BLUEMOMENT

According to the Beeb Dumfries & Galloway are heading towards a 307 berth marina in the harbour.at a cost of £6M. It's a 7nm trip down (and back out) Loch Ryan - not something I'm likely to take for a night in a boat park.

Maybe something you'd use if weather and tide were hurting too much on a (badly) planned Galloway Bypass trip?

Bit difficult to see that being popular with anyone other than those resident in Stranraer?

I've been in Loch Ryan a few times, but only about as far as that awkward spit opposite Cairnryan, and anchored inside there overnight. Don't think it'd be a great place in a blow, though the holding seemed good.

I reckon a marina needs to be on the route to the boat - ie from home to sea, its a place to stop and collect the boat. (for a home berth). There can always be reasons for otherwise of course.
For visitors, it needs to be either on the way to somewhere, a handy stopping off point - at a destination.
Handily placed marinas to my mind include Campbeltown, Tobermory, Oban, Bangor, Ballycastle.

Rhu for us, is handy for the one who lives there, but not for me. That last few miles from about the Rothesay - Largs line, seem to take forever in getting home. In calm weather, can get most of the cleanup and tidying away done and still have an hour to waste.

Stranraer? Can't see that being so successful.

mm5aho wrote:Bit difficult to see that being popular with anyone other than those resident in Stranraer?

I've been in Loch Ryan a few times, but only about as far as that awkward spit opposite Cairnryan, and anchored inside there overnight. Don't think it'd be a great place in a blow, though the holding seemed good.

I reckon a marina needs to be on the route to the boat - ie from home to sea, its a place to stop and collect the boat. (for a home berth). There can always be reasons for otherwise of course.
For visitors, it needs to be either on the way to somewhere, a handy stopping off point - at a destination.
Handily placed marinas to my mind include Campbeltown, Tobermory, Oban, Bangor, Ballycastle.

Rhu for us, is handy for the one who lives there, but not for me. That last few miles from about the Rothesay - Largs line, seem to take forever in getting home. In calm weather, can get most of the cleanup and tidying away done and still have an hour to waste.

Stranraer? Can't see that being so successful.

Possibly, but, unless it's just a ploy to hoover up grants, you would expect that some calculations have been made, and there's now been a few years experience of the existing wee marina.

Two thoughts occur: (a) The length of Loch Ryan is about half the distance of Rothesay to Rhu; and (b) it depends where you're starting from and how much time you're prepared to spend on the journey. Stranraer is about a 2 hour drive from Carlisle, 3 hours from Newcastle. It takes me over 3 hours to get to Craobh from Falkirk.

It's about the same as the distance up Loch Sween to Tayvallich, but Tayvallich is fairly bonny when you get there.

We can also clean the boat/cook a meal on the last leg home. It is a couple of hours at the beginning and end of each trip we tolerate because the mooring is sheltered and cheap compared to the alternatives.

I admit that I'd completely overlooked the possibility of people from England coming to a southern Scottish Marina in order to enjoy the waters here!

I can't see anyone wanting to just "hoover" up grants. There has to be an on-going business case to get a grant (usually), and the main investor would surely want a long term future for such a venture.
Maybe they have done their homework and it might work?

From the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... d-33310816

The proposal includes:
307 berths between the West Pier marina and the new South Quay marina
A causeway linking the East Pier to the South Quay
Comprehensive physical and visual links between East Pier, South Quay and West Pier
Events berthing and water space
New marina offices, toilets and expanded 75-space boatyard
Commercial opportunities for a marine hub, offices, leisure and retail
Increased parking and new public space.

The business case backs that option but accepts that a private operator would be unlikely to be found.

"Due to the low projected returns it seems unlikely, at this stage, that an independent marina developer would find the project appealing and therefore it is likely that the council will need to run the expanded marina or grant a management contract/ operational lease," it states.

mm5aho wrote:I admit that I'd completely overlooked the possibility of people from England coming to a southern Scottish Marina in order to enjoy the waters here!

I can't speak for other Englandshire residents but Stranraer wouldn't appeal to us.

The day it takes us to get to Oban from Tayvallich would only take an extra hour by car so being based less time from home but further from "the nicer bits of Argyle". I suppose we would spend more time visiting Ireland or the Clyde if we were setting off from down there though.

Silkie wrote:From the BBC http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-s ... d-33310816

The proposal includes:
307 berths between the West Pier marina and the new South Quay marina
A causeway linking the East Pier to the South Quay
Comprehensive physical and visual links between East Pier, South Quay and West Pier
Events berthing and water space
New marina offices, toilets and expanded 75-space boatyard
Commercial opportunities for a marine hub, offices, leisure and retail
Increased parking and new public space.

The business case backs that option but accepts that a private operator would be unlikely to be found.

"Due to the low projected returns it seems unlikely, at this stage, that an independent marina developer would find the project appealing and therefore it is likely that the council will need to run the expanded marina or grant a management contract/ operational lease," it states.

I find it difficult to believe something on that scale would work?
If I have to stop in Loch Ryan again, I'd just drop the hook in the Wig as before. Quiet, fairly shallow, good sand. What more do you need? If I want a marina there is Bangor just over the water, or even Glenarm!
Nice idea lacking in commercial reality...

Possibly we need swap the local chamber of commerce with Obans?

Possibly we need swap the local chamber of commerce with Obans?