Which marina Portsmouth / Gosport?

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PhillM

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In a couple of week's I have to be in Portsmouth all week on business. I live near Southampton but the commute and parking is not something I relish as I have to in Portsmouth by 0830 and I will be leaving in rush hour. So, I am thinking about taking Paean to one of the local marinas and living on her for the week. Its a while since I visited any of the marinas. Any recommendations or avoids?
 
Port Solent will have travel problems into Portsmouth (unless you take a bike aboard).

Any of the three Gosport marinae will do if you don't mind commuting to Pompey on the Gosport Ferry. Both Haslar and Gosport are quite close to the ferry terminal, Royal Clarence is a little further away.

You could also look at the possibility of getting a berth in Gunwharf or the Camber Dock, although I wouldn't choose to be in either.
 
For Gosport, Premier is the shortest walk to the ferry. Royal Clarence the longest. When we were in Premier 5 years ago there were occasional queues for the showers which may be an issue if trying to get to work. I hear that's worse now the clipper lot are there but that's for current residents to comment on. The showers at Clarence were tatty but I never remember queuing. It's a very long time since I had experience of Haslar. Bit of a walk from Clarence to any eateries.

Poor public transport to/from Port Solent make it a bad choice for commuting to Portsmouth.
 
I had to go into Portsmouth from Port Solent and there is an express bus (X something or other - X5?) that is pretty quick and doesn't go all round the houses and that leaves from right outside the marina.
 
Daedelus said:
I had to go into Portsmouth from Port Solent and there is an express bus (X something or other - X5?) that is pretty quick and doesn't go all round the houses and that leaves from right outside the marina.
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X4? Does require walking down to the A27 though which might not be so much fun in the rain. And the last bus from the Hard is before 8pm which may be problematic if a cheeky after-work half with colleagues or clients is desired. Unless PhillM is working in Cosham, Gosport would get my vote over Port Solent.
 
Haslar is calmer than the Premier marine as it's not prone to wash from passing ferries. I don't use the fuel barge for that reason alone. I don't know exactly where the visitors berths are in Haslar but I've used the crash berth on one of the outer pontoons and had a good night's sleep there. There's an access on the Ferry side that's certainly as close as the Premier, if not closer.
 
Why not Southsea Marina. No 15 bus stops right outside and will take you to Commercial Road and The Hard (by Gunwharf) in Pompy. Runs every 60 minutes. There is a good Indian restaurant in the marina together with a very good cafe/bar which does evening meals as well. Showers have recently been upgraded and are very nice indeed.
 
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Haslar is great - they have a well established liveaboard alley around pontoon L IIR - easy access to the showers in the lightship and an exit gate at that end more or less straight onto the Gosport Ferry. As others mention, much less wash than Gosport although at that end most people do have snubbers as it is nearer the open end of the old submarine base wall that acts as a wave barrier for most of the marina
 
At this time of year go to Gunwharf. It is so convenient, lots of restaurants and a cinema all on site, the othermarinas on the Gosport are nice but really there is no contest, Gunwharf is the place.
 
I would say Haslar. Marina staff have a good reputation for being reasonable and accommodating, The food and the staff on the Mary Mouse are good. You can get a D&R Loyalty card and after something like 6 nights in any of Haslar, East Cowes or Portland you get a free night in any of them so you would be well on your way to that.
 
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Thanks all. My week is an induction into Portsmouth a Business School, which is about 5 mins walk from the Hard.

I took a walk around Gunwharf today and I think it could be both noisy and the facilities block is a bit of a public walk at 2 am, etc.

I've been to both Hasler and Gosport but not for a few years. Thanks for all the info. Sounds like plan a is Hasler and plan b is Gosport. Of course, if the weather is carp, I'd have to either commute or get a hotel.
 
I think Haslar was our least favourite stop as visitors last year. We were miles from civilisation and subject to passing swell. There was a group of MTB-type boats parked nearby, which was interesting though. It sounds as if other marinas are even worse.
 
laika said:
Given that Haslar is only about 500m from the town centre that's a bit harsh on Gosport. Not necessarily unfair but harsh nonetheless.
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I don't think so, I kept my boat there for many years and the visitors berths were in the worse location naturally. Lots of swell and nowhere to eat. Gosport is the pits, Hasler is nice but only for residents. I don't think Gunwharf is more expensive and I have never found it noisy at all. It is very secure and very convenient. The only downside is it can be quite tight inside so if your boat handling skills are poor don't go there.
 
Stick your bike on board and use either Haslar, Gosport Marina or Royal Clarence - and pack your wet weather gear !! The negative jibes of Gunwharf are well founded IMO.
 
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