Space at Hermitage
There are no vacant berths at Hermitage, the co-op membership is full. Vacant berths rarely become available, as usually when a member leaves they sell both their vessel and their membership. See next section for berth+boat availability. If a member goes on a trip with their vessel (eg to France) for a period (up to 18 months) then a Temporary Membership is potentially possible for an incoming suitable vessel whilst they are away. Otherwise, we have a visitor berth for very short stays (up to two weeks) which is sometimes extended in the winter months low season. See menu Hermitage River Projects, tab visitor berths for more information.
Current availability:
There are no vessels at Hermitage on the market, nor currently any memberships available, needed to allow long term residential mooring of a vessel. Please note, as under the top of the page, that vacant berths almost never become available, so we don’t even have a waiting list.
The regular Open Days (March, June & Sept) are a good time to find out more from members about routes to becoming a member.
Background
Hermitage is a co-op, owned by its members, and has 19 residential berths for live-aboard vessels.
The price for Membership, which gives the right to a berth, is in the region of £6,500 per metre (it is linked to inflation, exact figure calculated each year, please enquire) and that is the price that the incoming member pays to the exiting member for the berth. Exiting members recoup their membership fee from new incoming members at the point of transition.
Berths range from about 18m to about 32m.
There is an annual service charge per membership of around £6,500 pa, that covers running costs (insurance, maintenance etc) and PLA licence fees.
Membership requirements
Members must have a Day Skipper licence or better, and have a VHF operators licence. Members need to be resident at the moorings as the co-op relies totally on the input of members for its efficient running and general vitality.
If you would like to see the details of our contract, a copy of our Residential Berthing Agreement template is here.
Boat requirements
Boats here must be fully navigable, and have a Boat Safety Certificate. They must also fulfil the Hermitage criteria for vessels, which broadly means pre 1965, ex commercial barge, preserved in outward appearance much as was when last trading. Vessels need to be flat bottomed and limited to 1.5m draft. There are detailed requirements for the classifications of vessels and outside modifications permitted.
Vessels and/or memberships for residential berths for sale
It is important to note that, as a co-operative, there are two things involved in having a vessel berthed at Hermitage.
Firstly any vessel is wholly owned and operated by the individual.
Secondly, the individual is a member of the co-operative. You must have Membership of the co-op in order to berth a vessel at Hermitage. We do not ‘sell berths’ but the Membership provides the right to moor.
Memberships become available as when a member leaves, and a new member may buy a vessel as well as buying the Membership associated with its existing berth if all the conditions are met.
In this way, we separate the value of a vessel from the value of a Membership (defined above). While we encourage asking the question ‘how much is a vessel worth’, independent of the value of the Membership, it is entirely up to the seller and buyer of any vessel to agree a price and Hermitage takes nor assumes no role in this transaction. As part of the Hermitage process, incoming members will be interviewed by its Membership Team to discuss practical experiences of living afloat and the membership requirements (listed above).
Contact
If you want to enquire about membership or whether there might be any boat on the market please email the Moorings Manager on manager@hcmoorings.org with as much information as you wish. That said, the section above “current availability” is usually kept up to date and is the best place to look Your enquiry can be forwarded to any member who is selling their vessel and / or printed to the membership enquiries file.
There are regular Open Days in March, June & Sept and if you interested in finding out more, direct from members, it is a good time to do so.