Shotley marina

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Elemental

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I've been at Woolverstone these last three seasons, and fancy a change - In particular the 1 hour sail up the river, pleasant as it is, gets a bit tiresome after a long trip.

So, SYH seems to be out because of the waiting list, but Shotley have space. If there's anyone who would like to comment on how they like shotley, (eg location, service, q for lock?, etc) I'd appreciate their input. I know it's full of criminals and pirates, but apart from that?

Cheers, Mark
 
Sea_Spray said:
I've been at Woolverstone these last three seasons, and fancy a change - In particular the 1 hour sail up the river, pleasant as it is, gets a bit tiresome after a long trip.

So, SYH seems to be out because of the waiting list, but Shotley have space. If there's anyone who would like to comment on how they like shotley, (eg location, service, q for lock?, etc) I'd appreciate their input. I know it's full of criminals and pirates, but apart from that?

Cheers, Mark
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It's excellent. The staff are really friendly and helpful. It's close to the sea, beats that 1hr drag up and down the same stretch of river. Everything seems pretty well maintained and being behind the lock, the walkways to the pontoons are not very steep, the height only varies a little bit.

The lock has never been a problem for us, although we didn't think we'd like it. Most we've ever had to wait to come in has been 10-15 mins, mostly it's no more than a few minutes. which gives us time to put the fenders out. When we go out, i always call up on the VHF before casting off, if they say "be ready in 5 minutes", we wait 2 or 3, cast off and chug down, it's ready when we get there. The added security, both in terms of thieves and inclement weather, of being behind the lock far outweigh the minor inconvenience. In case you're never been through the lock at Shotley, it's really simple, with floating fenders along both sides, with cleats and ropes fitted to them, no harder than coming alongside a pontoon for a minute or so.

I did post on here about alternatives and i did look around, trying to save a few quid, but couldn't see anywhere better, for me. Like all the local marinas, it's not cheap, but was on par with SYH and cheaper then Wolverstone. Owning a mobo, the extra distance up the Orwell to SYH or Wolverstone was also a factor. If you want a marina with walk on access and nice facilities, I'd thoroughly recommended Shotley.
 
We have visited a few times now, and can confirm that the staff are friendly and helpful, worst delay coming in from outside was 10 minutes or so.

Particularly like the map you get when arriving showing where the allocated berth is.

My only gripe is the expensive electricity charges.

On my visit again list.

regards

Ian
 
You won't get a sensible answer off any of the inmates. They're all too smug and satisfied to think of moving elsewhere.
 
Echo initial Pauls reply.

Sometimes on a nice summer Sunday at 17:00 there can be quite a wait to lock in (up to 45 mins sometimes). Residents do normally get priority though. Some years ago, a german yacht allegedly tried to queue jump for the lock and was told via VHF that his towel was not on the lock gate so please wait in turn! As already mentioned, call up on the VHF and they maintain a queuing list in peak periods.

Although not used it myself, spoke to someone who said they have radar on the tower and can guide boats down the channel to the lock in fog.

Cross tide at the lock entrance with a strong southerly wind can sometimes be an interesting experience.
 
I like Shotley Marina. The only real drawback for me is where it is. There's not a lot at Shotley and I think it's fair to say Shotley is off the beaten track. It depends what you are looking for I guess. We're now at Burnham on Crouch, which is also a good marina and owned by the same outfit as Shotley.
 
A third (or is it fourth?) positive about Shotley.... we're about to start our 5th season here, and remain absolutely delighted about our decision to move here...

The two things that really make the difference for us are the very friendly staff... always a smile, and always helpful, and secondly, there is a much nicer community atmosphere than many places we've visited... last year our entire pontoon had a BBQ on the pontoon... lovely way of meeting and making friends with the people that berth near you...

The longest we've waited for the lock is about 40 mins... but that was at LW at 15:00 on a hot bank holiday monday.... 9 times out of ten we radio up as we pass the lightships and get pretty much straight in

As FC said... we're all too smug and satisfied!
 
Guapa said:
To be honest, the 20-30 mins by car on the B1456 from Ipswich to Shotley is losing it's attraction fast. I'd rather have the hour on the boat.
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Car v boat can be a bit of a compromise and we'll all see it differently. But from the OP's viewpoint, Wolverstone to Shotley is only a few minutes by car and it'll put him much closer to the sea.

Personally, i'd rather spend the 20 minutes in the car, then use the 40 minutes change to get to sea. We used to keep the boat in a local marina, 7 miles, 15 mins away. But it was then an hour in the boat to the end of the river/begining of The Wash and another hour to the mouth of The Wash (all at 16 knots). Now, i drive an hour and a half to Shotley, but am at sea in a few minutes. With the boat burning 25 litres of fuel an hour, cost was also an issue. Of course, the savings on boat fuel are more than used up with extra fuel in the car and bigger berthing bills. Can't win lol
 
I'll fifth that. Been at Shotley 10 years in March. As your at Woolverstone the extra 10 mins to Shotley will not be a problem, gives you a chance to start your wind down after the A14 anyway. Facilities and staff are good, lock wait usually not a great problem, if a queue go for a sail up the river usually clear by the time your'e back. With good speed down the channel, the cross tide is not a problem, provided your reverse is OK once in the lock but don't worry you won't hurt the gates at the end. Give it a go you won't regret it.
 
PaulGooch said:
Car v boat can be a bit of a compromise and we'll all see it differently. But from the OP's viewpoint, Wolverstone to Shotley is only a few minutes by car and it'll put him much closer to the sea.
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I'd been wondering about the drive, but as Paul says, the difference is Woolverstone->Shotley. I usually do Home->Woolverstone in 1 hour (unless it's a dark dry night and quite late ;) so another 10 mins or so isn't too bad.
 
I've enjoyed going to Shotley a few times and have nothing against it except that it seems to be a windy old corner and it always seems to be howling away when we're there, and Pin Mill/RHYC/Woolverstone or Levington seem more sheltered. I suppose that coming as I do from Titchmarsh, I'm in no position to complain.
 
johnalison said:
I've enjoyed going to Shotley a few times and have nothing against it except that it seems to be a windy old corner and it always seems to be howling away when we're there, and Pin Mill/RHYC/Woolverstone or Levington seem more sheltered. I suppose that coming as I do from Titchmarsh, I'm in no position to complain.
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The bank offers a bit of protection and at least the water stays flat.

We had a swinging mooring at Pin Mill in '97, if it blew up down the river, it could get pretty uncomfortable. We did have to cancel one trip in about August as it was too rough to even stay on the boat in the river. The trip back from the boat to the hard was, erm, interesting :eek:
 
PaulGooch said:
The bank offers a bit of protection and at least the water stays flat.

We had a swinging mooring at Pin Mill in '97, if it blew up down the river, it could get pretty uncomfortable. We did have to cancel one trip in about August as it was too rough to even stay on the boat in the river. The trip back from the boat to the hard was, erm, interesting :eek:
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A strong wind blowing straight down the river from the Orwell Bridge does make the moorings and marinas at Pin Mill/Woolverstone rather uncomfortable at times but the shelter is excellent from most other directions. :)

The local road is pretty much all 30 or 40mph speed limits once at Woolverstone so I can understand how frustrating that can get. Especially if you are behind somebody who is not in much of a rush to get anywhere anytime soon.
 
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