What are moorings in Poole Harbour like?

Rivers & creeks

Rivers & creeks

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We want to move from a half tide marina to a buoy. We have been based on the East Coast but had 6 weeks this summer in the Solent and there are lots of reasons to love it! The cruising ground of Weymouth to Chichester is amazing, perfect for a family.

We need a package with 6/7 months afloat and winter ashore; we get almost no weekends free but have 10 weeks from Easter to October where we'd normally expect to be on board. We have a young family of three from 2 to 14 but they are used to life afloat weeks on end. We were down in Poole last week and had a look at the harbour again and can see the attraction of being in our cruising ground rather than going backwards and forwards. A number of marinas/yards have packages costing about £290pa for 10.05m including free water taxi and lift in out, cradle, wash off etc. I did pick up on some stories of thefts but wondered how prevalent they were? Are there recommendations for marinas and moorings?

The boat is a Colvic Watson 34, and we draw 1.4m.

Thanks!
 
Almost all the moorings are on the north side of the harbour which is a lee shore so can a bit bouncy with a long fetch across the harbour. Important to get somewhere to park your car. The moorings at the West End such as Dorset Lake are the quietest as well away from heavy traffic but further to the open sea. Access from boat to town not good except using the expensive Quay. However good base for cruising, both in and out of harbour. Don't think security is much different from other busy harbour. With your pattern of usage Ridge Wharf up the Wareham river is worth considering.
 
I agree, I was thinking of the River Frome as I read it; you could try Redcliffe YC, 01929 551227; they may have useful info, I've always found them an extremely friendly and helpful lot.
 
The best solution for us when on a swinging mooring was Lake Yard. Here they have carparking and a water taxi that is free at weekends and when we were there you had about 6 fares to use in the week throughout the season (1st April -31st October) which seemed ample for us. We were on the Frome but found this a bit isolated and quite a long trip up the channel to the harbour entrance, I still visit now and then, but wasn't suitable for us as a fulltime mooring. We had a our tender stored at Ridge Wharf and you could park here too and they have a small shower block.
Redcliffe is further upstream towards the town of Wareham, I kept our boat onshore here over Winter, very basic with no facilities (during Winter) but durinbg the SummerI'm pretty sure you can use the campsites as they're part of the same group.
We've also did one season on a Stephenson mooring where car parking was first come first served on a residential street and a footpath down to the beach.
We are now in Cobbs Quay marina in Holes Bay which is MDL. The walkashore suits us as we're both working fulltime with often odd hours and does give us the opportunity just get down to the boat as and when. Also being MDL we can make use of their Freedom Berthing. The twin bridges can be a pain at times, but really as long as you accept it and work around the lifting schedule, it really isn't as bad as some make out. We can walk from here to the Town Quay in half an hour.
I have also Wintered At Davis Boatyard, also in Holes Bay. The electric is a pre-paid card. There are toilets, but the showers are reserved for berth holders.

When you £290 pa. Have you missed a nought off by any chance?
 
Thanks Tranona and Seajet; they do seem a bit like swapping one muddy creek in Suffolk for another in Poole, quite some distance from the sea. I've found a package with mooring to the West of Brownsea, car parking in the marina and a few water taxi 7/7. I meant £290 per metre pa - and that's about £500 more than I pay currently for marina/lift/ashore/cradle/lift so it's good value. Are the moorings in Poole harbour that bumpy?
 
Lazy Kipper said:
Thanks Tranona and Seajet; they do seem a bit like swapping one muddy creek in Suffolk for another in Poole, quite some distance from the sea. I've found a package with mooring to the West of Brownsea, car parking in the marina and a few water taxi 7/7. I meant £290 per metre pa - and that's about £500 more than I pay currently for marina/lift/ashore/cradle/lift so it's good value. Are the moorings in Poole harbour that bumpy?
Click to expand...

Well as Tranona mentions it's a long fetch; shallow though, which is another point about most moorings there; might have more hassle with speeding berks in mobo's of various kinds than weather though.

If you're lucky one of the webcams might cover that area ?
 
colhel said:
My input wasn't appreciated then? :(
Click to expand...

You need to be more assertive. Shout louder

colhel said:
The best solution for us when on a swinging mooring was Lake Yard. Here they have carparking and a water taxi that is free at weekends and when we were there you had about 6 fares to use in the week throughout the season (1st April -31st October) which seemed ample for us. We were on the Frome but found this a bit isolated and quite a long trip up the channel to the harbour entrance, I still visit now and then, but wasn't suitable for us as a fulltime mooring. We had a our tender stored at Ridge Wharf and you could park here too and they have a small shower block.
Redcliffe is further upstream towards the town of Wareham, I kept our boat onshore here over Winter, very basic with no facilities (during Winter) but durinbg the SummerI'm pretty sure you can use the campsites as they're part of the same group.
We've also did one season on a Stephenson mooring where car parking was first come first served on a residential street and a footpath down to the beach.
We are now in Cobbs Quay marina in Holes Bay which is MDL. The walkashore suits us as we're both working fulltime with often odd hours and does give us the opportunity just get down to the boat as and when. Also being MDL we can make use of their Freedom Berthing. The twin bridges can be a pain at times, but really as long as you accept it and work around the lifting schedule, it really isn't as bad as some make out. We can walk from here to the Town Quay in half an hour.
I have also Wintered At Davis Boatyard, also in Holes Bay. The electric is a pre-paid card. There are toilets, but the showers are reserved for berth holders.

When you £290 pa. Have you missed a nought off by any chance?
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
colhel said:
My input wasn't appreciated then? :(
Click to expand...

I thought I mentioned your points - price, distance from the sea, car parking? To set the record straight, thanks!

We tried Cobbs this summer for a few nights but the bridges were a pain and it was too expensive as a long term option.
 
If you're not set on Poole, why not consider Portland harbour? A Royal Dorset Yacht Club mooring and winter in Portland marina is a lot cheaper than £290 a metre (and you're a member of a fine yacht club to boot!)
 
Poole harbour buoys can get a bit lively in a blow, which can cause problems picking up the buoy. Another issue is wind against tide, this pushes the mooring buoy back along the side of the hull which can cause some rubbing.
I have been up the River Frome on an Environment agency mooring for 13 years, (controlled from Exeter Office 01392 444000 / 352223) fore and aft trot so safe and well protected. Disadvantages are: 1 1/2 hour trip to chain ferry, dingy trip up/down river to boat, can be blown onto river bank - where I am that is when it is blowing hard from East.
The next option is Ridge Wharf boat yard, http://www.ridgewharf.co.uk/ they have riverside fore and aft trots plus alongside mooring with electricity. but a lot more expensive than Environment agency.
The last option on the River Frome is Redcliff YC, which IMO is expensive for a club with a 'dry' Bar!

I would say that the River Frome is a good option for you if you don't get to the boat much at w/e's
(I also draw 1.4)
 
SimonD said:
If you're not set on Poole, why not consider Portland harbour? A Royal Dorset Yacht Club mooring and winter in Portland marina is a lot cheaper than £290 a metre (and you're a member of a fine yacht club to boot!)
Click to expand...
I had my last boat on an RDYC mooring in Portland (member for 15 years).
It may have changed but the issues I found were:
When it is blowing hard - you can't get to / from boat, you worry that it won't break free (mine parted company from its mooring once), hard to pick up buoy.
You HAVE to come out for winter, (I stay in all year on River Frome) so extra layup cost.
Some insurers load / won't insure Portland harbour mooring.
Club is on quay, so you are either a 'sailing' member or a 'bar' member. There is no concession if you take your boat round to the quay to use the club.
 
February PBO; Deep water moorings Poole £49 per meter, no VAT. Anvil Yachts, 01202 741637.

No association, just noticed the advert.

We enjoyed Poole harbour, too. Not at all impressed with the marina prices or the Sunseeker bling boats belting around without a care for anyone or anything else but the back of Brownsea Island was idyllic.
 
Lazy Kipper said:
We want to move from a half tide marina to a buoy. We have been based on the East Coast but had 6 weeks this summer in the Solent and there are lots of reasons to love it! The cruising ground of Weymouth to Chichester is amazing, perfect for a family.

We need a package with 6/7 months afloat and winter ashore; we get almost no weekends free but have 10 weeks from Easter to October where we'd normally expect to be on board. We have a young family of three from 2 to 14 but they are used to life afloat weeks on end. We were down in Poole last week and had a look at the harbour again and can see the attraction of being in our cruising ground rather than going backwards and forwards. A number of marinas/yards have packages costing about £290pa for 10.05m including free water taxi and lift in out, cradle, wash off etc. I did pick up on some stories of thefts but wondered how prevalent they were? Are there recommendations for marinas and moorings?

The boat is a Colvic Watson 34, and we draw 1.4m.

Thanks!
Click to expand...

I thought this was annual for the boat! This is per meter!!
 
Have you, by any chance, considered Portsmouth Harbour ? I was thinking of the all tide swinging moorings offered by Gosport Boatyard. or possibly Wicormarine at Porchester.

j
 
johnwest said:
Have you, by any chance, considered Portsmouth Harbour ? I was thinking of the all tide swinging moorings offered by Gosport Boatyard. or possibly Wicormarine at Porchester.

j
Click to expand...

Thanks I'll look at those, though we were attracted to the almost enclosed harbour of Poole and the various islands.
 
I think you'll find the entrance to Portsmouth possibly more enclosing than Poole, just try motoring in against a spring ebb, so I think the swinging moorings are probably more protected than Poole, there's certainly much less of a fetch. Many years ago I was on a GBY mooring in Spider Lake. These are a bit isolated and a fairy long dinghy trip from the Hardway Sailing Club, but there is a launch service. The only problem I had was that the boat was broken into twice but security may have improved as there is now an MOD Police Launch patrolling 24/7. The moorings closer to the HSC are rather more convenient but possibly harder to get and/or more expensive. The HSC is well worth joining as they have a scrubbing grid and HP Washer as well as somewhere to keep your dinghy. It's also a much shorter distance to the harbour entrance and all the delights of the Solent than the moorings you are considering in Poole.
 
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