moorings in Salcombe (only for the rich)

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Doug_Stormforce

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Just returned from a ten days cruising Devon and Cornwall, I was a little surprised at some of the overnight fees we were charged, we stayed a few nights on the hook but suffered the following for our 37 foot cruiser.

Swanage Free Anchor
Darthaven £22 Marina
Salcombe £22 (to be on a raft of 6 yacht all on one swinging mooring plus £3pp return taxi 200 yards.
R Yealm No one around to pay for a lunch stop
Mayflower £24
Mevagassey £15 for the wall
Falmouth Pendennis £24 for marina with filthy showers
Mylor £15 and nicest spot we stopped at
Helford Free on the hook
Various anchorages free
Salcombe again. Now I had learnt my lesson from last time so anchored and rowed the dinghy ashore. For this privilege I was only charged £11.

Now am I just a tight git or is Salcombe bloody expensive? £22 to share a mooring buoy with 5 other yachts, that makes £130/night before you try and go ashore. And then on the return trip £11 to drop the hook.

Never again will I complain about Solent marinas.
 
No I don't think you're a tight git (well unless I am too of course!). I reckon these £25's each time add up to quite a lot. One of the (yes granted rather insane) economic justifications for spending the think end of £200k for a boat is "well I'm not gonna pay huge hotel fees for weekend breaks and the annual three weeks away" Well it's not yet hotel type fee rates but I'm beginning to think it might be one day. How about £100/night on a buoy in Salcome eh!
 
Just to wind you up a little more /forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif. It looks as if they've overcharged you at Salcombe. 37ft at £1.80/ metre should be just over £20.

Salcombe is nice enough for an overnight stop but it is ridiculously expensive whether you are on the water or on land. Everything is a rip off. We tend to avoid the place now.

You're not a tight git!
 
How did they justify charging you for being at anchor? Does Salcombe have the same rights over the water there as beaulieu has on their river (dont think so) in which case charging you for being at anchor is wrong and illegal. National Trust got away with this for years at Newton Creek until more people recognised that this was wrong.

Next time demand to know under what legislation are they attempting to charge you for what is part of the freedom of the seas.
 
They charge 90p for harbour dues, and an extra 90p if you use the moorings.....but it's a good point that you make.
 
As we count as dan sarf, in fact its our accent they are mimicking, then you will find a plethora of free floating things with chain of dubious vintage under.
In fact, where I moor in Burnham, there is no known mechanism of charging, so its free. You can even use the water taxi free if you are cheeky.
Welcome here, come and see us.
I have also visited West Mersea a coupla weekends ago, same thing. Vive la difference.
It also seems we have more MABs than our Solent/West cousins.
Bring a brown couloured boat though.
 
As Solent yachting inflation spreads west down the channel is it time to act on the advice of the recent magazine article that urged us to join traditional yacht clubs. One of the advantages cited was use of cheap club moorings belonging to affiliated clubs?

For example how much would Brixham yacht club charge a visiting yacht compared to the 35 foot £28 MDL marina fee?
 
I can't remember what they charge for their pontoon but it's a lot less than MDL, certainly no more than £1 metre. You need a tender to get ashore but the facilities at the club are better than the marina and you can get a good meal in the restaurant. I like BYC!
 
I walked up to BYC last weekend and snuck a glance through the windows while the club was in the full Saturday night swing of things. It seemed quite pleasant though I will have to remember to keep a neck tie onboard.

Having a meal at the club is part of the unwritten deal I guess but in the gastromonic desert that is Brixham this would not be an ordeal. I suppose the danger is the cruising yachtsman just ends up seeing the world through a yachtie club sub culture.

So how much would the annual club fee be to join a Solent based yacht club that had affiliate status with Brixham or something posher like the Royal Fowey?
 
I've not found it like that at all, and I've certainly never had a need for a tie when I've visited. Just as well; the only ties I have on board are wire ties.
It may be that when you visited they had some function on; the club seems to be quite active so you just need to take it as it comes. If there's something on and I don't fancy the look of it I go elsewhere, but I've always found them welcoming.

I've never been challenged about club membership. I just walk in. At some places I may ask if it's OK, but I've never been turned away or had anything other than a relaxed friendly welcome.

Same applies to the Fowey clubs.

It's one of the things I like about this boating lark....the "Do come in" attitude that seems to apply at most clubs.
 
I did read somewhere that the mud in Salcombe harbour is actually owned by Duchy of Cornwall, the Duchy claims £6500 per year.

I reluctantly visited Salcombe a couple of weeks ago, (missed the tide on StartPoint) Described as a yachtsmans Paradise...harbour rules prohibit using sails during July and August!
Seeing all buoys with 6 boats on each, I dropped anchor off the beach. Pleasant spot indeed.
Went to pub, Ferry Inn....busy Saturday night. Running out of some beers, real ale not very good, menu..well, mostly running out. Sorry they said, been a bit busy. What business are they in????

Had dinghy nicked from boat in the night...cannot really beleive it myself. Harbourmaster was I must admit very helpful, but I couldnt establish if this is common or not. Paid my £14.00 fee and left, will try and avoid place in future.
 
No, you're not being a tight git. £22-£25 a night seems to be fair, nowadays, for a fully serviced marina berth, with clean facilities. The Salcombe fees are ludicrous, but the laws of supply and demand suggest that if they can charge it, they will charge it. Were any of us fortunate enough to have the chance I suspect that we would be charging top wack as well.

£20+ for a night stay has altered the way that I plan my hoiliday. I no longer feel inclined to do a delivery trip before and after our hols, so that we can start, and end, our fortnight in Cornwall and get more cruising time. £300ish for parking an empty boat is just too much.
 
After this came up last night I googled Salcombe Harbour and came up with two proposals which they are looking at.....

Firstly the current charges are just supposed to cover their costs. Forgetting that the pen pushers can make anything appear to be a "cost" they are now considering making enough money out of the harbour to put extra money into the local authority coffers.

Secondly there is a proposal to charge a premium for large powerboats to discourage the things (and make more money whilst they are about it)

I'm not sure how serious the proposals are, but they had at least been put "on the table" and were recorded in the minutes of the Harbour committee.
 
[ QUOTE ]
£20+ for a night stay has altered the way that I plan my hoiliday. I no longer feel inclined to do a delivery trip before and after our hols, so that we can start, and end, our fortnight in Cornwall and get more cruising time. £300ish for parking an empty boat is just too much.

[/ QUOTE ]

At 41ft we pay even more and certainly mooring costs are very much a consideration as to where we go. For example with tonight's tides if we go to Yarmouth or Lymington we are looking at £16 for a night that tonight doesn't even start until 10pm when we will get there, so we'll anchor in Alum Bay or off Hurst and (maybe) go there in the morning, otherwise it's £32 for 2 nights, and really that is a cheap rate. We could of course go to Berthon and pay £86 for 2 nights! Yeh right.

I keep notes in the log about fees paid and our main holiday cruise takes these into account. Last year we were away 5.5 weeks yet managed on just £235 total mooring costs, that is partly because South Brittany is cheaper than the UK but also because we anchor whenever possible. That total included overnight UK stops in Dartmouth going south and St Peter Port coming home. St Peter Port last year was £18, this year (we were there a few weeks back) it is raised 33% to £24, well we will only stop one night instead of 2 or 3 on our way home, their loss. We will arrive stocked with French food and wine and will eat on board. £24/night (equivalent to £28 on the mainland with VAT) to be rafted up with no electrics on the outside pontoons is plain crazy.

Salcombe tried the raise prices trick years ago (like over 20 years) in conjunction then with Dartmouth. Word got round quickly even without the power of the internet, visitor numbers crashed as folks sailed quickly by. When they saw the error of their ways and dropped the prices to previous levels it took years before they regained earlier numbers. Apparently they have learned nothing in Salcombe but Dartmouth by comparison has remained reasonable.

Time for a revolt?

Robin
 
The south coast of England must be one of the most expensive places in Europe. I've just sailed my boat from Greece to Brittany and here are the overnight charges, all in May or June for a 10.1 metre boat.

Sicily - safe anchorages with harbours, with no charge, at Empedocle, Licata and Porto Palo.

Except where stated all marina charges included water, electricity and showers

Carloforte Sardinia - 25Euros but there was an option of a free quay across the other side of the harbour.

Andraitx, Mallorca - free anchorage.

Caleta de Velez, Barbate and Cadiz, all run by the Junta of Andalucia, 9.36 Euros

Estepona - 20 Euros

Portamao, Algarve - anchored, no charge.

Nazare, Portugal - 25 Euros
Povoa de Varzim, Portugal - 11.50 Euros which included 2 free beers!

Finisterre - anchored in harbour - no charge.

Cedeira - anchored in harbour - no charge.

Vivero - Nice modern marina, no toilet and showers, no charge.

Audierne - mooring but no charge made.

Douarnenez - got myself a fore and aft mooring for a year for 658 Euros.

Why do the south coast boaters put up with being ripped off?
 
I wonder if the larger numbers not online are unaware of how unfair the prices really are?

I remember the guy starting off the fuel price protest over the net sometime over the last 2 years. Would be good to see the expensive places on the south coast get similar treatment :-).

We will be planning our trips accordingly as our own marina charges us for 52 foot.
 
[ QUOTE ]

Why do the south coast boaters put up with being ripped off?

[/ QUOTE ]

I guess because the south coast is the nearest bit of water for many of us, and we don't want to spend any more precious time than we have to travelling to our boats.

I'm not sure how strong the price competition is between marinas, though.
 
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