Port Solent or Gosport instead of Brighton

Oh and how inviting does this look?

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:)
 
unless it's free flow you certainlly have to be on the ball getting out of chi on a busy weekend. one min you can be 10th in the Q to lock out then it's up to 67th :D nice relaxed place though.
 
I always found getting out of locked marinas wasn't such a hassle, 'cos you can sit on your berth with a beer until called, it's getting back in again on a Sunday or bank holiday evening that I couldn't stand. I once had to hold position for over an hour in the narrow channel outside Port Solent whilst waiting for the lock, as the holding pontoon was jammed with Sunsail boats. We moved marina the following week.
 
Nick_H said:
I once had to hold position for over an hour in the narrow channel whilst at Port Solent waiting for the lock.
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Been there done that got the T shirt, but at Eastbourne where there is no waiting pontoon at all. To be fair, there are two large capacity locks there, but still a pain in the butt if you just miss one or it's full. It was because of this we went to Northney rather than Chi marina, even though it's nearly a grand a year more and a longer drive; it's hassle we don't want when we're supposed to be enjoying ourselves.
 
I agree with you Nick.

Coming back needs the thought; we have anchored or picked up a buoy in the past if you hit the lock after a nice w/e on LW Springs. We usually plan either early return or leave it until very late - advantage is that you can monitor the VHF certainly to Cowes and sometime beyond and plan return basis traffic volume. The queue system works OK provided no one cheats and overtakes in the channel - its all down to the lockmaster controlling things and being proactive to events too. The sunsail taking up more than their fair share of waiting pontoon is an old chestnut of mine too :-(
 
This sounds like a problem then. The girl in Chi reception was quite honest (I think) and said that you might have to wait on your berth for up to 90 mins on a BH. If it's the same coming back then that's 3 hours utterly wasted.
 
Brighton

Easy access at Brighton as always last weekend, flat seas, counted 30 boats off the marina then clear open space, went out 3 miles switched off and floated all day, nearest craft about 1m , and the fishing was good.
 
SeaDave said:
This sounds like a problem then. The girl in Chi reception was quite honest (I think) and said that you might have to wait on your berth for up to 90 mins on a BH. If it's the same coming back then that's 3 hours utterly wasted.
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Frankly thats very extreme i think.

certainly at Puerto Solento if its Springs there will be good free flow at some point either for outwards or homewards.

On Neaps, no FF but shorter cycle times, and with good packing (8+ boats) you will not wait anywhere near 1.5 hrs. The delays happen if you insist on leaving when you have had your full english and read the Saturday papers so on Springs over BH w/e - with no freeflow that too early or too late - you want to leave 1100hrs sure there will be a queue; easy to plan around it IMHO
 
Gemini said:
Easy access at Brighton as always last weekend, flat seas, counted 30 boats off the marina then clear open space, went out 3 miles switched off and floated all day, nearest craft about 1m , and the fishing was good.
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Seconded. Although Brighton is frequently (and not unreasonably) criticised for being in the middle of nowhere in cruising terms, that does work in our favour in that it is really easy to find your own bit of sea to drift around in, even on the hottest, flattest days of the summer.

Cheers
Jimmy
 
SeaDave said:
A wealth of info - many thanks all of you.


I also suspect that my requirements are a little different to some of you. My boat is only a Sea Ray 225 so I don't ever stay on it or spend any real time on it in the actual marina. Things like amenities and building work don't affect me as they would some of you chaps as I drive there, get on the boat and go - return, get in car and go home.

A :)
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How about Dry Stacking her then? Slightly cheaper than a berth and a lot less hassle. I had an Aquador 23HT dry stacked at Hamble Point as I liked to go down, get on her, leave the marina and be blasting around in 5 mins.

Just a thought as lots of Stacks on Hamble and Southampton

Paul
 
We are in Southsea. Thats better than Chi for us as we got fed up with the 40 minutes down to the sea and the queue for the lock. In particular trying to hold in the channel on a sunday afternoon for 30-40 mins, while dinghys race across in front and behind and the tide is going so there is nowhere to drift and the traffic is bunching up so much a bump seems likely. (but a nice marina and great staff)

The lock is worse in Port Solent in my experience, often freeflow is canceled and have waited all morning to get out.

Gosport is great because you are out at sea in minutes.

Southsea is the same out to se in minutes and close enough to the centre of things, if you want the night life of Portsmouth then you have your car anyway so Gunwharf is 5 mins away.

Southsea does have a cill, but with a wide window of opening times. (about 6 hours) OK sometimes the tides clash with the time you would have liked to go out, but they will put the boat outside for you if you want. (free)

Sparks is similar if you want to be at sea fast, but another 30 minutes or so east of Southsea, making Portsmouth and Cowes that bit further away.

Southsea costs me about £500 more then Chi, but I probably save that in fuel and time as I mostly turned right out of Chi harbour. Gosport would have been £1k more and I didn't fancy all the rock n roll.
 
We have been at Port Solent for the past 4 years and the longest we have waited for the lock is about 30 mins, as MJF said it is all about when you leave, if you leave around 11am it will be busy but if your ready at 9am no problems, coming back in if you aim for about 2pm on a Sunday before Sunsail are due back again it's not really a problem, then you can wash your boat down, have a beer and chill out for the rest of the afternoon.
And if you want a bit of a laugh wander up to the lock and watch the Sunsail lot come in.:D
 
In Gosport Marina the showers, though good, are ridiculously few in number, and every weekend in summer involves a long wait. Lack of a decent restaurant / bar another gripe. Numerous "focus groups" questionnaires etc reveal everyone says the same, but no hint that anything will be done. This seems to be the cinderella of the Premier world, in terms of investment. Staff great, however!
 
Gosport Area Marinas

There are lots of previous threads on this so just to add that Haslar is probably (for my money) a better bet than Gosport - much more sheltered from ferry wash especially if you get a low letter pontoon. That said Dean and Reddyhoff don't have the critical mass to offer the multiple free nights that MDL can offer and you still have to go to Gosport for fuel and a lift out. However they are friendly, security is good and the annual bertholders bash is great. They also don't surcharge mechanics etc coming to work on the boat since they don't have their own yard.
 
Or Southsea, also Premier.

Does have a cill which restricts entry and exit, but short hop out to sea. Also a small marina, but fine for a Sea Ray, I'd have thought.

Bit of a long drag by road from M27, especially when football on.
 
I used Port Solent for a year! The problem was the lock: great when it wasn't busy but a complete nightmare when it was! The only way to avoid the busy period was to leave really early or late and get back really early or late..... which rather defeats the concept of "leisure boating" and didn't go down well with friends & family! Our worst experience was waiting outside the lock on a low water spring in the very narrow channel with lots of other boats and their frustrated crews all jostling and occasionally colliding for position!!
 
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