Voluntary No Anchoring Zone (VNAZ) & Pay to Moor

Pay to Moor

Be prepared each boating season - download and sign up for the NEW mooring payment system via the Sippi Mooring App It makes payment quick and simple. We don't offer a pre-booking system, if an eco-mooring is available, please use it to moor, check for the location code on the pick up line tag or buoy and complete the simple payment process in the APP Step by Step Guide to Pay to Moor

PLEASE NOTE YOU MAY BE REMINDED OF HOW TO PAY BY ONE OF OUR SBMP ON THE WATER PARTNERS BUT NO ONE WILL ASK TO TAKE A PAYMENT FROM YOU ON THE WATER - use the APP

If you currently have any questions on the above, please contact sara.parker@dorsetcouncil.gov.uk 

Give us a wave from your boat!

Huge thanks to everyone who has been using the eco-moorings - we've seen brilliant compliance in their usage!  However, we are aware that payment for mooring has not been sufficient in 2024 to cover the costs of our winter maintenance programme without the partnership subsidising this. As part of our monitoring programme we have a time-lapse camera installed overlooking the Voluntary No Anchor Zone. This camera takes multiple high resolution still images each day during the season when the full set of eco-moorings are out in the bay, and remotely sends them back to our Research and Monitoring Team. The images are then processed by software at the University of Southampton which can tell us the number of boats utilising the bay, and help us to understand any patterns in boat activity. Having a better record and understanding of this will help us better protect the seagrass beds in the bay and indicates in what locations boaters are choosing to ignore the payment process, noticeably this year it has been the smaller vessels nearest the shore.  Please don't think your role in the project is not important - we all have our part to play.  Details of how to pay are on each of the mooring buoys and pick up lines.

The partnership has also installed signage telling the story of Studland in the Poole Harbour area at 8 marinas and slipways for visitors and boat users.

Voluntary No Anchoring Zone (VNAZ)

MMO Map of Voluntary No Anchoring Zone (VNAZ) 

From December 2021, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) introduced a Voluntary No Anchoring Zone (VNAZ) in part of the bay currently used by recreational craft. The VNAZ was expanded from 1 June 2022 (see the MMO's Studland Bay MCZ Habitat Protection Strategy and website for more information). At all times, anchoring in emergency situations is still be permitted.

A sustainable alternative to anchoring in the VNAZ can be achieved through the use of Advanced eco-Mooring Systems (AeMS) to protect the seagrass habitat whilst allowing continued use by recreational craft. The Studland Bay Marine Partnership is actively looking to encourage water enthusiasts and boat users to respect the seagrass by not anchoring at the known seagrass locations and use permitted moorings. Currently 87 eco-moorings are installed and available to all boat users - sailing or motorised.

Eco-moorings offer an environmentally friendly alternative as a helical screw anchor is installed into the seabed. An elastic rode is then attached, connecting the anchor system with the mooring buoy. The elastic rode will stretch at higher tides and contract at lower tides, so the equipment does not damage the surrounding seagrass.

The installation of the initial 10 eco-moorings was supported and carried out on behalf of the Studland Bay Marine Partnership by national boating business, boatfolk. The first phase were installed in 2021 to to take pressure off the highly sensitive seagrass site in Studland Bay, an essential habitat for the UK’s native Spiny Seahorse, the eco-moorings provide an accessible alternative to anchoring, allowing boaters to help protect the fragile underwater ecosystems.  The target installation of 87 SBMP managed eco-moorings in the bay was achieved by a combination of grant funding, donations from local and national businesses, who share the vision and mission of the partnership, and individuals who wanted to support marine conservation on a local level.

The location of sensitive seagrass habitats and eco-moorings in Studland, and around the UK, is being made simpler for water users through navigation apps such as savvy navvy and Navionics helping them to make informed decisions and choose to do their bit to protect this special habitat. This year hundreds of boat owners have again showed their support for the project by using an eco-mooring - check out the FAQs for more details on eco-moorings and how you can use them as an alternative to anchoring at Studland Bay this year.

VNAZ Marker Buoys

22 distinctive yellow marker buoys along the seaward perimeter of the Voluntary No Anchor Zone were kindly installed by the Ocean Conservation Trust in 2024 following licensing from the MMO and with Natural England supporting the methodology. This makes the VNAZ boundary extremely visible during the boating season to all water borne visitors to the bay and highlights when you are entering the sensitive seagrass habitat. During the winter period the VNAZ marker buoys will be removed for cleaning and maintenance purposes.

To ensure boaters do not attempt to moor to a marker buoy which is not designed for this purpose, this is clarified on top of each marker buoy.

2024 Eco-moorings Install Map