Elessar
Well-known member
To be fair you have pointed out the “be careful what you wish for” flaw in my plan!!!
I am now over £80/night in the popular spots now and that smarts. Thank goodness I have an anchor.
marina day rates south coast
- Thread starter Birdseye
- Start date
I am now over £80/night in the popular spots now and that smarts. Thank goodness I have an anchor.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
This year I want to do a SH round Uk trip for a 3rd time . I normally do the channel run by crossing to Boulogne from Dover then Dieppe, Le Havre, Cherbourg, St Peter Port, Then Falmouth, Newlyn etc. if carrying on round. This gets me past the busy & expensive Solent & I get a foreign holiday.
However, the hassle of Brexit & covid entry, exit etc. may mean I decide to stay on the UK side for a change.
I do not want to end up paying fortunes for my berths but I MUST go into marinas on every stop. (do not suggest anchoring). I also want to be sure that I will find a berth & not be barred due to being full. Not what one wants at 23-00 hours. (another reason for avoiding the Solent in the past). Preferably these need to be 24 hour ones as I am single handed & I want to go straight in with my 1.800 draft, (10.45 boat) rather than get stuck waiting for tide, when tired & it is windy. I am quite happy sailing 60 mile hops & sometimes do 80 M ones, but I always sail a day & rest a minimum of one day. 2 days if over 60 miles- I am 75 after all.
So leaving Dover can someone suggest the order of ports that I should use within those limits, to get along the channel coast. I have never done it before & it would be nice to see a couple of interesting places on the way, exploring on the bike if possible. But not if it is going to break the bank. I need to do it as efficiently as possible, both sailing & financially.
Any ideas please?
However, the hassle of Brexit & covid entry, exit etc. may mean I decide to stay on the UK side for a change.
I do not want to end up paying fortunes for my berths but I MUST go into marinas on every stop. (do not suggest anchoring). I also want to be sure that I will find a berth & not be barred due to being full. Not what one wants at 23-00 hours. (another reason for avoiding the Solent in the past). Preferably these need to be 24 hour ones as I am single handed & I want to go straight in with my 1.800 draft, (10.45 boat) rather than get stuck waiting for tide, when tired & it is windy. I am quite happy sailing 60 mile hops & sometimes do 80 M ones, but I always sail a day & rest a minimum of one day. 2 days if over 60 miles- I am 75 after all.
So leaving Dover can someone suggest the order of ports that I should use within those limits, to get along the channel coast. I have never done it before & it would be nice to see a couple of interesting places on the way, exploring on the bike if possible. But not if it is going to break the bank. I need to do it as efficiently as possible, both sailing & financially.
Any ideas please?
doug748
Well-known member
It's a tough ask in the West Country. After Weymouth you have the choice of Torbay or Dartmouth then Plymouth, Falmouth and Newlin (it's not the Ritz). After setting out from Falmouth or Newlin you have 100 or 70 ish miles to Padstow (which has a lock and no marina so does not qualify really) or it's over 150 miles to South Wales.
You may be able to lie alongside a pontoon overnight in Salcombe, Fowey or even the Yealm but no marina facilities and in the lap of the God's anyway.
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You may be able to lie alongside a pontoon overnight in Salcombe, Fowey or even the Yealm but no marina facilities and in the lap of the God's anyway.
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Daydream believer
Well-known member
Not worried after Newlyn. ( I actually love Newlyn) I go straight to Milford Haven.(106 miles took 18 hours & i was sea sick both times) Then Dún Laoghaire ,120M & 20 & 22 hours so not too bad. On both trips my average speed inc in & out of ports was a fraction under 6kts but I do work the tides as much as possible & of course I cut the corner & motor through the Cally Canal, due to lack of decent safe harbours further north, which keeps the average up.
It is the S coast that is the issue with the extra traffic. So I would like to keep to legs where I do not have to catnap. I was nearly run down crossing from St PP to Falmouth one year. It is a very busy section. Plus traffic is spread out & is not so tight as in the Dover Strait so watch keeping is much more intense. Not so much traffic in the Irish sea & the northern part of the Bristol Channel so I can do longer legs
westhinder
Well-known member
When I did my Round Britain I did the South coast with a non-sailing partner or solo. My itinerary was Dover, Eastbourne, Gosport, Lymington, Portland, Dartmouth, Yealm, Fowey, Falmouth, Newlyn and from there straight to Kilmore Quay with a good crewman. A constant stream of depressions slowed me down, so I sadly had to skip the Scilly Isles when a short weather window presented itself. Newlyn-Kilmore Quay was just over 24 hours.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Unfortunately I cannot do Scilly Islands as there is no marina.
dgadee
Well-known member
Newlyn to Arklow would be my choice. Kilmore Quay means you have tidal issues turning north. But it does have great fish and chips. Then, get up the coast as quickly as possible to hide behind the harbour wall at Donaghadee (so long as no east in the wind).
Daydream believer
Well-known member
But that is not the south coast along the Channel, which is what I was asking about. Plus Arklow is not the place to enter at night in a blow. So further north is better & Ardglass ( nice chip shop there) & Glenarm are better bets after Dun loaghaire although one has to be carefull getting in & out of Ardglass. Then Bally Castle & on to Croabh haven.
dgadee
Well-known member
Arklow would be my choice. Ardglass if you can't get in to anchor at Audrey's Castle past Strangford (lovely). Glenarm has nowhere to eat but does have two pubs. Then Gigha if you are going to Croabh.
I was just responding to other comments. South coast has plenty of choice past the Solent. Just pray for no westerlies.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
I cannot anchor & I can eat on board. However, in one of the pubs one can order a takeaway & eat it in the pub provided one buys a pint at the pub & they will even suply knives & forks etc
I did not know that there was a marina at Gigha. I have stopped at Port Ellen- but never again.
Dutch01527
Well-known member
Spent a lot of last summer in Devon/Cornwall and the Solent On a 12m boat. prices were about £50 a night give or take. Biggest issue was many places would not take bookings even with pre payment.
Frogmogman
Well-known member
Sorry, have I missed something? Why can’t you anchor ? It seems like a massive constraint.
dgadee
Well-known member
Gigha has pontoons, bouys and space to anchor.
Yes, Glenarm had a takeaway. Never fancied the look of it. Not sure if it's still there.
chrishscorp
Well-known member
A couple of marinas in Gosport and there is also Gunwharfe on the Pompey side so you should always be able to find a spot in there, we have pontoon at our club Hardway and we take visitors but at 1.8M draft that would be tidal.
Lymington I think the Dan Bran pontoon was bookable last year, there are some finger berths in Yarmouth that are bookable but not many.
Bembridge is definitely bookable and is a nice area to explore but there is a bar to the entrance but live height data over the bar is available on their website
Cowes will have a number of pontoon options, Shepherds would be ok midweek for a single hander, on a weekend it could be stressful as it will completely fill up rafted 5 deep.
Dont want to teach you to suck eggs but there is a submarine barrier in the Solent, its on all the charts but you will need to look for it as it is very poorly indicated and it will happily take your keel off.
Lymington I think the Dan Bran pontoon was bookable last year, there are some finger berths in Yarmouth that are bookable but not many.
Bembridge is definitely bookable and is a nice area to explore but there is a bar to the entrance but live height data over the bar is available on their website
Cowes will have a number of pontoon options, Shepherds would be ok midweek for a single hander, on a weekend it could be stressful as it will completely fill up rafted 5 deep.
Dont want to teach you to suck eggs but there is a submarine barrier in the Solent, its on all the charts but you will need to look for it as it is very poorly indicated and it will happily take your keel off.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Funny you should say that. There was a sewerage outfall pipe on the north bank of the Crouch towards the mouth ( forget the exact position) it used to be well marked with a post at the end. Back in the 70s I hit it & whilst crewing races with others, when tacking along the shore. It just seem that one gets the red mist & totally forgets to look where one is going. Everyone knew it was there, but many liked to think that they NEVER hit it
. But if you did not, then you were too far out in the tide. Just as well most boats were long keel & not thin fin.
awol
Well-known member
Not anchoring and being unable to heave-to takes away 2 of the solutions to some of the myriad of clusterfucks that can occur never mind the opportunities for relaxation. Enjoy your trip!
James_Calvert
Well-known member
We used to keep our boat on the Medway but start our holidays from the Solent or West Country so used to do similar passages pretty much every year.
I'd suggest starting from Ramsgate rather than Dover. Then Eastbourne (or Brighton, but I think there's a silting problem there now). No one's mentioned Cowes as a Solent stop off, but when we used to do it, the whole of the Yachthaven North Basin was for visitors and it was very easy to get in without a booking. There's East Cowes and Shepherds as alternatives. Then a walk ashore berth in Yarmouth (prepayment required there). We used to anchor in Studland rather than go into Poole harbour, beyond Portland or Weymouth are good then Dartmouth Yachthaven or Brixham (neither are cheap).
I'd recommend ringing your intended choices a day or two in advance. You may find they don't take bookings but will find you a space if you ring again just before arrival.
robertj
Active member
I’ve heard Brixham is quite expensive now more than the current cartel rates of the rest a £40’s+
im not totally sure but finding out.
im not totally sure but finding out.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
You are right about heaving too. That is the main thing about my boat, followed by its inability to hold a course for more than 1 second, if I let go of the tiller. I am totally dependent on autopilot,(death trap) or my Aeries. Now I am getting older it can often tack faster than I can get across the cockpit if I am not careful.
Boathook
Well-known member
Both Yarmouth and Lymington would need to be booked well in advance, especially as your boat is nearly 11m long. I suspect the same applies to Cowes. Poole Yachthaven at the Town Quay is normally booked weeks ahead. Weymouth is nice but once the harbour master finishes for the day it can become a free for all.
A shame you can't anchor / be on a buoy as there are nice places to chill out along the south coast subject to weather.
A shame you can't anchor / be on a buoy as there are nice places to chill out along the south coast subject to weather.