Sovereign Eastbourne

Sticky Fingers

Sticky Fingers

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Just spoke to the very helpful people at Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne.

They tell me that there now no problem with access at any state of tide; anyone with local knowledge care to comment on silting / dredging / shingle build up, and how well Premier have kept the marina operating this winter?
 
A1GSS said:
Just spoke to the very helpful people at Sovereign Harbour Eastbourne.

They tell me that there now no problem with access at any state of tide; anyone with local knowledge care to comment on silting / dredging / shingle build up, and how well Premier have kept the marina operating this winter?
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Not sure about Eastbourne but Brighton is coming along nicely , brilliant staff , new management , dredging improving things etc and a cracking buzzing town down the road , I find Eastbourne alright but quiet and the town is a long way away ...
 
I normally visit Sovereign Harbour several times a year. Never had depth problems. The staff are very helpful. The lock system works well. The shoreside facilities are pretty good. Inside the marina, it's extremely sheltered (which can't always be said for Brighton). The town is a bit depressing though. Biggest problem with Sovereign is that the local waters are absolutely infested with poorly marked pots.
 
Budgieboy said:
Not sure about Eastbourne but Brighton is coming along nicely , brilliant staff , new management , dredging improving things etc and a cracking buzzing town down the road , I find Eastbourne alright but quiet and the town is a long way away ...
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Hi Budgieboy, yes we love Brighton too. This topic has become a thing because one of our kids is starting at Brighton Uni in September so we thought it might be a grand idea to keep the boat down there at least for a year or so.

Was put off Brighton a bit when we went and had a look, seemed a long way from town, a bit of a concrete jungle with some very chavvy cafes and a labyrinthine multistorey car park.

If you're in there and recommending it I'll certainly take another look. I'm going to take a look at Eastbourne next week, never been there so the proximity of town might well be a problem there too.

Quite like the Premier Marinas offer of visitor nights. Makes a S Coast cruise using Premier locations an interesting idea.
 
pvb said:
I normally visit Sovereign Harbour several times a year. Never had depth problems. The staff are very helpful. The lock system works well. The shoreside facilities are pretty good. Inside the marina, it's extremely sheltered (which can't always be said for Brighton). The town is a bit depressing though. Biggest problem with Sovereign is that the local waters are absolutely infested with poorly marked pots.
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Thanks, sounds interesting. Sheltered is good.

Bloody pots are another matter altogether... :(
 
A1GSS said:
Hi Budgieboy, yes we love Brighton too. This topic has become a thing because one of our kids is starting at Brighton Uni in September so we thought it might be a grand idea to keep the boat down there at least for a year or so.

Was put off Brighton a bit when we went and had a look, seemed a long way from town, a bit of a concrete jungle with some very chavvy cafes and a labyrinthine multistorey car park.

If you're in there and recommending it I'll certainly take another look. I'm going to take a look at Eastbourne next week, never been there so the proximity of town might well be a problem there too.

Quite like the Premier Marinas offer of visitor nights. Makes a S Coast cruise using Premier locations an interesting idea.
Click to expand...

We've kept our boat at Eastbourne, Brighton and Newhaven over the years (with occasional years much further East or West). We found that we preferred Newhaven or Eastbourne as a base simply because we like going out in Brighton.

So a Saturday sail for an overnight stop takes us where we want to go to eat and drink, not away from it. Pleased to hear that dredging has improved. My preference is Newhaven because it reminds me of the muddy low-end sailing bases I grew up with - there it's as if the 1980s are still just about to happen.
 
A1GSS said:
Hi Budgieboy, yes we love Brighton too. This topic has become a thing because one of our kids is starting at Brighton Uni in September so we thought it might be a grand idea to keep the boat down there at least for a year or so.

Was put off Brighton a bit when we went and had a look, seemed a long way from town, a bit of a concrete jungle with some very chavvy cafes and a labyrinthine multistorey car park.

If you're in there and recommending it I'll certainly take another look. I'm going to take a look at Eastbourne next week, never been there so the proximity of town might well be a problem there too.

Quite like the Premier Marinas offer of visitor nights. Makes a S Coast cruise using Premier locations an interesting idea.
Click to expand...

One of mine was there for four years. Top visitor spot is the Lanes where there are lots of small, funky shops, pubs, eateries and a flea market that's always fun.
Like any town, it can pall a bit after a time so I'm not really sure I'd keep a boat there, but then living on the East coast I'm spoiled!
 
Ignoring the direct question but having a child at Uni I don't feel (IMHO of course) that it would be particularly beneficial to either end of the relationship/university experience to be around the same town most weekends. From this point of view at least the Eastbourne option might be better (and Rupert's point is also good).
 
I did an overnight in there last March on a delivery trip. Entrance between pierhead was very shallow, we drew 1.2m and couldn't have passed through an hour either side of LW. Staff said they were expecting dredging in May (last year again) but no idea if that happened, nor what the state is now.
 
Hi Cantata

Yes I read the earlier threads about the silting up and called them today to ask. They say it's clear now -2.5m below CD. My boat is (or will be) the so-called "shoal" version, at 1.6m or 5'3" in old money. Be interesting to learn if anyone has been in there recently and had a problem with depths...




Graham


PS just bought ECP. Excellent :)
 
Was there in late July 2016 - we'd sailed from Burnham towards IOW but after a night of building winds on the nose and very choppy seas, plus one of the three crew completely incapacitated with seasickness, we decided to cut our losses and head to the nearest harbour - which was Sovereign. Got there LW + 3, we draw 1.9m and had no problems getting in. Very helpful marina staff. Eastbourne not exactly my choice for an exciting town but was a welcome break from a building storm.

Ended up there for 3 days whilst we waited for the F8' to subside.
 
Visited Brighton and Eastbourne last summer. Both have good points and both were limited depth on approach but due for dredging. Eastbourne also has a wreck just north of the approach marked by green buoys, but the tide runs northward so watch the drift. Eastbourne is a quieter berth to be in.
 
Well, spent an hour or two today at Sovereign, and i have to say I liked it. Plenty of room, no road noise, Maybe a bit built up (understatement) but looks alright. I'm thinking I'll give it a try for the first year at least.

Had a chat to the chandler, he's running it as much to supply his maintenance business as anything else, small as was said. Got the feeling his heart wasn't in it :)
 
A1GSS said:
Thanks, sounds interesting. Sheltered is good.

Bloody pots are another matter altogether... :(
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But, of course you will have dug a bit deeper into your fitting out budget and bought a Stripper for your saildrive, which will significantly reduce (if not quite eliminate) the potential for damage if you pick one up!
 
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