Many years ago I was taken on a cross-channel sail by the printer of the magazine I then worked on (Motor), together with the editor and deputy editor. We had a lovely meal in the France et Fuschias in Saint-Vaast-la-Hougue, a bumpy and cold passage back, and when we came back into Brighton Marina, with me wearing six layers lent by almost every member of the crew, we passed a lady sunbathing on the foredeck of her motor yacht in a bikini.
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| Brighton Marina village from above. Mostly Asda car park |
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| The England Coast Path at its finest, under the concrete ramps |
It's not quite as sheltered in here as I remembered, but it is just as deep behind the vertical piling, and probably a good deal more tatty. We were really hoping to head from here to Birdham Pool in Chichester Harbour and I thought we might go on Sunday because the weather on Monday and Tuesday looked pretty dire. But it would have meant four or more nights in a rural marina with limited options for eating, drinking or provisions and it seemed unfair to inflict that on the crew, so we are here in Brighton until Wednesday morning at least.
The marina was designed in the late 1960s and opened in 1979. I guess therefore accessibility was not high on the list of requirements and that has not improved a great deal in subsequent years, although we are on a wide finger pontoon. The access to the mooring pontoons is via a central floating jetty leading to a fixed ramp, then an adjustable ramp, and then a roadway. Having tried it I can report that the fixed ramp is just too steep for me to get Sam up it in a wheelchair. I did it, but had that feeling halfway up that I had run out of puff and was possibly about to have a heart attack. If you wait until high water, the fixed ramp is just as steep (because it's fixed), but the movable ramp is also uphill, which just seems unfair.
The main access into the marina village is via Marina Way, a dual concrete road on stilts which curves down from the A259. Underneath it are various pedestrian steps and ramps, all of them, once again, too steep for me to get Sam up. So I believe the only way to get Sam out of here, other than by boat, is by bus or taxi. There are many, many shops, none of which I want to go to, and another depressing Asda.
On the upside, the accessible shower (which is at pontoon level) is good, and after our heart-attack climb out of the pit we had a glass of wine overlooking the boats.
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| Downland path |
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| Brighton looking surprisingly distant |
And on Sunday morning I found my way out of the marina, up to East Brighton Country Park (which actually seems to consist mainly of sports facilities, schools and a caravan site) and finally on the Downs, 100m above sea level. It was supposed to be a run, although most of the uphill section was more like a walk. Lovely to get out though.
Today, Monday, we have seen gusts up to 24 knots and lots of rain. As you can see I have been catching up with the blog, and also trying to find crew for the section from Portland to Dartmouth as Bob and Elaine can sadly no longer make it (Bob has a long-awaited shoulder op). If you're reading this and you'd like a little adventure between July 4 and 8, please get in touch!
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