To be honest ... peasantly surprised. Received an email from the Fleet Captain prior to our arrival outlining our berthing/slip assignment, bathroom code, wifi password, restaurant hours, and what to expect/not expect. Do not expect dock hands to help you dock or undock. Do not expect VHF comms as you make your approach. Knowing these things upfront was very helpful, so we knew the "situation" going in. We choose not to eat at the restaurant (our own choosing), but it seemed active and busy while we were there. A huge plus about this yacht club (other than it accepts transients) is that it is only a 10-15 minute walk into the heart of town. So why only 4 stars? The docks are fixed and old. Many planks need replacement, and portions of the dock are slip hazards when wet. Also, although adequate, the showers could use a upgrade. And yes, if in the area again, i would definitely request a slip at the Cambridge Yacht Club.
Wonderful marina … from the floating docks, inviting pool, huge showers, comfortable lounge. But what really made this an outstanding marina was Jeff (dock master) and his staff (go Marcus). Truly professional, friendly, and always willing to lend a helping hand. The only “hit” was that WiFi was not consistent … sometimes you got it, sometimes you didn’t. Another plus was that the town of Oxford, although not a huge town, was an easy 10 min walk from the marina. Note: if you’re interested in visiting a particular museum/business, check the times that they are actually open. Several places are closed more often than open.
Danny, the dockmaster, was superbly helpful. When we arrived, we could not connect with the new, "highly sensitive" electrical outlets. So, he helped us move to a dock that had "old" electric/shore power connections. Those worked like a champ. No fault of his that I, as well as other boaters, could not connect with the new shore power system. The heads and showers were dated, but at least the heads always had TP ... been to several marinas where noone would resupply the heads for days. A big "caution" is that there is no gate to access the marina, particularly at night. There would be individuals smoking, or drinking, or conversing with others, or simply just standing around the docks within a few feet of your boat late at night. The best thing about this marina is that it is in downtown Hampton where a lot of attractions are within walking distance.
There is a lot of “good” at this marina. This includes a courtesy car for use to help provision as the nearest grocery store (Food Lion) is 20 minutes away; also, towels are provided at each of the three bath/shower rooms; and the captain’s lounge was comfortable. Additionally, dockage rates are reasonable; and staff (shout out to Jeff and Mike) we’re friendly and helpful including assistance with dockage, fueling, and pump out; and there’s good water depth (7-9 ft) within the marina and entrance/exit channel. Having free laundry is also a good perk. Now, here’s the not-so-good. One of the bathrooms had no toilet paper for at least 5 days although a member of the staff was told after day 3 (not sure if has been corrected as I left the marina after day 5); also, there are several stray cat there and they have a tendency to crap right in front of one of the bathroom/shower entrances. At one point the cat poop stayed in front of that one bathroom door for 2 days. Although the showers were adequate and usually clean, they definitely needed upgrades, as the shower heads sprayed in all different directions. Also, although they had a pool, it was hard to get a poolside table because they were always taken by family and/or friends of family. Lastly, I think the management needs more personnel, or maybe better management. Many days the trash bins would be overflowing, and during the weekend I was there, the bathrooms didn’t get cleaned. Also,more than half the time that I went to the office, although “open”, the door was locked. It might be that management is trying to open its new restaurant soon, and is concentrating their effects to that endeavor (and I hope them a lot of success with that), but it’s was hard to conduct business with nobody in the office.
Very comfortable stay. Was a little concerned about the current and depth in a small creek, but turned out to be a non issue (I carry 4.5’ draft). The docks are floating and are well maintained. The bathrooms and showers are clean and well maintained. There is a courtesy pick-up available, and many stores around to do shopping … even went to the West Marine, but hard pressed to make it back in the allotted 1 hour. The walk into town was about 30-40minutes, so not an issue. Lots of shops and restaurants there. Aaron, the dock master, was very helpful and provided lots of great tips and information.
Excellent stay. Very nice marina with excellent facilities. Made reservation via Dockwa with no issues. Nick, the deckhand who assisted us was superb … from fueling us up, to guiding us into our slip, to taking our trash, and checking us in. If we ever have the opportunity again, we will be back.