Medway Mooring Hunt

[A_Sails_Pace]

I am looking to relocate to the Medway area within the next few weeks (hopefully; repairs dependent). I have been looking at The Hoo Ness Yacht Club and Segas Sailing Club and I really like the look and sound of them both to be honest. I know there's the MYC as well, but I fear it's a little out of my price range. I need a deeper, non drying out mooring (swinging or otherwise) as I have a fin (on my 29ft boat).

I know it's been asked before (looking at the forums, a little while back) but I was just wondering about people's current thoughts or recommendations. Does anyone have any knowledge of any of the above clubs. I like the sound of the the smaller friendly clubs where people muck in and support each other. Of course I'll make enquires and visit a few places but I just wondered if anyone would be kind enough to perhaps give me any advice, recommendations etc. I'm looking for a nice long term home for my boat really.

Thank you.

A.S.P

 

[Aurai]

Hello, no bias but as RC at Hoo with a 5’9” keel, on my own boat, our moorings are fine and very well maintained. The fore and aft moorings are available, less sure about swinging moorings availability. Flexible access despite the tides, helps and we have a workboat, dinghy racks etc. Feel free to get in touch and come and have a look.

 

[seacomm]

Have a look at Medway Cruising Club www.medwaycruisingclub.org.uk They sem to have all you need and are a practical club run by the members.

 

[oldgit]

The Medway like most East Coast rivers has a myriad of small clubs tucked away in creeks .
Location Location location !
Have you thought about
Sailing club | Upnor Sailing Club | Lower Upnor
Nice little clubhouse with a veranda overlooking the river .
Upnor is on the " nice" side of the river and boasts four pubs as well.
It is not out in the pestilential Gulag of Hoo or the semi industrial traffic blighted modernist wasteland of lower Gillingham. .

Not 100% but think these are the club moorings ? just out side their club house.

 

[Concerto]

The Medway like most East Coast rivers has a myriad of small clubs tucked away in creeks .
Location Location location !
Have you thought about
Sailing club | Upnor Sailing Club | Lower Upnor
Nice little clubhouse with a veranda overlooking the river .
Upnor is on the " nice" side of the river and boasts four pubs as well.
It is not out in the pestilential Gulag of Hoo or the semi industrial traffic blighted modernist wasteland of lower Gillingham. .

Not 100% but think these are the club moorings ? just out side their club house.

The trot on the far side of the river are also Upnor Sailing Club.

The OP may find the Medway Boating and Sailing Association web site worth looking at. I have linked their visitor maps and their home page. On the map are the names of all the clubs, which should help in finding what is available.
http://msba.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/MSBA-Visitors-Chart-2019.pdf
Medway and Swale Boating Association

The OP should be able to find a mooring and club that suits his needs.

 

[xyachtdave]

The Royal Engineers Yacht Club have moorings opposite MDL Chatham by Upnor Castle, I don’t know who is the current mooring master, sorry!

I kept my boat there for 2 years 09-2011.

The RNSA had the moorings on the other side of the river, they combined forces with REYC to launch from the slip by Turks Boatyard in the historic dockyard.

Might be worth a look as my swinging mooring for 36ft was something like £500 inc REYC club fees.

My current MYC fees are about £2200 all in, as long as you don’t want storage ashore during the summer, in which case add another £1k…ouch!

The trot boat and scrubbing trolley are the biggest draw for me, if you’ve more time than cash not so much of an issue as waiting for a bit of tide, or drying out for a day etc not a problem.

I could probably come up with a number for someone useful at REYC if you were serious about that option.

The only negative of the other two clubs is the Strand, on sunny days it’s full of jet skis, the unwashed drinking Stella and the smell of weed. Not an issue once you’re afloat but it would take the edge off it for me especially if I had young children with me.

Hope you find something.

 

[A_Sails_Pace]

Thanks, all. Really appreciate all the thoughts & advice, and the info re costs of memberships etc. There are more options than I thought, which is nice to know

I'm going to be making enquires at a couple of the places mentioned.

Thanks again,

A.S.P.

(Appreciated the map/link as well @Concerto )

 

[mullet]

The only negative of the other two clubs is the Strand, on sunny days it’s full of jet skis, the unwashed drinking Stella and the smell of weed. Not an issue once you’re afloat but it would take the edge off it for me especially if I had young children with me.

It’s also often very muddy, even well either side of low water. I know there are attempts being made by several groups to arrange to dredge but nothing has happened yet. Last summer I got out of my tender and stepped onto the slipway and the mud went halfway up my thighs before boot met concrete. I initially assumed I’d hopped out of the tender off the edge of the slipway…

 

[xyachtdave]

Blimey, that doesn’t sound fun mullet!

Hovercraft tenders could become a thing…

 

[mullet]

There are a few hovercrafts at (I think) Seagas. I was sitting have a beer and watched one of them come out over the mud, down a slope to a flooding creek at which point their engine stalled, mere yards from the Strand slip (perhaps an almost empty tank and the fuel tipped to the wrong end), and it stuck. Whilst it is not terribly nice to chuckle at others' misfortune, the rescue operation made for entertaining spectating. Would have been a lot less funny if it had happened elsewhere which could have had rather more serious consequences...

 

[Concerto]

Yesterday I was at Gillingham Marina Chandlery and in the window they have a new hovercraft. I was not interested but I did notice the price was £17,500. Immediate delivery!

 

[xyachtdave]

Yesterday I was at Gillingham Marina Chandlery and in the window they have a new hovercraft. I was not interested but I did notice the price was £17,500. Immediate delivery!

I’m not sure a hobby involving ear defenders is that appealing!

I came across two in Gillingham Reach this morning, they don’t appear to be completely under control, which is concerning when they approach at speed.

At least you can hear them coming.,,!

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I’m not sure a hobby involving ear defenders is that appealing!

I came across two in Gillingham Reach this morning, they don’t appear to be completely under control, which is concerning when they approach at speed.

At least you can hear them coming.,,!

Around 40 years ago, my first wife and I were involved with a troop of Air Scouts. As a project, they had built a one-man hovercraft, which of course went with them on camp. There was one memorable occasion when they got it going, and took turns having a go in it. All went well until one lad lost control and then froze on the throttle (if he'd just let the throttle go, it would have simply settled down and stopped)! It careered out of control until eventually stopped by a trailer and my late wife's leg. She carried a mark there until the end of her days...

Basically, hovercraft have nothing to stop them from moving in any direction at all - they have no "grip" on water, mud or land. They are very tricky to control, because once moving in a particular direction, their tendency is to carry on in that direction no matter which way they are pointed. It's terribly easy to get into an oscillation...

 

[oldgit]

We frequently see them up at our moorings above Rochester Bridge, from casual observation the pilots of these devices do seem to be in command of their vessels more frequently than some sail assisted craft.

 

[UK-WOOZY]

i chose Chatham Marina last year, moving from Erith YC on the River Thames with swing moorings.

I have had back issues though, sciatica caused by bulging disc and launching last year at EYC was frustrating with the dated equipment and found it very hard graft, also was getting fed up with the increasing commercial traffic. (im 47). Looked at Seagas, Medway Cruising Association, Gillingham, Hoo Ness, Upnor as this is where we often sailed to anyway. All seemed very welcoming and eager for me to join. But at gillingham I didnt like the piles and lock and small room for errors due to limited space and for now at clubs with slip way had enough of using a tender to get out to my boat and walking mud all over the boat again so am enjoying chatham for now, stepping off and onto the boat is a dream as well as having shore power. and it isnt much more than MYC or Gillingham though both have the club atmosphere, I have already made friends at Chatham and all i have met have been welcoming and generous with their time. IF Chatham gets too costly then I will consider MYC again as thats where we would have overnighters from EYC and a very lovely club it is too, heard good things about Upnor too from people that have joined there also.