What are moorings in Poole Harbour like?

I had a mooring in Spider Lake with GBY too, about 1988ish; as you say a long way out, only to be attempted in a normal tender with an extra can of petroil and safety gear, even then only in guaranteed good weather !

I did find the launch service excellent, and thankfully had no security problems though I was a bit concerned.

My boat only does 5 knots on engine, though add 1 or 2 if motorsailing in light airs; I must say the only place I've really struggled to get in was Poole entrance, raising the keel made the difference between stopped or progress !

Portsmouth - or Chichester which offers much better in-harbour choices if it's too lumpy or time is too short to go outside - both offer the Solent with all its wonderful places to go, and shelter to make them viable when one would not want to be in Poole Bay.

Weymouth is to my mind too limited, I know the club is very good indeed - they even race Andersons there ! :) - but it's Portland Race one way, St Albans the other, fine for holiday off and away but not so good for daysails or weekends.

If I were Lazy Kipper I'd go for a sheltered mooring on Frome and enjoy that lovely area for a few years, then maybe think about a more Solent oriented base.
 
Google "Wareham". It's the River Frome.

I never had a problem with fetch in Poole Harbour but I did get suffer from the wake of passing motor boats who cut through the moorings, not neccassarily going too fast, but more ignorant of the wake they kick up.. There is a speed limit during the Summer and have noticed the HM taking more interest in this over the last couple of years.
 
Lazy Kipper,

I have not had a mooring in Poole but have visited for weeks at a time on & off since 1976.

Since I discovered the River Frome in the 1990's it's the place I want to revisit - go past the South of the ferry terninal & Hamworthy into a large shallow lake ( name escapes me ) - with a fairly narrow navigable channel that winds along the middle / to the Eastern side, heading South.


Then one picks up the entrance to the River Frome, with reed beds 6-8' high.

Access over shallows there only when the tide suits but it doesn't actually dry - Poole tide table or Reeds essential.

Then one winds for miles between the reeds, cannot see much from deck level but any grounding or excursion will have a soft landing - and even I haven't managed that yet.

It's a long river but tons of wildlife and ultra-sheltered apart from the upper mast.

Boats moored fore & aft most of the way on the port side as one enters, but there's plenty of space for passing boats.

Eventually one comes to Ridge Wharf - a small boatyard / semi marina with a slip, then a sharp blind bend - one day I was going around the ouside of this when a 1960's Aquacar came round the other way, hazard lights flashing & crew in top hat & tails, there is a very nice hotel with manicured lawns up by Wareham so I expect that was something to do with a wedding.

A while after the boatyard there's the very friendly Redcliffe YC which offers spaces for visitors, then Wareham town quay, a lovely spot but watch out for the tripper boat operators always keen on causing a fight, their limits on the quay are marked; your boat would be quite feasible but approaching the limits on depth there, but it's a lovely spot which has to be done !

A lot of weed comes down on the mild current so it's an idea to reverse asap on leaving to clear intakes and regain rudder authority

Compared to the moorings in the middle of Poole the Frome is heaven and Saxon Wareham though smaller is far more civilised & more fun than the 1960's concrete & diabolical food of Poole, so what if it's a touch further to the entrance, you have a big engine and Poole is a great harbour anyway...

http://www.dorsetforyou.com/media.jsp?mediaid=147828
 
Last edited:
Seajet said:
your boat would be quite feasible but approaching the limits on depth there, but it's a lovely spot which has to be done !
Click to expand...

We draw 1.2m and ran aground at HW in the pool just before the bridge at Wareham this summer. Plenty of water on the town Quay side but it was full so did a u turn and that's when it all went wrong, right in the middle of the pool. Marvelous entertainment for the tourists having ice creams on the town quay. Spent a couple of nights in Ridge Wharf marina, friendly enough and lots of folk working on boats in the Yard. Couldn't believe the size of the day tripping boats going up and down the river. Used our masthead to trim the trees outside the posh waterside restaurant on the way up too.

http://www.ridgewharf.co.uk/

Other options:

http://www.portsmouthmoorings.co.uk/charges.htm
 
Hardly, the Frome is beautiful, while the East coast is nasty grey skies and brown seas, and unlike Dorset doesn't get deeper as one goes offshore or even out of rivers ! :)

I have seen a fair few boats drawing 1.5 at Wareham Quay, but as you say you were forced onto the wrong bit.

When one says

' the difference between Portsmouth and Poole:
Come out of Portsmouth - you are in the Solent
Come out of Poole - you're at sea '

Can be taken as a blessing or a curse either way !

Lazy Kipper I suggest you try both.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

B
Holyhead Marina these days?
Replies
4
Views
512
ridgy
R

Share this page

Top