What's to stop me...

realslimshady

realslimshady

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driving my boat to (say) Poole harbour, finding a quiet (if possible!) spot not far from shore and anchoring up for the rest of the summer?
Apart from putting a lot of faith in my anchor......
 
Have you seen the local dogs?

Pickles-1.jpg
 
A pal of mine did just what the OP is proposing, although this was almost 20 years ago now.
He had sailed over singlehanded on his 34' yacht from the Caribbean, and was quite astounded at mooring charges in the UK (and especially on the South Coast!), as he was accustomed to anchoring for free pretty much everywhere out here.
So he just anchored off Poole Harbour Yacht Club, near to but not amongst the nearby moorings, and spent most of the summer there quite happily, and was never asked for any anchoring fees by anybody.
I guess it might be a bit less relaxed these days though.
 
Bajansailor said:
A pal of mine did just what the OP is proposing, although this was almost 20 years ago now.
He had sailed over singlehanded on his 34' yacht from the Caribbean, and was quite astounded at mooring charges in the UK (and especially on the South Coast!), as he was accustomed to anchoring for free pretty much everywhere out here.
So he just anchored off Poole Harbour Yacht Club, near to but not amongst the nearby moorings, and spent most of the summer there quite happily, and was never asked for any anchoring fees by anybody.
I guess it might be a bit less relaxed these days though.
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I think someone would be around from the HM's Office to collect Harbour dues at some point but I can't see how anyone could charge you for anchoring per se.
 
realslimshady said:
driving my boat to (say) Poole harbour, finding a quiet (if possible!) spot not far from shore and anchoring up for the rest of the summer?
Apart from putting a lot of faith in my anchor......
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Nothing, its a good idea. We once met a couple in Majorca who anchored their saily boat every year in the same cala throughout the whole summer as they couldn't afford the ruinous marina charges. Every day they'd leave the boat and row ashore to run a caff business they had on the island and every evening they'd row back to the boat. Not sure what they did about water but they didn't look like the sort of people who were that bothered about washing too often. They had absolute faith in their anchor and said they'd ridden out many storms. In the winter they'd sail off to a cheap marina on the mainland.
 
Nothing at all, and there are some cracking anchorages around there. The only issue you will find is getting ashore. A lot of the land in that area is private with big signs saying 'PRIVATE KEEP OFF NO LANDING'. Which I read as Pi** Off.

All of the Islands are now private to I think, bar Brownsea which is National Trust.

There is a lovely anchorage called Shipstall Point where you can land, it is an RSPB site and if you had a bike you'd be fine.

There is also a very chep (by comparison) set of moorings at Shell Bay Marine by the chain ferry.

Have fun bobbing around
 
realslimshady said:
Owwww. If that's cheap I hate to think what an expensive mooring is...
But....what if I'm not occupying the boat all the time?
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Youre taking a risk with the weather & boarding parties. People know the boats in their own area & a new one anchoring will be noticed. if it's occupied, it will probably be left alone. If it is noticed to be unoccupied say, Mon-Thurs then there is a risk it will be checked out for booze & sellable, portable items.
 
realslimshady said:
Owwww. If that's cheap I hate to think what an expensive mooring is...
But....what if I'm not occupying the boat all the time?
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As far as I can tell Poole is the most expensive place to moore on earth. Why this is when it is so huge I know not. We had an engine problem last year and were forced into Lillyput Marina, I think 1 night without electric was £60.00.:eek:
 
Sundowner Portofino said:
As far as I can tell Poole is the most expensive place to moore on earth
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Ha,ha, I wish. Botafoch marina in Ibiza was charging €375 per night for a 15m berth last year in August and €100 per night is quite normal in the Med for a 15m berth, even out of season. I don't doubt that some other hotspots like Portofino, Capri or Porto Cervo are even more of a rip off
 
A few years ago there appeared to be a charter sailing cat that was permanently anchored in Chichester harbour, (Emsworth reach area).
Its good holding , deep water and quiet, sheltered tender ride to Emsworth or pay MDL northney for a 2.5m dinghy berth and you benefit from showers laundry coffee/take away lounge etc.
 
DAKA said:
A few years ago there appeared to be a charter sailing cat that was permanently anchored in Chichester harbour, (Emsworth reach area).
Its good holding , deep water and quiet, sheltered tender ride to Emsworth or pay MDL northney for a 2.5m dinghy berth and you benefit from showers laundry coffee/take away lounge etc.
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now that's the kind of thing I'm talking about!
Re the post above about items being 'removed' while one's not aboard-surely the same applies if the boat's on a swinging mooring or even a quiet pontoon berth?
The crux of my question is-is there anything legally stopping me from leaving my boat in Poole harbour all summer on the anchor?
 
realslimshady said:
The crux of my question is-is there anything legally stopping me from leaving my boat in Poole harbour all summer on the anchor?
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Yes, Mooring rights are owned by somebody - in Poole by the Harbour Commissioners. To lay a permanent mooring you need a licence - and much of the designated mooring area is sub let to clubs and commercial operators.

Anchoring in the course of navigation (such as dropping a hook for a few days on a cruise) is normally permitted, although many harbours (not Poole) quite legally levy a charge for this.

In practice there are few places in Poole outside the mooring areas that are suitable for anything more than casual anchoring - shallow water, poor shelter and poor land access being the main probl;ems.

So, nice pipe dream but not practical
 
Tranona said:
Yes, Mooring rights are owned by somebody - in Poole by the Harbour Commissioners. To lay a permanent mooring you need a licence - and much of the designated mooring area is sub let to clubs and commercial operators.


So, nice pipe dream but not practical
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As I thought-even the bottom of the sea is owned by someone! (My SWMBO is Brazilian and can't believe how NOTHING in this country can be had for free.....! But that's another thread).
 
Yes I know it's an old thread, but some old threads are very interesting if you have a small boat in Poole. So, I know about the harbours dues and not anchoring in a designated moorings only area, BUT can you still anchor inside Poole harbour ?? The spot I had in mind was adjacent to the Shell (Studland) marine yard and sailing club.
 
TNLI said:
Yes I know it's an old thread, but some old threads are very interesting if you have a small boat in Poole. So, I know about the harbours dues and not anchoring in a designated moorings only area, BUT can you still anchor inside Poole harbour ?? The spot I had in mind was adjacent to the Shell (Studland) marine yard and sailing club.
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I'm not sure that's a great spot, it's very shallow and you'll get all the wakes from large vessels in the main channel.
I've anchored tucked in between Furzey Island and the South West of Brownsea Island, and that worked well.
 
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