Visited in 2024 after a long absence. The Town Quay is now fully utilised by day trip boats and there is no mooring there for yachts. Not a great loss though as the front in that area is now largely derelict apart from the lifeboat station. The Town Quay Boat Haven marina is well run and friendly, but the facilities are across the road and the cost for a 31' boat was over £50 for one night with electric. Poole itself is not attractive and is not a destination I will be hurrying back to.

I reviewed these notes near the end of April 2022. Tyro's experience of the prices here is repeated throughout the Poole waters where they equal, if not surpass, those on the Hamble. You must download a copy of the Poole Harbour guide because it is stacked with "You can't do that there 'eres"

This week's was my second visit here in four years and little has changed. There's room for two smallish boats alongside the upstream end of the quay, and it's possible to raft up as well. But there's only any usable depth for about three boats' widths and some of that is needed for manoeuvring. The whole river is very shallow and needs to be tackled in the top half of a rising tide, and only in a shoal-draught boat. Even then you should expect to get your keels muddy. Beware of incompetent canoeists, paddle-boarders and, worryingly, motor boaters in vessels hired from above the bridge. Mooring free for two nights. After that, apply to the council.

Don't moor on the downstream part of the quay, marked with a white line, as this is the berth for the busy trip boats, one of them quite large.

No water or electricity is available on the quay, and the public toilets across the square are less than inviting, although reasonably clean. Best to chat up the staff of the pub next to them. Good beer, coffee and toast there, but I can't vouch for the food as yet. Library just round the corner, Sainsbury's, Co-op and a good chippy further up the road, an ancient and well-stocked hardware shop (offering horse shoeing, but only by appointment), a Saxon church, the Rex cinema, copious floral displays and a wide choice of pubs and restaurants all contribute to the atmosphere of this ancient and pleasant town.

We went in here the other day with a dodgy engine, having had to sail up the harbour, which was entertaining. The staff were able to allocate us an easy berth - and then didn't mind when we went into an even easier one!
But then they charged us nearly £40 for our little 26-foot boat.

The heads and showers, idiosyncratically across the road, were awful for an expensive marina. The urinals clearly hadn't been cleaned all day - or possibly longer, the basin taps are overenthusiastic push types and there are no plugs, the showers have mould but no soap dishes and the whole place was scruffy and smelly. NOT recommended.

I reviewed these notes in April 2021. All the prices have been changed, some quite markedly - I have tried to rationalise them into some all inclusive price per metre per night but I fear there may be some errors in my 'rithmatick. STRONG SUGGESTION DO YOUR OWN RESEARCH FOR YOUR OWN BOAT!! On the whole the place is very much the same as it was before Covid - it caters to most tastes - or should I say every taste - so everyone is there.

South of Brownsea Island, as close inshore as you can manage is excellent in a northerly, and close to the entrance.
In a SWly head head up one of the channels to the west and drop the hook off Cleavel Point or somewhere similar, but make sure you won't swing into the channel. Everywhere, as far as I've discovered so far is fairly soft mud.

Wherever you go, make sure you get the tide right or you might find yourself stuck for a fortnight.

This is a large area to record and we may have missed some points. The harbour bridge has been giving trouble but is back in operation for the summer (schedule not yet published). Prices have increased again for this year but with all the variables you should ascertain before committing; some quote with VAT some don't; others include shore power in their quote, some quote an all in price with the harbour dues and VAT. Many supply water taxis in their "attractions", but don't say that they stop early evening so are no use for an evening run ashore.

These notes were reviewed by Don in May 2016. Prices have gone up a bit and so have the harbour dues making this an expensive part of the world. There are also areas which have been declared "Quiet Areas" with reduced speeds - they can found on the harbour website.

These notes were updated March 2014. Prices have gone DOWN(!!), mainly as a result of the harbour dues being reduced; having said that, if you visited last summer you will have noticed that the prices had already been reduced - and, in that case, they have gone up as the harbour dues have been increased to £0.52

The harbour notes for Poole North were updated by Don T on the 6th of February 2013. There have been several changes in the last couple of years (some of which have not yet made it to the Droggy's charts!) The old Sandbanks Boatyard now has a marina and is the home to the Royal Motor Yacht Club; the yacht basin on the corner opposite the South Cardinal at the entrance to the Little Channel has now got pontoons, is called Port of Poole Marina and operated by the Boat Haven people and we have added the Redclyffe Yacht Club near Wareham to the notes. All prices have been updated to show those in store for the 2013 season and where possible have included VAT and Harbour dues so that better comparisons can be made.