Long-term moorings in Torquay

Torquay is on the north side of Tor Bay in Devon. Moorings in Torquay are all inside one harbour with almost 1,000 berths: a commercial marina and a council pontoon dock in the outer harbour, and an inner harbour kept afloat behind a cill. Paignton and Brixham, round the bay, have their own pages.

Moorings in Torquay

• Torquay Marina: 440 berths in the outer harbour for boats up to 30m, run by MDL Marinas. It is in the north-east corner of Tor Bay, sheltered from the prevailing south-westerly winds.
• Town Dock: a 170-berth pontoon dock in the outer harbour, run by Tor Bay Harbour Authority, with berths of 6m, 8m and 10m.
• Inner Dock: 200 pontoon finger berths behind the cill for boats up to 9.14m, in 6m, 8m and 9.14m sizes, also run by the harbour authority.

The harbour authority's berths go to the next name on a waiting list. Applicants must live in Devon, and the Town Dock list takes only people whose main home is in the TQ1 to TQ5 postcodes. Lists are closed when over-subscribed, and an applicant who declines two offers is taken off.

Living aboard is not permitted on the authority's berths. Its swing moorings are at Brixham only, so a boat too large for the docks looks to the marina.

On the water

Tor Bay Harbour Authority, part of Torbay Council, is the statutory harbour authority for the bay and listens on VHF channel 14. Its berth holders pay harbour dues, set out in its Schedule of Charges, Dues and Fees, and must show insurance on request. The marina uses channel 80.

The outer harbour, with the marina and Town Dock, does not depend on the cill. The Inner Dock does: its gates are lowered from about 3.5 hours before to 3 hours after high water, and only between 8am and 8pm from May to September and 8am and 5pm in winter.

• Depths: the cill holds the inner harbour at half-tide level, giving 1.2m to 2.4m inside and at least 2.2m through the entrance when the gates are down.
• Bridge: a bridge crosses the cill. It opens on request on channel 14 for boats that cannot pass under it, once the gates are lowered.
• Speed: 5 knots in the harbour all year, and from May to September inshore of the yellow 5 knot buoys laid around the bay.
• Launching and fuel: Beacon Quay slipway can be used at all states of the tide, and petrol and diesel are sold on South Pier.