Weare Quay boatyard

EASLOOP

EASLOOP

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Thinking of re-locating (maybe??). Does anybody have any first hand knowledge of Weare Quay Boatyard, up the Tamar near Bere Ferrers?

Sent them an email but they have not responded. Can't be a virus checker problem as I sent the email from a secure site at work.

Thanks in advance for any replies.
 
Re: Weir Quay boatyard

You can see where it is from your chart - quite a way from the sea, an hour and a half or more with the tide, and by road it is a bit of a trek through lanes. My mate had his boat there for sale for a long time with no luck - there is no passing trade. It's a peaceful spot and they have a shower, some chandlery and a workshop. From the couple of times I have been there they seem friendly. Also there is a sailing club nearby. But you might feel a bit isolated, and if you want to buy a shackle you won't have any choice. Hope this helps!
 
Kept my boat there for some months but that was long ago when Brian Tankard owned it. However access is unlikely to be very different now - as earlier correspondent said, a very long haul down to Plymouth Sound or even to Saltash and the St Germains river whilst the road journey is extremely slow and awkward. I quickly moved to moorings in the Cattewater.
 
I kept my boat there for a season and I agree with the others about the long haul to the open sea. We were also plagued when aboard on the moorings by tripper booze boats going through the moorings, loud music, lots of drunken oafs on board, and bad wash.

But it was a place I felt safe leaving the boat, and access from the noith wasnt bad whereas any further west towards falmouth, the journey became a pain.
 
As others have said the area is peaceful (however the tripper boats still come past as they do on any stretch of the Tamar) To my mind the boat yard rates are a bit high but they do an all inclusive year package which you may consider worthwhile as there are few lay-up options other than Plymouth or Calstock. There are two sailing clubs, Cargreen on the Cornish side and slightly further north Weir Quay on the Devon side. Both are friendly clubs but I think you would do well to speak to Cargreen in the first instance as they would be eisier for you to access (slightly) and they may be better able to asist with a mooring in the future. PM me if you want any more help.

Yoda
 
Thankls for reply. Interesting point about the boozey trips. Do any of the moored boats get dmaged?

I grew up in Plymouth moving away when I was 21 (hell of a lot of years ago now). But it was only two weeks ago that I went on a non-boozy trip up the river to Calstock and back.

My father was in the RN and grew up in Gunnislake.

All in all I know the area very well apart from boating facilities as I diodn't have a boat back then.

Thsnk for yours and everybodies input.
 
To reinforce a couple of points Yoda made (I am hardly going to disagree as he lives in the next village and is an old friend)

Weir Quay has a reputation locally for being a bit pricy. The club at Weir quay also runs moorings and they are a fraction of the price - but there is a waiting list. Having said that, if you come and introduce yourself to some of the local clubs on the river you may find that a mooring is available - perhaps temporary at first - but then a permanent one as time goes by.

Cargreen run quite a few moorings, and the other obvious clubs would be Weir Quay, Tamar River and our own at Saltash.

There are tripper boats, but it isn't as if they are every five minutes. More like one or two a day.
 
I grew up in Plymouth and will go back once I have retired (or sooner if I can get a transfer). I have considered TMSC so your notes are well received. What do you know of Saltash SC? I did 'pop-in' a while back. Folk there seemed very friendly - although a little bemused that I should be investigating so far ahead of retirement.

My father-in-law was born and raised in Saltash. Apparantly many years ago his grandfather owned the fishing rights to that stretch of the water. He had a house with a large bay window that afforded him the opportunity to look up and down the river so he could see who was fishing and thus charge them accordingly. The family has a connection to Anne Granville, the woman rower who rowed a team across to France in the 1800's
 
Weir Quay Boatyard

You could try mike@ or rebecca@ weir-quay.com, or the number published on the www.

I know Mike usually takes leave around August Bank Hols.

As far as the boatyard is concerned, it is quiet and very personal, the moorings appear to be in excess of the minimum and are regulary checked and replaced. I have only heard of one incident where a boat picked its sinker up and landed on the mud. This was in very strong winds and very high water I believe. My insurance is no higher than a marina based policy.

Pricing is on the high side for the distance from the sea and tidal nature (though the annual price inc. haul out is reasonable). I figured on always having fully charged batteries when we leave the boat behind, but the reality is that the sail up / down the Tamar is very enjoyable. If you arrive at the boat or leave at LW there is a lot of mud on the slip and you can't get the dinghy to the pontoon at LW springs. We can usually get the yacht to the access pontoon soon after 1/2 tide.

When I looked at drive times I found it very competitive with getting to a marina in the centre (Devon) side of Plymouth, and better than anything at the other side of the Tamar. It is 1 hour from Exeter if you take the A30 and drop down into Tavistock. We have never had a bad trip on this section. They will deliver / collect you from the local rail station if you wish

Single shower room is well maintained (clean) an seldom used. Tiny chandlery and shop always suprises you with what they can rustle up. They can get anything to order in the usual timescales at good prices. Most crafts on site or with good contractors available. Superb wood work going on in the shed, but for how long who knows.

Mikes Lamborghini keeps blowing it's clutch (that's the tractor for the travelling lift), but this has never affected our plans.

Security seems good. Owner lives on site and MOD police RIB passes twice a day usually. Good dinghy racks and outboard shed.

We arrived at WQB for a single season to cruise that stretch of coast and moving on is proving difficult.
 
Weir Quay Boatyard

john_morris_uk said:
To reinforce a couple of points Yoda made (I am hardly going to disagree as he lives in the next village and is an old friend)

Weir Quay has a reputation locally for being a bit pricy. The club at Weir quay also runs moorings and they are a fraction of the price - but there is a waiting list. Having said that, if you come and introduce yourself to some of the local clubs on the river you may find that a mooring is available - perhaps temporary at first - but then a permanent one as time goes by.

Cargreen run quite a few moorings, and the other obvious clubs would be Weir Quay, Tamar River and our own at Saltash.

There are tripper boats, but it isn't as if they are every five minutes. More like one or two a day.[/QUOT
Click to expand...
 
I kept a boat at Weir Quay for many years and, in case people are still interested, would like to say that it is a great boatyard. It is very beautiful, yet within easy reach of Plymouth and all the coastal cruising available from there. It is secure, sheltered and friendly with good marine engineers and shipwrights who are happy to advise. The prices are really competitve, approx. half of those at marinas if you take an annual mooring with storage, and the dates are flexible. I can throroughly recommend it.
 
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