A cat in the Wash -where could I take her?

stibbles said:
Thanks Tommy. All snippets of information gratefully recieved. I'm sure Saltfleet is often a valuable stop off on a trip North.

I've been encouraged by some of this thread to think that a single-engined cat could be managed in some of the places I'd like to go to or be based at like Fosdyke with some sensible skippering. That's great because it brings in for me some slightly smaller boats which I could buy without a loan and have a better chance of taking to some of the smaller havens, I think.
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Hi, I would buy a smaller cat if it means not having a loan. Boats are expensive to keep and maintain and costs rise fast with an increase in boat size.

My cat is 28" long with a 14" beam and I would not like to take anything much bigger into Wainfleet. Lenght not really an issue in the other places mentioned. When I kept my boat in Wells I used to sail to Saltfleet quite regularly. If you follow the channel in and turn to starboard you will be heading towards the village, just where the channel markers finish there is a fork in the channel turn around here and head back down the channel about 100m leave the channel markers to port and anchor fore and aft. Have a poke around under the boat with an oar to make sure you are not going to dry out on an angle and you will be fine drying out there. The bottom is a little muddy but the beach is great and even if the wind gets up you will be safe behind the sandbank. To be honest its a fair walk to the shop and there is a garage there too. It is a lovelly peaceful place to spend a few nights at anchor and every time I went I was the only boat there
 
the cat that comes to saltfleet has come for the last 3 years and anchor's near the channel markers close to nature reserve as when the tide is out it's relativly flat there ,i am sure its a family on the cat ,mum,dad and 2 kids ,see them walking into the village for supplies

chris

www.saltfleethaven.co.uk
 
Thanks for that, Chris. Looking forward to exploring. Compliments to the website as well BTW - recommend to everyone - helpful and tantalising to see so many pictures.
 
B*gger. Spoke to David at Fosdyke today and he told me they can't accommodate cats there at the moment. He was very nice about it, but said he has too many complaints from monohullers saying they have difficultly manoevring round them.

Oh well, I'm glad I checked before I bought.

All might not be lost, though. Gave the impression the situation could change in the medium term, particularly if his waiting list (he has one) builds up to the level that would justifying building some more pontoons, then he could put multihulls on new ones down the seaward end where they wouldn't bother anyone else.
 
stibbles said:
B*gger. Spoke to David at Fosdyke today and he told me they can't accommodate cats there at the moment. He was very nice about it, but said he has too many complaints from monohullers saying they have difficultly manoevring round them.

Oh well, I'm glad I checked before I bought.

All might not be lost, though. Gave the impression the situation could change in the medium term, particularly if his waiting list (he has one) builds up to the level that would justifying building some more pontoons, then he could put multihulls on new ones down the seaward end where they wouldn't bother anyone else.
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If it does not have to be Fosdyke try Wells, much nicer and cheaper too.
 
RogerMayne said:
If it does not have to be Fosdyke try Wells, much nicer and cheaper too.
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Yes, it doesn't make much sense to be too much tied to one place, I know, but Fosdyke is only an hour from home whereas Wells is 2.5, not much less than the current trip to Suffolk and the rationale for relocating was largely around not having such a long drive with small kids (motoring down the cut for an similar time overall until reaching the sailing area being a more acceptable alternative, we thought).

Ah well, if it took so little to derail the plan it can't have been a very sound one if the first place. I've left my details with David and perhaps things will change again - last year I don't think it would have been a problem from my earlier discussions with him.
 
Cheers Roger. I have contacted Peter Harvey and he came up with a very reasonable quote and an accommodating attitude (as, indeed, David at Fosdyke has presented with too).

There are disadvantages to Wisbech cf Fosdyke, of course, but I will dwell on the undoubted positive to me at the moment of being able to keep a boat more locally.

Hope to see you see you out on the Wash sometime not too distant now,

Andy
 
The disadvantages of Wisbech are the facts that it is 15nm to the end of the channel, most of which will need to be done under power as a rule. It is then a further 15nm to the mouth of The Wash and another 15nm to Wells.

There is a sandbar or two that will mean you will not have access at all states of the tide, although with the draft of a cat you'd be able to get through the river at all times but LW springs.

Consider two figures :

a) 1hr drive to Wisbech, followed by two hours motor to the end of the channel. This becomes your starting point, but you are still 2 to 3 hours from the sea proper and the same again to Wells, the closest practical coastal destination.

b) 3hr drive to Shotley. You are now 10 mins from the sea and within easy sailing of ........ you know the rest.

I've had a boat at Wisbech and i have one now at Shotley. I'm a 1 1/2 to 1 3/4 drive from Shotley and Wisbech is 6 miles away. The moorings at Shotley are three times those at Wisbech.

When i'm at Shotley though i get :

Nice clean water.
No raw sewarage being pumped out beside my boat (close enough to splash the gelcoat at Wisbech on my last mooring)
No dodging logs, tree trunks, TV's, house doors, shed sections, car wheels/tyres etc
Well maintained pontoons that don't settle on the mud at LW
Staff that don't work 9-5 with a 2hr lunch break.
24hr access to the sea
Plenty of places to visit for a day
Great marina facilities

Go on, ask me where i prefer to keep my boat :)
 
Oh, there's a large cat the lives in Wisbech. The couple that own her seem very competent, i've watched them come in with the tide on the stern, drop the anchor and let the tide swing them around the anchor, then motor back into the tide to their mooring, hauling the anchor as they go. That's with a 40' ish cat in a narrow river.
 
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