In addition to our 'Safe Boating with Yacht Havens' advice published on 13th May (which you can read further below on this page), we're pleased to provide further guidance to berth holders to help you visit the Yacht Haven and go boating with confidence.
Update 3rd December
Seasons greetings to all
We continue to work hard at the marina to provide a relaxed and most importantly safe environment for you to unwind and enjoy, and we continue to adapt to the new regulations as best we can.
In response to the Government’s new rules to manage the spread of Covid and the Omicron variant, please be aware that we will be asking you to wear face masks in the communal areas and when visiting the marina reception.
All of our previous Covid precautions remain in place including:
- Provision of hand sanitising stations and Perspex screens in our offices.
- Continuing with our thorough toilet, shower, laundry and office cleaning regimes as well as interim wipe downs of frequently touched surfaces.
- We will continue to offer the NHS track and trace check-ins at the marina reception and each bridgehead.
- You may notice additional specific measures in place to continue to help prevent the spread of the virus; if so, please do co-operate with staff.
The safety and well-being of our berth holders, visitors and the team at Yacht Haven Quay remain our utmost priority so please be considerate and aware of others and the team's requirement to stay safe.
We continue to ask that if you have tested positive you do not visit your boat or use the marina as a location to ‘self isolate’, we can carry out any required boat checks on your behalf.
We very much look forward to seeing everyone over the festive season and thank you all for working with us through 2021 to navigate our way through the ever changing regulations.
Update - 19th July
From today, the rules around Covid relax and we return to the normal we have all been waiting for.
We have worked hard at the Quay to provide a relaxed and, most importantly, safe environment for you to unwind and enjoy, and we will continue to adapt to the new regulations as best we can.
The safety and well-being of our berth holders, visitors and the team at Yacht Haven Quay is our utmost priority and as restrictions relax we need to continue keeping you and our team safe. The new guidance is encouraging people to take back their liberties gradually and people will ease out of lockdown at different paces, so please be considerate and aware of other berth holders and the team's requirement to stay safe.
We will not be requiring face coverings in indoor public areas, but we strongly encourage you to use them out of respect of other berth holders and our staff. We will continue to encourage communications by remote channels rather than visiting the office, and we will keep screens at our reception.
We will continue to offer the NHS track and trace check-ins at the reception, along with providing hand sanitiser. We ask that if you have tested positive or someone you have been in close contact with has tested positive in the last 10 days you do not visit your boat.
We are all hugely looking forward to seeing everyone over the summer and must thank you all for working with us to navigate our way through the constantly changing regulations.
The sun is out and the Westcountry is looking stunning at the moment, we look forward to seeing you all out on the water.
Update - Spring 2021
Following the Prime Minister’s recent roadmap out of the current lockdown for England, we now have a clearer idea of what we can expect over the coming months and how this allows us all to begin planning our time on the water.
We encourage all berth holders to keep an eye on the latest Government guidance here, and we are pleased to share a summary of the roadmap:
8th March – Step 1 – Stay at Home (or Stay Local for permitted activity) – Private boats can be used for sport or recreation by a single household (or support bubble), or with 1 other person where participants remain outside except to access toilets, for safety reasons or to navigate. Essential maintenance can be undertaken to ensure vessels are safe to use (seaworthy).
29th March – Step 1 – Minimise Travel – Boat owners are permitted to perform general boat maintenance and privately owned boats can be used by groups of up to 6 people or 2 households, where participants remain outside except to access toilets, for safety reasons or to navigate.
12th April – Step 2 – Minimise Travel – Overnight stays on boats will be permitted for single households (or support bubbles). The Mess Room can reopen with an outdoor-only service, and non-essential shops can reopen.
17th May – Step 3 – Minimise Travel – All privately owned boats can be used by groups of up to 6 people or 2 households both inside and outside, and overnight stays on boats will be permitted within the rule of 6 or 2 households. The Mess Room can reopen their indoor social and dining areas.
No earlier than 21st June – Step 4 – The Government hopes to lift all restrictions on social contact.
For the full guidance, please see these guides from the RYA, British Marine and The Yacht Harbour Association.
You can read more about the lifting of restrictions and the specific steps and criteria for England to move on to the next step at gov.uk/coronavirus.
Boatyard Services / Dry Stack Launching
We’re sure that you’ll be keen to get out on the water as soon as the weather improves and lockdown is eased. If you have already booked a lift out or are expecting your boat to go back in during the coming weeks, this will go ahead as scheduled. Where possible, we kindly ask you do not attend your boat lift or launch until you can do so safely within current Government guidance; we are on hand to tow or arrange a delivery so that you can continue to receive the service while remaining at home.
We’re happy to remind you that if there’s any work you need doing in preparation for the season, one of our many reputable tenants or a local marine business of your choice should be able to help you – Take a look at the businesses listed on our online Marine Directory.
Thank you for your continued support through the most recent lockdown. We are all looking forward to a summer of boating, more so than ever after a winter of confinement.
Update 5th January 2021
England enters full lockdown
From Tuesday 5th January, England has entered a full lockdown due to the increasing spread of the Coronavirus.
At this time of national emergency, we strongly urge you to follow the strict rules of the lockdown to protect your families and communities, as well as ensuring the NHS has the capacity to provide treatment to those who require it. Whilst the Dry Stack and boatyard remain operational, we are following the advice of the government and we kindly ask our berth holders to do the same by staying at home and only travelling for essential purposes.
As always, our Haven Team are on-site 7 days a week to watch over your boat and help in any way we can. Please do not hesitate to contact us if there’s something specific you’d like us to check on your behalf; our team are happy to inspect dehumidifiers, batteries, covers and alleviate any other concerns that you might have. Please contact us by phone on 01752 481190 or email boatyard@yachthavenquay.com. We are here to support you and take care of your boat during these unprecedented times.
You can read the specific restrictions regarding the new lockdown at the gov.uk website. At the moment, this lockdown is expected to last until mid-February at the earliest when England will revert to the tiered system which has been in place since late-2020.
We have no doubt that, in time, we will all be enjoying our boating again and we look forward to an enjoyable 2021 season on the water.
Will Rahder,
Director
Update 30th December
Devon moves to Tier 3
From 31st December, Devon will be subject to Tier 3 measures under the Government’s COVID-19 restrictions.
As always, our Haven Team are on-hand 7 days a week to watch over your boat. If you are visiting the marina in the coming weeks, please take time to familiarize yourself with the latest government guidelines and how they apply to boating:
- All forms of recreational boating are permitted within the legal limits for meeting others.
- For those living in Tier 1-3 restrictions, you are allowed to socialise in groups of up to 6 people from different households, but only in outdoor settings.
- You should avoid staying onboard overnight if possible.
- If you live in a Tier 1 or Tier 2 area, you should minimise your travel and follow your local restrictions from your home Tier at all times.
- If you live in a Tier 4 region, you should not leave your area except for exceptional circumstances.
Before deciding whether or not to visit your boat or book a dry stack launch, please take the time to read the full guidance from the RYA and to decide whether or not is it appropriate for you to travel.
The Mess Room is closed until further notice, however the sister-cafe, The Guard Room in Turnchapel, is open for takeaways.
If you have a new cough, feel unwell or have lost your sense of taste or smell, please do not visit the Yacht Haven Quay. Follow government advice to quarantine and seek a Covid-19 test.
Please remember to wear face coverings in all indoor areas around the Quay, and complete the NHS Track & Trace registrations found on-site.
Please continue to communicate with us remotely wherever possible by calling us on 01752 481190 or by email to boatyard@yachthavenquay.com.
Update 30th November
ENTERING TIER 2
From Wednesday 2nd December, Plymouth will be subject to Tier 2 measures under the Government's new COVID-19 restrictions.
As always, our Haven Team are on-hand to watch over your boat. If you are visiting the Quay in the coming weeks, please take time to familiarize yourself with the latest government guidelines and how they apply to boating:
- All forms of recreational boating are permitted.
- You are allowed to socialise in groups of up to 6 people from different households in outdoor settings.
- You can stay onboard if it is with those in your household or support bubbles.
- If you live in a Tier 3 area (such as Bristol, South Gloucestershire or North Somerset) you must continue to abide by your local Tier 3 restrictions even when travelling to other areas and the advice is that you should not stay overnight somewhere outside of your local area.
- Read the full guidance from the RYA
Please remember to wear face coverings in all indoor areas around the Yacht Haven, and complete the NHS Track & Trace registrations found on-site.
We reassure you our helpful Haven Team are on-site to support you in any way we can as well as being on the pontoons, checking lines and keeping an eye on everything. Rest assured, your boat remains safe in our care.
Please continue to communicate with us remotely wherever possible by calling us on 01752 481190 or by email to boatyard@yachthavenquay.com
Update 2nd November
NEW LOCKDOWN RULES FROM 5TH NOVEMBER
As you will no doubt be aware, new restrictions will come into effect from 00:01 on Thursday 5th November.
As always, safety is paramount and our top priority is to ensure our Yacht Haven is a safe environment for our berth holders, visitors and staff.
At this time, we remain open and we will continue with all our boatyard operations. We intend to continue to provide dry stack lifting for commercial vessels, and contractors are still welcome to continue working on-site. However, we are seeking further guidance on how the new restrictions will affect the Yacht Haven and you, in terms of visiting your boat.
We will inform you as soon as this advice becomes available.
If your boat is due to be lifted out into the boatyard between now and Christmas, you might like to take the opportunity this week to ensure she is ready to come ashore with headsails removed. If you're unable to visit your boat, rest assured our Haven Team are here to help in any way we can.
If there is anything specific you'd like us to check on your behalf, please do not hesitate to contact our team. We're happy to follow up with a call and, if requested, photos.
In the meantime, keep safe and we will see you soon.
Will Rahder,
Director, Yacht Haven Quay Plymouth
Update 24th September
With Autumn upon us, getting on the water when the weather allows gains greater importance for our social, mental and physical well-being. If you are therefore visiting the Yacht Haven in the near future, there are several new laws that have come into effect that you need to be aware of.
Effective immediately, all visitors to the Marina Office and the site must complete a Track & Trace registration. This can be completed in three easy ways:
- Download the NHS COVID-10 Contact Tracing App and scan the unique QR code to ‘check in’ which we display at the Marina Office and around our site.
- Complete a handwritten form found at the Marina Office. Data that we collect will be stored securely for a minimum of 21 days and shared with NHS Track & Trace if requested.
- Use your berth holder fob – all fobs are assigned to an individual boat owner and, if requested, we’ll be able to extract data via this system.
If you are visiting as part of a group, we only require one person to complete the Track & Trace process.
In addition to these new tracing laws, all visitors must now wear a face covering when using any indoor facility at the Yacht Haven including the washrooms, laundry and when visiting the Marina Office. For the protection of our staff and customers, this law also applies to all Yacht Haven staff.
We must all continue to comply with social distancing restrictions as well as measures specific to boating:
- Maintaining a 2m distance with others at all times
- Only go boating with a maximum of 6 persons, unless in exceptions as explained in this RYA guidance published on 10th September.
- If you have a new cough, feel unwell or have lost your sense of taste or smell, please do not visit the Yacht Haven. Follow government advice to quarantine and seek a Covid-19 test.
- Please wash your hands thoroughly, use our hand santizer stations on-site, and maintain high levels of hygiene at all times.
Please remember, if you would like us to check anything on your boat then do not hesitate to ask us, we can follow up all checks with a phone call and photos, if requested.
We remain hopeful of a long Indian Summer and plenty more days on the water, and we wish you and your loved ones good health in the weeks to come.
Will Rahder,
Marina Director
Updated 13th May
We're really pleased to be able to inform you that the dry stack service will be fully operational from tomorrow, Thursday 14th May.
Following further clarification from the government and port authorities, you will be able to once again enjoy your boats on the Sound and beyond.
Of course we understand your enthusiasm for being back on the water again, but please give every consideration to our Haven Team, your fellow berth holders and yourselves.
Take a closer look at our new safe boating guidelines by clicking on the image below to enlarge it.
Furthermore:
- Please only enter the office if absolutely necessary and respect the social distancing measures when in contact with any member of staff.
- Please don't gather on/around the pontoons; simply use them for embarking and disembarking. If you need to do any cleaning or 'tinkering' on your boat, please let us know and we'll put it on a rack for you.
- We will temporarily be removing hosepipes to avoid risk of cross-contamination, but you're welcome to use your own.
- Access through the gates will be via your key fob only for the moment.
Unfortunately, The Mess Room remains closed until restrictions on the hospitality sector are lifted. All other marine businesses on-site are open as usual.
Please continue to stay alert and follow all the advice from the government and from our Haven Team.
Looking forward to welcoming you back.
Will Rahder,
Marina Director
Friday 11th May
We welcomed the Prime Minister's announcement last night during which he stated that from this Wednesday, 13th May 2020, unlimited outdoor activity will be permitted in England. We understand that this will include a return to water sports.
Many measures that the Government have previously announced are still in force and this includes staying at home as much as possible, maintaining social distancing, and continuing to adhere to high levels of hygiene. The major change that is of particular interest to us all is the change in restrictions to outdoor activity allowing the potential for boating to resume.
From Wednesday, we will be very happy to welcome you back to the marina to visit your boat. Over the past few weeks we have been working hard to prepare our Yacht Haven for a controlled reopening. However, we are not yet clear on whether the government and statutory harbour authorities will allow you to head out onto The Sound, and, if we are allowed, what restrictions there might be in place.
We will be reviewing the detailed Government guidance published today (11th May) together with the further guidance to keep employees safe in the workplace, which we understand will be published tomorrow (12th May). The guidance is expected to contain a level of detail that will enable us to validate our planned procedures and consider whether any additional safeguards are needed
Please bear with us during this transitional period as it is important that we do make sure that we are doing everything we can to keep our customers and staff safe. Further updates will follow in the next few days.
Will Rahder
Marina Director
Update 2nd October
With autumn upon us, getting out on the water on those calm, cooler days feels even more special. If you are visiting Haven Quay, there are several new laws that have come into effect that you should be aware of.
Firstly, we remain on-site 7 days a week for lifting and launching. If you're unable to visit your boat and you'd like us to check something specific on your behalf, we'd be happy to do so. We can even follow up with a phone call or photos if you would like. Just call our Office on 01752 481190.
Track & Trace:
All visitors to the Office must complete a Track & Trace registration. This can be completed in two easy ways:
- Download the NHS COVID-19 Contact Tracing App and scan the unique QR code to 'check in' which we are displaying at the Office.
- Complete a handwritten form at the Office. Data that we collect will be stored securely for a minimum of 21 days and shared with NHS Track & Trace if requested.
Face coverings:
All visitors must now wear a face mask/covering when using any indoor facility at Yacht Haven Quay including the washrooms and when visiting the Office.
Social Distancing:
We must all continue to comply with social distancing restrictions as well as measure specific to boating:
- We are operating a one-in, one-out policy at the Office to maintain safe distancing
- Only go boating with a maximum of 6 persons, unless in exceptions as explained in this RYA guidance published on 10th September
- If you have a new cough, feel unwell or have lost your sense of taste or smell, please do not visit Yacht Haven Quay. Follow government advice and seek a COVID-19 test.
- Wash your hands thoroughly, use our hand sanitizer stations on-site and maintain high levels of hygiene at all times.
We remain hopeful of a long Indian Summer and plenty more days on the water, and we wish you and your loved ones good health in the weeks to come.