Weymouth harbour taking the P***

[GEM43]

I use the “anchoring ratio” to keep harbourside costs manageable. I like the £15/nt number so presently I have an anchor ratio of about 2:1 (2nts at anchor, 1 in harbour) thus £45/3 = £15/nt. Happiness.

 

[ashtead]

£55 a night in Bembridge on Thursday, I thought it a bit steep, but it was packed, we had to book and they were turning people away.

£50 seems the going rate around here for 10m, Nucking Futs!!

Think yourself lucky When we were there a few weeks ago we saw Hard 8 alongside 27m not feet in case you wondered . The sad thing about Bembridge are the onshore facilities and lack of restaurants but if booked the pizza to collect at 7pm are a good choice. Clearly those on Hard 8 don’t have such concerns though for the night as a charter boat full below decks clients probably.

 

[Bristolfashion]

I use the “anchoring ratio” to keep harbourside costs manageable. I like the £15/nt number so presently I have an anchor ratio of about 2:1 (2nts at anchor, 1 in harbour) thus £45/3 = £15/nt. Happiness.

Yes, there aren't many things where one can do easily control costs. Over the entire year, including home berth, we are at about £10 / night.

 

[capnsensible]

How much does it cost to park your car in the local town?

Nothing. Everywhere is free.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Yes, there aren't many things where one can do easily control costs. Over the entire year, including home berth, we are at about £10 / night.

Wow, wish my home berth was £10 a night! More like £40. I suppose that makes the visitor berth pricing seem more ‘reasonable’.

 

[capnsensible]

At the last marina we were in here before we sold the boat was around £50 a week. Included was berthing, water, electricity, WiFi and a pass for the swimming pool. Free parking too. 33ft Moody.

It has gone up a bit in the last few years, probably around £60 a week now.

 

[Goldie]

Tbh, I’m appalled (but not necessarily surprised) by pricing in UK. Having returned this week after 4 years cruising and wintering the boat abroad, the UK pricing seems disproportionate. Does it really cost so much more to provide a berth than it does elsewhere? This year’s return trip (wintered on the Algarve) was fabulous and although we prefer to anchor, we were happy to use marinas if it was somewhere we wanted to visit. For example, Marina Douro for Porto was the most expensive at <€40 (say £34) per night (with CA discount). Most of the Marinas we used (e.g. Muros, Nazaré, Camaret) were < £25 per night.

The boat is just over 12m so falls into the 12-13m, 12-14m or 12-15m category depending on the marina.

Our local harbours here in Cornwall (e.g. Fowey and Helford) charge more for a buoy with no other facilities! As for the marinas…

 

[Bobc]

I just paid £40 in France for a 53ft boat, all inclusive. That was August peak season rate.

 

[Bristolfashion]

Wow, wish my home berth was £10 a night! More like £40. I suppose that makes the visitor berth pricing seem more ‘reasonable’.

That's the average over the year with anchoring and what not.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

That's the average over the year with anchoring and what not.

Ah ok. That’s sweetened the pill a bit

 

[doug748]

I just paid £40 in France for a 53ft boat, all inclusive. That was August peak season rate.

Northern France is catching up. A yearly contract is a cheap deal but overnight can be expensive.

29€ for a sub 10m boat in L'aberwrach - on a swinging mooring.

.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

Tbh, I’m appalled (but not necessarily surprised) by pricing in UK. Having returned this week after 4 years cruising and wintering the boat abroad, the UK pricing seems disproportionate. Does it really cost so much more to provide a berth than it does elsewhere? This year’s return trip (wintered on the Algarve) was fabulous and although we prefer to anchor, we were happy to use marinas if it was somewhere we wanted to visit. For example, Marina Douro for Porto was the most expensive at <€40 (say £34) per night (with CA discount). Most of the Marinas we used (e.g. Muros, Nazaré, Camaret) were < £25 per night.

The boat is just over 12m so falls into the 12-13m, 12-14m or 12-15m category depending on the marina.

Our local harbours here in Cornwall (e.g. Fowey and Helford) charge more for a buoy with no other facilities! As for the marinas…

The UK marinas aren’t run for the financial benefit of their users. The owning companies all want to make as much profit as possible, so pricing will be pushed as far as they feel they can take it. May well be different in Europe, especially France perhaps, but I’m thinking not.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Tbh, I’m appalled (but not necessarily surprised) by pricing in UK. Having returned this week after 4 years cruising and wintering the boat abroad, the UK pricing seems disproportionate. Does it really cost so much more to provide a berth than it does elsewhere? This year’s return trip (wintered on the Algarve) was fabulous and although we prefer to anchor, we were happy to use marinas if it was somewhere we wanted to visit. For example, Marina Douro for Porto was the most expensive at <€40 (say £34) per night (with CA discount). Most of the Marinas we used (e.g. Muros, Nazaré, Camaret) were < £25 per night.

Comparing the busiest highest demand and most expensive parts of the UK with cheaper less busy parts of mainland Europe is not comparing like for like. A better comparison would be between Weymouth with some of the outrageously expensive Med harbours which can cost hundreds of Euros a night. Then compare the cheapest parts of the UK with cheaper parts of Europe, for example here at £2/m per night and here at £1.70/m per night.

 

[IanCC]

Overnight 31 ft boat rafted (in the area called the Cove) 10 mins walk to facilities no internet electric extra £40 per night. I feel this is a total rip off
And won’t come back depriving the traders in town of income from food / beer expenditure.
Am I alone in feeling like this?

A campsite for a small tent can be £35.

Business is about taking money of other people.

 

[Boathook]

The UK marinas aren’t run for the financial benefit of their users. The owning companies all want to make as much profit as possible, so pricing will be pushed as far as they feel they can take it. May well be different in Europe, especially France perhaps, but I’m thinking not.

I seem to remember that a lot of marinas in France were paid for by the local councils to bring trade into the local economy. The 'councils' there took a medium to long term view rather than a quick gain.

Over here, quick gain means long term pain.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

I seem to remember that a lot of marinas in France were paid for by the local councils to bring trade into the local economy. The 'councils' there took a medium to long term view rather than a quick gain.

In the busy affluent parts of the UK there is no need for public intervention - private companies run the marinas and the punters will come and pay what they ask as demand is high. In the less populated and less affluent parts of the UK councils and community trusts run pontoons and marinas to bring in visitors. In the Outer Hebrides and Highland all the pontoons and marinas are council or community trust run, apart from Stornoway and Ullapool which are port authorities. So like the better pricing comparison I suggested above, it's not so different here if you look a bit further than just the popular bits of the UK.

 

[Goldie]

Comparing the busiest highest demand and most expensive parts of the UK with cheaper less busy parts of mainland Europe is not comparing like for like. A better comparison would be between Weymouth with some of the outrageously expensive Med harbours which can cost hundreds of Euros a night. Then compare the cheapest parts of the UK with cheaper parts of Europe, for example here at £2/m per night and here at £1.70/m per night.

Fair point, but the marinas in the Quiberon Bay area which is probably the French equivalent of the Solent still represent far better value than U.K. S. coast which is probably the nearest equivalent area. Fortunately, I live in SW England which isn’t over populated with marinas and long may it remain so.

However, your selected marinas are hardly representative of mainstream U.K. sailing areas and are probably, to use your own words, in the ‘cheaper and less busy parts’ yet the prices you quote are still akin to what I’ve been used to paying in the popular areas of the Atlantic coast of continental Europe.

 

[Seven Spades]

We have just returned from France we went as far as La Rochelle and for us most nights were around €55 but in Quiberon Bay (The Morbihan cartel) everywhere was €75-€80 per night, as you say that area is a large premium over the marinas both north and south of that area.

For us the Uk is a bit if a joke(£55 for a buoy in the Beaulieu this season) and we tend to anchor or gp tp places that are sensible like Salcombe, Dartmouth, Fowey, Malpas, or the folly.

 

[Sticky Fingers]

We have just returned from France we went as far as La Rochelle and for us most nights were around €55 but in Quiberon Bay (The Morbihan cartel) everywhere was €75-€80 per night, as you say that area is a large premium over the marinas both north and south of that area.

For us the Uk is a bit if a joke(£55 for a buoy in the Beaulieu this season) and we tend to anchor or gp tp places that are sensible like Salcombe, Dartmouth, Fowey, Malpas, or the folly.

Beaulieu River mooring buoys are £3/metre for an overnight. So you must have a pretty big boat. 18m plus…?

 

[Bobc]

We have just returned from France we went as far as La Rochelle and for us most nights were around €55 but in Quiberon Bay (The Morbihan cartel) everywhere was €75-€80 per night, as you say that area is a large premium over the marinas both north and south of that area.

For us the Uk is a bit if a joke(£55 for a buoy in the Beaulieu this season) and we tend to anchor or gp tp places that are sensible like Salcombe, Dartmouth, Fowey, Malpas, or the folly.

Those prices in Quiberon are just for July and August. Outside of that it's about half that cost.