West Country Moorings - which cost the most?

[Chris_Robb]

Just got back from 2 weeks in the West country.

Apart from 4 bad days - stuck in Dittisham, the weather gods smiled on us. - Yarmouth to Dartmouth - Sountherly F4, and every other day sail was with wing on the beam. Great.....

And now to the hall of shame

The most expensive overnight mooring based on 40 ft was....

St Mawes - £30 no facilities what so ever - but wonderful glossy brochure - which made up for it all. Actually we were there 2 nights - and they made a mistake and charged us one night only. discovered this when I read the glossy!

Next came

Helford - at £21 per night. Not possible to anchor there as they have filled up all the anchoring space before the oyster beds with moorings. Not much in the way of faciliies - you are charged to land - and we never did find where to put the rubbish!

Salcombe and Fowey are neck and neck at £17.00 though Salcombe has the edge as they give FREE shower tokens for the SYC.

BEST VALUE
Dart river - Over night mooring including harbour dues - £14.00 Facilities included overnight electrics on public ferry birth - showers in DYC nice surrounds.

Next year back to France. The puppy - now a fully fledged sailor - having jumped overboard after seagulls - will have a pet passport - though we have yet to work out how to get him back into the country! -

 

[Goldie]

Chris - confirm £30 for one night on a buoy off St Mawes?
If so, that gives a whole new dimension to Rip Off Britain!!!

Welcome back!

 

[ccscott49]

30 quid, is bloody outrageous! talk about rip off britain alright! Jings why do you guys put up with it? Revolt say sod off, do something, dont just pay!

 

[Chris_Robb]

Yes - Confirmed! Had he listened when I had said 2 nights please - and being quite happy with 2 x £15, It wasn't until I read the glossy, that I realised we had only paid one night

See here http://www.stmawesharbour.co.uk/?page=Pricing

Carina is still in Plymouth. We collect and sail back next weekend - so should be back around the 18th or 19th.

 

[photodog]

Well thats some good news and some bad news,

Last year we were charged at Salcombe £20 to drop the hook north of the bag, and we certainly did NOT get free shower tokens!!

Someone else in another thread also mentions Salcombe on a trip this year, and how they were met by the HM at the entrance, acoompanied to a mooring, and then passed the pickup by the HM, which is something that we experienced about 7 years ago there, but nothing like that since!! In previous threads I have been scathing about Salcombe, (As well as a few other people) so maybe they have wised up!

Helford; Sounds like we were their about the time you were, (Sailed back to Plym from Helford on Saturday) and like you was a bit annoyed, We have anchored up at the top in the past, and was pretty annoyed to see they had filled it with moorings. HM was getting stressed on Friday PM about a big gaffer that was coming in and he coundnt find a bouy to put him on, and I thought, hmmm well if you hadnt filled the anchorage up....

Rubbish BTW is up at the parking lot near the YAcht club, too far from the landing IMH. Charging £2 for landing is taking th e P***, considering their are no facilities, but the water taxi is cheap, and if you go up to the yacht club its free and the showers are good.

Skip ST Mawes and go up the fal,, £10 overnite on a pontoon with rubbish collection, flat fee irrespective of length.

Went to Mylor for the first time, 9.5 meters on the pontoon, free showers, free wifi, free leccy, excellent facilities, great grub,,, £21. Very good value I thought. Great place to recharge.

Fowey paid £15 on the pontoon at Mixtow, which has showers and water, as well as shore access.

Cawsand bay, no charge on the hook, Wouldnt have been charged on the Hook on the Fal, or Helford!

/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Chris_Robb]

Colin - if we had been charged for 2 nights (as we should have been) I would have told them to sling their hook!

Next year we will vote with our feet and go to France, and the following year its off to the med and retirement - so see you then!

 

[photodog]

Wow; the prices do jump up if your over 12 meters!!

I guess that they figure all you rich guys are good for it!!

 

[Chris_Robb]

I wish! I have learned always to quote 12 meters rather than 40 feet - which normally puts you into the next bracket!

 

[Chris_Robb]

To anchor in Salcombe is now half price.

Perhaps their new found niceness is the result of having a nearly empty harbour. I have never had the choice of which mooring I used before in Dart, Salcombe and Fowey. We didn't have to raft up once. Dart said their taking swere down some 60%!

 

[jhughes]

Last weekend I had my first single handed trip, just around the corner from Plymouth (Southdown Marina) to Newton Ferrers, £9 for a night on the visitors pontoon (Boat is 7M long). Good facilities and a friendly harbourmaster.

 

[Bav34]

Context.

Average price for a pontoon berth for a 34 footer this year, South Brittany up to North Brittany ..... £15!!
This included shore power but not always showers which at most were 2 euros.

Our average spend per month on food, fuel and moorings was £1000.

Guess where we're going again next year!

clue... they don't rip you off and the local economy benefits as a result.

 

[bendyone]

[ QUOTE ]
Last weekend I had my first single handed trip, just around the corner from Plymouth (Southdown Marina) to Newton Ferrers, £9 for a night on the visitors pontoon (Boat is 7M long). Good facilities and a friendly harbourmaster.

[/ QUOTE ]

What facilities? Last time I was there it was only a pontoon

 

[rwoofer]

I simply don't go to the UK for summer cruises anymore. They first thing I do is get over to France and move around the french coast to wherever I'm going.

Last year our mooring fees for 3 weeks of cruising came to less than 30 pounds. I never found a single place that charged for anchoring or mooring to a bouy in the whole of Southern Brittany. All the marinas visited allowed us to stay free of charge to refill water, provision etc. In Vannes marina we stayed for 12 hours filled up with water, recharged the batteries, spent a day in Vannes all for nothing as they only charge for overnight stays. We probably contributed at least £200 to the Vannes economy with provisioning and SWMBO's shopping.


The more people that vote with their feet, the more likely they are to change their charging policy.

 

[Sui Generis]

Helford - have to say something!!

£21 per night - will pass on your comments to the Moorings officer. I agree that is too much.

There is a campaign to restore the anchoring block to it's former size, but politics and financial pressures are against the will. You can still anchor downriver off any of the bays, totally FOC. Bit longer in the duck to the pub, though.

At the sailing club there is no charge for landing. All we ask is that you come in for a pint and a smile on the way through to tell us what is going on further up the coast. We do not charge for landing, absolutely NOT. You also say that there are no facilities at Helford. We are friendly! If you want to stay for a bite, fine, no problem, and you will likely find others of the same mind. This year the club is the place to go to eat! We have laundry and showers. Can't give you diesel but can give you a fabulous view.


Agree with PhotoDoug re the rubbish being too far from the landing. The club has fought the local authority long and hard on this one. It would cost the club many hundreds of pounds per annum to site the skip on club land; why should club members, who live locally, pay for this as they take their own rubbish home? So, sorry, but we are doing our best.

Helford is different because there is no harbourmaster or statutory authority. At times that is difficult because we are compared with them. At other times, we are still unspoilt and more free because of it. If you think the mooring fees are too high, say so. Having said that it is rare that those that decide the fees actually collect them.

If you don't like Helford , that's fine by me. There are plenty more of us that do.

 

[photodog]

Helford Sailing club has SWMBO's favorite Showers.....

A doggy bin and a wheely bin near the Dingy landing would be Very Handy.

Apparently your new Chef is V Good, but because the Ferry was not running late, and we had too many on board for the Dinghy, we decided to eat on....

Keep at them about the anchorage, Downstream doesnt encourage people to come ashore! Saying that neither the Post office nor the Pub seems that fussed!

 

[Sanderling_]

HM at the Yealm now has very smart office block with showers and loos. Saves a sharp walk up to the yacht club.

He also has treated himself to a new boat this year, you cannot hear him coming any more!!

 

[Bav34]

What some places don't seem to understand is that people like me (who don't like being overcharged) WILL vote with our feet ... or keels /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I will pay £10 for something if I think that it is good value.

I agree that Helford is a magic place and by default the Authority would probably earn £20 from me. The local economy will also benefit.

However, £20 x no visit = 0.

The French seem to have sussed this but the money grubbing Brits can only think short term profit.

 

[Brian_B]

We're up the Helford as often as time allows, 3 or 4 times a year. Only problem with the Yacht Club is the restriction on dogs. We can't get in even with just one small terrier!
See you at the end of the month.

 

[Brian_B]

The Salcombe website http://www.southhams.gov.uk/index/reside...tor-charges.htm
says it's £1.80 per metre
At that rate you should have paid £21.60

 

[Brian_B]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
Last weekend I had my first single handed trip, just around the corner from Plymouth (Southdown Marina) to Newton Ferrers, £9 for a night on the visitors pontoon (Boat is 7M long). Good facilities and a friendly harbourmaster.

[/ QUOTE ]

ROBIN MUST HAVE BEEN ON HOLIDAY AGAIN!