Queenborough moorings

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cookjwm

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Whats the current situation here? As I understand it the advice is to radio before picking up a buoy. Is the barge still there/available and what are the facilities (if any)for getting ashore these days. Thanks in advance for input
 
There is/was a notice requiring visitors to make contact by VHF but I have never bothered and just secured to an unoccupied visitor's mooring to the north of the All Tide Landing.

When I was last there the barge was in place and the ATL was operational but more recent visitors will be able to confirm if this is still the case.
 
My son went Ramsholt to Queenborough to St Katherines to Shotley back to Ramsholt from last Friday 2/7 to Monday

He said he went alongside the landing pontoon overnight and was charged £9 for doing so. You can walk off the pontoon but have to put 50p each into a turnstile to get back on it. He said there were a couple of pubs, one lively with live music and the other quieter where they had a decent carvery meal. He had 4 mates with him, all aged 25/27ish. He has a Westerly Tiger, Jenillys, 25ft LOA, fin keel drawing 4'3" (1.275 mtr).

EDITED /UPDATED 11/7

They went on a mooring and paid £9. When Avon was inflated they realised the outboard bracket was left in the car so they moved onto the pontoon and as it was late they weren't charged. They got tokens from the pub, the turnstile doesn't take 50 pence pieces. They enjoyed there visit.
 
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cookjwm said:
Whats the current situation here? As I understand it the advice is to radio before picking up a buoy. Is the barge still there/available and what are the facilities (if any)for getting ashore these days. Thanks in advance for input
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There is no requirement to radio anyone before picking up a buoy and never has been for years. Unless the council boat is about, it's unlikely that there's anybody listening anyway. Visitor buoys are along the east side, including 4 large buoys on which rafting is allowed which are close to the all-tide landing.
The barge is there and can be used by individual boats, and also booked by clubs. If it's booked by a club, it says so on its notice board.
The council will collect 9 quid a night off you for using a buoy or the barge, per 24-hour period.
The all-tide landing can also be used but money for that is collected by the club. I understand that it's more expensive but not sure how much. Maybe MrCramp's son got away with the standard fee.
 
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Cantata said:
The all-tide landing can also be used but money for that is collected by the club. I understand that it's more expensive but not sure how much. Maybe MrCramp's son got away with the standard fee.
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May 2009 - we paid £15 overnight, plus £1 each to use the showers at the Queenborough Sailing Club, plus the cost of the tokens to get back through the turnstiles. I'm fairly sure you have to buy the tokens from the sailing club, or a shop on the high street.
 
We spent a night at Queenborough on our way to St Kat's last month, did not try to go ashore, but it is a dinghy job, we gathered that the "Water Taxi" which is mentioned in Pilot books does not operate.

Not aware of any need to check in advance, unless you want to book the barge for a Club do.
 
ChattingLil said:
May 2009 - we paid £15 overnight, plus £1 each to use the showers at the Queenborough Sailing Club, plus the cost of the tokens to get back through the turnstiles. I'm fairly sure you have to buy the tokens from the sailing club, or a shop on the high street.
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What a complete rip off. Makes Fambridge very good value indeed.
 
Leighb said:
We spent a night at Queenborough on our way to St Kat's last month, did not try to go ashore, but it is a dinghy job, we gathered that the "Water Taxi" which is mentioned in Pilot books does not operate....
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The club usually runs a trot boat weekend-evenings in season if there is a member available to do so, as mentioned in ECP. But the Council boat that collects the dosh no longer has the MCA ticket to carry paying passengers.
As usual, you cannot mix Councils and marinas/moorings, it just doesn't work very well....
 
Cantata said:
The club usually runs a trot boat weekend-evenings in season if there is a member available to do so, as mentioned in ECP. But the Council boat that collects the dosh no longer has the MCA ticket to carry paying passengers.
As usual, you cannot mix Councils and marinas/moorings, it just doesn't work very well....
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Seems to work in Holland
:rolleyes:
 
The pubs will also sell you tokens for the landing stage. The club usually operates a water taxi at weekends, £1 each way per head. The buoys are getting difficult to pick up, as they are mostly very low in the water and the rings on top are rusty and bent over. However the Flying Dutchman does good food, with good service. I was there a few weeks ago on a club jaunt. Usually prefer to anchor in the peace and (except vocal bird-life) quiet of Stangate Creek. On a number of visits over the years I have never seen the Yacht Club open for business so can't comment on that.
 
I went across for a night on the buoys last year. From 1200 on the Friday until the next morning there was no sign of anyone from the council. On leaving, just as I've got all the fenders in, settled the children in the cockpit etc, council boat appears hailing me back to pay my £9. I couldn't be bothered with all that - getting the fenders back out, recovering my wallet from whatever black hole I'd 'stowed' it in etc. So I shouted that I'd put it in the post (disbelieving looks in return).

You always used to get a couple of tokens for the gate included, so I knocked a quid off and sent a cheque for £8. Apparently, since the council disowned the ATL and handed it to the club this doesn't happen anymore (I hadn't been there for a while). So the nice people at the council wrote me a lengthy letter in return explaining the error of my ways, that I owed them a quid but they'd let me off just this once. I avoid the place as much as possible now. Minimum of £10 to raft on a buoy with the dubious pleasure of one trip ashore in your own dinghy and staffed by unfriendly people just isn't worth it.

I gather from the local press that the council are looking to sell off the operation and the yacht club are looking to take over - I'd be all for that!
 
irs101 said:
I avoid the place as much as possible now. Minimum of £10 to raft on a buoy with the dubious pleasure of one trip ashore in your own dinghy and staffed by unfriendly people just isn't worth it.
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Queenborough really has very little to reccomend it, the only reason I have stopped there is that it is convienant when on passage to and from London.

I knew a couple who were storm bound on there for the best part of a week, an experiance which might have put me off sailing for life.
 
Firefly said:
Usually prefer to anchor in the peace and (except vocal bird-life) quiet of Stangate Creek.
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Don't go there on a Saturday. We anchored there and were plagued by young persons in several RIBs plus a jetski, noise went on until 9-30 at night apart from a brief break while they presumably had supper, there were 3 or 4 yachts in a group involved. Worst was they started again at 08-00 on Sunday morning.

I am sure that in the week away from school holidays it is delightful.
 
Leighb said:
Don't go there on a Saturday. We anchored there and were plagued by young persons in several RIBs plus a jetski, noise went on until 9-30 at night apart from a brief break while they presumably had supper, there were 3 or 4 yachts in a group involved. Worst was they started again at 08-00 on Sunday morning.
I am sure that in the week away from school holidays it is delightful.
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If you get speeding problems (speed limit is 8kn) then do call up Medway Ports and tell 'em. This is not an uncommon problem in their waters and the more people complain the more they might do soemthing about it.
 
FullCircle said:
What a complete rip off. Makes Fambridge very good value indeed.
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:)

indeed:
£15 for the landing
£4 for 4 showers
£4 for two trips each ashore
nearly £40 for (not very good) 'home cooked' food in the sailing club
warm g&t in the club bar (no ice available)
£100 for the emergency electric repair man to fix my power which is why we were stuck there....

Actually, the people in the sailing club were very friendly though. However, given a choice of stopovers - I would heartily recommend Stangate!
 
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