Lies, damn lies and official marina dredged depths.

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jonjo

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Does any UK marina operator really know the depth across their pontoons? I have learned to never trust what I am told on arrival.

Today I got a discount on my visitor berthing fee on an already 50% discounted low season rate, when I mentioned that my keel sunk 1ft into mud that should not be there.
 
Budgieboy said:
Thats worth trying at Brighton ... its nearly all mud in the marina now !!!
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They were dredging the main channels when I was there last summer, but they don't seem to ever get around the finger pontoons. I was delayed an hour or two when I wanted to leave as my boat was firmly fixed in the mud!
 
Got stuck in Gosport and Brighton last summer. The main channel dredging at Brighton created a ridge at the exit to the visitor corral so when we eventually lifted out of the mud we grounded again exiting into the main channel. PITA, the only reason to go to these places is to make passage but once in, you can't get out at the right time to catch the tides.
 
Hadenough said:
Got stuck in Gosport and Brighton last summer. The main channel dredging at Brighton created a ridge at the exit to the visitor corral so when we eventually lifted out of the mud we grounded again exiting into the main channel. PITA, the only reason to go to these places is to make passage but once in, you can't get out at the right time to catch the tides.
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We draw 1.2m and found it a bit odd being told to wait for enough water before attempting an entrance.
Still managed to leave a skid mark in the mud.
Exit was a bit of a pain too
But it is handy on any passage along the Channel

Waiting for some comments on Watchet.

Are Brighton or Watchet any better yet?
 
Watchet are doing their best, but it is a losing battle.

I think their strategy is wrong, they have a long pipe that goes over the harbour wall, depositing the dredged sand outside the marina, just in time for the next tide to wash it all back in.
 
Hadenough said:
Got stuck in Gosport and Brighton last summer. The main channel dredging at Brighton created a ridge at the exit to the visitor corral so when we eventually lifted out of the mud we grounded again exiting into the main channel. PITA, the only reason to go to these places is to make passage but once in, you can't get out at the right time to catch the tides.
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The link between the two being they are both owned by Premier Marinas, IIRC some people reported being neaped on the basin at Chichester marina
 
I got stuck in Brighton last year (about 3ft off the pontoon), and ended-up getting the night free because I had to wait over an hour to float free so we could tie up.
 
Bobc said:
I got stuck in Brighton last year (about 3ft off the pontoon), and ended-up getting the night free because I had to wait over an hour to float free so we could tie up.
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As a matter of interest, can you roughly recall the tidal height over datum at the time you floated free? I'm beginning to sense that Brighton is in reality sub 1m below LAT in the visitors areas and that is a total joke.
 
Twas just off the fairway pontoon by the visitors moorings, and at LW it can't have been more than 1m deep.
 
Bobc said:
Twas just off the fairway pontoon by the visitors moorings, and at LW it can't have been more than 1m deep.
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So my last question is, can you remember the date you were there - apols for so many questions :rolleyes:

For example, had you taken those measurements say today (Brighton LW: LAT +1.7m), that would imply a drying height of 0.7m!! The reason I ask is that I've heard quite a few stories like this, which basically mean the marina is fast becoming a bit of a joke for us yotties.
 
dom said:
So my last question is, can you remember the date you were there - apols for so many questions :rolleyes:

For example, had you taken those measurements say today (Brighton LW: LAT +1.7m), that would imply a drying height of 0.7m!! The reason I ask is that I've heard quite a few stories like this, which basically mean the marina is fast becoming a bit of a joke for us yotties.
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Here's a picture from last year's discussion on the subject :eek:

dry_buoy_smaller.JPG


dunedin said:
Victoria Harbour Guernsey were the worst we found for this fibbing last year. Insisting our berth was over 2m deep even though we were hard aground and waterline 6 inches above water level
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The photos in the current edition of Channel Islands & Brittany Cruising guide 'feature' a boat at about 10 degrees of heal on the hammerhead just by the entrance
 
We frequently used to get stuck on our berth in Brighton. The reality at LW was that the boat settled into a mud berth and there was about 3 ft of water either side. It was a major pain if you draw 6 ft and want to head to the Solent as you need to leave around LW so you can get to the Looe with a fair tide just before HW (as far as I can recall, it's been a few years since we did the passage). It's the main reason we left a couple of years ago. Last time we did it we left a couple of hours late. What it needs is a group of berth holders to protest as the annual licence is based on 24 hrs access which is plainly not the case.
 
Little Grebe said:
The link between the two being they are both owned by Premier Marinas, IIRC some people reported being neaped on the basin at Chichester marina
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Yes I realise that. We got a free night and a move to another berth in Gosport because we were 600mm! into the mud when we needed to leave. Next day new berth was better, we were only 200mm into the mud whe we wanted to leave :ambivalence:
 
jonjo5 said:
Does any UK marina operator really know the depth across their pontoons? I have learned to never trust what I am told on arrival.
.
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When I was a marina manager, we had a plan which showed a sounding for every berth, which was compiled annually by chugging around in a small boat with a decent instrument hanging over the side.
 
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