More walk-ashore pontoons coming in Yarmouth

I've always enjoyed visiting Yarmouth and am pleased to see them investing again in better berthing facilities. I presume they expect to be able to cram more of us in with the new layout, so I hope the showers etc will also see a proportionate expansion....
 
Nearly all the berths at present are aligned with the direction of the tidal flows. I can see a few problems with long marina isles arranged across the tide, particularly with heavy traffic and the less experienced crews who tend to turn up there in charter boats.



Edit: Any news about the outer breakwater they were talking about a couple of years ago?
 
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It will wreck the character of the harbour - next it will change its name to Yarmouth Marina and the prices will go up, then the resident berths will be reduced as it just becomes another commercial hell hole
Just my opinion of course.
 
Yarmouth "marina"

They already charge marina prices for the existing walk ashore pontoons.
£26 for a 30 footer plus £3 extra if you connect to electricity
plus £1.50 per person per shower. That's £32 for a couple each night.
Can't remember what the mid-stream pontoon cost but think about £18.
Those are across the, sometimes very strong, current and we got
clobbered twice when we were last there.
We love the place and the Island but it's Newtown Creek for us in future
and a pleasant walk along the coast to visit Yarmouth.
 
They already charge marina prices for the existing walk ashore pontoons.
£26 for a 30 footer plus £3 extra if you connect to electricity
plus £1.50 per person per shower. That's £32 for a couple each night.
Can't remember what the mid-stream pontoon cost but think about £18.
Those are across the, sometimes very strong, current and we got
clobbered twice when we were last there.
We love the place and the Island but it's Newtown Creek for us in future
and a pleasant walk along the coast to visit Yarmouth.

We used the mid stream pontoon a couple of times this summer midweek and found it excellent, even though we had to use the rubber duck to get ashore. and it was cheap midweek, £9 from memory. Also used the outer swinging moorings for a lunchtime stop when the lads were on board and again it was fine, even though we had to use the taxi service. Having all the moorings 'walk ashore' would definitely put us off visiting again. But then, we are East Coasters and can't afford the usual Solent mooring fees!!
 
Thats a real shame. Looks like a big marina. No more rowing to the slips, practisind dinghy skills, tying to the piles, and coming in under sail. All things that I was brought up on and love Yarmouth for. Looks tricky to turn around too (LOA 73'), and coming in under sail will be impossible as the alongside berths don't line up into the prevailing wind. BOO!
Newtown is going to get real busy!!!

£30 a night-bargain!
 
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Looks tricky to turn around too

Oh come on Nick. We all know that your close quarters handling of Ocean Pearl is better than most AWBs even if they have got Magimixers to help them avoid anything complicated. The truth is that you don't want to have to pay out for white jeans and stripey jumpers for your crew and there will be no excuse not to once they can walk ashore :)
 
Walk Ashore Yarmouth

What a shame, the existing facility has already changed the nature of this lovely harbour, to the extent that where I used to be a very regular visitor, I now rarely visit.

If they are extending their marina, I guess that they will have to do without my mooring fees altogether. Not a big issue for Yarmouth, but if there are enough like minded people then Chris Lisher may still be looking at cash shortfalls.
 
If they are extending their marina, I guess that they will have to do without my mooring fees altogether. Not a big issue for Yarmouth, but if there are enough like minded people then Chris Lisher may still be looking at cash shortfalls.

I doubt it. It will probably just make it more popular.
 
I doubt it. It will probably just make it more popular.
I think it will. The walk ashore is nearly always fully booked and there has been quite an extensive survey carried out not just in Yarmouth but other harbours in the area - I was approached by a chap with a clipboard in Lymington. He told me afterwards that the majority of people wanted more walk ashore access. The buoys will remain for those that don't.
 
"We estimate there will be an increase in revenue of around £250,000 a year," said Mr Keen

Not from me mate! I shall go elsewhere. With the individual finger pontoons proposed there will be less berths in the harbour and the opportunity to raft up in busy periods is greatly reduced. Shame. I have been visiting regularly since 1986 but the price of walk ashore berths for a catamaran are already too high. It will be interesting to see how much they charge for the outer buoys now. It was not long ago that out in the roads was a free anchorage..... Times are a changing...
 
I suspect the harbour will be as full as it always is, but with a different group of people.

We have preferred the outside buoys at Yarmouth for over 10 years, mainly because it is quieter and has a much nicer view with plenty to see. We also like to BBQ from time to time and on board BBQs are not permitted inside. Then again arriving and departing is easier, occasionally under sail and departure times are our choice not the boat inside us.

We have used the walk ashores once only, on the midweek £10 off rate deal but we used to use the walk ashore at Hayles sometimes early/late season before in order to have electrics for TV and heater, until the rates went above my personal cut off no way Jose level.

We look at pricing on a 2 night basis as we like to arrive from Poole on a Friday evening then return on Sunday so for us that means £76 on the walk ashores or over £80 if we use the showers which we don't, compared to £41 on the pile pontoons or outer buoys or £33 on the visitor buoys over at Lymington. We are just two of us SWMBO and I, not a crew of fee sharing buddies so the cost matters!

It seems to me that Yarmouth will become 'just another marina'. We are off to pastures new next year so it won't affect us but otherwise Yarmouth would be off the list if the buoys were full.
 
The final ruination of a really nice harbour. I have been visiting Yarmouth for longer than I care to remember. The addition of the walk ashore spoilt the character, some of the cross tide mooring will be fun! I like Yarmouth because it is NOT a marina. Lymington on the buoys or outside for me.

I suppose in reality most will still go there. I just hate paying marina prices when I don't want marina facilities. at least we will still be able to admire the view from the Royal Solent and moan into our beer without the worry of falling out of the dinghy on the way home!
 
Never tried, but with a bit of south in the breeze, is it feasible to anchor east of the pier, or have small craft moorings used up that bit of sea bed?

There are quite a few buoys east of the pier mostly used by local boats coming out I guess from the other side of the bridge and not a lot of room to anchor. It is still possible to anchor outside of the visitor moorings west of the pier, or inside of them with shallow draft, however the big problem always is the very strong tide. We used to anchor in the very distant past but with any wind against tide the boat rides over the chain which can graunch the hull nicely, hence we prefer to pick up a buoy even though the Yarmouth ones aren't the nice soft plastic ones. Much better is to anchor to the east of Hurst Spit out of the tide unless you really want to go ashore for the shops or pubs or better still in Alum Bay with the right wind direction.
 
What a shame, no longer Yarmouth harbour, but Yarmouth Marina.

We use to go a lot 5 years ago, but rarely go now and if we do we always try and get on a buoy. (Far too many noisy drunk yobs, and that’s just the people on boats!!).

We actually stayed there on the weekend as one of the crew hadn’t been there before. And even this time of year; bunch of drunks come back to there boat at midnight and turn up the music to full blast. A few words put pay to that and a nice quiet night resumed. But why oh why are there so many inconsiderate d***heads about these days?

With the new arrangement I will be even less inclined, and also given the cost increase.

Another reason for us to stick the boat somewhere other than the south coast.
 
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