Yarmouth - a bit of a con :(

[henryf]

I have a lot of time for Yarmouth and find the staff friendly, if they can find a spot for you they will do and I actually quite like the piles. Put the fear of god into me all those years ago but second nature now and you get a good view of what's going on.

They do some good deals over the winter so we come in a fair few times. So much so that they sent us their little brochure which included a special offer valid July 1st to September 30th, £10 off any overnight stay. So I thought I'd pop in and use it for tonight.

To be fair they clearly state the offer excludes Saturday nights and the August bank holiday weekend Sat 27 - Mon 29. It also states the offer can not be used in conjunction with any other offers. So I'm thinking a Monday night will be fine. It turns out I was wrong. You see their mid week rate is classed, for the purpose of the offer as an "offer". So it works out you get a measly £2 off rather than the promised £10.

Having spoken to my man in the Dory it seems the only way to get your tenner off is to stay on a Friday or a Sunday.

Hmmm........ I thought they were above that sort of thing here. It's clearly working because the place is rammed, Cowes on the other hand is a ghost town by all accounts. But I feel a bit cheated. We won't be here on a Sunday or a Friday before the voucher expires so its wasted on me. If you do find yourself here on a Sunday or Friday then the offer code is "YAR11" for the rest of us chuck it in bin.

Be warned!

Henry

 

[duncan]

that explains it

Thanks for managing to explain why I didn't get £10 off last Wed!

I'd looked twice and put it down to an admin slip up (that I couldn't be bothered to raise)

As you say, the staff really do go out of their way to help, and the only issue I have with the facilities is getting a good early breakfast

 

[mjf]

Its amazing how despite the price policy (no refunds) and the issues over piles vs walk ashore pontoons Yarmouth always seems very busy - was always thus I recall.


You are right about Cowes as several people I know have reported mid week trips to the town or folly etc and met with emptiness...... I'm in Lymington where it was busy (5 deep raft off town quay) at the w/e and 3/4 deep overnight Mon/Tues but loads of buoys free. The Dan Bran pontoon had only one visitor!

So whats the huge Yarmouth attraction? I like it there but its a bit limited compared to either Cowes or Lymington both of which seem less favoured

 

[henryf]

I think it's proximity to Lymington makes it popular with boats who are based there. We meet a surprising number who just nip over for somewhere to stretch their legs. It's also a staging post for trips in and out of the Solent.

They invest all the money back into facilities so everything is in good order. I can't think of a marina or harbour which has been through so many evolutions in such a short space of time. At the moment there is a big void towards where the fuel used to be so I suspect we haven't seen the end of work just yet.

Henry

 

[Talulah]

The Dan Bran pontoon had only one visitor!

I spoke to the HM about this.
He said the Dan Bran pontoon had a massive price hike this year which upset a lot of the locals.

 

[henryf]

Isn't that pontoon only for rallies and the like? The inside was busy of presumably permanent boats. It's also quite a hike to get into town.

Henry

 

[duncan]

Isn't that pontoon only for rallies and the like? The inside was busy of presumably permanent boats. It's also quite a hike to get into town.

Henry

Think this is one of the factors against Lymington for the occasional visitor - the need for local knowledge! Don't mind rafting (you tend to be doing that in Yarmouth anyway) but have yet to have any help or guidance over buoys etc where in Yarmouth you either book, or call, or turn up and someone will be there to guide, help etc

We have only used it once by boat, and a couple of times by car, but generally are more comfortable with the price/quality of pubs and eateries in Yarmouth as well. In general we are more likely to anchor up in Newtown Creek than use Lymington. Again I am sure this is down to a distinct lack of local knowledge on our part.

 

[Robin]

Unless it changed since 2009 the Lymington Dan Bran was reserved for rallies and races, plus as an overflow on really busy weekends. The price used to be the same as at the quay or on the fore/aft buoys.

Duncan you need to try Lymington! The HM people are usually out on busy times otherwise the moorings are fore/aft buoys up near the Berthon - Quay area. White buoys (first ones you come to, nearest to Berthon) should be for bigger boats, the outer few especially for those. The orange buoys nearer the quay are for up to 10m, longer boatrs need the wider spaced white ones. There are some pontoons not connected to shore opposite the north end of Berthon, these are reserved usually for boats over 40ft on the channel side but others on the inside and on the whole of the other pontoon over near the railway which BTW would be ideal for you as there is more than enough depth.

We much preferred Lymington with it's better shops and a Saturday street market. It was also cheaper than Yarmouth size for size and massively so if you were comparing a Yarmouth walk ashore. At busy times you will raft up on the fore/aft buoys but usually only two up so getting away isn't the same hassle as Yarmouth. No water taxi though but with little tide paddling the dink ashore is no problem.

 

[Boathook]

...... At busy times you will raft up on the fore/aft buoys but usually only two up so getting away isn't the same hassle as Yarmouth. No water taxi though but with little tide paddling the dink ashore is no problem.

It gets a problem trying to moor the dinghy. Especially when all the others are tied up tight to the pontoon or even chained to it.

 

[volvopaul]

The last time we were there they charged us £9.00 for 2 nights non walkashore, to be fair when I paid I didnt look at the card machine as they have all our details, boat length etc on file, shame we didnt leave straight after as we then had lunch, just as were casting off the dory appeared asking for berthing fees, we said we had paid, she says only a short stay, I said no ive paid for the 2 nights, checked my receipt yes they had charged a short stay, so I paid the difference. Just shows how on the ball they are........ not!

I must admit since they started this booking online and no refund ive only done it once and was lucky the weather was good, wont bother again as the place was empty last time, the place has lost some of its little harbour appeal since they changed it over the winter, I also tied my dinghy on to a friends boat to go ashore with them, when I returned it had been moved to the quay, ready to be stolen, had it have been id have deemed it there fault, there was nothing wrong where it had been left, are they saying you cant tie your own dinghy to your own boat, has it got to be hung on its davits after use I asked the office staff, they were bloody rude too!

 

[mjf]

The Dan Bran is indeed intended for rallies but if its quiet the HM allows you to use it - no power but has water. Used to be same price as town quay or pontoon / buoys in the river.

2011 saw it nearly double in price - nice spot for a couple of days esp when they are racing in the evenings. The walk into town is a hike - esp. if hauling back stuff from tesco / waitrose in town. Agree the tender park iat town quay is a performance on busy bank holidays. I like Lymington town as a run ashore - couple of nice blokes cloths shops and restaurants covering all tastes / price.

BTW just seen Henryf float by.......

 

[Robin]

It gets a problem trying to moor the dinghy. Especially when all the others are tied up tight to the pontoon or even chained to it.

Yes agreed and I've ranted about this in Lymington on here before several times! I thought seriously about carrying a spare old lock or two (no keys needed...) to snap on to those used by such inconsiderate barstewards who chained their pride and joy alongside the dinghy pontoon instead of on a long scope. One such belonged to a very pretty wooden ketch on the visitor buoys who tied it alongside that as well to prevent anyone rafting up to them.

 

[henryf]

I would agree that you don't need to be afraid of Lymington. On Bank Holiday or peak summer weekends it's going to be busy but to be fair Yarmouth will have closed the doors long ago and be turning people away as well.

On quieter periods we manage to sneak onto the town quay, (we're a touch over length) and don't get rafted to.

Opposite the town quay are fore-aft bouys and the ones slightly down stream from the town quay (just after the small floating pontoon) take up to 45' boats. Lovely and peaceful and you won't get rafted onto. You need to have a little practice getting both ropes attached (connect the front rope from the back of the boat then back up to the stern bouy), but on a quiet day you can take your time and the wind / tide shouldn't be an issue. Give it a go.

Anyway, back on topic I ended up using my voucher as a £2 discount rather than the promised £10. Very naughty. I did let Yarmouth know I'd posted the thread via email as a courtesy and in case they wanted to offer up an explanation for the misleading information.


Henry

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Unless it changed since 2009 the Lymington Dan Bran was reserved for rallies and races, plus as an overflow on really busy weekends. The price used to be the same as at the quay or on the fore/aft buoys.
.

it's changed since 2009. The HM is taking all comers now if there are no rallies booked. The price has gone up to come more into line with the marinas bearing in mind the significant difference in facilities - although the LTSC showers are now available as part of the berthing fee.

Lymington Harbour Commissioners need the dosh to pay for the Protection schemes required to keep everything in its place.

 

[Robin]

it's changed since 2009. The HM is taking all comers now if there are no rallies booked. The price has gone up to come more into line with the marinas bearing in mind the significant difference in facilities - although the LTSC showers are now available as part of the berthing fee.

Lymington Harbour Commissioners need the dosh to pay for the Protection schemes required to keep everything in its place.

I hope LTSC are making good money out of the deal!

We always liked to use the fore/aft buoys or the non-connected pontoon up by the quay, good value and relatively hassle free even when busy.

 

[pugwash94]

Yarmouth

Went there yesterday with a group of friends on a day out from Marchwood.
I knew it was Folkboat week so checked by phone on Tuesday that there would be space, again on Wednesday morning before leaving and then by radio when I could easily divert to Lymington. I was told there was no problem and one of the Berthing masters would direct me on arrival.
On arrival I was told there was no way they could fit me in for a short stay!
In the end I remonstrated with HM over the radio and was directed to a berth (by radio).
There was loads of room!
At the risk of sounding incredibly ancient - in the 70's I recall the HM himself in his dory fitting everyone in regardless.
Finally the speed with which they arrived to collect their fee was impressive.
I was also