Turf Lock, Exe

[stranded]

All being well we will be moving house to Lympstone early in the New Year before heading off to warmer waters in Nooka. She has a berth in the Solent until the end of March when we would like to move her closer to the house for final prep, provisioning etc. We have been thinking of moving her down to Torquay for a few weeks but wonder whether Turf Lock might work. Interested in any thoughts on the practicality of that - primarily I suppose, we would plan to take gear etc. across from Lympstone in the dinghy - is there somewhere where we could easily unload gear on the seaward side of the Lock, how far to transfer it from there to the visitors' moorings, and would we likely be alongside or rafted out. Also any other considerations I haven't thought of (we will have our own store to and from which we can carry the dinghy to the water at the Lympstone end)?

 

[Capt Popeye]

:encouragement:

Welcome, yes a good move to bring your vessel nearer your home whist preparing and provisioning her, my understanding about Turf Lock is that the Lock itself is not normally accessible by road by 'normal persons' which means just about everybody, except that deliveries are allowed I am told to the Turf Lock by supplying companies, there is a road from 'up canal' side from a Nature reserve about half a mile long or so I believe. You just might obtain permissions for access to drop off etc from the Turf Lock proprietors, worth the asking, but the Dirt Road across the Nature Reserve is very bumpy, narrow and a bit tortuous with few 'passing places'.
Might I suggest an alternative place to moor is actually in Lympstone itself, its in the Creek and Foreshore at Lympstone. This foreshore area is owned and controlled by the 'Lympstone Fishery & Harbour Association' and it restricts its mooring to persons who have their main residential address in Lympstone and are on the Lympstone electoral role, if this is 'you' then tis but a short walk from the village onto the foreshore.
There is also a Lympstone Sailing Club who have moorings there as well, but in order to have mooring facilities one also has to be a LF&HA member, so?

 

[stranded]

:encouragement:

Welcome, yes a good move to bring your vessel nearer your home whist preparing and provisioning her, my understanding about Turf Lock is that the Lock itself is not normally accessible by road by 'normal persons' which means just about everybody, except that deliveries are allowed I am told to the Turf Lock by supplying companies, there is a road from 'up canal' side from a Nature reserve about half a mile long or so I believe. You just might obtain permissions for access to drop off etc from the Turf Lock proprietors, worth the asking, but the Dirt Road across the Nature Reserve is very bumpy, narrow and a bit tortuous with few 'passing places'.
Might I suggest an alternative place to moor is actually in Lympstone itself, its in the Creek and Foreshore at Lympstone. This foreshore area is owned and controlled by the 'Lympstone Fishery & Harbour Association' and it restricts its mooring to persons who have their main residential address in Lympstone and are on the Lympstone electoral role, if this is 'you' then tis but a short walk from the village onto the foreshore.
There is also a Lympstone Sailing Club who have moorings there as well, but in order to have mooring facilities one also has to be a LF&HA member, so?

Cheers Cap'n. Yes, mooring at Lympstone would be perfect, but our draft won't allow it sadly. We'll definitely be seeking to join the sailing club though, and will look into laying a mooring for a sailing dinghy once we are back in the UK full time.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Cheers Cap'n. Yes, mooring at Lympstone would be perfect, but our draft won't allow it sadly. We'll definitely be seeking to join the sailing club though, and will look into laying a mooring for a sailing dinghy once we are back in the UK full time.

Huum, yes realized after I had posted the info that if ones draft or keel configuration will not accommodate it (ie Non Drying out) it would not offer a suitable mooring place

 

[Capt Popeye]

Humm, more thoughts for you Sir.
The local Lympstone club has I understand a fixed walkways for the members to lay bow or stern on to, perhaps you could lie alongside and dry out there supported by the fixed walkways? just a thought, might all depend upon the Club attitudes?

If you go onto Google Earth you can zoom in to Turf Lock and see the vessels tied up there, some from my last memory were alongside the wharf and others were doubled up alongside each other. Might be a 'friends' arrangement?

Hope it helps, CP

 

[stranded]

Humm, more thoughts for you Sir.
The local Lympstone club has I understand a fixed walkways for the members to lay bow or stern on to, perhaps you could lie alongside and dry out there supported by the fixed walkways? just a thought, might all depend upon the Club attitudes?

If you go onto Google Earth you can zoom in to Turf Lock and see the vessels tied up there, some from my last memory were alongside the wharf and others were doubled up alongside each other. Might be a 'friends' arrangement?

Hope it helps, CP

It's a thought - though we've never dried out and it might be one stress I could do without - nervous excitement about the first time across Biscay is likely to be quite enough! Had we known sooner that we would be moving down there I could have overwintered her on the hard at Trouts in Topsham, but too late for this year. Turf sounds like the best bet, but rafted would be a bit of a pain for all the stuff we will have to load. Maybe get more aboard before we leave the Solent.

 

[Capt Popeye]

Hi again; the 'Retreat Boatyard' further to wards Exeter past Topsham has full lifting out facilities available and a good bit of room, they have all sorts of fixed deep keel craft shored up or in cradles. They also have a good workshop team and chandlery if one requires them. Oh and a good car park on site away from 'meter men' etc.

 

[[70521]]

Might it be easier on the east side of the Exe at the moment. There are some major roadworks that are underway on the canal bridges which is causing significant holdups during working hours and are due to go on for some time.

 

[KAL]

...or there's Exmouth marina. It takes about 10 mins to drive there from Lympstone. No good if you want to be lifted out, but convenient if you're afloat.

 

[stranded]

...or there's Exmouth marina. It takes about 10 mins to drive there from Lympstone. No good if you want to be lifted out, but convenient if you're afloat.

I think we're too big (44ft). ��

 

[LittleSister]

Hi again; the 'Retreat Boatyard' further to wards Exeter past Topsham has full lifting out facilities available and a good bit of room, they have all sorts of fixed deep keel craft shored up or in cradles. They also have a good workshop team and chandlery if one requires them. Oh and a good car park on site away from 'meter men' etc.

You have to time the tide to get to the Retreat, but as well as being lifted ashore, there may also be the options of either lying alongside their pontoon to unload while the tide's in, or they have some deep water (I don't know how deep) moorings a little upstream of the boatyard, near the bridge. (Or at least they did some years ago when I was in that neck of the woods.)

+1

 

[[70521]]

You have to time the tide to get to the Retreat, but as well as being lifted ashore, there may also be the options of either lying alongside their pontoon to unload while the tide's in, or they have some deep water (I don't know how deep) moorings a little upstream of the boatyard, near the bridge. (Or at least they did some years ago when I was in that neck of the woods.)

+1

Those moorings are usually taken in during the winter, but give the yard a ring.

 

[stranded]

Those moorings are usually taken in during the winter, but give the yard a ring.

I will do that, thanks.

 

[longjohnsilver]

I will do that, thanks.

Hasn't happened recently but there is always the risk of ice flowing fast down the river and causing damage to boats. More likely up at Retreat as the water is fresher and shallower, so more prone to freezing.

 

[stranded]

Hasn't happened recently but there is always the risk of ice flowing fast down the river and causing damage to boats. More likely up at Retreat as the water is fresher and shallower, so more prone to freezing.

Ooer - is that really an issue? I've been living in London/SE too long!

 

[[70521]]

Ooer - is that really an issue? I've been living in London/SE too long!

There is always a risk of a heard of wooly mammoths causing damage!

 

[Nick Costen]

There is always a risk of a heard of wooly mammoths causing damage!

Come on, even Devon's not quite that backward. The Eurasian moose perhaps...

Seriously, we've been keeping our boat on the moorings at The Retreat for over a decade. I think the trots are brought in, and they're certainly not tenable over the winter. The problem's not ice; rather, during the floods you get large trees coming down river. I recall on one occasion, the buoys, chains and anchors were all washed away in the spring floods. I'd be very dubious if there is enough water for the yacht in question - our Memory grounds at low tide. Beyond the bridge might be possible, but it is very long way from Lympstone, and I'd still be worried about the trees.

I'm slightly surprised that in answering the original question, no one seems to have mentioned the Turf pub's landing stage. It's a couple of hundred meters to the lock basin behind the pub. You might have to buy a drink in the pub to justify using it morally, but that's rarely a problem.

Nick

 

[mattonthesea]

I think we're too big (44ft). ?

I was there in June. They seem a nice crowd and they certainly have hammerheads that would accommodate 44ft.

 

[stranded]

By Jove you're right! Just spoken to them and they can fit us on a visitors pontoon out of season. Problem solved I think - we can now sail down to Torquay Marina for Christmas on the boat with daughter (who's working a late on Christmas Eve and an early on Boxing Day), then drop boat back in Exmouth ready for the house move in January. Isn't it great when a plan comes together!

 

[longjohnsilver]

By Jove you're right! Just spoken to them and they can fit us on a visitors pontoon out of season. Problem solved I think - we can now sail down to Torquay Marina for Christmas on the boat with daughter (who's working a late on Christmas Eve and an early on Boxing Day), then drop boat back in Exmouth ready for the house move in January. Isn't it great when a plan comes together!

Just be aware that you will settle either into mud or shingle at low water. I've kept boats in Exmouth marina on and off for almost 30 years, and much of it dries completely on a low water spring. The deepest parts are where the hammerheads are, but even there our 48' motorboat, draft approx 1.6m, still took to the ground at low water, and annoyingly eroded the newly applied anti fouling on the keel!

Take a look around and you'll see very few yachts. It's almost exclusively used by smallish motor boats. It is however a very safe option when looking for protection from the weather, and bearing in mind what I've said above, the hammerheads are plenty big enough for you. The dock master, or marina manager, is also the lifeboat cox and a very pleasant and helpful chap.

A big advantage for you being at Lympstone is the half hourly train between Exmouth and Exeter, as well as a regular bus service and a great cycle path along the river, so you don't need to use your car if you don't want to.