Moorings in Southampton area

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Timpenny670

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Last year I bought my gorgeous Timpeny 670 and was looking for a mooring for her. I live just outside of Newbury so Southampton is my closest water and I chose Hythe Sailing Club to moor her.

I chose Hythe for two reasons, firstly I have a tight budget and they had the cheapest moorings and secondly, due to my limited experience, I was drawn to the idea that there would be a community to draw upon.

After a year there, I am torn as to my best next step; My boat is on a very choppy swing mooring exposed to weather and the wash from the big boat tugs (hence it's cheap). I'm constantly thrown around on the mooring and it's getting very annoying. I have to row out and back which takes 20 to 35 minutes depending upon the tide and the wind too. The club is lovely and I learned a lot whilst taking part in some racing last year. At 35 however I feel very young as the bulk of members are clearly retired.

Put simply, I am looking for a more sheltered mooring, ideally pontoon access (tidal is fine) and no more than £2,000 PA all in (including time ashore to antifoul). Ideally less than £1,500.

So - Thoughts please where can I move to?

P.S. Boat is 22' and draws 1.3m with the keel down and 0.25m with it up.
 
My club has all you wish for, for a lot less; until you get to requiring pontoon access at that price - in my quite a lot of years experience in the Solent & elsewhere, the answer has to be ' dream on ! '.

Even at the very reasonable - but now full - Emsworth Marina you'd be in for quite a bit extra for lift in & out, and if you can't take the mast up & down yourself there'll be a handy charge for that too.

Emsworth is full anyway and at places like Northney they charge hand over fist - PLUS £150+ each way for masts, ditto for lift in & out - unless you do the mast yourself.

I'd suggest you come to our club where boats around +/- 16 -29'do well on half tide moorings, but think we are full up on the Chichester side - if you'd consider a half tide soft mud mooring - at extremely reasonable prices - in a sheltered bit of Langstone Harbour, PM me.
 
At 22 feet you'd get a berth at Kemp's on the Itchen for that sort of money. They've recently had their website tarted up - a little style-over-substance in my opinion, but it does include this handy price calculator for the different pontoons: http://www.kempsquay.com/services.html#berthing-estimate

The outermost, deepest pontoon is over your top budget, but given your shallow draft you'd be fine on one of the cheaper inner ones.

Only problem might be that I think they're quite full these days, but at least you're only a small one to squeeze in :)

Pete
 
Oops. Didn't mean to delete.

You could try Quayside Marina (next to kemps) I think they still may have space as it's just been taken over by the guys at Southampton Dry Stack and they've added a new bit of outer pontoon. On one of their drying moorings I think you'd get in under budget fairly comfortably.

Give Joe a call there and he'll be sure to help. All details on their website... Along with a picture of a certain somebody's boat as the main website photo :-)
 
prv said:
At 22 feet you'd get a berth at Kemp's on the Itchen for that sort of money. They've recently had their website tarted up - a little style-over-substance in my opinion, but it does include this handy price calculator for the different pontoons: http://www.kempsquay.com/services.html#berthing-estimate

The outermost, deepest pontoon is over your top budget, but given your shallow draft you'd be fine on one of the cheaper inner ones.

Only problem might be that I think they're quite full these days, but at least you're only a small one to squeeze in :)

Pete
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I was on a Hunter 23 in & out of Kemps a few years ago, and decent useable berths were at a premium then; thought the lower rates re less posh facilities seemed a good deal.

I don't know what the costs of lift in & out & winter ashore are though; these are often the killers...
 
Seajet said:
I don't know what the costs of lift in & out & winter ashore are though; these are often the killers...
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You get three months in the yard included in the annual cost; if you need to stay out longer then they might ask for more since yard space is more limited versus the number of berths. Although Al recently gained a new boat-mover which lets him pack them in closer, alleviating some of the pressure. In any case, the location is pretty sheltered so it's perfectly safe to stay in year-round, which we now do. Three months should be plenty of time to complete any jobs requiring access below the waterline, if you have them.

Lift in and out costs are on the website below the map. Obviously a self-help club would be cheaper, this isn't the extreme low-budget option, just think it might be an acceptable tradeoff for the OP.

Pete
 
Pete,

fair enough and ta for the info - BYW I don't think of my self-help club as ' lowest budget option ' at all, just best value - big difference- as I WANT to look after my and my chum's boat's myself and was not impressed by my experiences with other boatyards / marinas driving masts through cabin furniture like piledrivers " oops sorry Sir " and moving my boat without asking...

Maybe I have a stubborn independent streak, this has been commented on by ex bosses, sometimes +, sometimes - ! So I went self employed a while ago :)

Andy
 
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Eling sailing club is nice, and if you're happy to sit in the mud, the club moorings in Eling creek are a lovely quiet place.
 
Timpenny670 said:
Last year I bought my gorgeous Timpeny 670 and was looking for a mooring for her. I live just outside of Newbury so Southampton is my closest water and I chose Hythe Sailing Club to moor her.

I chose Hythe for two reasons, firstly I have a tight budget and they had the cheapest moorings and secondly, due to my limited experience, I was drawn to the idea that there would be a community to draw upon.

After a year there, I am torn as to my best next step; My boat is on a very choppy swing mooring exposed to weather and the wash from the big boat tugs (hence it's cheap). I'm constantly thrown around on the mooring and it's getting very annoying. I have to row out and back which takes 20 to 35 minutes depending upon the tide and the wind too. The club is lovely and I learned a lot whilst taking part in some racing last year. At 35 however I feel very young as the bulk of members are clearly retired.

Put simply, I am looking for a more sheltered mooring, ideally pontoon access (tidal is fine) and no more than £2,000 PA all in (including time ashore to antifoul). Ideally less than £1,500.

So - Thoughts please where can I move to?

P.S. Boat is 22' and draws 1.3m with the keel down and 0.25m with it up.
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fareham motor boat and sailing club up fareham creek have a semi drying pontoon and sheltered moorings
portchester sailing club - our club - is fab and has relatively sheltered moorings and closer (it sounds) than yours
try pme in portsmouth as they have moorings/pontoon berths which are reputed to be cheep
wicormarine yacht haven will be about on budget - pontoons and other moorings which are mid river and relatively sheltered
kemps as noted previously
get on the waiting list for a hamble river council mooring - they are sheltered, if you are lucky easy to get to, cheap, and the wait for a 22 footer probably isn't more than a couple of years
plus as mentioned marchwood could be worth a look
there are cheap swinging moorings in portsmouth harbour next to hardway sailing club run by one of the chandlers in hardway

that's all i can quickly think of
 
Wow, thank you all for taking the time to assist me. certainly given me lots to look into. I had forgotten about Marchwood and this will need to be explored further. I'm keen on Kemps Quay too as sheltered and affordable however I would worry that there would be limited cruising and racing opportunities from there. I hadn't considered Portsmouth due to distance however Portsmouth Marine Engineering with their long pontoon is less than an hour away (according to google) so could be a good option. Eling sounds lovely however, living inland, I feel that I would be too restricted by tide.

With Kemps/Marchwood you have the joy of sailing out of Southampton Water and out to the Solent. Now that I am exploring Portsmouth too I wonder whether one is able to sail out to sea or whether you have an hours motoring before you can get the sails up?

I've tried 'extreme low budget' at Hythe and with crazy work life balance it just doesn't work for me. And the MDL price cartel is too steep for me. So looking for happy medium and swinging towards Kemps or the one next door.
 
Just looked over the Wicor Marine website which looks very tempting. would put me over the budget by £100. but looks like there's more of a community there than Kemps with a cafe/bar etc.
 
Timpenny670 said:
I'm keen on Kemps Quay too as sheltered and affordable however I would worry that there would be limited cruising and racing opportunities from there.
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I'm not quite sure what you mean, but if you're referring to organised racing or cruising in company then no, there's none of that. It's a boatyard / marina, not a club. Other berthholders are generally friendly, but apart from their annual summer barbecue in the yard there are no group activities (nor would I have expected any).

I've never been based in Portsmouth, but I've been in and out a fair bit over the years. No reason you can't sail inside the harbour, but you are required to have the engine running through the entrance.

Pete
 
Timpenny670 said:
Just looked over the Wicor Marine website which looks very tempting. would put me over the budget by £100. but looks like there's more of a community there than Kemps with a cafe/bar etc.
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We've been at Wicor for the last 4 years and are very happy with the place. Good (deep) pontoon berths, excellent coffee and cake and management whose word you can trust. Their 12 month deal gets you lifts out and in again with winter in the yard.

Spend the £100...
 
langstonelayabout said:
We've been at Wicor for the last 4 years and are very happy with the place. Good (deep) pontoon berths, excellent coffee and cake and management whose word you can trust. Their 12 month deal gets you lifts out and in again with winter in the yard.

Spend the £100...
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+1 re wicor - we were there for a year before joining Portchester sailing club. nice yard. good management. great cafe. downside is the long trek up the walkway to the dinghy launching pontoon!

you should join Portchester SC btw
 
While a little thread drift, to the OP, are you aware if the Newbury Yacht Club? Although we don't have any moorings, we are an active club with winter speakers and summer rallies, feel free to look at our website in my sig below and see if you are interested.
 
niccapotamus said:
+1 re wicor - we were there for a year before joining Portchester sailing club. nice yard. good management. great cafe. downside is the long trek up the walkway to the dinghy launching pontoon!

you should join Portchester SC btw
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I'm not at Wicor or Portchester SC - I'm very happy where I am both mooring and club wise, but have heard good things about both; Portchester has a reputation as a very good, friendly club.
 
I did an extensive trawl through the Southampton and Portsmouth options. On the same side of the Itchen as Kemps are another couple of boatyards. No cheaper, but a lot less nice than Kemps.

Kemps was second on my list, after staying at Ocean Village, which we eventually did.

Another option for you, might be the central river moorings that Itchen Marine provide. From memory about £1300 for my 7.6m inc dinghy space. The row is about 100 yds and they are all tide access. They have a walk ashore marina too, but that it a bit more expensive. However, they dont mind you rowing out and then motering to a pontoon to pick up crew and belongings etc.
 
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