johnalison
Well-Known Member
The app has worked well for me in several places including B’sea. Must try harder.
Marina mooring rates around Orwell
- Thread starter DennisF
- Start date
Snowgoose-1
Well-Known Member
Perhaps joining the Colne YC gets you a decent place to park.
tillergirl
Well-Known Member
I went to do a talk at the CYC. There are a few spaces (very, very small) at the front. Fortunately I found one there. There are a few spaces in front of the hard which are unregulated (e.g. 4 of 5). Antients like to park there and sit and watch the events:
scan0005 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr
scan0005 by Roger Gaspar, on Flickr
MikeBz
Well-Known Member
Leaving your car near the hard for any length of time isn’t a good idea, especially if there are spring tides:
Groucho
Member
Interested to read this thread as I am looking for somewhere to keep a mooring at the lowest possible cost in this area. How does the Orwell area compare to the Blackwater? Is there much difference?
tillergirl
Well-Known Member
When you say 'mooring' do you mean a swinging mooring or a marina? Let's call a swinging mooring as a 'mooring' and a place in a marina as a 'berth'.
For moorings on the Blackwater there are some choices. Up at Maldon and Heybridge there are moorings which are limited to +/- 1 or 2 hours at Maldon, +/- 2 to 3 hours at Heybridge, ditto in Lawling Creek, full water at Marconi and Stone and a choice at West Mersea for 24hrs water or half tide. The cost depends upon the access. And the access can add costs; for example I have a swinging mooring but need to be a club member to use the club launch to get to the boat (there are additonal benefits). Of course you could have your own dinghy and you would need to pay for storage ashore. And there are access issues for a dinghy up at Heybridge and Maldon (mud until enough!). Cheapest will be up at Maldon and Heybridge, most expensive on a boatyard mooring at West Mersea - there are so many options. A lot depends on your budget and the kind of access you want.
Two marinas on the Blackwater: Bradwell which will limit access at +/1 1 hr LW - all dependent on draught and Tollesbury Marina is limited by a cill. There are a few moorings in the Leavings (Tollesbury) but I don't know who services them. There are also some mud/salting berths at Tollesbury.
For moorings on the Blackwater there are some choices. Up at Maldon and Heybridge there are moorings which are limited to +/- 1 or 2 hours at Maldon, +/- 2 to 3 hours at Heybridge, ditto in Lawling Creek, full water at Marconi and Stone and a choice at West Mersea for 24hrs water or half tide. The cost depends upon the access. And the access can add costs; for example I have a swinging mooring but need to be a club member to use the club launch to get to the boat (there are additonal benefits). Of course you could have your own dinghy and you would need to pay for storage ashore. And there are access issues for a dinghy up at Heybridge and Maldon (mud until enough!). Cheapest will be up at Maldon and Heybridge, most expensive on a boatyard mooring at West Mersea - there are so many options. A lot depends on your budget and the kind of access you want.
Two marinas on the Blackwater: Bradwell which will limit access at +/1 1 hr LW - all dependent on draught and Tollesbury Marina is limited by a cill. There are a few moorings in the Leavings (Tollesbury) but I don't know who services them. There are also some mud/salting berths at Tollesbury.
Groucho
Member
I was going for a swinging mooring on the basis it will be cheaper than a marina and I don't really mind the faff of a dinghy. Whether I can go for the shallower options depends on the draft of the boat I end up with (still under discussion!). I was planning on the Orwell, even though it is a slightly longer drive for me, on the basis there are more things you can see and do from there but if the Blackwater moorings were significantly cheaper they would, in fact, be easier for me to get to, so that was the thinking behind my question. If I end up with a lift keel boat a mud berth at Tollesbury might actually work quite well for me - does anyone know the actual costs of that?
tillergirl
Well-Known Member
An all tide swinging mooring in West Mersea will range from £700 to £1300pa (approx) depending upon a club or boat yard or other mooring provider and size. Tollesbury Saltings quote £175 per metre pa - that's with staging and walkways. I had a half tide mooring at Heybridge for years which was very economical but I am out of touch with the costs nowadays.
As to 'on the Orwell ...... there are more things you can see and do from there'. Well!
For a start, on the Blackwater you can have a good sail; nay a great sail. Plenty of room, none of the limitations like on the Orwell. And you can go to where you want. Orwellians will claim it is 'ok' but as Mandy (Rice-Davies) would say 'they would say that'. 
I think it might be worth asking around about a mooring in Bradwell Creek. I don't know you provide them - it might be worth asking Bradwell Quay Yacht Club. Well protected, not far to 'dinghy', a clean hard to launch a dinghy and storage close by. Tide limitation would only be the last hour of the tide, probably only on Springs.
As to 'on the Orwell ...... there are more things you can see and do from there'. Well!
For a start, on the Blackwater you can have a good sail; nay a great sail. Plenty of room, none of the limitations like on the Orwell. And you can go to where you want. Orwellians will claim it is 'ok' but as Mandy (Rice-Davies) would say 'they would say that'. I think it might be worth asking around about a mooring in Bradwell Creek. I don't know you provide them - it might be worth asking Bradwell Quay Yacht Club. Well protected, not far to 'dinghy', a clean hard to launch a dinghy and storage close by. Tide limitation would only be the last hour of the tide, probably only on Springs.
Tradewinds
Well-Known Member
The Orwell gets pretty crowded nowadays too.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
I would include road access in my judgement too. If you are tied to weekends you certainly don’t want to be fighting the traffic at the crunch points. We used to drive from Herts and the extra drive to Bradwell would have been just too much for us, though it was fine for our friends in Cold Norton.
Groucho
Member
Thanks for all the tips. I'm in Coggeshall so quite quick up the A12 to the Orwell and v close to Heybridge/Mersea/Tollesbury/Brightlingsea but it's quite a tiresome drive (though not far as the crow flies) round to Bradwell.
MK101
Well-Known Member
Depending on how big a boat you have, the foreshore moorings at Titchmarsh are good value. Restricted access - half tide or perhaps a bit less. And you need a dinghy of course. We had a bilge keel Leisure 20 there for several years. Limit is 6 metres or so I think. Worked v well for us.
johnalison
Well-Known Member
Also the Twizzle and Walton creek of course, for swinging moorings, though a more substantial dinghy would be desirable for Walton. Many years ago we had pontoon and swinging moorings in Maylandsea creek and were happy there for a long time, with access except for an hour or two each side of LW.
nortada
Well-Known Member
For me, the diverse comments on this thread reinforce the adage, Horses for Courses
The only thing I would add that as life progresses, the Horses (and their circumstances) change.
In our situation, when both in full time gainful employment, we lived 80 miles/90 minutes from the boat, which was in an all state of the tide marina berth. Every weekend we would rush down to the boat for a 2 day trip. Longer sorties when time and holidays permitted.
Then we retired so got a bigger boat and based it abroad for nearly 20 years. In the early years, we rented out and subsequently downsized our UK property and seldom visited the UK but with passing times we gradually, reorientated our centre of operations to the UK.
We spent all of Covid abroad on the boat and during this time we realised we had dreamed the dream and lived the life but advancing years were forcing change so we relocated to the UK, bought locally, sold the sailing boat overseas. Then got an elderly power cruiser, with a private swinging mooring.
But it doesn’t finish here as we now intend to spend the summers enjoying the new property and the boat just over 1 mile away but take extended winter holidays (up to 6 weeks) in warmer climates.
We have never been wealthy so have changed the use of our assets (downsized home, boats, cars etc) to match our current needs.
Yes we have been very lucky with health and family support (a 2-way street) but the key has been to live for the present but be mindful of the future and our changing needs. Additionally, aware there is no going back, we get rid of ‘assets’ that have turned into liabilities,
One old man’s musings that may be of interest to others as they progress along life’s path.
The only thing I would add that as life progresses, the Horses (and their circumstances) change.
In our situation, when both in full time gainful employment, we lived 80 miles/90 minutes from the boat, which was in an all state of the tide marina berth. Every weekend we would rush down to the boat for a 2 day trip. Longer sorties when time and holidays permitted.
Then we retired so got a bigger boat and based it abroad for nearly 20 years. In the early years, we rented out and subsequently downsized our UK property and seldom visited the UK but with passing times we gradually, reorientated our centre of operations to the UK.
We spent all of Covid abroad on the boat and during this time we realised we had dreamed the dream and lived the life but advancing years were forcing change so we relocated to the UK, bought locally, sold the sailing boat overseas. Then got an elderly power cruiser, with a private swinging mooring.
But it doesn’t finish here as we now intend to spend the summers enjoying the new property and the boat just over 1 mile away but take extended winter holidays (up to 6 weeks) in warmer climates.
We have never been wealthy so have changed the use of our assets (downsized home, boats, cars etc) to match our current needs.
Yes we have been very lucky with health and family support (a 2-way street) but the key has been to live for the present but be mindful of the future and our changing needs. Additionally, aware there is no going back, we get rid of ‘assets’ that have turned into liabilities,
One old man’s musings that may be of interest to others as they progress along life’s path.
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johnalison
Well-Known Member
Unlike nortada, when we lived in Hertfordshire and over two hours from the boat pre-M25 (and possibly double that post-) we kept boats at Heybridge and Maylandsea, initially on the stagings and later in the creek. Because of the nature of the Blackwater, and the limited performance of our boats at the time, it didn't make sense to fight the tide and so the tidal constraints at these sites didn't bother us much. There was something very nautical about having to fit in with Nature's wishes anyway. We enjoyed the peace of the creek mooring in the days before jet-skis and only when I retired did we go back to a walk-aboard marina berth, at Titchmarsh. There are horses for courses, but I don't think it does any harm to have to work a bit for one's pleasures. I might go on to say that everyone should have experience of a swinging mooring for a while, in fact, I think I will.
Laurin
Well-Known Member
We’re thinking of selling the remaining lease on our 11m berth in Burnham. Not sure if others of different sizes are available too. Works out a good deal if you don’t intend lifting out for too long (or at all) over winter.
MoodySabre
Well-Known Member
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