Pontyfraq
New member
that's what I'm afraid of...Treat car driving lessons as the first qualification course for sailing. If you end up owning a boat a car is near essential to take tools & boat stuff around
Accessible mooring from east London?
- Thread starter Pontyfraq
- Start date
Misterbreeze
Active member
If you think owning a boat is expensive, wait until you've got a car, then you can't afford the boat.
xyachtdave
Well-known member
Sounds a bit slow for the A12 if I’m honest. The Fireblade might be a better bet.
Pontyfraq
New member
It’s not the expense, it’s something more ephemeral and hard to define. I’m opposed to cars and only use them under duress (yes I know this is an irrational position to take).
[edit - misread your comment - yes, would much rather spend my money on a boat than a car!]
[edit - misread your comment - yes, would much rather spend my money on a boat than a car!]
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oldgit
Well-known member
Want to know more about the Medway.
Medway and Swale Boating Association
Medway and Swale Boating Association
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Then one can get a 75 cc but the idea is to stick to somewhere that does not need main transport arteries.
A car in London would be a pain. parking & ULEZ plus the pay by mile. SK denies he will introduce such a scheme so that means it is coming for sure.- Sorry mods is that comment breaking the rules?
MikeBz
Well-known member
The railway to Brightlingsea closed in 1964, but Wivenhoe might be a good option - there is a very friendly sailing club and although tide restricted to a degree it’s nothing like as restricted as Manningtree. Also a very short walk from Wivenhoe station to the waterfront.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Public transport over long distance, for regular visits, might become a restrictive pain.
One needs to take into account timing with tides. Then the weather. One would be a bit fed up having travelled all that way to find it too rough to get on to the boat, or no wind, or pouring with rain etc.
A nuisance with a car, but at least you can go for a drive round the area & do something else. If you join a sailing club it is more difficult to stay late one night for social reasons because the train will not wait.
Then there is the cost of public transport to factor in. I have no idea of cost but over a year it might add up to a not inconsiderable sum. Not to mention the time taken travelling & waiting between links.
One needs to take into account timing with tides. Then the weather. One would be a bit fed up having travelled all that way to find it too rough to get on to the boat, or no wind, or pouring with rain etc.
A nuisance with a car, but at least you can go for a drive round the area & do something else. If you join a sailing club it is more difficult to stay late one night for social reasons because the train will not wait.
Then there is the cost of public transport to factor in. I have no idea of cost but over a year it might add up to a not inconsiderable sum. Not to mention the time taken travelling & waiting between links.
johnalison
Well-known member
I can't imagine trying to sail from anywhere away from home without having a car, however I wouldn't want to be accused of discouraging someone from sailing. I'm sure it must be possible somehow, but how one gets to move stuff to and from home I can't really see. One could, I suppose, take a small outboard on a train, and one's weekend necessities, but it's going to be a trial. Gone are the days when the railways allowed for sailors by selling 'yachtsman's' tickets allowing you to go to one station and return from another.
Pontyfraq
New member
I do take both your points, but I’m proposing very basic sailing - happy to do boat camping really - so don’t anticipate needing much stuff day to day. There are people I can ask /prevail upon to drive me when I need to transport larger loads. I think a £20 return with one hour on a train each way should be sustainable for a while at least.
Tranona
Well-known member
Step back to the OPs position. Young(ish), single planning to own a simple 2 berth modern (plastic) boat for weekend and holiday sailing. A Shrimper if in good nick requires minimal maintenance in season, and does not require masses of gear to be transported to and from. Moor in a marina or pontoon walkway accessible from land. Train to nearby railway station, hop on Moulton with a back pack, cycle a couple of miles to boat, stay on board, sail overnight moored up a creek, return next day. Lock up hop on bike back to station. That is exactly what people used to do before cars. Of course less trains now and no 2yachtsmans" tickets that allow return from a different station close to where you left the boat in charge of the local waterman, but pretty sure there will be moorings that meet the requirements.
We have come to see cars and boats that require lots of gear as the norm - but there are alternatives.
Pontyfraq
New member
That’s exactly my plan - glad to hear you think it’s realistic.
johnalison
Well-known member
Young people these days seem to have loads more gear that I ever had.
Having said that, today's stuff is often much more compact and lighter that ours was. Clothing, in particular, has come a long way, even if it relies on the dreaded plastics. Dervla Murphy famously wrote a book about crossing Ethiopia with a mule, which she needed to carry her stuff such as camping equipment while nowadays anyone reasonably fit could do the same while carrying a backpack.
Poignard
Well-known member
...and dine on kippers. (If I remember correctly a Maurice Griffith book I once read).
Tranona
Well-known member
Tranona
Well-known member
Indeed. Fortunately more choice these days although kippers still a favourite, but not on the boat.
xyachtdave
Well-known member
Worth investing in an East Coast Pilot OP. Info and pictures on all the ports mentioned above.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Coast...ywords=east+coast+pilot&qid=1717227419&sr=8-1
https://www.amazon.co.uk/East-Coast...ywords=east+coast+pilot&qid=1717227419&sr=8-1
ex-Gladys
Well-known member
The one thing that hasn't been mentioned is that railway engineering works will intrude with line closures and bus replacements, especially in summer when people are on hols... Mind you, road wise that happens as well (viz. A12 roadworks)
Keith 66
Well-known member
Benfleet yacht club, 35 minutes from Fenchurch street, a short walk from the railway station, excellent facilities & very good value.
,Home : Benfleet Yacht Club,
,Home : Benfleet Yacht Club,
oldgit
Well-known member
Trainline.
Cheap weekend return from a London station to Medway probably same price to Crouch or other East Coast River with railway station. Medway has a choice of three.
Walk or cab to your choosen sailing club, in this case Upnor SC or MYC.
Other clubs are available nearbye.
Rare that you cannot do a bit of sheltered sailing on the Medway even mid winter.
Cheap weekend return from a London station to Medway probably same price to Crouch or other East Coast River with railway station. Medway has a choice of three.
Walk or cab to your choosen sailing club, in this case Upnor SC or MYC.
Other clubs are available nearbye.
Rare that you cannot do a bit of sheltered sailing on the Medway even mid winter.
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