BUCKLER’S Hard Yacht Harbour has been awarded a top rating of five Gold Anchors by The Yacht Harbour Association, in recognition of its facilities and customer service.

The Gold Anchor scheme which evaluates the standards, efficiency and service of marinas across the UK commended Buckler’s Hard for offering “some of the most picturesque boating facilities in the UK,” while harbour master Wendy Stowe and her team were praised for “keeping customer satisfaction high during exceedingly challenging times.”

“Important levels of customer satisfaction have always been important to Wendy and her team, and they continue to score highly in both customer satisfaction surveys and TYHA Mystery Shopper recently conducted for this assessment,” said the report.

“The quality of customer service has further been highlighted with the marina winning TYHA Coastal Marina of the Year, under 250 berths, in 2018/2019.”

Harbour Master Wendy Stowe said: “We are delighted to be recognised again for the service we provide for our customers. It has been really good to welcome old and new customers back to the marina to what has been a great season, with people very pleased with the new facilities. This season has been our busiest, with berth holders and visitors enjoying everything on offer, from using the upgraded facilities to simply having a glass of wine overlooking the stunning Beaulieu River.”

Following its extensive £2m redevelopment the entire pontoon structure has been replaced over the past two winters bringing the total capacity up to 250 walk ashore berths, along with 304 swinging river moorings and eighty dry berth spaces.

The award comes shortly after the 50th anniversary celebration of the marina, which saw Olympic sailor Sir Ben Ainslie given the Honorary Freedom of the Beaulieu River by Lord Montagu.

The Gold Anchor Scheme has been a respected measure of marina quality for more than 25 years, issuing ‘anchors’ in the same way that hotels are issued with stars.