Views on swinging moorings on Exe at Starcross, UK

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jeffsnox

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I've seen Starcross (on Exe, UK) mentioned specifically on an insurance web site... and a boat seller I sea-trialled with seemed to avoid the question of security a little when I pressed him.

Is Starcross renowned for having security issues?

To the point that it's best avoided?

Thanks!
 
Don't think Starcross is any better or worse than anywhere else. But I suspect what the insurance co was referring to is the issue of it being exposed in a gale especially from the east. A forumite moored there had his boat wrecked in the big October gale a few years back.
 
If you do a search on this forum I think you will find at least one, if not two, long discussions about Starcross on this forum in the last 2 years.
 
I doubt the Exe is any worse reference security (theft) than any other in the south west and probably much better than many. Tides and fetch do make it important that mooring tackle is adequate and well-maintained and an insurance company may (with reason) impose an end-October/April embargo. Sandbanks must also be considered in some parts depending on your draft and ability to take the ground. There are many who respect the conditions and have enjoyed many years mooring without problems - in my case the last 19. These are general comments - if you have specific queries re different mooring areas on the Exe, access, mooring services etc pm me and I will try to answer.
 
We had a mooring at Starcross for a season and when approaching Insurance Companies for cover a couple did decline based on the location. We found that on quite a few occasions when we arrived at Starcross to go out to our boat by dinghy my wife was not at all happy to so we went home again and missed a good sail. After this season i wonder how much use of their boats mooring holders had generally (Tony excepted).
 
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Unauthorised access to boats IS a bit of a problem, as there are lots of dinghies on the adjacent shore.


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Well I keep a RIB on Starcross pier and haven't seen a single dinghy on the shore! There's virtually no access cos of the railway line! If they were kept there they'd soon be either swept away or broken up . Either way you must be thinking of somewhere else. There are lots stored at SFCC but they're all locked up.
 
The forumite that LJS referred to was myself.
We had a very pretty Moody 30 moored in the Exe at Starcross & she was wrecked in an early October storm in 2004, just as we were about move her to her winter mooring in Dartmouth.
She had very substantial ground tackle and in fact it did not break, but got dragged. We suspect that another boat ran over the anchors and once they were pulled there was no way they would reset.

She was a very good sea boat and typical well built moody, she was smashed up against the concrete railway wall, but next day with some help we got her patched and refloated, luckily we were insured.

I believe she has been rebuilt & is now back on the water.

Shady20Bow20in20exe.jpg


poter
 
Just a couple more thoughts, The access to deep water moorings inland of the Starcross pier is a problem because of the sandbars, we were lucky as we were in one of the holes but getting to & from the boat by dingy was a massive problem when the tide runs, especially at springs. Our little rubber duck & 2.5 mercury used to struggle with 2 onboard, I even on one ocasion got out & walked across the sandbars.

Even after getting to know the estuary after a few of years sailing I still got caught out a couple of times a season, catching the tides for our mooring were critical, only a couple of hours past high tide & you were nacked, but I must say I miss being there it was very convenient during the season.

poter
 
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