The future of Solent sailing

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Homer J

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My mate has just decided to sell his boat for two reasons. The first is that he doesn’t use it enough because he lives too far from it.

But the second reason is the inability to go anywhere these days because there is no space in any of the harbours and I have to admit I’m having the same problem. Lymington, Beaulieu, Bembridge all booked.

I’m particularly annoyed with Yarmouth. I booked a berth with them on a Friday night and phoned them Friday morning to say the wind was too strong and I wouldn’t be coming. Thank you for letting us know they said but we are keeping your £50. Including the £4 for electricity - is this outrageous or is it just me?

so what do you think? As people are staying in the UK for holidays and foreign boats are repatriated due to VAT have we reached the stage where the Solent is overcrowded? Is it time to move / sell?
 
I don’t know the Solent well but there are places to stay if you are prepared to dinghy ashore. We retired folk have always had the best of the deal by being able to use either end of the season to enjoy plenty of space, as the busy period was always a bit of a crush. I think the current congestion is to some extent temporary and will ease when people feel free to go further afield. I wouldn’t give up yet but would certainly give Yarmouth a wide berth until I had recovered my composure.
 
There are many semi abandoned boats in marinas. You know the ones where the berthing is paid every year but never visited. Perhaps if where possible marinas offered a decent discount for storage ashore then some of them could be removed from marinas and spaces freed up to rent out to visitors.
 
johnalison said:
We retired folk have always had the best of the deal by being able to use either end of the season to enjoy plenty of space, as the busy period was always a bit of a crush.
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Also by being able to sail midweek; since we retired we haven't been looking for a Friday or Saturday night marina/harbour space for the last couple of years. Portsmouth Harbour, the Solent and Chichester harbour were very quiet this (mid-)week.
 
Homer J said:
I’m particularly annoyed with Yarmouth. I booked a berth with them on a Friday night and phoned them Friday morning to say the wind was too strong and I wouldn’t be coming. Thank you for letting us know they said but we are keeping your £50. Including the £4 for electricity - is this outrageous or is it just me?
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Yers, it's outrageous but they have been doing it for a long time. I checked with them once before booking and they said then that if it was a F9, they might do a refund but anything less was reckoned do-able in the Solent. Most other places will allow a refund if the weather looks OTT. Yarmouth went dowhill after they started putting pontoons in and suddenly the harbour commission saw the glint of lots of dosh.

However, was in Lymington once and next day's forecast, when we were due to leave was horrible. Asked to stay one more night and they were very reluctant saying the regular berth holder was due back, I just said, "in that forecast?" and they agreed that perhaps I could stay after all. Next day there was 45 knots over the starting platform outside Lym and berth holder never came and we were very glad to be in the marina.
 
Currently in Tobermory, Isle of Mull. A yacht here has been cruising for a few weeks up here now, the couple live in Essex and they said much the same, that it is extremely busy. I agree with prv that Covid is the main reason.
 
That’s last sailed in the Solent about 12 years ago - A boat rafted to us on a swinging mooring FFS! Its been a long time too busy for my liking. If I wanted high density accommodation I’d go a hotel in magaluf.
 
Minerva said:
That’s last sailed in the Solent about 12 years ago - A boat rafted to us on a swinging mooring FFS! Its been a long time too busy for my liking. If I wanted high density accommodation I’d go a hotel in magaluf.
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So, how is Magaluf these days? :)
 
It would be wrong to say I'm allergic to marinas, but I'm certainly allergic to their prices and some of the policies I'm reading about here, but the policy has always seemed to be to squeeze until the pips squeak. My answer has been to go where the big boys needing deep water moorings don't go - tucking into the shallow bits of Newton Creek, Chi Harbour, on the beach at Bembridge or up the Medina. It's almost unknown not to find space, though Jazzcat may turn out to be a bit harder to find space for than a Snapdragon!
 
Homer J said:
My mate has just decided to sell his boat for two reasons. The first is that he doesn’t use it enough because he lives too far from it.

But the second reason is the inability to go anywhere these days because there is no space in any of the harbours and I have to admit I’m having the same problem. Lymington, Beaulieu, Bembridge all booked.

I’m particularly annoyed with Yarmouth. I booked a berth with them on a Friday night and phoned them Friday morning to say the wind was too strong and I wouldn’t be coming. Thank you for letting us know they said but we are keeping your £50. Including the £4 for electricity - is this outrageous or is it just me?

so what do you think? As people are staying in the UK for holidays and foreign boats are repatriated due to VAT have we reached the stage where the Solent is overcrowded? Is it time to move / sell?
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Last weekend we went to Bembridge and due to work commitments had to cancel the friday Evening. No problem for Bembridge they gave us a credit without question. Solent not so busy-don’t give up yet!
 
wombat88 said:
Stop paying marina fees, buy a nice dinghy, sail in a harbour with pubs and yacht clubs who welcome visitors by sea.

Be smug!
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And visit some river reaches or drying harbours that you wouldn’t with a yacht; visit the Bristol Channel or the east coast by road trailer, or even sail around the IOW. The Wayfarer Association has organised Round the Island cruises in the past.
Most dinghy cruisers try not to be TOO smug. ;)
 
Minerva said:
That’s last sailed in the Solent about 12 years ago - A boat rafted to us on a swinging mooring FFS! Its been a long time too busy for my liking. If I wanted high density accommodation I’d go a hotel in magaluf.
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Where was that? I have never seen boats raft up on a mooring in the Solent except in Newtown where it is a maximum of two boats, but not overnight. In Salcombe they raft up many boats to a buoy.
 
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