fairfield Marine to launch and recover the boat, and we also store our trailer there over the summer (we keep the boat on our drive at home over the winter).

Today, 3 days before we are due to launch, Fairfield Marine have phoned us up (along with many other customers apparently), and told us they have decided to "Focus more on the customers that support them, and not the ones that don't". It turns out that this means they have cancelled our launch that we booked ages ago, and literally left us high and dry 3 days before the start of the season! I suspect they no longer want to help people that have their own moorings, and don't use their (admittedly quite expensive) moorings. It's feels like they are trying to force people to switch to using their mooring, by leaving people with no other option at this stage of the season!

Anyhow, rant over, I completely understand that a business can choose what they can and can't do, etc. etc, no matter how callous and damaging it might be...

However, is anyone else on here in the same position i.e. that have a Dalemain Estate mooring on Ullswater, but they suddenly have nowhere to launch from? Any suggestions anyone?
 
I’ll make the assumption that along with most businesses they are under pressure, with staff shortages, supply delays and increased costs. I have had to increase my fees to clients, and also dropped the ones that are not cost effective anymore: upsets people, but everyone wants things today and for cheap - not anymore. Doesn’t help if you have been let down, but this is the new reality.
 
I think if we had been given the option of paying more for the services we use (trailer storage, launching and recovery at the end of the season) we would have been understanding. But yes, being let down in this way does sting a little...

On the financials front, the marina is part of a large and successful campsite, and I'd suspect with the huge upturn in camping and caravanning over the last couple of years, they have done ok recently.
 
Assuming there's not another company that could launch it for you, is there not another slipway on the lake, where you could launch yourself, and perhaps take the trailer home for the summer?

Presumably running the trailer into fresh water shouldn't be the issue it is for those launching into salt sea water. Trailer launching can be tricky alone, but you do mention 'we'. In case you are averse to dunking your trailer yourself, or want to avoid it for other reasons, there are other ways around it.

I used to have a very similar size and weight boat (sailing centre-boarder), and would 'dry launch' it by sliding it off the trailer onto the ground - I could do this easily single-handed (though I was a bit younger and fitter then).

In my case I did this in coastal locations when the tide was out, stuffed an anchor into the beach, parked the car and trailer, then sat on the boat until the tide came in. Lacking tide you could get the boat down a slipway (after getting the boat off the trailer onto the ground) using rollers - inflatable ones are sold, alternatively perhaps wooden rollers or lengths of stout plastic tubing. You'd likely need a hand winch, or at least a block and tackle, on the trailer to haul the boat back up a slipway (again on rollers) and then onto the trailer.

p.s. Typed too slowly! Dunedin's suggestion sounds a good one.

Good luck with whatever you do.
 
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Ullswater Yacht Club is indeed a great club, but their membership fees almost cost as much as our mooring does, so it's not really an option for us. And besides, my club racing days are far behind me, and been a member of a socially active club isn't something we'd rather not do. I'll try contacting them tomorrow, and see if they can do a day membership and launch, but I seem to remember of the top of my head that this is something they don't do...

We would far prefer for someone who launches boats all the time, to launch it with a tractor for us. Me and SWMBO have limited communication skills in stressful situations, and I'm sure it would only end in disaster if we even attempted it ourselves! Plus, my reversing skills with the trailer are 'limited', and I would want to test them in a tricky launching situation!
 
Yorkshire Astronaut said:
We would far prefer for someone who launches boats all the time, to launch it with a tractor for us. Me and SWMBO have limited communication skills in stressful situations, and I'm sure it would only end in disaster if we even attempted it ourselves! Plus, my reversing skills with the trailer are 'limited', and I would want to test them in a tricky launching situation!
Click to expand...
Think its time to learn how to reverse.. its not difficult, hand on the bottom of the steering wheel and move it to the side you want the trailer to go, (small movements of the wheel to correct), use your mirrors and if you have a hatchback leave the boot open so you can communicate. Go to a car park with the boat hooked up and practice on the flat, 20mins and you will have the hang of it. Take the trailer home over the summer, saving storage fees.. Look at this as an opportunity to save cash!

I launch and recover a similar sized boat behind a small MPV, you don't need a big 4x4.
 
We did think about Glennridding, but that would mean we would have to trailer the boat from Yorkshire (about 2.5-3 hrs) set up the boat, launch sail her down to the other end of the lake (another 3-4 hours), get her moored and safely covered etc, travel back on the tender (another couple hours, hoping the temperamental swine doesn't conk out...), and then travel home with the trailer.

Admittedly this might be doable, but it would be our absolute last resort, as it would be such a slog...

However, someone from UYC (northern end of the lake) has been in touch and they 'might' be able to help. I'm going to speak to them later, so we have our fingers crossed...
 
Did you have some form of contract with Fairfield Marine to launch the boat. Either a written, implied or assumed contract ?

It sounds as if someone ought to hold their feet to the fire.
 
sarabande said:
Did you have some form of contract with Fairfield Marine to launch the boat. Either a written, implied or assumed contract ?

It sounds as if someone ought to hold their feet to the fire.
Click to expand...

No, no official contract, just a verbal booking made over the phone in February, same as we did last year with absolutely no issue. I have just been in touch with one of my mooring neighbours, and he was late hauling out last year (I think late October) he was suddenly told they were unwilling to help him retrieve, and he wouldn't be able to store his boat there over winter as he usually did, as they had changed their policy. So, it looks like when I booked in February, I managed to do so with some one that hadn't been briefed that they had changed things.

"Unfairfield Marine"? I have to say they have been exceptionally friendly and overly helpful ever since we first visited them, and up until this point we would have recommended them in a heartbeat. However, only giving us 3 days notice of cancellation (and the way they have treated my friend last year), has certainly put them down the list in our opinion...
 
I think it's staggering how badly they've mishandled this and blatantly made themselves look like the bad guys.

If they wanted to withdraw their services in order to incentivise you to use their moorings then they should have just said, "sorry we can't help" and "we're now only able to launch people who are using our moorings" - they could have gone no comment when you asked more or blamed it on insurance. They could have just apologised and said "this is our new pricing structure - launching is included in the price of a mooring".

By saying so clearly that "we're only supporting customers who support us, not people like you" they've made themselves look petty and spiteful.
 
Sorry to hear of your experience…could you launch from Parkfoot on the eastern shore? Should be good depth at the moment.
 
I didn't think that parkfoot had a proper slipway. More of a canoe launching site. Might be ok but I'd be worried about the trailer getting stuck halfway in mud. Maybe it's a hard bottom there.

Have you tried Ullswater Marine?
 
Regarding glenridding sailing centre, I would think that the 4 hour sail to the mooring would be part of the fun. If it's too much after the drive then park the boat there overnight and treat yourself to a romantic evening in one of the many accomodation options in that village and do it the next day. I would then drop the driver off at the steamer pier in pooley bridge so they can get the ferry back to glenridding for the car. Drive round to park foot, other one dinghy to park foot, job done and a pleasant weekend in the bargain.

If one doesn't fancy mooring singlehanded then take your mooring together and one drops the other off at park foot where there is a footpath to the steamer pier.
 
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I " nearly" had dealings with one of the Marinas on Ullswater. I had taken my cheque book out to sign up for a mooring. It was half way through the season so I casually said "I presume it will be pro rata for the rest of this season " " No" they said " full annual fee". I just put my cheque book back in my pocket and said " I will have to think about that" and never went back.
I should add that it wasn't clear from the literature and it hadn't occurred to me until the handing over the money that this was their policy.
 
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