17 April 2023
We have reserved berths with Cobbs Quay Marina for Friday 16th & Saturday 17th June. However, note that the marina does not have dedicated visitor berths and so visiting vessels will be allocated a suitable berth on arrival. Please call the marina on VHF Ch 80 or 01202 674299 once you reach the Town Quay. From the Town Quay, there are two lifting bridges to negotiate and it is important to contact BRIDGE CONTROL on VHF Ch12 prior to the scheduled lift time to request a bridge lift (please state whether you are inbound or outbound, as appropriate). The bridges operate in sequence on a generally hourly schedule, although not at rush-hour times on week days. Full details of bridge lifting timings are available for download below.
Access to the Town Quay is all via deep water channels and it is advisable to monitor VHF Ch 14 for information regarding large vessel movements. Beyond the bridges, Holes Bay is mostly drying and it is important to keep to the marked channel. There is a link below to a YouTube video that gives pilotage information to Cobbs Quay Marina and an overview of Holes Bay. Note that, due to the unusual tides around Poole, HW times and heights must be treated with caution and it is best to work from the times and heights of LW. Please pay berthing fees directly to the marina office on arrival.
Dinner on the Friday night is booked for the on-site Cobbs Bar & Restaurant and, due to another large party in attendance, they will require menu choices in advance. The current (winter) menu is attached for your reference but this is likely to expand, now that the summer season is underway.
Dinner on Saturday night will be at the Rigger's Restaurant at the RNLI building in Poole. This is around 1.5 miles away and is walkable via footpaths and the Twin Sails bridge. However, there is a bus route within half-a-mile of the marina, as well as local taxi services, for those that would prefer transport. Bus route timetables are attached, which will also be useful for those wishing to visit the Town Quay (again approximately a 1.5 mile walk) or beyond.
Visiting crews will be free to visit the town or nearby parks on the Saturday or, for those that would prefer to go sailing, exploring Poole Harbour and its islands has much to commend it, as do Swanage and Studland Bays. Part of Studland Bay now has a voluntary no-anchoring zone (see attached PDF) but it is still possible to anchor further up the beach and to go ashore. In anything other than easterly winds, this is still a very pleasant anchorage. There is also a lovely walk out along the headland to Old Harry Rocks with spectacular views over Poole Bay, Swanage Bay and across to the IoW. It also passes the old WWII bunker that Churchill used to observe the practice D-Day landings and has a pleasant old pub with a large beer garden.
For anyone interested in extending the weekend into the following week, there is also the opportunity for a further onward trip to either Weymouth or Portland. An itinerary for this will be subject to the amount of interest, so please indicate whether you would be interested at the time of booking.
Poole Harbour Commissioners website: https://www.phc.co.uk/
Cobbs Quay Marina website: https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/marinas/mdl-cobbs-quay-marina/
How to navigate to Cobbs Quay Marina: https://youtu.be/r4iWsh5cHPU
Cobbs Bar & Restaurant website: https://www.cobbsbar.co.uk/
Downloads:
Bus Route 8 Timetable (returning from Poole)
Bus Route 9 Timetable (travelling into Poole)
Bus Route Network Map
Poole Bridges Timetable
Poole Harbour Chartlet
Studland Bay Leaflet
Last updated 6:42am on 22 February 2025