MDL renewal.

[Elessar]

Yes that is pretty much what I was told. We are going to view berths at Shamrock Quay tomorrow so hopefully we will be back where we started all those years ago...excited

I’m based at shamrock and the team there are great.
We have a bar again now thankfully too.
A great chandlery.
A good cafe.
I often use the boat as a taxi to ocean village for a drink after work. Blows out the cobwebs.
And of course there are the fellow berth holders .....,,

 

[Soco2]

It varies a great deal between their marinas. The east coast marinas are a lot cheaper than the Solent. Our boat is just 13m and I would expect to pay around £10k for a berth on the Solent - several thousand less on the east coast. There is a small price premium for MDL compared with other big name marina chains, but you do get the flexibility of being able to spend virtually unlimited periods of time in high-end marinas all over the country.

18m at OV will be about £15400 or £1283 p/m
OV was always noisy when I was there and regarding freedom berths, I tried to use the managers discretion to stay there for 8 weeks but they just wouldn’t. Spoke to the lady manager but she wasn’t very personable Or helpful.
When it came towards my 30 days they said I needed to move on, I asked why and if I could stay longer, they said they were “full”
That was utter shit as I counted over 40 empty spaces on the south side of the marina and it was very similar the following few weeks when I went past.
poor imo.
Shamrock were much more obliging.

 

[Blue Sunray]

18m at OV will be about £15400 or £1283 p/m
OV was always noisy when I was there and regarding freedom berths, I tried to use the managers discretion to stay there for 8 weeks but they just wouldn’t. Spoke to the lady manager but she wasn’t very personable Or helpful.
When it came towards my 30 days they said I needed to move on, I asked why and if I could stay longer, they said they were “full”
That was utter shit as I counted over 40 empty spaces on the south side of the marina and it was very similar the following few weeks when I went past.
poor imo.
Shamrock were much more obliging.

Sounds like a good bit of history, the manager has been a bloke for a couple of years now.

 

[Soco2]

Sounds like a good bit of history, the manager has been a bloke for a couple of years now.

To clarify, this was 2015-2017 (3 season’s)
I’m sure people have moved on. Like I say Shamrock we’re flexible with my stays and I left it with them for 7 weeks once no problem at all.
OV on the other hand were never flexible.

 

[Blue Sunray]

To clarify, this was 2015-2017 (3 season’s)
I’m sure people have moved on. Like I say Shamrock we’re flexible with my stays and I left it with them for 7 weeks once no problem at all.
OV on the other hand were never flexible.

Not terribly surprising IMHO if your home birth was Saxon Wharf, just up the river but rather cheaper.

 

[Soco2]

Not terribly surprising IMHO if your home birth was Saxon Wharf, just up the river but rather cheaper.

it shouldn’t matter that much as I preferred my boat to be out of the water predominantly and I wasn’t a customer that took the piss with marina stays.
Like I say, shamrock and mercury etc didn’t have an issue and it wasn’t like I was taking the piss asking to stay there all summer in there partially empty marina. It’s fine but silly because you can go away for a few days and come back for 30 if you wanted but they just wouldn’t be flexible for two weeks extra.
Poor management on this occasion and lacks customer service. Discretion should have been used on this occasion and even the manager at Saxon (MDL) agreed and also said he would personally bring my boat back to dry stack if they were playing awkwardly, as I lived far away and wasn’t sure if I could get down in time due it been midweek (day30)

 

[Ian h]

Discretion should have been used on this occasion and even the manager at Saxon (MDL) agreed and also said he would personally bring my boat back to dry stack if they were playing awkwardly, as I lived far away and wasn’t sure if I could get down in time due it been midweek (day30)

Manager has now moved to Premier and things not the same.

 

[volvopaul]

18m at OV will be about £15400 or £1283 p/m
OV was always noisy when I was there and regarding freedom berths, I tried to use the managers discretion to stay there for 8 weeks but they just wouldn’t. Spoke to the lady manager but she wasn’t very personable Or helpful.
When it came towards my 30 days they said I needed to move on, I asked why and if I could stay longer, they said they were “full”
That was utter shit as I counted over 40 empty spaces on the south side of the marina and it was very similar the following few weeks when I went past.
poor imo.
Shamrock were much more obliging.

The premier berthing has been a flop , many empty berths .
lady manager moved on to Northney .
im not a fan of the place as a past MDL berth holder or an outside contractor.

 

[Blue Sunray]

The premier berthing has been a flop , many empty berths .
lady manager moved on to Northney .
im not a fan of the place as a past MDL berth holder or an outside contractor.

... and the few who have taken up the Platinum berthing offer have been told they have to move out to allow the 'South Coast Boat Show' to move in.

MDL make the Home Office look joined up and efficient.

 

[CHI]

I like Ocean Village.

Great easy berthing , no tides or locks. Very good restaurants close by.

Very helpful marina staff.

 

[Blue Sunray]

I like Ocean Village.

Great easy berthing , no tides or locks. Very good restaurants close by.

Very helpful marina staff.

I'd agree with that, certainly worth a visit but if they could sort out the issues already discussed it would be much better though particularly as a 'home base'.

..and, of course, they employed your son to make that video. ;-)

 

[CHI]

. Nothing to do with that , just like the ease of berthing and the whole area. .

 

[n.herring]

Last few times we have been to ocean village met on the pontoon by the dock master waiting to take our lines, always use as a base for the boat show and last year as we were leaving the pontoon to walk to the show dockmaster insisted on taking us in the mdl people carrier, amazing service.
Typing onto this forum is a pain, anyone else having trouble?

 

[volvopaul]

Last few times we have been to ocean village met on the pontoon by the dock master waiting to take our lines, always use as a base for the boat show and last year as we were leaving the pontoon to walk to the show dockmaster insisted on taking us in the mdl people carrier, amazing service.
Typing onto this forum is a pain, anyone else having trouble?

Yes it buffers that’s why I hardly bother .
service at OV it’s because you pilot an Aquastar

 

[n.herring]

Yes it buffers that’s why I hardly bother .
service at OV it’s because you pilot an Aquastar

 

[Blue Sunray]

Yes, there is a good team at OV, notably Ian and Bertie. However they seem to cope despite wider MDL rather than because of them.

 

[longjohnsilver]

Typing onto this forum is a pain, anyone else having trouble?

Yes, the forum jumps and typing more often than not, lags. Not at all user friendly, and sadly YBW don’t seem to be much concerned. And I forgot the regular buffering.