So - What is the Attraction with Buckler's Hard?

Talulah said:
We didn't eat there Saturday night having glanced at what was being delivered to other tables. One of my crew did place a food order but when he asked to have carrots instead of peas you would have thought he was asking for the World.
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That probably means that they are serving warmed up pre-prepared stuff from 3663 or Brake Brothers. Inability to make minor changes is a dead giveaway.
 
Beaulieu river and scenery are very pleasant.
The pub food and bar service are very average to poor.
The walk ashore moorings at the yard are the most expensive I've yet to find.
The assistance and welcoming are extremely poor to non existant, in fact almost insulting.
The facilities are accross a boatyard and public right of way but when you are there they are very good.
 
Bucklers Hard

Sailing RIP TIDE with 5-6 crew every weekend, eating on board was de rigeur for budgetary, and quality, reasons and we enjoyed the Duke's Bath Club at the water's edge - what a shame it closed.
While the duty watch slaved over a hot stove the rest of us quaffed ale until a foghorn summoned us back to the boat. After dinner the watches changed to give others a run ashore.
Of course as skipper I was excused duties . . .
 
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It was very different in the early 70s. My grandfather kept his ageing wodden gaffer in a mud berth there and early memories at the age of 5 or 6 of sleeping aboard and enduring his spectacular snoring were my first experience of life aboard and sailing, another was of spending an afternoon on a mudbank at an interesting angle! He was not a wealthy man and a weekend at the boat was his escape - something I now understand very well. Whatever he paid for the use of the mud-berth it could not have been very much.

I happened to be in Hythe on business a couple of years ago and took a detour there for lunch and a trip down memory lane. To my surprise the mud-berths (or at least evidence of them) are still there - to the right as you face the river - but clearly not used for many a year, the memories came flooding back - seemed like a lifetime ago.

I bought a nice watercolour print of the scene which now has pride of place on the main bulkhead aboard my pride and joy to remind me how it all started.
 
Scotty_Tradewind said:
The assistance and welcoming are extremely poor to non existant, in fact almost insulting.
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Not sure I can agree with that - but it does depend on where you're talking about ...
We don't go into the marina - preferring the slightly cheaper moorings - we're pretty much always greeted as we near the fuel berth with an HM bod in his dory - who then directs us to where we're most likely to find a suitable spot. They then leave us alone and come along later to take payment.
On one occasion we were directed to tie up in a specific spot whilst we waited for our final destination to become free - only to find there was insufficient water there - the HM was apologetic to the extreme and even though we weren't bothered about it he gave us a discount on the nights fees.
Although I don't want to encourage any more ppl up there - I have to say it's once of the nicest places in the solent - and certainly a good place in inclement weather.
 
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