This Marina Life, with MDL Marinas. (Ceri Hurford-Jones)

The South Coast and Green Tech Boat Shows brings to the Southampton a range of global power and sail brands, along with new innovative eco-friendly products, all at the same great venue for three days this spring.

Guided by @RaymarineInc and taking place from 19th to the 20th April 2024, visitor attendance is FREE, and you can also make appointments to view specific boats on display or meet with individual exhibitors. Over 80 boats will be on display at Ocean Village Marina in Southampton plus many other companies will be exhibiting on the land.

Convenient on-site parking is available in our multi-storey car park and you'll also find a great range of bars and restaurants around the marina itself to wine and dine in beautiful surroundings. In this episode, you'll hear from MDL’s Sales and Marketing director Tim Mayer about the show itself and you’ll also hear from some of those exhibiting, including Steve Bruce from @EpropulsionHk technologies, Kate Fortnam, the RYA’s Green Blue Campaign Manager, Alasdair Marshall from SE Yachts and Jon Partridge the CEO of the RS Marine Group For your FREE ticket or to book an appointment visit http://www.mdlboatshow.co.uk

This particular show is all about the central role MDL are playing in helping to reduce plastic and waste in their marinas, and therefore helping to Reduce the amount of plastics going into our oceans.

Follow this story with #greenermarinas 

In todays episode you’ll hear from;

Hear from professional adventurers, The Turner Twins, about their ambitious plastic research expedition to help reduce plastic pollution and are now on a series of global expeditions to reach the world's polls of inaccessibility, as part of the blue pole project.

Joe Walton, who as MDL’s head of health, safety and environment has a critical role to play in reducing plastic and waste in the companies many marinas

Dr Adam Read the director of external affairs at Suez UK, a pioneering sustainable solutions company who are at the heart of innovative technologies for the UK’s circular economy

Holly Manvell the founder of Clean Sailors who has brought together a group that is raising awareness of ocean conservation opportunities within the sailing fraternity.

For more information please visit https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/greener-marinas/ 

Ceri talks to boat owners on the South coast about some of their favorite anchorages and marinas. 

In this episode you’ll get to hear about where you can keep your boat safely and securely as Ceri meets up with three different boat owners who keep their boats in one of the many MDL Marinas on the South Coast…..whilst talking to them he also got some top location suggestions for anchoring in the Solent area along with some great Marinas that they really like to visit! Ceri also had the pleasure to chat with Barry Radband the marina manager of MDL Shamrock Quay, who shared some insights into the marina world as it evolves for the future.

This special 2-part show is all about Boat Preparation and fault finding with the main aim to cover some of the most common issues we as boat owners experience.

I hope it’ll provide you with some useful ideas to help you prepare your boat for the season ahead and also show you how MDL can offer some help to enable you to enjoy more time out on the water…...trouble free!

 Among the Guests featured in this episode are Guy Addington from the RNLI, Peter Burgess from Motive Marine and Stuart Blake from Hamble Yacht Care. I also got to meet up with Barry Radband – an experienced MDL Marina and boatyard manager from Shamrock Quay in Southampton who had some very useful observations to impart!

https://www.motivemarine.co.uk/

https://www.hambleyachtcare.com/

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/marinas/

For this episode marine Podcaster Ceri Hurford-Jones meets up with five fascinating guests ……. Josh Masters from Lightning Craft, Kate Fortnam the RYA’s Green Blue Campaign Manager, Charlie Hall from Pixii boats and David Kendell from Optima Projects.

I hope this episode provides you with some insights and inspiration for making your boating more environmentally friendly – I know it did me!

For more information on each of the featured guests just visit:

https://pixii.co.uk/

https://lightningcraft.co.uk/

https://thegreenblue.org.uk/

https://www.optima-projects.com/

In this episode Ceri meets up with four different boat owners who all keep their boats in something called a dry stack…. basically, a multi-story parking area and valet service for speedboats. Dry stacks are located at a variety of MDL Marinas on the South Coast of the UK...click here to find out more. https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/berthing/dry-stack/ 

The reason for talking to these owners was to find out how they make it work for them and their boat. I also got them to share with me some areas in the Solent that they really like to visit, these suggestions might help and inspire you to try some new locations to visit off the beaten track!! 

In this episode you'll also have the opportunity to hear from the marina manager of MDL Cobbs Quay. Dan Lewis, who shared with me some insights into the world of dry stacking and the benefits to owners and marina operators. 

I hope you enjoy hearing their stories......

Most of us would regard sailing nearly 30,000 miles around the world via the three great capes and the Southern Ocean, an epic, life-changing achievement.

But the 160 adventurers who will embrace the Ocean Globe Race are now acutely aware getting to the start line on September 10th is almost as challenging and as daunting as the race itself!!

This race is totally in keeping with the spirit of the 1973 Whitbread, where ‘ordinary’ sailors competed with sextants and paper charts, but without the huge budgets, cutting edge hulls and super-high tech computers.

In this episode Marine Podcaster Ceri talks to MDL’s Tim Mayer about how this amazing event came about. Also featured is the founder of the OGR itself, Don Mcintyre.

Then you'll hear from the three charities that the OGR is supporting; Mark Todd the CEO of The Youth Trust (south), The Restoration Science Officer from Blue Marine Foundation, Dr. Luke Helmer, and finally Tracy Edwards MBE, the owner of the much-loved Maiden, who of course skippered the first all-female crew in the 1989 Whitbread.

As with life itself, it’s the people we’ve meet over the last 50 years, and their stories, that have made our journey so memorable and shaped the development of MDL and our marinas.

From our marina teams and berth holders to onsite tenants and visitors - it’s these people, not the pontoons, that have ensured our ongoing success.

And to celebrate our 50th Anniversary, we’d like to tell some of these stories…..

Fifty years ago, if you owned a boat, you most likely kept it afloat on a pile or a swinging mooring….. and it had been like that for generations. But change was in the offing with American boat owners beginning to keep their yachts and motorboats tied alongside floating pontoons, with access to the shore and superb facilities such as showers and chandleries, and where security could be provided…..

For this episode marine podcaster Ceri has been collecting some reminiscences, thoughts, and comments from various berth holders, stakeholders and tenants from around a number of different MDL sites plus an exclusive interview with the MD of MDL, Mike Glanville.

Whilst chatting to these wonderful guests he was also able to gather some more ‘favourite hidden anchorages’ to add to the ever-expanding list……which we know you will find very useful!

 To start of this 50-year celebration episode Ceri got to meet up with MDL’s longest standing berth holder, Andrew Morton, who has kept one boat or another with MDL since the beginning, starting at Woolston Marina in the early 1970s.

As the biggest operator of coastal marinas in the UK, it might be surprising to learn that the first venture as a newly formed company, back in the early 70s, was actually quite far from the sea, amid the water meadows of the Thames Valley. So it seemed appropriate for Ceri's next guest to be Dominic Smulders from Bray Boat Sales in Bray

The penultimate guest for this episode is Andy Trim, the long term yard supervisor at MDL’s Shamrock Quay Marina in Southampton. Andy was a super guest and was delighted to share some of his marina memories with Ceri….

Finally after all those reminiscences it seemed appropriate to ask the Managing Director of MDL marinas Ltd, Mike Glanville, for his own reflections on the past 50 years and as importantly what the vision for the business looks like it for the future.   

To learn more about MDL’s 50th year anniversary and to get involved in some of the activities they have planned just visit the 50th anniversary section of the MDL website https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/mdl50th/

Welcome to another episode of This Marina Life from MDL Marinas with me the marine podcaster Ceri Hurford- Jones.

Today I’m talking to some more of MDL’s tenants who, I hope, will provide you with an insight into the options available to develop your boating skills whether that be motor or sail powered!

In this episode we’ll find out what training’s available and why you should consider honing your boating skills.

Joining me are two brilliant guests; Paul Glatzel the director and principal of Powerboat Training UK based at MDL’s, Cobbs Quay Marina and Charlie Tullock, the Principal of First Class Sailing based at MDL's Shamrock Quay

Hello and welcome to another episode of This Marina Life with me Ceri Hurford-Jones. In this episode I got the chance to put some of your questions to Tim Mayer the MDL Sales and Marketing Director.

Otium rewards explained

An area that seems to be generating quite a number of responses is about the Otium rewards scheme offered by MDL. Otium is actually Latin for leisure time and knowing how precious any free time is I was delighted to hear from a number of you with some additional questions you would like answered…..Tim was happy to be put under the This Marina Life podcast spotlight – I hope you find what he has to say as illuminating as I did!!

To find out more just click here:

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/otium/ 

Join marine podcaster Ceri as he talks to some of MDL’s tenants in the hospitality sector…..namely thee brilliant new restaurants and bars!

I hope it’ll provide you with some gastronomic inspiration on where to eat and drink next time you find yourself near one of these guests, either by water or road!

My three featured guests are:

From Monimar, a relatively new name for a coffee bar and restaurant based at Woolverston Marina on the River Orwell not far from the town of Ipswich

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/services-directory/?Page=1&Keywords=MONIMAR&CategoryIds=&CategoryIds=

Director Shannon Wood, a director of the Beetroot Group, who owns and operates three restaurants on marina sites in those areas. Namely the Square, Ketch and Gaff Riggers.

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/services-directory/?Page=1&Keywords=rigger&CategoryIds=&CategoryIds=

Finally from the Indian Kitchen in Hythe Marina, Southampton I got to talk to the owner Raghu who only opened for business in April 2024

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/services-directory/?Page=1&Keywords=INDIAN+KITCHEN+&CategoryIds=&CategoryIds=

I hope you enjoy this edition of This Marina Life...

Welcome to another edition of This Marina Life with me Ceri Hurford-Jones

For this episode I am talking to one of MDL’s tenants, Pure Latitude Boat Club who have been based at Port Hamble marina for over 15 years

I hope this episode will provide you with some alternative ideas to boat ownership and show not only how it can be affordable but also a really enjoyable way of getting afloat!

I also hope this podcast demonstrates how MDL work with their tenants to enable you to enjoy more time out on the water…...trouble free!

For more information on those featured in this episode just follow the link https://purelatitude.com/contact/

Don’t forget to visit MDL’s website to book a berth, a lift out or any guidance you may need for your boat. https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/marinas/

Please do let me know your own thoughts on the areas we have talked about today and hope you will join me again soon for This Mariana life with MDL – the perfect berth for you and your boat

Three guests in this episode make the case for being much more aware of our impact on the sea when we are using fuel and oils in our boats.....they also offer some really useful hints and tips to reducing the impact we have on the aquatic world we enjoy being on.....

Click here for more information:

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/greener-marinas

https://www.rya.org.uk/knowledge/planning-licensing/the-green-blue 

https://www.tyha.co.uk/ 

This is part 2 that's all about Boat Preparation and fault finding, with the main aim to cover some of the most common issues we as boat owners experience.

I hope it will provide you with some useful ideas to help you prepare your boat for the season ahead and also show you how MDL can offer some help to enable you to enjoy more time out on the water…...trouble free!

Amongst the brilliant guests in this second part are Nick Eales from Sea Start, Andy Postle from All Spars and Alistair Hackett from Ocean Safety. Each of who gave me some real insights into getting our boats (and ourselves) better prepared for the forthcoming season.

https://www.mdlmarinas.co.uk/

https://www.seastart.co.uk/

https://www.allspars.co.uk/

https://oceansafety.com/

Welcome to another edition of This Marina Life with MDL marinas.

In this episode Marine podcaster Ceri meets up with five Imray Pilot Book editors and authors to talk about their favourite spots and hidden anchorages within easy reach of the south and east coast of the UK.

Among his guests are; Tom Cunliffe, Annabel Finding, Peter Harvey, Graham Adam and Garth Cooper.

We hope this episode provides you with some insights and inspiration on new areas to explore.

Every MDL Marina webpage has a useful Visitor Guide also when you sign up at myMDL you can accsess the new online visitor booking system to make your next visit as stress free as possible…..

Also with Otium Rewards, members earn points on each stay which you can use to save on future visits.

Links to the various speakers featured are here – please do take the opportunity to continue your own exploration.

Thanks for listening !

Hello and welcome another episode of This Marina Life.

Dive into the latest episode of our podcast, where Ceri Hurford-Jones meets inspiring tenants from our marinas, paving the way for eco-friendly boating.

In this episode you'll hear from Alasdair Marshall of SE Yachts (Hamble Point Marina) shares insights into e-propulsion, Arcona Yachts, and Candela – showcasing the future of sustainable yachting.

Also joining me Ceri is Chris Gates of SETAG Yachts (Queen Anne's Battery, Plymouth). Chris explains boat up-cycling and how it’s revolutionising the marine industry with sustainability at its core.

#sustainableboating #greenermarinas For more information on those featured in this episode just follow the links and do look out for these companies appearing at the MDL South Coast & Green Tech Boat Show taking place from 9th to 11th May 2025

For more on Electric boat charging – visit the MDL website

The services directory – marine suppliers can be found in the services directory here on the MDL website

Please do let me know your own thoughts on the areas we have talked about today and hope you will join me again soon for This Mariana life with MDL – the perfect berth for you and your boat