The Pike & Eel Marina - St.Ives

[lanason]

Does anyone know or has visited the The Pike & Eel Marina at St.Ives.
Any information would be useful.

As I Tralier Boat, I only put my boat in the water for short periods and have therefore not got any anodes on her. What are the recomended types and size for a 23ft boat in Fresh water ??

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/kelisha>Kelisha</A> Nothing is better than a Holiday

 

[BrendanS]

How long is it going in for? You can probably get away with just wiring a magnesium anode to the leg when you leave it, if for short period

<hr width=100% size=1>Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabris, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

 

[lanason]

Going in next weekend - proabably long term - but with the trailer its possible to pull her out if I need to.

<hr width=100% size=1>Adrian <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/kelisha>Kelisha</A> Nothing is better than a Holiday

 

[BrendanS]

Going into fresh water long term, need magnesium anodes not zinc. As to type and quantitiy - guess whatever manufacturer would have originally installed would be best bet.

<hr width=100% size=1>Catapultam habeo. Nisi pecuniam omnem mihi dabris, ad caput tuum saxum immane mittam.

 

[coliholic]

Ooh know the Pike and Eel well, spent quite a few nights there. As a marina it's not bad a friendly bunch moor there and they've got quite an active social scene too. St Ives lock is about 40 mins upstream and St Ives itself is quite pretty and there's some decent moorings and reasonable restaurants in the town. Going the other way, downstream, you'll come to Brownshill Lock which then takes you on to a short stretch of tidal river for 3 miles or so (watch out for the seal that lives just downstream of the lock), then through Hermitage Lock on to the Old West which is a 3 hour boring slog at 4 knots to get to the Ouse again at Popes Corner. From there you can do a right and go to Cambridge or a left and go to Ely. Ely's pretty good too and some nice moorings and riverside pubs there. I reckon they make the best use of the river of any town on it. They call the quay, the Quai D'Orsey. A bit pretentious eh, but pretty nonetheless.

At Hermitage Lock, the only manned lock on the River Ouse, they do check your licence and registration number so make sure you've got your licence. Oh and it's customary to tip the lockkeeper a quid each time you go through. Just through Hermitage Lock is a small marina that sells the cheapest diesel on the river. Run by a friendly Dutch couple. If you're petrol the only marinas that sell petrol are Jones's at St Ives and maybe Lovey's in Ely, though I have a sneaky feeling both of them might have given up on petrol sales by now. Buckden Marina, the other side of Huntigdon and a day's journey definitely sells petrol but of course it's a bit pricey, 90p a litre 2 years ago so gawd knows what it is now.

Jones's or maybe Hartford Marina in Huntingdon should have magnesium anodes in stock, though I always bought mine from Keypart.

If you really fancy it, just before Hermitage lock you can do a left up the Hundred Foot Drain and go directly out to Kings Lynn. Though there's no speed restriction on the 100 ft, you have to time it right with the tide, check with the Lockkeper at Hermitage or better phone the one at Denver Sluice and he'll tell you what time to leave etc. Though there isn't a speed limit on the Hundred Foot you're really restricted to about 7 or 8 knots since it's very shallow, typically about a metre. It's a trip for the brave or foolhardy really, most folk go the long way round via the Old West, but if you do do it, it's only about 4 hours or so to Denver Sluice and you can come back in to the Ouse there. Cuts out a big chunk. I did it once and wouldn't choose to do it again.

Going back to the Pike and Eel, there's not much else to do there apart from the one pub. The restaurant is pretty good and has a good reputation locally, tends to get quite busy and has weddings on most weekends during the summer 'cos it's very picturesque.

Hope that helps, anything else I can help with?



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[terryw]

We spent a year there in 2001. Very friendly, and a reasonable starting point for journeys to Ely, Cambridge, St Ives etc. Only down side was the owner knew nothing about Marina's (or anything else for that matter) and it was basically run by Chuck, the Marina hand. Owner had receivers in, Chuck was made redundant, we left for the coast. Not sure what the present situation is, but it was a nice marina and location

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