Spring arrives gently on the Barbican. The mornings brighten, the cafes put their tables back out along the quay, and around the marina the covers start coming off as another season stirs into life. At Sutton Harbour, sheltered behind our double lock gates with depth of water guaranteed at every state of the tide, fitting out is an unhurried pleasure. Here is a checklist to see your boat ready for the off.
Below the waterline first
Begin with the hull. Refresh your antifouling, check the anodes and replace any that are well spent, and free off every seacock so nothing has stiffened over the winter months. Give the log and depth transducers a clean while you are down there.
Engine, systems and safety gear
A pre-season engine service is always time well spent: oil and filters, impeller, belts, clean fuel and healthy batteries. Test the bilge pump, run through the gas and electrics, and then turn to safety. Check that lifejackets are serviced, flares are in date and the first aid kit is complete. As the water gets busier with families, it is the right moment for the reminder that matters most:
A person under the age of 16 must not operate a vessel within the confines of Sutton Harbour or King Point Marina, or the approach to Sutton Lock, unless they hold an appropriate RYA qualification or equivalent. This includes tenders and personal watercraft such as jet skis.
The Sutton Harbour advantage
This is where being berthed at Sutton Harbour makes life easier. Because our lock gates hold the water in, you are never left high and dry waiting on the tide to work on the boat, and when you are ready to head out, free-flow periods and 24-hour staffed lock access mean you come and go on your own schedule. Your boat sits secure behind gated access and CCTV throughout, whatever the spring weather throws at the coast.
With the boat ready, the season beckons, and from the Barbican some wonderful passages are within reach, the Isles of Scilly among them. More on that next month. In the meantime, if you are looking for a berth at the most sheltered marina in Plymouth, the team would be glad to help on 01752 204702 or marina@sutton-harbour.co.uk.
