We ended up spending a reluctant weekend in Eastbourne because our yacht engine developed a problem. The local engineers were very nice but couldn't get to us until Monday, giving us three unplanned days in Eastbourne. The marina is in the middle of one of the biggest housing estates I have seen in the UK. Everywhere you look there are houses and apartments, some just being finished, others up to ten years old.
The showers in the title refer both to the lousy English weather and to the toilet block for marina use. The toilet block was superb. Clean, spacious, not terribly busy, nice mirrors. They also had the radio blaring through the speakers, but everything can't be perfect. In fact the showers really did reflect the care and attention that the staff gave us throughout our visit. For the first time in 25 years, we needed to be towed into the marina late thursday evening. The staff who came off duty to run the workboat out and tend to us were fantastic. The lock team who manned the radios were sympathetic and friendly. They offered to order us takeaway if we were too late for the restaurants (but fortunately one did serve a very nice pizza and salad!
Sadly the state of the economy can be seen from walking around Sovereign Harbour. Boats, particularly motor boats are up for sale as people try and cut back. Shops were closed, including the chandlery. Now a chandlery that can't make money with a captive boat population of 800 plus is in a mess of trouble. The yacht club was pretty deserted, and the restaurants only did well when the sun came out. Lots of property for sale too. So it will be interesting to see how Sovereign Harbour does over the next few years. Showers ahead, methinks. Hopefully they will be the nice clean ones in the toilet block, not the squally black clouds that hung over us most of the weekend.
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