Could be a great marina. It s got all the facilit...

Could be a great marina. It s got all the facilities and great location. Unfortunately, our experience as a permanent berth holder, was that every time the wind was from a southerly direction and above a force 6, we experienced thousands of pounds of damage to our boat. This is despite having massively over-spec warps, snubbers and fenders.

The wave pontoon, which their website states will give owners confidence in the safety of their vessels does not because they only deploy it in wind speeds above a force 9. This is despite damage being significant at much lower wind speeds.

This was exacerbated by the marina not being staffed for the majority of the time. On the first occasion of damage, they didn t even inform us of the damage, despite warps hanging in the water, snubbers broken and the boat surging against the pontoon repeatedly. It was two weeks before I could get to the boat and considerable additional damage must have been caused by this negligence.

After the second incident of damage, it was clear it was an unsafe marina so we were forced to move our boat to QAB. Sutton Harbour Holdings, who own the marina, are completely disinterested in this situation. We are now faced with having to go to court to recover the mooring fees we paid in advance, as they are not prepared to negotiate on the three month notice period.

These observations may not apply to every berth and there may be ones that are safe. However, there are completely unsuitable ones which will result in vessel damage. If you experience this, don t expect support from the spineless manager or the exec team who are completely disinterested in negotiating equitable solutions to the problems they cause.

My advice is to avoid at all cost. Pay a little more and get a marina who prioritises looking after your boat and values your custom.