VISITING boat-owners from around the Bristol Channel are expected to fill all available berths when Watchet Marina marks its 25th birthday with a weekend of celebrations on July 25 and 26.

After years of controversy, which saw the £5 million project sink into near-bankruptcy as berth-holders left in droves, sweeping changes by Western Marinas, which took over the marina in September 2024, has transformed the management of the operation and brought a wave of optimism to the town.

A massive dredging regime has provided water in the marina at all states of the tide for the first time in years and a programme of investment has repaired the retained-water gate and replaced pontoons and other equipment.

A programme of events for marina visitors and berth-holders will mark the anniversary.

Watchet Boat Owners’ Association treasurer Martin Stevens said: “The 25th birthday gives us an excuse to really celebrate.

“After years of disappointment over the mismanagement of the marina the atmosphere is now completely different.

“Western Marinas are doing what they said they would do.

“The tide has turned and the place has come back to life to celebrate its quarter-century.

“Visiting boats are starting to return now that owners realise that the mud and other problems are being tackled seriously and there is a steady increase in the number of new berth-holders.

“After all that went on in the past, there is growing confidence in the town that things will continue to get better.”

Western Marinas, which operates three other marinas, took over Watchet from entrepreneur Christopher Odling-Smee, whose Marine and Property Group went into liquidation in 2023 with £16 million debts.

In February last year, Western Marinas was granted a 176-year lease by harbour owner Somerset Council.

Managing director Johara Sykes-Dale said: “Watchet Marina rightly matters to the town.

“The changes we have achieved mark a clear shift from under-investment to active management with steady progress being made to re-establish the marina as a place that berth-holders, visitors, and the wider town can be proud of.”

Watchet Harbour closed as a commercial port in 1993 and was converted into a marina for a potential 250 boats and opened by Sir Robin Knox-Johnson in 2001.

Businessman Tim Taylor acquired the marina lease soon after the opening, but there followed 16 years of controversy and problems with the mud and lack of maintenance which saw the number of boats shrink to around 30.

After legal action by the local authority, the lease was transferred to the Marine and Property Group in 2021.

Watchet Chamber of Trade (WACET) chairman John Richards said: “Until Western Marinas came along, the harbour was a blackspot in the town instead of what it should be - a major tourist attraction.

“Who wants to look at mud for 20 hours a day?

“There has been a real transformation and the town really appreciates what has been done in the last couple of years to change the general image of the marina and the visitor experience.

“The improvement has been fantastic.

“Long may it continue.”