Marinas on the east or south coast

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yelbis

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I am leaving brighton marina and am wondering what is the best value marina on the east or south coast, i have to travel from hitchin herts which is unavoidable at present.
I have in the past berthed at chichester YB although the lock can cause problems and the fees are high. I love the solent for marina hopping weekends but know nothing about cruising on the east coast. I do prefer a 10m pontoon berth with clean facilities. I am happy to receive honest replies. thanks,
 
I'm not a marina dweller but have visited all the below which I would have thought are not too difficult to reach:

Blackwater - Bradwell marina - some restrictions on leaving the creek at LW springs; pub and cruising club close at hand, no chandlery
River Stour - Shotley Marina - 24 lock access, chandlery, restuarant/bar at hand and pubs close by
Harwich - 'marina' at Halfpenny Quay; not sure on facilities but its right 'in town'; full access
River Orwell - Suffolk Yacht Harbour, Levington; Woolverston, Foxes and a couple in Ipswich - all have full access and full facilities
Deben - Woodbridge Yacht Harbour, tidal restrictions - lovely river, challenging entrance to river but people get use to it.

Those are the marinas; there are other facilities, swinging moorings, drying moorings of course all over the place. Loads of creek or marina hopping opportunities. I don't know North Kent well so someone might chip in about those although obviously they will be further for you to travel.

For timing, two hours will get you to most of these and some might be quicker. Worth investing in East Coast Pilot and/or East Coast Rivers for details to help you make up your mind. All I suspect have websites now.
Walton Backwaters - Titchmarsh.
 
Have just started sailing from Woolverstone (again) after 10 years on the South coast or should it just be south cost (?)
Day sailing to N. Kent coast and the Essex rivers is lovely, and sensibly priced.
 
Tillergirl has summed it up well. When we were investigating last autumn, the situation around the Orwell was as follows :

Shotley - had vacancies, some people have expressed concerns about peak time queues for the lock. Good location to make the most of the rivers or out to sea.

Levington - the waiting list appears to be dead mens shoes

Woolverstone - the most expensive, but good access onto the water; facilities are good.

Fox's - 2 year waiting list

Ipswich Haven - good facilities, and as with Neptune, close to the town centre. Drawback is 1.5hrs + to open water. Access via lock. Waiting list - not sure how long (we squeezed in having been on the list since early in the year).

Neptune - one of the cheaper ones, and apparently quite friendly. Not sure of the current waiting list. Lock and distance to sea as with Haven

Titchmarsh at Walton also looks good - not sure of the waiting list situation.
 
Haslar Marina in Gosport seems to have a fairly regular turnover. It's not like Port Solent in that it's not built up with marina housing. It's also handy for Portsmouth harbour-mouth at all states of the tide. It's probably the best option round here. Southsea Marina may be cheaper but you're exiting into Langstone harbour which has a lot of water to dump out of the harbour mouth and the exit has the Winner Bank to the east and Horse Sands to the west. The deeper into the Solent you go, the higher the prices....
 
About sums it up......

Being based in Ipswich, the 1.5 hrs doesn't bother me for two reasons.... firstly you hardly ever wait for the lock... so arguably almost as quick to be tied up alongside as Shotley, closer to the sea where waits are not unheard of.... and secondly, you are also passing some of the nicest cruising area on the whole east coast, with places like Pin Mill and great anchorages like Buttermans bay......

Generally agree with sentiments above though ref Orwell marinas.... so many nice places to sail to, from just a few miles like the Deben and Walton Backwaters to a good day sail like Burnham, plus all of the Blackwater and Colne, the Kent coast, and north to the Ore and Alde and Lowestoft... plus only 14hrs from the Belgian and Dutch coasts, and trips over to North Eastern France a regular occurence...

Final observation.... if you can handle your navigation on the East coast, with its shallows, swatches and cuts, then you can sail anywhere!
 
Burnham Yacht Harbour, all facilities, 247 quid a metre for 10m plus Gordons Tax of course.
195 quid a metre for 10m at Essex Marina, but that is stuck out in the tide and is still under redevelopment. Worth a look though, new owners......
Bridgemarsh Marina, restricted at low water, friendly alongside pontoons, bit basic , about 1800 quid a year inc VAT.
Similar story at North Fambridge to Bridgmarsh, a lot further from the sea though.
 
Try Chatham on the Medway.

It is a locked marina, but based at Chatham I have the option of going up the east coast with all the rivers already mentioned, the south coast, the Thames, Holland,Belgium, and France and of course not forgetting the Medway if you just want to play a while!

Barry
 
More marinas:
Ramsgate - direct entry into Channel, no lock
Gillingham & Chatham on the Medway, some commercial traffic & infrastructure but day-sailing in the Medway Estuary is good & the Essex / Sufolk coast is 1 tide away.
 
Thought I'd put a word in for Newhaven. Good shelter in the marina, all tide and all weather access, 300 yards from the open sea with no locks or bridges (you can even see the sea from many berths unlike Brighton). Easy access along the south coast or across to France, cheaper than Brighton. Downsides?: rather shabby shower and toilet block (although being redeveloped in the next couple of years so should improve).

Jonathan
 
Titchmarsh Marina at Walton-on-the-Naze is one of the cheapest on the east coast and is very quiet. The area is described in "the Secret Water" by Arthur ransome and if you forget your charts you can navigate in the backwaters by the flyleaf of his book! .
 
[ QUOTE ]
Fox's - 2 year waiting list

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't advise going to Fox's. They are a very good boatyard, but have a relatively small marina. The marina manager goes off-duty at 6pm or thereabouts, so people bringing boats in for repair in the evening tend to put them in whatever slot might be available. After a series of trips in which our berth was occupied when we came back, we left.
 
You've already got loads of advice, I'd just second Tillergirl in saying go out and buy a copy of East Coast Pilot, it has what seem to be very up-to-date descriptions and photos of everywhere you might want to sail or keep your boat. I have got a copy of East Coast Rivers too but that seems years out of date.
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Fox's - 2 year waiting list

[/ QUOTE ]

I wouldn't advise going to Fox's. They are a very good boatyard, but have a relatively small marina. The marina manager goes off-duty at 6pm or thereabouts, so people bringing boats in for repair in the evening tend to put them in whatever slot might be available. After a series of trips in which our berth was occupied when we came back, we left.

[/ QUOTE ]

we are based in foxs ( 6 years ) & dont find the above to really be the case.
the HM does now leave earlier than last season but might be revised
the marina is small but friendly with good food @ reasonable prices + good beer these days.
it does get a bit crowded @ the "season begining & end"
problem with electricity ( price ) @ present
all services are on-site if you req them.
access easy from the A14
 
Chandlery at Fox's friendly (mostly), but expensive.

Last time I looked into it, Haven had a waiting list for a boat of 35' and Neptune had space, but on a berth meant for a larger boat (!). And wasn't so cheap.

SYH (OK, HPYC) can be snotty, although some/most in the chandlery are friendly.

Tidemill are friendly and helpful, but visitor rates are painful, and the tidal access/sill are a nightmare.

Shotley Point's rates are scary, and they don't seem friendly. Although it's a great location for a boat, it's a nightmare by road.

Jem.
 
Suprised you think Fox's chandlery is expensive..... I thought they were reasonable (as chandleries go....)... I assume you've applied for a Fox's discount card, and got your extra 5 to 10% off?

Also, Neptune is now slightly cheaper than Haven, but not a lot in it....
 
Don't you have to be a Fox's berth-holder to get a card?

Maybe I spend too much time using web-chandlers. And Marine Store in Titchmarsh and Seamark Nunn in Trimley counting among those (sort of), there are bargains to be had locally. £57 for both Iris 50 and Axium (?) hand bearing compasses, both of which can be got for <£30. Admittedly, also, it seems that most chandlers are a case of some good prices, some bad.

Good deals (I think) on electronics there for sure the other day- Lowrance 3500/3600 with chart was tempting.

Does Neptune have parking and yard/facilities like Haven though? Very little space available, and I haven't seen the "domestic and hygiene" stuff, whereas Haven's are very good. Shame about the ugly excess of Opal's products...
 
Yep, its got a decent toilet and shower facility too... behind the card entry security gates...

Yard facilities are restrictive.... only 1 month ashore max..... but plenty of secure parking space.... again behind a card entry security barrier....

You don't have to be a berth holder to get a card.... i've got one!
 
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