st marys marina (rufford)

[Deansm]

well as a new narrow boat owner ive asked this place a few times if they have spaces each time fobbed off. well today i asked again and more or less got told cause i have a 35 foot boat and they make double off a 60 ft boat they prefer the big boats as they make more profit ... well excuse me so this place its all about the money and looks, me having a disability and needing a home mooring didn't even come into it with these lot .while i was their my mate went for a brew at the cafe and also got spoken to like rubbish what cause he works for living ... woow ... all i can say is i know posh hotels and things are out their but marina ...come on it has 1 laundary room 1 toilet and 1 cafe you aint that great ..stay well clear if your working class or dont act posh  

but i phoned the marina across the way fetellers warf and they was amazing put my name on their waiting list told me the prices and payment options the lot ...i just dont understand why a place would be like this... 

[frangar]

All I can say is when I and other were stuck by a breech on the rufford branch Fettlers Wharf had the most arrogant stuck up tosser for an owner I had ever met…refused to help in any way…wouldn’t even let us use the washing machine and said diesel was for moorers only….in total contrast St Mary’s couldn’t have been more helpful…found us space for a temporary mooring…allowed full use of facilities…was happy for us to park a car…the list goes on….we found the other residents welcoming..offering us lifts into Burscough for shopping before we fetched our car..asking if we needed anything etc. 

 

I found the same this year at St Mary’s when we called in for diesel & gas…they were helpful as ever and happy for us to use their laundry for a very reasonable cost. 
 

I would suggest that maybe your attitude has something to do with how you are treated….

[Grassman]

My only experience of St Mary's was calling in there for fuel on our way to the Ribble Link. The only issue we had was at the cafe', sat outside when a young couple let their little dog up on the table top. Instead of the waitress telling them off she stroked and petted the dog. It was left to me to tell the couple to remove their dog as it was unhygienic and inconsiderate, and to tell the waitress that she should have told them.

[frangar]

1 hour ago, Grassman said:

My only experience of St Mary's was calling in there for fuel on our way to the Ribble Link. The only issue we had was at the cafe', sat outside when a young couple let their little dog up on the table top. Instead of the waitress telling them off she stroked and petted the dog. It was left to me to tell the couple to remove their dog as it was unhygienic and inconsiderate, and to tell the waitress that she should have told them.

And yet parents think their children can do as they please and crawl over everything and sit in shopping trolleys etc….

[Slow and Steady]

4 hours ago, frangar said:

All I can say is when I and other were stuck by a breech on the rufford branch Fettlers Wharf had the most arrogant stuck up tosser for an owner I had ever met

He sold the marina and died later. The new owner is very good by all accounts.

 

[john6767]

When we went up onto the Lancaster in summer 2019, we needed a temp mooring for when we came back so that we could go to a wedding.

 

Looking at the web sites of the  two marinas in Rufford, chosen location because of the train station, I decided to call St Marry’s but they did not answer the phone at all.  So I gave up and called Fettlers Wharf and they could not have been more helpful and we booked in there.  We also stoped at Fettlers to fill up with diesel up the way to Tarleton, again they were very helpful.  On the way back when leaving the boat there all went smoothly, and I think at very reasonable cost.

 

So whilst the only “bad” thing St Marry’s did was not answer the phone, I would have no hesitation in recommending Fettlers Wharf.

[Slow and Steady]

15 minutes ago, john6767 said:

So whilst the only “bad” thing St Marry’s did was not answer the phone

That manager retired last year and a new couple are running it day to day now which means the office is manned more or less all day now - big improvement.

I'd also like to say that it's not a shiny boater marina, there is a wide range of boats and the fees are definitely at the cheap end for marinas. Both Fettlers and St Mary's are nice marinas IMO but more people seem to move from St. Mary's to Fettlers than the other direction. Fettlers in recent years has changed hugely in a good way due to the change of ownership.

 

If I had to say one good thing about St Mary's it would be that they just leave to to get on with life, no jobsworth stupid rules - basically unless you behave like a complete arse it's an easy going place.

 

Edited February 24, 2022 by Slow and Steady

[Deansm]

20 hours ago, frangar said:

All I can say is when I and other were stuck by a breech on the rufford branch Fettlers Wharf had the most arrogant stuck up tosser for an owner I had ever met…refused to help in any way…wouldn’t even let us use the washing machine and said diesel was for moorers only….in total contrast St Mary’s couldn’t have been more helpful…found us space for a temporary mooring…allowed full use of facilities…was happy for us to park a car…the list goes on….we found the other residents welcoming..offering us lifts into Burscough for shopping before we fetched our car..asking if we needed anything etc. 

 

I found the same this year at St Mary’s when we called in for diesel & gas…they were helpful as ever and happy for us to use their laundry for a very reasonable cost. 
 

I would suggest that maybe your attitude has something to do with how you are treated….

so my attitude ? what asking if i can put my boat in their full time i think you are being judgmental on me for what wanting somewhere to PAY money to allow me to park up like everyone else and not be snubbed for having only a 35 foot boat ? 

[nicknorman]

3 hours ago, Deansm said:

so my attitude ? what asking if i can put my boat in their full time i think you are being judgmental on me for what wanting somewhere to PAY money to allow me to park up like everyone else and not be snubbed for having only a 35 foot boat ? 

In your OP you said “so it’s all about the money…” 

Well of course it is, it’s a business, it’s the source of income for several families. So of course it’s about the money. If you don’t understand that basic truth, maybe that’s why they didn’t particularly want you there. 
 

Lots of people work, nearly everyone in fact. So if your mate felt he was treated differently from other customers it won’t have been because he works, it will have been because of his behaviour.

Edited February 25, 2022 by nicknorman

[frangar]

3 hours ago, Deansm said:

so my attitude ? what asking if i can put my boat in their full time i think you are being judgmental on me for what wanting somewhere to PAY money to allow me to park up like everyone else and not be snubbed for having only a 35 foot boat ? 

Maybe it’s because due to how their marina is built a 35ft boat occupies a berth that could fit a 60ft boat….perhaps if you offered to pay for a 60ft boat you might have had more luck. 
 

I also think that from the tone of your posts I can detect why they might not have wanted your business! 

[Deansm]

so like any people its just about the oney and fro posts on this group im the one in the wrong okay leaving site ..have a pop when you see me on canal ..and why should i pay for a 60ft boat when i have a 35 foot .think ill sell my boat and give up canals rather not be near people like this 

 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Deansm

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Deansm said:

so like any people its just about the oney and fro posts on this group im the one in the wrong okay leaving site ..have a pop when you see me on canal ...sort this properly rather than behind a keyboard

 

LOL.

 

 

 

[Deansm]

I Think this is the wrong place for me in total .. i do understand how money works ... but when you try and apply they wont even put your name on a waiting list and my attitude what just wanting to put my boat in somewhere that wont be kicking my P.T.S.D off nightly thinking about damage to it . and if my attitude was at fault why did the other marina be okay with me as they also called me today to offer me a spot ? .

so rather than judging someone on a post.all cause i got told it was cause my oat wouldnt bring much money into the place and sorry but saying that my mate was also at fault for ordering food from a cafe now your just blaming us really ? i think canal world may not be the place for me to be a part of .. 

[Deansm]

3 hours ago, frangar said:

Maybe it’s because due to how their marina is built a 35ft boat occupies a berth that could fit a 60ft boat….perhaps if you offered to pay for a 60ft boat you might have had more luck. 
 

I also think that from the tone of your posts I can detect why they might not have wanted your business! 

my tone of post is that like i smell a funny color ? eg you cannot have  a tone within the written word ...

[Slow and Steady]

23 minutes ago, Deansm said:

so like any people its just about the oney and fro posts on this group im the one in the wrong okay leaving site ..have a pop when you see me on canal ...sort this properly rather than behind a keyboard

There is at least one other 35ft narrowboat at St Marys and plenty of 40-50ft AND "working" people. However, the marina is full so they can afford to be picky both in terms of boat length and aggressive potential customers. It's all about how you react and TBH you've demonstrated a short fuse on your few posts. I'm sorry you suffer with PTSD, we've had a couple of ex-service here with it really bad but I'm afraid a private marina has to have an eye on keeping it peaceful for ALL it's moorers. The more you post the more obvious it is that it probably wasn't the length of your boat that was the problem. Try a more conciliatory attitude at the next place. 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Slow and Steady

[Deansm]

1 minute ago, Slow and Steady said:

There is at least one other 35ft narrowboat at St Marys and plenty of 40-50ft AND "working" people. However, the marina is full so they can afford to be picky both in terms of boat length and aggressive potential customers. It's all about how you react and TBH you've demonstrated a short fuse on your few posts. I'm sorry you suffer with PTSD, we've had a couple of ex-service here with it really bad but I'm afraid a private marina has to have an eye on keeping it peaceful for ALL it's moorers. The more you post the more obvious it is that it probably wasn't the length of your boat that was the problem. Try a more attitude at the next place. 

with a recession coming i hope they stay full.. and peacefull, im not the person who chased his wife around the marina last year he was a big shinny boat ...and if my attitude is the problem why have me and fetllers warf just been giggling together on the phone while writing this post ? How am i is being judged well i do my best to not be short and when the guy said it was all about he money ..thats fine and i think ill be saying i hope you all take care including the ones putting blame on me ..im off closing account on here and doing the canals on my own now .. i see why a few boaters just do not bother at all with others ,,,, 

[Slow and Steady]

FYI one of the $ rows of moorings here can only take sub 50ft boats as there is not room to manoeuvre and that's how long the jetties are - yes they are full.

[Deansm]

1 minute ago, Slow and Steady said:

FYI one of the $ rows of moorings here can only take sub 50ft boats as there is not room to manoeuvre and that's how long the jetties are - yes they are full.

so a few st marys patrons in here then ... hummm 

[Guest]

4 minutes ago, Deansm said:

with a recession coming i hope they stay full.. and peacefull, im not the person who chased his wife around the marina last year he was a big shinny boat ...and if my attitude is the problem why have me and fetllers warf just been giggling together on the phone while writing this post ? How am i is being judged well i do my best to not be short and when the guy said it was all about he money ..thats fine and i think ill be saying i hope you all take care including the ones putting blame on me ..im off closing account on here and doing the canals on my own now .. i see why a few boaters just do not bother at all with others ,,,, 

 

FYI you cannot close your account on here.

 

You just need to stop posting.

 

Or you could ask a moderator/admin to delete your account for you.

[Slow and Steady]

1 minute ago, Deansm said:

with a recession coming i hope they stay full.. and peacefull, im not the person who chased his wife around the marina last year he was a big shinny boat ...and if my attitude is the problem why have me and fetllers warf just been giggling together on the phone while writing this post ? How am i is being judged well i do my best to not be short and when the guy said it was all about he money ..thats fine and i think ill be saying i hope you all take care including the ones putting blame on me ..im off closing account on here and doing the canals on my own now .. i see why a few boaters just do not bother at all with others ,,,, 

Ha-ha! yes we do get 'em here - all sorts and chasing your wife arouund/smashing your boat up and throwing the pieces into the marina etc is not unheard of. The jetty I'm on is known as the council estate - it's the opposite end from the office which looks out on the "knobs" jetty - The marina really does try and cater for all, you probably just asked at a time when it's rammed. Lucky you don't have a wide beam - they pay double!

[Deansm]

Cheers The Happy Nomad, so basicly just remove my log in details from my pc and don't come back ill do that ... got to go now as having engine serviced this afternoon cheers anyhow 

[Slow and Steady]

4 minutes ago, Deansm said:

so a few st marys patrons in here then ... hummm 

Just me and one ex who hasn't commented on this thread AFAIK.

[Deansm]

4 minutes ago, Slow and Steady said:

Ha-ha! yes we do get 'em here - all sorts and chasing your wife arouund/smashing your boat up and throwing the pieces into the marina etc is not unheard of. The jetty I'm on is known as the council estate - it's the opposite end from the office which looks out on the "knobs" jetty - The marina really does try and cater for all, you probably just asked at a time when it's rammed. Lucky you don't have a wide beam - they pay double!

yh i heard the story from last year and also saw the boat when it went down on the rufford branch end of last year .. also saw the woman who owns it trying to sell it she got offered less than 1g which was sad really to see ... all i wanted was somewhere to house the boat while i got on with my last year of uni work,finish my dissertation on the Ribble hydro scheme and then move on the boat 

Edited February 25, 2022 by Deansm

[Slow and Steady]

1 minute ago, Deansm said:

yh i heard the story from last year and also saw the boat when it went down on the rufford branch end of last year .. also saw the woman who owns it trying to sell it she got offered less than 1g which was sad really to see ... all i wanted was somewhere to house the boat while i got on with my last year of uni work 

I'll sure you'll find somewhere, I don't know how long you'd have to wait over the road but I think they have a bigger variety of mooring lengths due to the shape of the place so maybe not too long. I think it's more luck getting on there - when I looked into it a couple of years ago they said it could be a year or two, but the situation there changes all the time.

[nicknorman]

Well thank you at least for fully explaining why St Mary’s snubbed you. Even though you didn’t mean to!