Home Sweet Home

Now that you know a little more about Naughty-Cal and some of the places she has been, let me introduce you to her home marina and home berth.

Burton Waters, Lincoln is a large, modern marina and private gated housing estate situated a couple of miles outside Lincoln on the Fossdyke Navigation. The site covers approximately 140 acres with a mix of water, housing and public open spaces. The marina is home to approximately 200 boats with another 100 or so, to date, on the private moorings belonging to the home owners. The marina has been open for some nine or ten years and in that time has grown into a flourishing boating community with a wide and varied client base from across the country. Development is still ongoing at the site with further housing, retail, and commercial units to be constructed.

The marina is the centre piece to the development with a large family pub, bar and bistro, “floating” restaurant built out over the water, and shops surrounding the waterside. The landscaping has been designed by an award winning landscape architect, and over the years has become more established, softening the modern lines of the surrounding areas and providing a haven for a whole host of wildlife from waterfowl and fish to marine mammals and their woodland counterparts.

Each of the berths in the marina is fully serviced with a 16amp power supply, water supply (heated in the winter to prevent freezing) and use of the excellent shower and toilet facilities around the marina. 24 Hour security is also provided to both the marina complex and the housing development. The moorings within the marina are of the floating pontoon type, as the water levels of the Fossdyke Navigation can rise and fall very quickly. The whole development is protected against flood by a pair of flood gates across the entrance channel and flood banks surrounding the boundaries adjacent to the navigation.

The sales office and chandlery shop offer the usual, gas, diesel, visitor moorings and pump out with elsan facilities available to moorers and visiting craft. The variety of craft available for sale ranges from small outboard powered river cruisers, to narrowboats and large flybridge sea going cruisers. The yard also offers the usual array of repair and service facilities with the ability to lift craft of 40 tonnes.

Naughty-Cal is currently moored on E pontoon which is located in the central of part of one of the basin arms. Her mooring is directly opposite the “floating” Chinese restaurant where we get fantastic displays as the resident chef juggles knifes, eggs and flaming food for his hungry guests. E pontoon has a reputation for being the party pontoon with regular arranged parties and many more spontaneous gatherings amongst the very sociable boat crews. Never a weekend goes by without a gathering of some description, although there is never any pressure to join in if you don’t feel inclined.

We have an ever growing group of boats and like minded owners, from both the marina and the housing development, that partake in regular outings ranging from local meets at the pub to tidal and coastal trips further afield. Again hardly a weekend goes by without an excursion to the local waterside pub, The Pyewipe.