14th June 2024
Reading Time: 10 minutes
As a reminder to myself, and maybe to help others cruising the South Coast of England, I thought I would review some of the marinas and harbours that we are stopping at. We are using a lot of marinas because we have a dog onboard and it simplifies things. I will try to keep the formula the same with a short preamble then the good and bad points and the all important cost per night
Walton on the Naze – Titchmarsh
This large friendly independent marina is tucked away in the Walton Backwaters. We kept Sumara there over the winter 2023/24 and enjoyed the experience. Walton Yacht Club harbour is nearby and also highly recommended but it is much more tidally restricted, however it does have the advantage of being nearer the town and the train station.
Good Points (About Titchmarsh)
Easy going relaxed atmosphere.
Plenty of tended grounds for dog walking plus a large barbeque area.
Helicopter landing area – very handy!
Excellent large concreted yard for winter storage etc. It is virtually dust free. Container hire available for storage.
Well stocked onsite chandlery.
Bar and restaurant about to open (June 2024).
Helpful staff.
Clean showers and toilets
Easy car parking in large car park
Excellent beach 30 minutes walk àway
Not So Good Points
Instead of cleats, the pontoons have hoops which can be a bit of a shock if you were hoping to quickly wrap a line to arrest a boat.
Some pontoons are on large unprotected polystyrene blocks which must be a bit of a pollution hazard?
It is rather a long walk into town (30 minutes) for shopping etc.
Lack of decent recycling facilities. They seem to just take clear glass and the rest goes to landfill
About an hour by boat to open sea
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
Visitors daily rate for 8 m boat £23.00 – which compared to the South Coast is a bit of a bargain!
We left Walton at 06:00 and arrived in Ramsgate 17:32 (11 1/2 hours) logging 48 nm
Ramsgate
This refers to the visitors marina area in the “outer harbour” – but not in the very “outer harbour” which was built for the long defunct Sally Line.
This is a real visitors harbour where you can chat to fellow sailors. It strangely reminds me of places like Horta. It has a bustling feeling with plenty of yachts arriving and departing. It is run by the local council. I really like it!
Good Points
All tide access
Excellent passage making location
Good access to the continent
Friendly helpful staff
Lovely beach right next to harbour
Welcoming yacht club overlooking harbour
Interesting architecture
Facilities clean
Chandler’s and sailmakers alongside
Huge Wetherspoons in restored building overlooking the beach
Wide selection of restaurants nearby
Supermarkets for restocking nearby
Not So Good Points
Train station long way out of town
Huge Wetherspoons in restored building overlooking the beach
Parts of the town can be a bit rundown, slightly Lowestoftian, if you know what I mean.
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
£30.00
We left Ramsgate at 13:30 for Dover arriving at 16:37 (3 hours) logging 12 nm
Dover
We had a brilliant time in Dover but that was mainly because we kept meeting old friends. If it wasn’t for that, the experience might not have been quite so good. The new marina is rather clone like. Despite the amazing building cost, it seems to offer no more than the old dock area did, and in some ways it isn’t as good.
Good Points
Dover VTS are very professional and ensure is stress-free entry to the harbour even though ferries are charging in and out every few minutes. You can enter at any state of tide and pretty much any weather but believe me it can be seriously rough entering the western entrance in a full gale.
The new areas, called the “Curve” beside the new marina are pleasant and very popular with runners and walkers.
Excellent ships Chandler called Sharp and Enright nearby.
The White Horse pub by the castle is worth a visit but, rather alarmingly, it closes at 20:00 – so don’t hang around!
Not So Good Points
The new harbour is a bit bland, and at low tide, with no view over the piles, it is really a bit grim.
The visitors boats are mixed with the local boats so it completely lacks the bustling sociably of Ramsgate. This may change when the local boats move back into the Wellington Dock.
The bridge to the inner harbour is having “teething” problems.
The brand new showers were unbelievably cramped which is weird because there was no shortage of building space, but marinas rarely seem to achieve a decent shower arrangement.
We had no problems with surging, but locals say it can be bad in the winter. There was evidence of boats with multiple mooring lines, many frayed, which might indicate a potential problem.
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
£30.00
We left Dover at dawn 03:00 and proceeded with an unfavourable wind to Eastbourne. We made little progress under sail so we motor sailed most of the way, arriving at 13:56 (13 hours) logging 46 nm
Eastbourne
I kept my expectations fairly low for Eastbourne remembering it as a rather bland housing development with a massive marina. The kind of place that could be anywhere. Why is the architecture so second rate in these places?
Actually I rather liked the place once we arrived. Somehow the marina is turning into a significant fishing port which really adds to the atmosphere. It wouldn’t ever be a destination port for me but as a break from the long haul from Dover to Brighton it make a reasonable stopover.
Good Points
Twin locks operate every half hour so there never seems to be a queue like you can get at Chichester Yacht Basin etc.
As with every stop so far, super friendly and helpful staff
Access at any tide but best check for shoaling before entering on a spring low.
Nearby cafes and a pub* plus ASDA in the trading estate.
Jolly little road train into town (or bus from near ASDA)
First class art gallery in Eastbourne (Towner Gallery)
Handy break in the Dover Brighton trip.
Commercial fishing boats improve the atmosphere
Not So Good Points
The Harvester Pub, if you class Harvesters as pubs, stops serving beer at 21:30 LT. What is going on!
Variable quality architecture
The marina isn’t really in Eastbourne but a fair trek away
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
£36.00 – creeping up!
We left Eastbourne for the 21 nm trip the Brighton at Midnight GMT. It took 4 1/2 hours. That dark departure was forced upon us because Brighton Marina is silting up and there is no longer any access 2 hours either side of low water
Brighton Marina
Oh dear, what can I say about this place. I remember it being a bit grim and run down when I last visited many years ago. I kind of assumed that it would have been spruced up by now. I felt like apologising to the foreign boats who had taken the trouble to comply with the Brexit regulations and visit our shores for the dilapidated state of the marina and even for Brighton town.
Good Points
The staff were friendly and helpful
Toilet facilities are not too bad but can get busy in the mornings
Brighton Yacht Club welcomes visitors and provides a pleasant place for a beer or meal
Massive ASDA in the marina
Not So Good Points
The walk on foot to and from the marina into the town is diabolical. It couldn’t be grimmer even if it was planned as a horror theme park attraction.
The architecture makes me cringe. Who ever thought mock Georgian houses would be sympathetic to the brutalist marina style. Why not just decide on a style and try to stick to it? It is a total miss-mash of styles accessible via pavements that vanish into the ASDA or multi story car park. Ughhhh!
The harbour can no longer be entered 2 hours either side of low water (June 2024) which makes it far less useful as a passage port. We had to sail through the dark to avoid low water then leave at the wrong state of tidal flow to head west.
Brighton seems to have lost its sparkle. There were many empty shops in the Lanes. The public realm was dirty and lacked maintenance.
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
£36.00
We left the marina at 05:00 to avoid the four hour period around low water. Under one reef and the Yankee we were making 4.5 knots in a north westerly wind force 4. We weren’t in any hurry and as the wind dropped we hoisted all sails until eventually at 2 knots SOG we put on the engine. We arrived in Gosport at 15:38. The 45 nm journey had taken 10 1/2 hours
Gosport – Haslar Marina
This smart well-cared for marina was in stark contrast to Brighton! The gleaming green lightship provided a cohesive theme for the marina. Green canvas-work dressed the railings. Everything was spotless and cared for.
Good Points
Accessible at all states of tide and easy access to the Solent
Although the Lightship bar and restaurant were closed for our visit, there was another pleasant bar with terrace within the marina.
As has been the case throughout our little cruise all the staff have been friendly and helpful.
Short ferry ride will take you to the delights of Portsmouth
Bustling atmosphere with visitors and training boats
Not So Good Points
Struggling here!
Even the down at heel Gosport seems to be up and coming.
Price Per Night for 8 m Yacht
£34.00 per night but £5.00 extra if you need power
We left Haslar at lunchtime for the 15 nm journey to Beaulieu making use of a lull in the westerly wind. It look only 3 1/2 hours. As the wind was due to be fairly strong, and from the west, for several days we chose to head for Beaulieu as a great place to be holed up for a while. We took the plunge and booked for 5 days. More of Beaulieu later.
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