Places to sail past

[cliff]

Rothsay!

Called in recently to pickup a few supplies, to my surprise I managed to pick up a mooring (holiday weekend), so sent the kids ashore with money and shopping list.
A few minutes after they left along come two bods in a rib demanding £5.00 for mooring, even though I explained I was not staying merely picking up supplies.

Again it was explained I was not staying but picking up groceries at which point I was told to pay £5.00 or I was to drop the mooring immediately. Note: approx 2/3rds of the buoys were vacant.

Well, I said fine and went to drop the mooring (I can pick up the tender on the move) at which point grumpy's oppo said not to drop the mooring but not to be long. Grumpy chirps in and says (with menaces) "we'll be back".

Called the kids on the VHF and told them to forget the supplies we were leaving. Looks like Rothsay will loose out in the long run as I cannot see anyone paying for a mooring for half an hour to take on supplies.

Seems Bute Berthing Company now charge £5.00 to pick up a mooring no matter how short your visit. Used to be £5.00 if you were there after 5pm and they came round again in the morning for the dues from the overnighters.

I for one will be giving Rothsay a miss from now on and I understand why there were so many boats at anchor in the bay and not on the visitor's moorings

So if you are planning to stop in Rothsay, for even a few minutes, and pick up a buoy, have your £5.00 ready for "Dick Turpin" and Co.

Note £5.00 covers you for up to 24 hours so for an overnighter it could be considered an acceptable charge but not for half an hour.

If I go back it will be a case of dropping the hook. I am not into "high seas robbery"

Rant over!.

Lets have a list of places worth sailing past.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[dralex]

I've always found the Dart Harbour Authority river staff really pleasant and helpful- I had a broken starter motor recently- they were perfectly happy for me to hang around on a visitors mooring for a couple of hours during the day while an engineer came out, before I went off to Salcombe. No charge. I'm not sure if they're meant to do this or not, but is was a lovely gesture and much appreciated.

<hr width=100% size=1>Life's too short- do it now.<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by dralex on 20/07/2004 14:31 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[AndrewB]

Fowey?

See the thread re. excessive anchoring charge, <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.ybw.com/cgi-bin/forums/showthreaded.pl?Cat=&Board=ym&Number=380024>HERE</A>.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Sunnyseeker]

The Solent?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[starboard]

Too many people these days too keen to pick up moorings.....if you read my post a few weeks ago re anchor or mooring. You have a perfectly good anchor and chain, why not try using it more then know one can acost you for money. Rothesey perfect for that just north of the pier and inside the moorings, its even closeer to row ashore, go on try it you know it makes sense!!!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[snowleopard]

no one can accost you for money???

don't know you're born up there - try dropping your hook in chichester, beaulieu etc!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[mikewilkes]

The Indian sub continent, without a doubt!!!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mike21]

After the recent conclusion on col regs where the view was that power must keep clear of sail , could you not just shout at them that they must keep clear since your a sailing vessel/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[cliff]

As I said, dropping the hook in future and I agree, just north of the pier and inside the moorings is an excellent place - did a wee reccie while I was there for future reference - the kids like the ice cream in one of the shops there so difficult to whizz past and up the kyles.









<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[starboard]

No fear...your welcome to the mayhem that sailing on the south coast appears to us folk up north

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[nordic_ranger]

In defence of Rothesay

Cliff,

I was in Rothesay recently and was treated with courtesy by the Bute Berthing company employees as I always have been.
They have at times a problem with people turning up and not paying and on occasions beating a hasty retreat just to save themselves a couple of quid. This happens on the pontoons as well as the moorings.
If the Bute Berthing company are on the ball regardging collecting fees this should be regarded as a good thing as I have in the past on many occasions seen many boats having to turn away because there was no mooring or pontoon berths to be had
The charge for a short stay on the pontoons or a mooring is not unreasonable and I for one am happy to pay it as it is a facitity that has to be maintained and one that I would like to see expanded.
As you yourself and other formites have said you can always avoid this cost by anchoring but then you would no doubt want to use the pontoons for geting ashore or as somewhere to leave your dinghy while you are ashore. There are other landing places I know but would want to leave your dinghy there during a holiday weekend?
It is of little consequence how many moorings were in use or vacant pontoons berths there were.
Rothesay is in my opinion very good value for money.

Finally! I'm sure if somebody parked their car in your drive and told you that they were only nipping down to the shops you would not be pleased the moorings and pontoons are their property after all.

Jim.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[cliff]

Re: In defence of Rothesay

Up until my last visit I have had many pleasant visits to Rothsay, even staying overnight on a number of occasions, however the attitude of one of the BBC employees was nothing short of aggressive while the other was quite courteous (good guy bad guy tactics?).

I am afraid the incident has left a "bad taste" and I for one will avoid the place as far as possible in future and if I do go again I will drop the anchor rather than pick up a buoy. The only "weapon" we have against such charges is not to use the facility as it appeared many people had done that day evidenced by the large number of empty buoys and the number of boats at anchor nearby.

I am lead to believe that the BBC was set up by the town council to promote the town and bring in more tourists (boaty folk perceived to have too much money to spend) - £5 to stop for a short time on a buoy is not the way to encourage folk to stop over and spend money in the town.

Maybe now it is in private hands and the extortionate charges have started and IMHO £5 for a short stay (½ ~1 hour) on a buoy is unreasonable.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[jimi]

Re: In defence of Rothesay

IMHO the place that must be sailed past is Ardrossan ..

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[cliff]

Re: In defence of Rothesay

Ardrossan - yep another good nomination - always gets a bit lumpy off ardrossan anyway and there is sweet F A in ardrossan worth the visit anyway.

So far we have noninations for The Solent, Ardrossan and Rothsay.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[pragmatist]

Or Dartmouth or Salcombe etc etc

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is an optimist with a boat in the UK

 

[pragmatist]

Don't know about places oop North but our place to sail past is Ramsgate. Ended up there on a bank holiday. Only place left to moor was on filthy fish dock with no facilities. Still got charged over £20 a night though.

<hr width=100% size=1>a pragmatist is an optimist with a boat in the UK

 

[snowleopard]

please return to colregs post & do a bit of re-reading!

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Mike21]

Was meant as a joke, not a dig

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Joe_Cole]

Each to his own, but I've always enjoyed my visits to Dartmouth and Salcombe (I must admit though that Salcombe is better when you are on the water; the town itself always seems a bit too trendy for my scruffy style!)

If you really want to find the worst destination in the South West try a visit to Torquay. Dreadful place! We even visited it a second time last year just to see if it was as bad as we had found it before. It was!

Joe

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Gordonmc]

Was in a couple of weeks ago and stopped on one of the pontoons overnight to escape the ferry wash.
The BBC mannie came along at a reasonable time in the morning to collect his fees... £15 for a 30 footer. I thought that was steep as the "facilities" were a good walk away through a building site. Didn't see any showers, but they might have been lost behind the piles of bricks.
But the worst aspect of the visit was the reaction to our wanting to eat at a time of great inconvenience to the local catering industry, like 08.15 in the evening. The Winter Gardens bistro and a wine bar, both still open, both suggested we go to the chippy or find a chinese.
We'll head for Tarbert next time.


<hr width=100% size=1>