What is the worst marina/ harbour you have ever been to?

Methil, Fife. Not helped by a february visit, the coldest I've ever been on a yacht and the consequences of asking for Pimms in a local, um, bar.

Was gonna nominate Safi, Maroc but despite the constant fishing boat traffic, the grubby pilot boat we were moored alongside and dire warnings about boat stuff getting nicked we still managed to find lager.
 
Hartlepool Marina must be the most soulless I have ever seen. It may be convenient for yachtsmen in that part of the country, but its appeal is zero. Surrounded by heavily polluting industries and ugly housing developments, pontoons that are way past their prime, lots of uncared for boats, a sanitary block that makes me think of a prison. I had no urge to stay there for any longer than necessary and left the moment the tide turned in my favour. As a result I may have missed the kindest people in the UK, but I was not tempted to stay and find out.
 
Anywhere in the Golfe De Lion in February. In the end we started to rate them not by a star rating system but by shellsuit, and Port Leucate on a cold rainy Feb morning gets 5 out of 5 in the shellsuit category. In fact it's the only place I have been where there were Lidl leaflets in the Tourist office..Grim at best.
 
First time I used Brighton Marina (in 2005) I hated it - the office gave me a berth that was already occupied, the showers were not good, the next time (2010) I loved it - berth allocated available etc so I think a lot will depend on the situation at the time.

I dislike Ramsgate, not because of the marina or the town but the only time I go there is to sit out foul weather so in the back of my mind Ramsgate is always associated with a loss of sailing days.

Interested to read how others find Bradwell tight. Makes me feel a bit chuffed that I have managed to put my long keeled boat into a 'tight' berth singlehanded.

Not a marina but I dont like Halfpenny Pier at Harwich - always uncomfortable and noisy - but others I know love the place!
 
Many large and municipal marinas are a bit lacking in atmosphere, but most, including Brighton and Ramsgate, give most of the services one wants. Our worst this year was St Malo, where we had booked as a group in Port Vauban. All we got was a place to park on the harbour wall, with no water or electrics and a fair walk to the loos and showers. The first time we went there, in 1999, there was reasonable berthing but almost all is now occupied by local craft, with only one pontoon for visitors, in spite of the fact that there is oodles of space within the harbour for a decent marina.

The most unsatisfactory berth we have occupied was in Kirchdorf on Poel, where we had to squeeze between rusty iron posts in a brisk wind. The money from reunification hadn't reached this place at the time but it is better now and a nice spot.
 
Gwylan said:
... Howth is a contender for being up them selves...
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We must have been to a different Howth; when we went there in October 2014 they were amazingly welcoming and friendly and the facilities are superb.

You have to realise that it's privately owned by the club and is already full with quite a waiting list of club members, so a visitor is a guest rather than a customer.
 
Marina Villa Igiea, near Palermo, Sicily. We stopped there for one night in July 2005 and were charged €174 for our 13.77m yacht, and we had to be gone by 9am the next day or be charged for a second day. The toilets and showers were a modified ISOBox that was wet everywhere and which stank. It's probably improved by now of course but we've no desire to go back to find out!
 
Tony Cross said:
Marina Villa Igiea, near Palermo, Sicily. We stopped there for one night in July 2005 and were charged €174 for our 13.77m yacht, and we had to be gone by 9am the next day or be charged for a second day. The toilets and showers were a modified ISOBox that was wet everywhere and which stank. It's probably improved by now of course but we've no desire to go back to find out!
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That's the one that gets my vote. 80 euros for a 10m boat in 1999, just after it opened. No working facilities, absolutely the bottom by a mile!
 
Nostrodamus said:
We are now into our 5th year of living aboard and cruising and have visited well over 300 places in our boat.
For me Ramsgate is still the worst place I have ever been. :black_eyed:
What's yours?
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syracuse, sicily. Anchored to the west of the town just outside the marina. Ribbed in. Looked beautiful but arrived in dark. Expected to swim off boat but there wasn't enough room between the floating turds.
Messina not much better. Fewer turds but very little space, difficult to tie up and massively expensive c E300 per night not even including wifi.
 
Another vote for dire Eastbourne. Very friendly staff but endless drunks having parties in the apartments kept us awake most of the night. Slow lock, fixed lock times, no room but still they cram in. Plus in the middle of nowhere. Ramsgate to the east, Brighton to the west.
 
Nostrodamus said:
We are now into our 5th year of living aboard and cruising and have visited well over 300 places in our boat.
For me Ramsgate is still the worst place I have ever been. :black_eyed:
What's yours?
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Briton Ferry on a very wet, very windy Sunday evening in the 1970s.....
 
In the channel:
On the South side, Le Harve, Deauville and St Peter Port for cr*p facilities and unfriendly natives.
On the North side IMHO Poole wins hands down. W Cowes is only horrible on a Saturday night in the summer.
 
lw395 said:
Poole?
Cowes?
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:)

GrahamD said:
Queen Ann Battery at Plymouth in a strong onshore wind. The "wave screen" needs some serious investment!
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We have been there many times and never had any problems...

Gwylan said:
Bit unkind for Ramsgate, there are many much worse! It is a municipal venture and therefore attracts hard hats and hi viz!

I like Boulogne the pong seems to have been less offensive recently. If you can miss the cloggy migrations then it's a nice place.

Joint first goes to Newlyn and Dumbarton. Both have unique features that make them what they are.
Howth is a contender for being up them selves.

St Malo, bas sablons, on the visitors pontoons (semi derelict) gives the impression of being inside a tumble drier.
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Like others, I have fond memories of Ramsgate. No where near the worst place I've been to.

Mad Pad said:
Queenborough,Isle of Sheppy!
Trump that!
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I quite like Queensborough. I understand there are a couple of berths on a long pontoon nowadays and you can walk ashore. Unheard of luxury. The pub we went to sold beer, what more do you want?

However I'll trump it with Fishguard. So bleak (no marina or facilities) that I didn't even go ashore on either occasion I've been in there. However I have visited by road and it truly is a dire and dirge like place.

Or try Sharpness up the River Severn and some of the drying harbours (mud holes) up there?
 
Peniche in Portugal it stank of fish and had so much debris in the water you are likely to get something sucked into the engine or generator water inlet, which happened to us and destroyed the engine impeller as we were leaving.
 
michael_w said:
Of all the harbours visited during an Atlantic Circuit, Falmouth/Carrick Roads takes the prize for the worst welcome and trumped up charges. Antigua, a very close runner-up.
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Just curious about which marina in Antigua you found to be poor.

I avoid all marinas like the plague but have visited the four major ones for water/fuel/ice at least once over the years and thought they were fine. Falmouth Yacht Club is a major pain to get moored up as they have no bollards on the docks but loops on the side. However there are always helpful dock staff available.
 
Oh! The memory is so kind it lets you forget things.
How could I have forgotten? An outright winner.

But glimmers of Burry Port are stirring. The pain lingers below the surface.
 
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