Moorings / Marina on Orwell (or Deben)

[Elemental]

Further to the very helpful responses to my previous question concerning a choice of yacht (approx 10m), I'm now wondering where to keep one if/when I get it. I'm a single parent (two teenagers) based in Cambridge. I know the Orwell/Deben quite well and the Orwell seems to be a good choice. I've just checked out SYH (Levington) and it seems they have a five(!) year waiting list for a berth... can get onto swinging moorings OK but TBH I think that the kids will find the freedom to explore around the boat more interesting than always being on the boat.
So, locations I'm considering (w'out knowing anything more about cost/availability are)
Fox's, Neptune, Haven, Woolverstone, RHYC and Shotley. I also know of Tidemill at Woodbridge but I'm thinking the 2hr trip up the Deben each time we go out might become tedious.
Anyone got any thoughts/ideas on where might suit?

Cheers

Mark

 

[johnalison]

I reckon they're all OK. It's largely a matter of
"How far do you want to drive?
"How far do want want to be from the sea?"
Ambience
Cost
Can you moor in a tideway?
I'd drive round to the likely ones and have a look/chat-with-staff

 

[wingdiver]

Hi
A few thoughts-
Most marina berth prices will be at a similar level.
Check for the costs of extras - electricity being one.
Are you intending to have fun in the local river/rivers or want to go out to sea. If the latter, then Shotley is obvioulsy nearest.
Are you bothered about facilities nearby? If so, then some have better than others - eg Neptune/Haven next to the town.
Have you thought about Debbage? They are just to the west of the lock entrance at the head of the Orwell - New Cut. They have a web site Debbages
Access shouldn't be an issue at any marina on the Orwell.
You could consider Titchmarsh at Walton as well.

 

[pvb]

Woolverstone or Shotley...

Tide Mill is very time-restricted by tide and is, as you say, a long way up the Deben. The Ipswich ones are similarly quite a long haul up the Orwell. Shotley is ideally located for the sheltered sails in the Stour & Orwell, or for sea access, but the lock can create long delays at peak times (especially because people dawdle up & down the channel at about half a knot, selfishly disregarding the queues). Which leaves Woolverstone - OK but can be a bit bumpy and sometimes tricky to moor when tide is flowing quickly through the pontoons. I'd suggest getting on the SYH list and looking at Woolverstone & Shotley in the meantime.

 

[Elemental]

[ QUOTE ]
I reckon they're all OK. It's largely a matter of
[snip]
"How far do want want to be from the sea?"


[/ QUOTE ]
Not too far - I guess an hour is probably OK
[ QUOTE ]

Ambience
Cost
Can you moor in a tideway?


[/ QUOTE ]
Putting aside cost (for now...) I hadn't thought of mooring in a tideway. I'm OK but I guess the kids will find that harder to learn in. Ambience is important tho.
[ QUOTE ]

I'd drive round to the likely ones and have a look/chat-with-staff

[/ QUOTE ]
Was planning to do that anyway. I'm hoping the forum can give me some more ideas and things to consider (as above - thanks).

Cheers

Mark

 

[Twister_Ken]

You sure about the ankle biters preferring life in a boat park?

They might get more of a kick out of commuting to a mid-stream mooring in the yard launch, or under their own command in a tender. There's something inherently more yo-ho-ho about not sharing the same acre of water with a hundred or more other souls, so of whom are so thoroughly domesticated they might as well chop the keels off their boats and moor them in a pub car park.

Can't imagine an Arthur Ransome called John and Peggy go to Titchmarsh Marina would have sold very well.

 

[Elemental]

Thanks,
[ QUOTE ]

Have you thought about Debbage? They are just to the west of the lock entrance at the head of the Orwell - New Cut. They have a web site Debbages
Access shouldn't be an issue at any marina on the Orwell.


[/ QUOTE ]
No, I haven't even heard of Debbages - thanks for the pointer.
[ QUOTE ]
You could consider Titchmarsh at Walton as well.

[/ QUOTE ]
It's a bit harder to get to from Cambridge I think. The real benefit of the Orwell ports are that it's only around an hour drive to the boat from Cambridge. The roads to Walton are much longer (at least by time).

Cheers

Mark

 

[Elemental]

[ QUOTE ]
You sure about the ankle biters preferring life in a boat park?


[/ QUOTE ]
Ankle biters? You obviously haven't seen the size of my kids...
[ QUOTE ]

They might get more of a kick out of commuting to a mid-stream mooring in the yard launch, or under their own command in a tender. There's something inherently more yo-ho-ho about not sharing the same acre of water with a hundred or more other souls, so of whom are so thoroughly domesticated they might as well chop the keels off their boats and moor them in a pub car park.

Can't imagine an Arthur Ransome called John and Peggy go to Titchmarsh Marina would have sold very well.

[/ QUOTE ]
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
As a comitted AR reader (still) I couldn't agree more. And maybe you're right. I suppose one option is to put the boat on a swinging mooring and then, if we want a pontoon when we get there just move her onto a pontoon for the evening/weekend and pay the visitor fee. Might work out cheaper I guess...

Cheers

Mark

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Mark,

If an hour is a reasonable benchmark for access to open sea for you, then the marinas in Ipswich (Haven and Neptune) are possibly a little far upstream.... its realistically 1.5hrs to the open sea...

Also, my experience is that Neptune can be a little noisy at weekends, with the local youth 'self expressing' at 2:00am...

We've moved recently to Shotley.. our upfront concerns about the lock has thus far proved unfounded, and we've hardly had to wait at all... and the upside has been that the marina itself is incredibly friendly, and customer focused...

SYH looks good too.... and is eqaully appealing for sea access, but as you've already identified, maybe a little resricted in terms of berth availabilty..

Personally, I think that Woolverstone suffers from the worst of both worlds... its still quite a way up the river, has little in the way of facilities, and isn't the greatest in a strong tide, or a stiff breeze....

If you want a berth, then they are probably available.. but best bet is to go down there and ask face to face, with a cheque book in hand for a deposit, rather than via the phone.....

Personally, if you've got kids that want shore access and facilities, its either Shotley or the Ipswich marinas IMHO....

 

[kengill]

Hi Mark

I keep Vitality in Titchmarsh Marina in the Walton Backwaters

Its ideally placed because it has the Walton and Frinton Yacht club just a short trip by dinghy away and the kids will be after you to get them an oppie or topper so they can play with all the other kids there as well.

Titchmarsh is a lovely quiet and sheltered marina which has the great benefit of being one of the cheapest in the area.

I've been there for thirteen years and happily let my SYC waiting list place slip.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I'd struggle to argue about what a nice location Titchmarsh is......

In fact the whole Backwaters area is the place we have visited most by a large margin!

It might add a fair amount to the car journey time from Cambridge though......

 

[shamrock]

We're also based in Cambridge and kept our boat in Woolverstone marina last year as it was the first year of ownership and I wanted the family to feel it was easy to get on and off, and to help with getting tools / materials on board for the refit.

However, this year we've taken one of their swinging moorings and love it. The kids think the water taxi ride is great and picking up the mooring is way easier than getting into a marina berth. Half the price too. That said we have a RIB on davits so are independent of the taxi for popping ashore again.

Woolverstone has big plus points that:
Cambridge (Histon Road area) is 55 minutes on a clear run
The staff are great and the facilities pretty good
Water taxi is included in the price and runs till 7pm / 9pm weekends

Minus points
Tide runs hard through the marina berths on the ebb. Flood is fine
It's probably the most expensive of Shotley / SYH / Woolverstone
Still a bit far up-river but only 2 or so hours to the Backwaters

Used to keep a 30 footer at Shotley and that was great too, very sheltered and close to the sea (she'd only do 4-5 knots under engine so getting to a 9am race start was a challenge) Another 15 minutes to Cambridge though and there's a psychological barrier at 1 hour's drive for me.

 

[Koeketiene]

[ QUOTE ]


It's probably the most expensive of Shotley / SYH / Woolverstone



[/ QUOTE ]

No kidding - to keep Guapa on a mooring there (summer) they quoted me more than I pay at SYH for the whole year (summer mooring - winter pontoon)

 

[landyhubbard]

I'm afraid that the Arthur Ransome fantasy is just that, a fantasy, which will leave most modern teenagers cold. They will enjoy the boat. and sailing, but need to be with their own kind away from their parents as well. You could look further afield, for example Titchmarsh or Tollesbury. The latter is super for families with teenage kids, with an indoor swimming pool and tennis court and a very friendly club house. I moved there from Brightlingsea some years ago, just as the kids were entering their teens, and it was the right decision. they have freedom and friends in a safe environment.

 

[pyrojames]

I've just moved from swing mooring near Woolverstone (but MY private mooring) to Shotley. I tried SYH and Ipswich Haven but both had big waiting lists. Now on SYH one, but in Shotley for the time being. I wouldn't have though teenagers minded the swing mooring bit, but my 2 under 3 are hard work in a dinghy plus kit.

 

[beancounter]

Like Morgana, we've just moved from the Ispwich wet dock to Shotley. V. pleased so far. Unlike the good ship Morgana, however, we have been caught out a couple of times by waits for the lock. They've not been too bad, tho', and I'm sure we'll learn the times to avoid.

The great thing about Shotley is that, as others have said, you're about 1 1/2 hours nearer the open sea. Also, if it's blowing a honker, you can turn left into the Orwell, or right into the Stour, and play in sheltered waters.

For us, (east side of cambridge) it's about 1 hour 10 mins to Shotley (keeping to speed limits - more or less /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif )

 

[Mudhook]

Just a word for Woolverstone. I've been there for four years, moored in the river, with two kids who are now 10 and 12 but were (counts on fingers...) 6 and 8 when we started.

The river mooring was definitely a plus for the kids; also with a Woolverstone river mooring you can go into the marina any time you like, either just to pick up stuff or for a night or two, although the nights come off your 14 days free moorings at MDL marinas. This isn't a problem as the nearest MDL marina is at Chatham - but it's a great trip with the kids as the dockyard museum is just across from the marina there.

I have never found the tide to be a problem at Woolverstone when going into the marina itself; just something you need to factor in. Having been to Ipswich Haven last weekend I can confirm it's just too far up the river.

The river mooring package is also pretty good value: my 27-footer costs about £2200 for mooring, lift in/out, scrub, shore storage and water taxi.

But I think you're getting enough info to make your mind up. Best of luck and see you on the water!

Regards, Mudhook.

 

[apollo]

One thing I have always wondered about Tollesbury is how much actual sailing you do?

I often visit Tollesbury on a holiday and enjoy the facilities, but the tidal window is very narrow, hence always seems great if you are in for a few days, but must be a pain for a weekend sail?

 

[Neil_M]

I've been based on the Orwell & at Titchmarsh in the past & left for a swinging mooring on the Deben at Waldringfield. Aside from being cheaper its far more popular with the kids as we're just off a lovely sandy beach, its quiet, there are great places to explore locally on & off the boat and access to the open sea is only 1 hour. PM me if you want details of the yard...

Having stopped in Shotley last week I'm afraid I wouldn't entertain it with the constant din and light pollution from the docks opposite. Woolverstone is a nice location but exposed in the river, SYH Levington pleasant but near impossible to get a berth and Ipswich (esp Neptune) rowdy at night with a turbulent lock to negotiate. Tide Mill is too restrictive on tidal access for me.

 

[landyhubbard]

Re: Tollesbury. I had the same reservations about the very narrow window before we went there, but it hasn't been a problem except on a couple of occasions. I draw 5'6" so for a couple of weekends in the season I am neeped in. I live about 1 1/2-2 hours drive away and most weekends I can get a sail if I want, though of course there is no question of a day sail, unless it is morning and evening tides. you are out for a tide. But there are lots of very agreeable places within a couple of hours sail where you can anchor or go alongside- Pyefleet, Brightlingsea, Mersea, Osea Island, Bradwell and so on, and a few more hours take you to the Orwell, Backwaters or to Burnham. As I said, as a place to keep a boat and a couple of teenagers, it has worked for us.