Marina moorings frustration.

G

garryhulse1

New Member
Joined
25 Sep 2008
Messages
16
Location
Conwy, Wales,United Kingdom
Visit site
Dont know how many of you out there experience difficulties in obtaining moorings ? I live in Conwy & cant get a mooring just on a long line waiting list, my yacht is currently moored up in Southport so you can imagine the travel involved to get some sailing in. The most frustrating thing is in Conwy there are hundreds of craft tied up to moorings and are never used except for maybe 1 or 2 weekends in the year by visitors it,s ok if your well off & can afford to do that why they have boats i'll never know !! but it is so frustrating for local residents that cant get a place anybody else suffering !!
 
We went to our marina, which apparently had a waiting list, as visitors for a month. We then decided to stay and they said OK. Get friendly with them, keep asking and asking with a big smile. Perhaps get a winter berth there when other boats have come out and then you will be in line when a space crops up the spring. Existing paying customers get priority I reckon.

The number of unused boats in marinas is always high but on the basis of retirements, deaths, sales, moving then most places must have a few slots each year.
 
Tried the smiling & getting to know all but to no avail i am convinced they will give priority to a guy in a flash car & posh posers boat, & they can charge the non resident double the price to fill the local council coffers !! without being parocial i think local residents should have some form of priority what do you say ??
 
Getting to know can work. Ask if you can winter up onshore now and be seen to work on or just look after your boat during the winter months. They need the money. It worked for me and this spring in the water we went with a permanent berth.
 
[ QUOTE ]
without being parocial i think local residents should have some form of priority what do you say ??

[/ QUOTE ]

They do, in the form of greatly reduced mooring rates
 
[ QUOTE ]
. The most frustrating thing is in Conwy there are hundreds of craft tied up to moorings and are never used except for maybe 1 or 2 weekends in the year by visitors it,s ok if your well off & can afford to do that why they have boats i'll never know !! but it is so frustrating for local residents that cant get a place anybody else suffering !!

[/ QUOTE ]

Problem is - what do you do with an older boat you cant sell or only use a little part of the time? Cant put them in the wheelie bin. So you often see boats at south coast marinas where the value of the boat is less than the mooring fee and the weed round the waterline has been there for years.

Our club has plenty of land - so instead of having the moorings clogged up, we have the boatyard clogged with as fine a collection of old rubbish as you will ever sea. Old Westerley 25s for example - 3 of them.etc etc.
 
Agreed, all we ask is the publication of a logical set of rules (which many don't) and then stick to it (which many don't?)

In fairness, most mooring authorities with 'economical moorings' and long waiting lists would love to evict manky old boats with seaweed streeming from the hull, often there because it's cheaper than going ashore. It's really difficult for them to prove a boat isn't being used, even when it clearly isn't.

My other pet hate is mooring authorities that put you to the back of the list everytime you want a different (bigger, smaller, deeper, shallower) mooring. This is particularly annoying if you dont ask until thoughts of a boat change enter your head. It forces you to join multiple lists just incase.

Much better to allocate everyone a priority / position in queue based on the initial application (after Y years you qualify for a 7m mooring, after Y years you qualify for a 9m mooring etc)
 
Drifting from your original point, I know - sorry - but I'm intrigued. I live in the north-west and I had no idea there were any moorings at Southport! (Years since I've been near the place, I must admit, although it's only 20 miles away.) Where are the moorings?
 
without being parocial i think local residents should have some form of priority what do you say ??

I say when you come to my town to shop you should pay more than me! /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif ask at Carnarfon locals get first bite of the cherry so to speak. People have been on the waiting list for 10 years there and locals get pushed in above them.

However.........Port Dinorwic may have berths available, Holyhead definitely has berths available, they have put new pontoons in this year!

Tom
 
[ QUOTE ]
as fine a collection of old rubbish as you will ever sea. Old Westerley 25s for example - 3 of them.etc etc.

[/ QUOTE ] I used to dream of owning a Westerley 25. In 1989 I raced to a marina to try and get there before another guy in order to buy one that had just come on the market. He got there first /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif . Perhaps I should have just waited patiently for 20 years for 3 to come along /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Are you talking about a harbour mooring, or one of the marinas? I'm surprised there is a waiting list for either for a 22'er (from your bio).

Andy

P.S. Harbour moorings are cheaper for Conwy County residents, but not the marinas (unless I'm missing out on something !!)
 
Ah yes, I know (of) Douglas Marine. (Wasn't sure whether they were still going though - website doesn't get updated much.) I suppose Southport is indeed the nearest big place, certainly as the crow flies. Certainly a very inconvenient journey from Conwy!
 
[ QUOTE ]

Problem is - what do you do with an older boat you cant sell or only use a little part of the time? Cant put them in the wheelie bin. So you often see boats at south coast marinas where the value of the boat is less than the mooring fee and the weed round the waterline has been there for years.


[/ QUOTE ]

It's called Ebay /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

Robin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

Top