South Coast Marina recommendations

[jon and michie]

My wife and I are contemplating moving from the east coast down to the south coast but which one ?
our criteria's are
we are willing to travel as far west as Torquay
Not keen on using lock gates (mainly if we decide to go out to just wash any foul off for 30 minutes)
don't want a drying out berth.
it may seem a big ask but what can you guys recommend?
many thanks
Jon

 

[russ]

Depends on budget. South coast is generally more expensive.

 

[jon and michie]

Depends on budget. South coast is generally more expensive.

Thanks Russ - we're fairly flexible - prefer to pay annually in one go don't know if this is a good or bad thing but we've found we generally get a bit of discount on the berthing.

 

[Martxer]

We are in Lymington 5 mins down the river to the Solent . It’s only 12 miles from the motor way but the traffic can be bad.
This is our 1st season and we have enjoyed being there but we will probably move next year as it is expensive. Facilities are pretty good. Interested to follow this one?

 

[stranded]

My wife and I are contemplating moving from the east coast down to the south coast but which one ?
our criteria's are
we are willing to travel as far west as Torquay
Not keen on using lock gates (mainly if we decide to go out to just wash any foul off for 30 minutes)
don't want a drying out berth.
it may seem a big ask but what can you guys recommend?
many thanks
Jon

From what I have picked up it may be more of a case of what you can get rather than what you would prefer - everywhere down this way (SW) is by all accounts pretty rammed - though that is hearsay rather than personal knowledge.

 

[ST840]

You can’t beat a marina on the Hamble imho.
The best one is Mercury yacht harbour. But like most south coast marinas it’s pretty choca block

 

[rafiki_]

We were on The Hamble at Deacons. Part of Boatfolk so plenty of other marinas to visit at no extra cost. Our boat was 40 ft, about as big as you would want at Deacons.

 

[ashtead]

If you are a mobo cheaper marina under no lifting bridges but assuming not and no locks or I assume sills and wanting to stay afloat choice narrows but east cowes marina maybe worth a look. I guess it depends on how much travel time to boat you want but if iow `is too far then Gosport -we are at Haslar but others exist . Clearly cheapest if you qualify is to get into the ex services marina at Hornet as they almost give away the berths there to old salts I’m told compared to market rates.

 

[Firefly625]

You can’t beat a marina on the Hamble imho.
The best one is Mercury yacht harbour. But like most south coast marinas it’s pretty choca block

I agree…. It’s a great place to explore the Solent and south coast from….and indeed we are also at Mercury. It is free from most charter boats and the racing yachts…. Generally pretty full though, although so are most south coast marinas so you might not get much choice.

 

[matt8442]

I’m based in Poole at Salterns Marina which is not the cheapest but the location is really good and the staff are excellent. However, the Marinas in Poole are all fully booked with waiting lists for anything over 30 foot at time of writing this, I’ve got friends who have tried poole Quay boat haven, Lakeside, Parkstone bay, Salterns and Royal Motor Yacht Club. All of them have a waiting list. Only one was offering berths and that was Cobbs Quay, which is good Marina but the bridge lift can easily become a pain if you need them open to leave. My friends are currently having to drive to Portsmouth from Poole just to get out on their boat. So like others have said you might not have a choice of where to go in some areas. Good luck in finding something though.

 

[tetleys]

Have you considered Weymouth, Dean & Reddyhoff aka Boatfolk , like most south coast marinas extremly limited availability depending on size but annual berthing would give you free nights at East Cowes , Portland and Gosport ,
staff are great and cruising grounds less crowded than the Solent
cheers
Tetleys

 

[Den100]

We moved from Lymington Yacht Haven this year after being a berth holder for some 25 years to Beaulieu after their full refurbishment and haven't regretted it at all stunning location easy to get to by car and even enjoy the trip down the river to the solent.

 

[ST840]

We moved from Lymington Yacht Haven this year after being a berth holder for some 25 years to Beaulieu after their full refurbishment and haven't regretted it at all stunning location easy to get to by car and even enjoy the trip down the river to the solent.

I enquired about Beaulieu last month out of interest. It turned out to be £1500 more expensive than on the Hamble. Even with Otium Mercury’s is proving good value.

 

[ashtead]

Beaulieu is certainly a lovely location even if without some of the attractions of Lym . A lot of ones decisions turn on home base and time when sailing but if I was retired I might look for a marina which gives free nights in sister marinas . While out of the OP location we were quite taken by Brixham marina so you might see if you could do say 6 months there and 6 months in a Solent marina etc. Weymouth is good but the bridge barrier on exiting marina might be frustrating for some due to timings and early lifting scramble to escape? I guess it depends on the boating you do though so certainly worth a look and will be cheaper than Solent choices.

 

[Blue Sunray]

I agree…. It’s a great place to explore the Solent and south coast from….and indeed we are also at Mercury. It is free from most charter boats and the racing yachts…. Generally pretty full though, although so are most south coast marinas so you might not get much choice.

We like Mercury, though not berthed there at the moment, but what going on with the management? Simon only went across from OV recently and today MDL have announced a new bloke is coming in whose previous job seems to have been as a pub manager.

 

[ST840]

MDL have announced a new bloke is coming in whose previous job seems to have been as a pub manager.

Where did you hear this?

 

[Blue Sunray]

Where did you hear this?

New appointments strengthen MDL’s marina management teams

This was back in March:

New appointments underpin MDL's commitment to quality

 

[ST840]

New appointments strengthen MDL’s marina management teams

This was back in March:

New appointments underpin MDL's commitment to quality

Wonder what happened there then? Any idea where Simon moved on to?

 

[Blue Sunray]

Wonder what happened there then? Any idea where Simon moved on to?

No idea, it would be good to know what's occurring. He seemed a good bloke.

 

[ST840]

No idea, it would be good to know what's occurring. He seemed a good bloke.

Sure does seem odd. I’ll have an ask around at the weekend.