Top 3 pleasures of moorings

[Marmalade]

We've been on both moorings and marina

Moorings:
Love the peace and quiet
Don't love wind over tide = lumpy nights

Marina
Love the convenience of it all
Don't love the car-parkiness

You pays your money (more of it in the latter instance admittedly!).

 

[awol]

I am old enough to remember when marinas were but a mote in the developer's eye. Moorings were a tad more crowded then, at least they were on the Clyde. Strange thing was that many more boats took part in racing then than do now, despite the fact that numerically there are more boats now, though mostly stationary in marinas.

I hypothesize that simply having to make an effort to get onto your boat encouraged an enthusiasm for sailing that the marina lifestyle wannabe can never emulate - discuss.

 

[Poignard]

I hypothesize that simply having to make an effort to get onto your boat encouraged an enthusiasm for sailing that the marina lifestyle wannabe can never emulate - discuss.

What's to discuss? People who say they prefer moorings are simply "making a virtue of necessity".

Poor people and losers keep their boats on moorings. Those who have succeeded in life, and can afford to, keep their yachts in marinas; preferably in the Solent. To be anywhere else is to be socially dead.

 

[Searush]

What's to discuss? People who say they prefer moorings are simply "making a virtue of necessity".

Poor people and losers keep their boats on moorings. Those who have succeeded in life, and can afford it, keep their yachts in marinas; preferably in the Solent. To be anywhere else is to be socially dead.

Don't feed the TROLL

Silly sod thinks he can wind us all up, bless.

 

[David_Jersey]

Don't feed the TROLL

Silly sod thinks he can wind us all up, bless.

That's not a Troll That's simply someone with a sense of humour - making a joke

Of course in a forum populated by more that it's fair share of humourless literalists I am sure the "report" button on Dan's PC is now flashing like a pervert in a school yard

 

[NUTMEG]

Mooring vote

Do these trolls turn to stone in the morning?

Best day I ever had on my boat was on her mooring. Got out in dinghy on the ebb. Made cuppa. Sat in cockpit on a lovely spring day as the water gurgled away. Felt her settle onto the mud. Spent the rest of the day just pottering about, doing odd jobs, evesdropping on the VHF, listening to R4, drinking more tea, listening to Oyster Catchers and a host of other waders, enjoyed the feeling of being within a few hundred yards of the shore, but being totally cut off from it. Sitting back in dinghy as flood came in and lifted me of, followed by a gentle row back to clubhouse as the sun set, followed by a few pints of bitter at clubhouse prices (£2 per pint). Fantastic way to spend a totally relaxing day of pure peace and quiet.

I think Searush would know what I mean.

 

[Kelpie]

I hypothesize that simply having to make an effort to get onto your boat encouraged an enthusiasm for sailing that the marina lifestyle wannabe can never emulate - discuss.

That fits well with my observation: the boats that get sailed the most are the wooden ones. The tupperware stays in the marina and hardly ever goes out.
My theory is that after spending untold weeks sanding and varnishing, the woodies feel the need to justify their labours by actually using their boats. Whilst the microwave-safe brigade probably set up a standing order to the marina and then forget all about the whole business.

 

[LittleSister]

All of the above plus:

1) Hearing the sound of the wavelets or tide trickling past the hull as you fall asleep/wake up

2) Silently sailing off the mooring in my pyjamas and seeing how long it takes the First Mate, who's still in bed and thinks I've just got up to make a cup of tea, to realise we are under way.

3) The journey from shore in the tender marks a transition, so by the time you climb aboard you're already as good as at sea, and have left the world of traffic, work, car parks and shops behind [though sometimes the keys as well! ;-) ]

 

[TamarMike]

1) The dogs can't escape ashore.

2) Can look back and admire the boat while rowing ashore after a trip (unless it's dark

3) Not always necessary to use the engine when slipping the mooring (though I do start it (a) to make sure it works and (b) in case of an almighty foul-up while turning round the next boat astern)

 

[KristiferColumbus]

What's to discuss? People who say they prefer moorings are simply "making a virtue of necessity".

Poor people and losers keep their boats on moorings. Those who have succeeded in life, and can afford to, keep their yachts in marinas; preferably in the Solent. To be anywhere else is to be socially dead.

I grew up in Bursledon & watched the Hamble river turn into one big boat park.Most of the boats there never leave the river from one year to the next.
Where I am now is dirt cheap but it is a wonderful natural environment.I would'nt change it for a marina birth at Moody's if it was given to me completely free of charge.
You can't beat being cut off from the shore the noise the cuffule & the rat race.
As others have said the gentle rocking of the boat & the contact with the elements/the bird & wild life all that stuff.Bloody marvelous!

 

[KristiferColumbus]

That fits well with my observation: the boats that get sailed the most are the wooden ones. The tupperware stays in the marina and hardly ever goes out.
My theory is that after spending untold weeks sanding and varnishing, the woodies feel the need to justify their labours by actually using their boats. Whilst the microwave-safe brigade probably set up a standing order to the marina and then forget all about the whole business.

Naa I owned a wooden boat & you spend all your time maintaining the brutes....it was a revelation to me when I owned my first fibreglass boat & felt completely dry inside when it was peeing down with rain.
I don't do racing but I do get more enjoyment out of my old boat than I bet you 80% of other boaters......& I don't go in for heroics,I just enjoy sailing adventure & getting away from it all

 

[oldharry]

Another unashamed 'swinger'. Why? Yes it is cheaper but mainly, I never yet saw a Marina that gave unhindered views of the S Downs one way, and saltings with loads of birdlife the other. Except when the tide is rising when its the other way round....

All I ever saw in a Marina was - expanse of Glass fibre one side. Expanse of glass fibre the other. Boring 24/7.

And I have several more £ks in my pocket to spend on boat, holidays, SWMBO (in reverse order!) or whatever each year.

 

[awol]

Poor people and losers keep their boats on moorings. Those who have succeeded in life, and can afford to, keep their yachts in marinas; preferably in the Solent. To be anywhere else is to be socially dead.

If one of the measures of success in life is parking a yacht in a Solent marina, I give thanks for my failure. On the other hand, I am actually quite complacent about my level of life successes and count the skills to make and recognise good value judgements amongst them and thus for 6 months of the year, for me, my mooring wins hands down over a marina - but for at least another 3 months the drawbacks of a marina are outweighed by the benefits of location. Blindly following the herd to curry social acceptance by people I feel no empathy for is, hopefully, not one of my attributes.

 

[Sans Bateau]

I will agree with all the positives about a swinging mooring, sorry I know the thread has degenerated in such a typical manner, just trying to add something useful.

The benefit of the marina berth is not just limited to the ease of accessibility, water, fuel, getting people on board etc. To use a marina as somewhere to stay, staying on your boat once you arrive, is completely missing the point of boat ownership. In that case the mooring wins hands down. OK, so we stayed on the boat Friday night in the marina, but only because we were doing work on the boat on Saturday.

But what you guys who stay on a swinging mooring out of choice really miss out on is the difference, the feeling of escape you get when you leave the marina, I dont mean just to sail to another marina. On a Friday night when we are having a sailing weekend, we will arrive at the boat and whilst the weekend grub and stuff is being stowed by SWMBO, I will motor down the harbour, even if the light has already gone, and drop the hook for the night. To then start the weekend, waking up on Saturday morning, at anchor is bliss. Not just being there but its the difference.

 

[Kilter]

I will agree with all the positives about a swinging mooring, sorry I know the thread has degenerated in such a typical manner, just trying to add something useful.

The benefit of the marina berth is not just limited to the ease of accessibility, water, fuel, getting people on board etc. To use a marina as somewhere to stay, staying on your boat once you arrive, is completely missing the point of boat ownership. In that case the mooring wins hands down. OK, so we stayed on the boat Friday night in the marina, but only because we were doing work on the boat on Saturday.

But what you guys who stay on a swinging mooring out of choice really miss out on is the difference, the feeling of escape you get when you leave the marina, I dont mean just to sail to another marina. On a Friday night when we are having a sailing weekend, we will arrive at the boat and whilst the weekend grub and stuff is being stowed by SWMBO, I will motor down the harbour, even if the light has already gone, and drop the hook for the night. To then start the weekend, waking up on Saturday morning, at anchor is bliss. Not just being there but its the difference.

Well said!

 

[Ubergeekian]

But what you guys who stay on a swinging mooring out of choice really miss out on is the difference, the feeling of escape you get when you leave the marina, I dont mean just to sail to another marina. On a Friday night when we are having a sailing weekend, we will arrive at the boat and whilst the weekend grub and stuff is being stowed by SWMBO, I will motor down the harbour, even if the light has already gone, and drop the hook for the night. To then start the weekend, waking up on Saturday morning, at anchor is bliss. Not just being there but its the difference.

Isn't that the same as saying that the great thing about banging your head on a wall is stopping? "Being in a marina is great because it's so nice to leave it" is not the warmest recommendation I've ever seen.

I kept my old boat at Crinan for years, and the new boat's going back there - the feeling of release on arriving at the boat was enormous!

 

[Sans Bateau]

Isn't that the same as saying that the great thing about banging your head on a wall is stopping? "Being in a marina is great because it's so nice to leave it" is not the warmest recommendation I've ever seen.

I kept my old boat at Crinan for years, and the new boat's going back there - the feeling of release on arriving at the boat was enormous!

Well thats not a bad analogy, a bit extreme, but not bad. But you miss the point, slightly. One should never see a marina as anything other than, say, a car park, the pleasure begins (if you like driving) when you leave the car park. That doesnt make the car park a bad place. But neither would I recommend a car park as somewhere to spend the weekend.

So when you leave the marina, you are getting a satisfaction you cannot experience if you are already out of it.

 

[Robin]

I liked being on a swinging mooring and was for 25 years. It was cheap and easy to depart from or return to and with stunning views across Poole. One significant advantage was that except when the tide was running really fast (it does in Poole at times) the boat would lay head to wind.

The downside was that the mooring was exposed across the full width of Poole Harbour to the prevailing winds. Anything from F4 up meant a wild and wet ride out on a Friday night straight into the wind and waves, so you started the weekend with everything wet. OK so we found ways round this with heavy duty waterproof bags etc but it was still a pain in those conditions. Before we moved here 23 years ago, we even had to sleep in the clubhouse because it was too bad to get out to the mooring some Friday nights. Most Friday nights regardless we would drop the mooring and motor off to a more sheltered spot and we had several we used regularly and could come and go to in the dark, even in pre-Decca and pre GPS days.

When we joined our current YC they built a marina about two years later. We thought very long and hard about the option of going in or staying out and finally decided on 'in'. Our new berth was tail into the prevailing wind so a minus feature but with the cockpit facing the wonderful views, a plus feature. We could still leave on a Friday evening and if we were going somewhere that is what we did most weekends. On the weekends we were staying local, we could either go out and anchor somewhere around the harbour (or out in Studland or Swanage) or we could stay put, we often did either of those things if the weather and/or tide times weren't ideal. On holidays we rarely used marinas but anchored out, only going 'in' to fill up with water, buy food, do the laundry and maybe have a meal out. We managed 5 weeks to Southern Brittany in a 41 footer with just £130 paid for visitor fees.

Our YC has lots of swinging moorings as well as the marina. Most of the boats out on the moorings come in when it suits and some will stay the weekend 'in' if the weather is bad, a change is as good as a rest or whatever.

So I guess what I'm saying is do whatever suits your needs and pocket best.

 

[Searush]

(snip)
2) Silently sailing off the mooring in my pyjamas and seeing how long it takes the First Mate, who's still in bed and thinks I've just got up to make a cup of tea, to realise we are under way.
(snip)

I rarely LoL on here - but I did at that. I thought I was the only one who pulled stunts like that. SWMBO's a good sport tho' & she will enjoy the lie in for a while & then get up & produce a heap of sausage sarnies & a huge mug of tea each for breakfast before we get into rougher water. Priceless.

Sophie19 You are right I know that day well, I used to moor in a salt marsh creek on the River Dee. My current trot is almost in the heart of the town of Caernarfon, but we still often overnight in isolated creeks for the "Maurice Griffiths Experience".

 

[DogWatch]

My current trot is almost in the heart of the town of Caernarfon, but we still often overnight in isolated creeks for the "Maurice Griffiths Experience".

And if you want to see searush's berth clicky