R. Orwell marinas

[Slowboat35]

normally if you express an interest in membership at the bar in the Lightship then a member of the committee will be along or in touch. They are a friendly crowd. Finances and balancing the books are a significant challenge for clubs these days

Oh, I'm sure you're right but it's disappointing that after paying thousands for a berth the eatery in the marina is a seperate mambers-only affair. A large marina ought to be able to support a modest eatery, after all anywhere else in the world it would be considered a necessary requirement in the absence of nearby local facilities, and nice as the Ship Inn is it is pretty expensive, heavily booked and the only option despite being at the end of a considerable hike on a very pedestrian unfriendly road. I haven't tried the cross country route but that isn't particularly attractive opton either, particularly after a meal and in the dark while wet underfoot.
Frankly I'll be buggered if I have to bribe an eatery £170 to "allow" me to eat there. I won't do it on principle, I'd rather eat baked beans on board. If I eat there 10 times per year my say £12 (as if!!) bangers and mash cost me £29 a pop! Sorry, I may be a yottie and therefore fair game but I'm not that stupid. Without all that membership guff they'd earn £120 plus drinks and desserts, more like £300pa and in reality far more as I'd eat there much more often.
I can't help thinking that the Lightship would do a whole lot better and be far busier if they dropped the pomposity of a "yacht club" in the bar and eating side and just welcome anyone's money. Because at present the money of a great many people unnecessarily goes elsewhere and I don't see the business sense in that.

 

[Yorkshire Exile]

I agree that £170 p.a. is steep. What I don't understand is why SYH doesn't follow the Fox's route and provide a restaurant open to all. They now have the cafe, which is an improvement to facilities but that is day time only.

 

[Poecheng]

As this has turned into a discussion about the HPYC (the Lightship at SYH), our experience is very positive.
It is not 'pompous' at all. Indeed, having joined a couple of years ago, we have found it naturally very friendly and welcoming and well worth joining (this from someone who is not a natural 'joiner'; I have enough of that in other parts of my life). We have reached the stage where we try to look more at the value than the price, but each to their own.
I am not sure why it ought to be free to bertholders; it is a private boat in the marina and happens to operate as a club. Its subscriptions no doubt paid for, amongst many other things, the thorough refit of the 'downstairs' where excellent, free talks are put on as well as being comfortable for larger suppers.
If one is not afloat on one's own boat, then a pretty decent second best is to to spend a sunny evening eating outside on the lightship. Visitors are very welcome.
As said, each to their own but it ought, in fairness, to be informed.

 

[Suffolk_Newbie]

I'm with Groucho Marx on this one

 

[alandalus11]

Oh, I'm sure you're right but it's disappointing that after paying thousands for a berth the eatery in the marina is a seperate mambers-only affair. A large marina ought to be able to support a modest eatery, after all anywhere else in the world it would be considered a necessary requirement in the absence of nearby local facilities, and nice as the Ship Inn is it is pretty expensive, heavily booked and the only option despite being at the end of a considerable hike on a very pedestrian unfriendly road. I haven't tried the cross country route but that isn't particularly attractive opton either, particularly after a meal and in the dark while wet underfoot.
Frankly I'll be buggered if I have to bribe an eatery £170 to "allow" me to eat there. I won't do it on principle, I'd rather eat baked beans on board. If I eat there 10 times per year my say £12 (as if!!) bangers and mash cost me £29 a pop! Sorry, I may be a yottie and therefore fair game but I'm not that stupid. Without all that membership guff they'd earn £120 plus drinks and desserts, more like £300pa and in reality far more as I'd eat there much more often.
I can't help thinking that the Lightship would do a whole lot better and be far busier if they dropped the pomposity of a "yacht club" in the bar and eating side and just welcome anyone's money. Because at present the money of a great many people unnecessarily goes elsewhere and I don't see the business sense in that.

And that's why certain clubs have a hard time trying to survive and balance the books. We have been through the doors of a few clubs which I won't mention that have not exactly made one feel welcome, certainly as visitors.

 

[PaulRainbow]

As we've drifted onto clubs, i'll slip a little plug in for "my" club.

Next the the Bristol Arms, Shotley Sailing Club does welcome visiting yachtsmen. We don't do food, but we have a nice bar (much cheaper than the Bristol Arms or Shipwreck and if you keep your boat in the marina it might well be worth joining.

Shotley Sailing Club

 

[MoodySabre]

Many years ago we called there for a drink and lunch, at that time there was a prominent sign outside that read “NO CHILDREN, NO DOGS, NO EUROPEANS”. There were a couple of benches at the front which were the only facilities for families with children. How times have changed!

Back in the mid 1960s we went to St Ives. It was hippy time. Some cafes had signs on the doors saying NO PERSONS WITH BEARDS. I assume that hippy girls were ok . I had a beard so moved on.

 

[Koeketiene]

And that's why certain clubs have a hard time trying to survive and balance the books. We have been through the doors of a few clubs which I won't mention that have not exactly made one feel welcome, certainly as visitors.

Ditto.
And HPYC was one of them.

One particular occasion I will never forget (during our first year at SYH):
My eldest and I had just returned from Ostend after a particular 'sporting' Channel crossing.
At that time the lightship stopped serving food at 21:00.
As we only secured alongside at 20:30 we hurried over for a hot meal and we might have looked somewhat 'scruffy'.
The girl behind the bar was quite happy to take our order, however a blue blazer propping up the bar insisted they did not serve us because we did not comply with the dress code.

Never joined despite having been berthholders at SYH for almost a decade.

 

[Plum]

Oh, I'm sure you're right but it's disappointing that after paying thousands for a berth the eatery in the marina is a seperate mambers-only affair. A large marina ought to be able to support a modest eatery, after all anywhere else in the world it would be considered a necessary requirement in the absence of nearby local facilities, and nice as the Ship Inn is it is pretty expensive, heavily booked and the only option despite being at the end of a considerable hike on a very pedestrian unfriendly road. I haven't tried the cross country route but that isn't particularly attractive opton either, particularly after a meal and in the dark while wet underfoot.
Frankly I'll be buggered if I have to bribe an eatery £170 to "allow" me to eat there. I won't do it on principle, I'd rather eat baked beans on board. If I eat there 10 times per year my say £12 (as if!!) bangers and mash cost me £29 a pop! Sorry, I may be a yottie and therefore fair game but I'm not that stupid. Without all that membership guff they'd earn £120 plus drinks and desserts, more like £300pa and in reality far more as I'd eat there much more often.
I can't help thinking that the Lightship would do a whole lot better and be far busier if they dropped the pomposity of a "yacht club" in the bar and eating side and just welcome anyone's money. Because at present the money of a great many people unnecessarily goes elsewhere and I don't see the business sense in that.

I have never had a problem going into the Lightship for meals/drinks. Nobody has ever asked if I was a member (I'm not)

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[PetiteFleur]

We've also used the lightship for meals when in the marina, but do remember years ago we did have to sign in as a visiting yacht but not recently.

 

[RivalRedwing]

Ditto.
And HPYC was one of them.

One particular occasion I will never forget (during our first year at SYH):
My eldest and I had just returned from Ostend after a particular 'sporting' Channel crossing.
At that time the lightship stopped serving food at 21:00.
As we only secured alongside at 20:30 we hurried over for a hot meal and we might have looked somewhat 'scruffy'.
The girl behind the bar was quite happy to take our order, however a blue blazer propping up the bar insisted they did not serve us because we did not comply with the dress code.

Never joined despite having been berthholders at SYH for almost a decade.

Have to be honest and say I don't recognise that scenario in HPYC, certainly in the last 5 years or so (and I am a member, but not now or ever on the committee or similar)

 

[Tradewinds]

I’ve been in the lightship a few times. I used to take my daughter and her school chums for their last supper prior to leaving for parts foreign (those were the days!). Food always ok’ish, inhabitants were friendly. All I can say Wim, is that you must have looked pretty skanky that day .
Being serious, I don’t know why they don’t do a social sub for berth-holders. 50 quid for a summer season would see me in there more often. As it is I haven’t been in there (spending money) for years.

 

[Koeketiene]

Have to be honest and say I don't recognise that scenario in HPYC, certainly in the last 5 years or so (and I am a member, but not now or ever on the committee or similar)

It was some time ago.
2005 or 2006.
We left for Brittany in 2016 and we were at SYH for 10 or 11 years.

 

[Skellum]

Oh, I'm sure you're right but it's disappointing that after paying thousands for a berth the eatery in the marina is a seperate mambers-only affair. A large marina ought to be able to support a modest eatery, after all anywhere else in the world it would be considered a necessary requirement in the absence of nearby local facilities, and nice as the Ship Inn is it is pretty expensive, heavily booked and the only option despite being at the end of a considerable hike on a very pedestrian unfriendly road. I haven't tried the cross country route but that isn't particularly attractive opton either, particularly after a meal and in the dark while wet underfoot.
Frankly I'll be buggered if I have to bribe an eatery £170 to "allow" me to eat there. I won't do it on principle, I'd rather eat baked beans on board. If I eat there 10 times per year my say £12 (as if!!) bangers and mash cost me £29 a pop! Sorry, I may be a yottie and therefore fair game but I'm not that stupid. Without all that membership guff they'd earn £120 plus drinks and desserts, more like £300pa and in reality far more as I'd eat there much more often.
I can't help thinking that the Lightship would do a whole lot better and be far busier if they dropped the pomposity of a "yacht club" in the bar and eating side and just welcome anyone's money. Because at present the money of a great many people unnecessarily goes elsewhere and I don't see the business sense in that.

If your berth was 170pa more expensive and SYH provided their own bar and restaurant would you consider it expensive. Personally I think that 170 quid for a YC membership is pretty good value, but then I value the things that a YC offers. If you don’t I get that, but clubs provide facilities for their members who pay the fee. It seems unreasonable to expect people who don’t pay to enjoy them for free.

 

[LittleSister]

If your berth was 170pa more expensive and SYH provided their own bar and restaurant would you consider it expensive.

But that couldn't happen: there's some fundamental part of the structure of the universe that leads to the prices of the different marinas on the Orwell (excepting Woolverstone) having uncannily similar prices!

 

[Koeketiene]

But that couldn't happen: there's some fundamental part of the structure of the universe that leads to the prices of the different marinas on the Orwell (excepting Woolverstone) having uncannily similar prices!

Uncanny indeed.
In all our years in the Orwell area, we spent one season at Neptune, one season at Shotley, two seasons at Fox's and just over a decade at SYH.
Never was there more than 100 quid p/a between them.

Woolverstone was always out of our price range. But, with the current free-flowing through the pontoons, it was the one marina I never considered keeping our boat.

 

[Cantata]

Puzzled by this thread. I visit SYH al least once a year on cruises from acoross the estuary and usually eat at least once in the lightship on each visit, signing in the visitors' book. Is the place members only now?

 

[Tradewinds]

Visiting yachtsmen are welcome, berthholders are restricted in the number of times they can 'visit'. IIRC

 

[Cantata]

Visiting yachtsmen are welcome, berthholders are restricted in the number of times they can 'visit'. IIRC

Ah I see. Hmmm.

 

[Yorkshire Exile]

Ah I see. Hmmm.

Hmmm indeed, that perfectly reflects my opinion as a berth holder.