Boat delivery from Scotland to South coast?

[ash2020]

If you plan to continue sailing then you'd be mad to sell her.

You're not going to be able to buy a better boat than that down south - because of the new engine and standing rigging, doing so would leave you more than £2000 out of pocket.

You're absolutely right.

 

[ash2020]

I brought my Moody 31 down from the Clyde to the East Coast (Titchmarsh Marine) starting end of March. It took 3 weeks, given stops for rest, weather and waiting to pick up crew. Two of us did most of it; we had my wife as extra crew for the legs up to Dunstaffnage at the start, and a denizen of these fora for the last legs from Whitby to Titchmarsh. Basically, we sailed about 14 days out of 21. Mostly under engine - we suffered persistent headwinds, except for one memorable passage up the sound of Jura racing ahead of a gale!

That sounds like quite a journey. I don't think I'd be up for that.

 

[Ribtecer]

View attachment 143843

Lovely looking boat, what is it?

 

[Tomaret]

Of course I can't afford a boat, but that's never stopped me.

That’s the spirit!

 

[Goldie]

You're right. I think maybe the problem is there are so many secondhand boats available at the moment. She is pretty nice though, brand new standing rigging, lovely recent Beta engine.

And so pretty! I think it was PBO a few years ago that did an article entitled something along the lines of ‘Varne 27: the best secondhand boat you’ve never heard of?’.

 

[Daydream believer]

Of course I can't afford a boat, but that's never stopped me.

Then stop moaning about the cost of transporting it & get it moved. You cannot realisticaly sail it home this time of the year- as you sensibly realise.. The last thing to do, is leave it on a mooring, miles from home, going rotten.
You really know the answer

 

[Uricanejack]

Hey, thanks for that reassurance. I'm in turmoil as to whether to slash another £2k off the selling price or spend 2K getting her down here. I'm thinking more and more that It's better to move her down but I'm not up to sailing that distance myself. Also, as in my separate post, Poole Harbour isn't the best place for a fin keeler so maybe I would have difficulty selling her down here.

Perhaps you need to decide what your longer term goal is.
is it to sell the boat at the best price.
or
Is it to sail the boat in new location. Pool.
boat looks nice and cost of recent re rig and engine unlikely to be recouped regardless of where you sell.
if you are just looking to sell why not just move to the Clyde

if you want to sail the boat in new location. It’s worth while because you won’t find an other restored boat easily.

1200 doesn’t sound bad for a pretty long distance

 

[AntarcticPilot]

That sounds like quite a journey. I don't think I'd be up for that.

At the time I was 64, and Jim and Roger are both older than I. The key is time. You need to have enough time to choose your weather and take a break whenever you need one. Long passages aren't especially difficult - indeed, they can get a bit tedious! Of course, you need to be confident of your navigational skills as at least part of the passage down the East Coast will be out of sight of land.

 

[Neeves]

At the time I was 64, and Jim and Roger are both older than I. The key is time. You need to have enough time to choose your weather and take a break whenever you need one. Long passages aren't especially difficult - indeed, they can get a bit tedious! Of course, you need to be confident of your navigational skills as at least part of the passage down the East Coast will be out of sight of land.

This smacks of making sailing more difficult and demanding more skills than is really necessary - scare-mongering should be restricted to anchor threads. - or no-one would ever sail anywhere.

You really don't need navigational skills, in the old fashioned sense, if you have a reasonable chart plotter and know how to use it. Back it up with a chart on the phone. When was the last time you (or anyone) were forced to navigate based on using the log, compass bearings, knowledge of tides and plotting on paper charts. Now the chart plotter does it all for you and tells you exactly where you are, how fast and at what bearing you are actually going. Surely being out of sight of land is not a horror story. Have a decent list + google images of the places at which you can stop, with intermediate bolt holes, have tidal information, the weather forecast - its not to be taken lightly but most people should be able to cope (single handed) without too much anguish.

Just read Concerto's exploits.

Jonathan

I do agree - you need time and you do need to choose the weather.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

This smacks of making sailing more difficult and demanding more skills than is really necessary - scare-mongering should be restricted to anchor threads. - or no-one would ever sail anywhere.

You really don't need navigational skills, in the old fashioned sense, if you have a reasonable chart plotter and know how to use it. Back it up with a chart on the phone. When was the last time you (or anyone) were forced to navigate based on using the log, compass bearings, knowledge of tides and plotting on paper charts. Now the chart plotter does it all for you and tells you exactly where you are, how fast and at what bearing you are actually going. Surely being out of sight of land is not a horror story. Have a decent list + google images of the places at which you can stop, with intermediate bolt holes, have tidal information, the weather forecast - its not to be taken lightly but most people should be able to cope (single handed) without too much anguish.

Just read Concerto's exploits.

Jonathan

I do agree - you need time and you do need to choose the weather.

That certainly wasn't my intention. And note that I stressed confidence, not specific skills. If you're not confident of your ability to use the chart plotter, then having it is of little use! Yes, I and many others here COULD do the navigation using pencil and paper navigation - but I didn't and wouldn't unless the electronics broke down. Even then I would probably use GPS fixes from my phone!

 

[Daydream believer]

This smacks of making sailing more difficult and demanding more skills than is really necessary - scare-mongering should be restricted to anchor threads. - or no-one would ever sail anywhere.
You really don't need navigational skills, in the old fashioned sense, if you have a reasonable chart plotter and know how to use it. Back it up with a chart on the phone. When was the last time you (or anyone) were forced to navigate based on using the log, compass bearings, knowledge of tides and plotting on paper charts. Now the chart plotter does it all for you and tells you exactly where you are, how fast and at what bearing you are actually going. Surely being out of sight of land is not a horror story. Have a decent list + google images of the places at which you can stop, with intermediate bolt holes, have tidal information, the weather forecast - its not to be taken lightly but most people should be able to cope (single handed) without too much anguish.
I do agree - you need time and you do need to choose the weather.

I think that one does need a reasonable navigational skill to sail down the west coast of the Uk. One is certainly out of sight of land- Milford Haven to Lands End for instance. I have had the weather change on both times on that trip (Newlyn/ MH)& once thick fog ( vis less than 200 yds I think) & the other from a comfortable reach to strong winds dead on the nose. Seriously seasick both times & 24 hours both times.
My chart plotter does not tell me much about the tides & there are a few that can catch out the unwary
As for weather, it can be very unpredictable in the Irish sea this time of the year on a LOCAL basis. Concerto has completed the trip earlier when the weather tends to be a little less windy & more stable.
One also has to consider it is a new boat to the Op. How often do we hear horror stories of engine failure due to dirt in the fuel tank being stirred up . The OP will need at least a week preparing the boat, Checking the tank & fuel lines are clear.Changing oil & filters. He can expect to need the engine for 30-40% of the time. Checking he can use the reefing lines OK, sails are all sound & he is OK with them by doing short trips. Checking electrics work , Echo sounder etc. Be silly to suddenly need to furl the genoa & find that it does not furl properly under windy conditions.

He should not expect to jump on the boat & head south & expect not to have issues. Some could put him into difficulty. Tides etc can be rather awkward on headlands along that trip. So he needs to understand the rules for passage plans & be comfortable with night sailing the boat. Especially into strange ports.

I am not suggesting that the trip itself is any different from any other. I would do it SH in my own boat, but I know the boat & I know that I have done the trip before, albeit the other way round. Plus I have no time restraints. What I am saying is that in an old, untried, untested boat at this time of the year with limited resources to hand & with time restraints it is not the wisest of moves.
Time restraints and an untested boat being the biggest killers. If the OP can deal with those problems then there is no reason why he cannot sail it home. Plus he might even get to enjoy it. But from his posts that does not seem likely.

 

[Daydream believer]

Even then I would probably use GPS fixes from my phone!

Having never used a phone on my boat for anything other than making a phone call back home to report in; may I ask if the GPS function actually works when out of sight of land?
I know I cannot always get a phone signal, even when I am close enough to the shore to see the nudists at St Osyth. Not that I would want to you understand See the nudists that is.

 

[dunedin]

Quote - He should not expect to jump on the boat & head south & expect not to have issues

I don’t think anybody has suggested that. There seems to be remarkable consensus from the Forum, that the options are either
1) put on a lorry - if time is critical; or
2) wait till next year and make it a leisurely and interesting cruise - if time is not critical.
(I might add the third option, to abandon the move to live down in the busy and restricted south coast and instead move house to nearer the boat on the Scottish NW coast, but that may be seen as thread drift )
And the OP seems to have settled on (1) which sounds very practical

 

[kwb78]

may I ask if the GPS function actually works when out of sight of land?

Yes it does. Phones usually have a proper GPS receiver that doesn’t require any external reference to get a fix. They often incorporate additional technology to enhance location services, such as the ability to get a less accurate location based on the cell towers and Wi-Fi networks that are visible (which uses less power than the GPS receiver). They can also get the GPS almanac data via the mobile network which speeds up the initial position acquisition, but it’s not strictly necessary and they can obtain it through reception like a normal receiver if no phone signal is available.

The caveat to this is for iPads, where the Wi-Fi only models do not contain a proper gps chip. It’s only present in the models with the ability to connect to mobile data, whether you use that feature or not?

 

[dunedin]

Having never used a phone on my boat for anything other than making a phone call back home to report in; may I ask if the GPS function actually works when out of sight of land?
I know I cannot always use the phone, even when I can easily see the nudists on the shore at St Osyth. Not that I would want to you understand Use the see the nudists that is.

Of course the GPS on a phone works perfectly when out of sight of land.

I prefer a tablet as navigational backup (NOT a WiFi only iPad which is the only GPS exception, an annoying Apple constraint), but you are seriously restricting yourself by not using mobile devices when afloat.
Whilst we have two dedicated Raymarine plotters, I use phone/tablet for (a) weather forecasts (b) passage planning assistance (c) anchor alarm (d) detailed raster charts - UKHO and Antares (e) backup navigation (f) wider area AIS view - for nosiness, not collision avoidance (g) time wasting on fora etc.

PS On a few occasions I have directly compared GPS position between ship’s GPS, tablet and phone. There has never been any noticeable difference in accuracy. Indeed it is scary that when using the iPad with chart for detailed rock pilotage, the iPad notices when I move across from starboard to port wheel !

 

[Daydream believer]

Of course the GPS on a phone works perfectly when out of sight of land.

but you are seriously restricting yourself by not using mobile devices when afloat.
Whilst we have two dedicated Raymarine plotters, I use phone/tablet for (a) weather forecasts (b) passage planning assistance (c) anchor alarm (d) detailed raster charts - UKHO and Antares (e) backup navigation (f) wider area AIS view - for nosiness, not collision avoidance (g) time wasting on fora etc.

The coastguard issue weather forcasts on VHF. Although I do have an Ipad with sim card for the longer cruises
I do not need anyone to show me how to do a passage plan. I just need the tide tables. Reeds gives me harbour details & an Imray passage chart shows me where France etc is.
I have AIS & the days of peeping out the curtains at the neighbours has long since passed so nosiness is a non event for me.
I tend to read books if I want to relax & "waste" time.
Finally - I cannot read half the carp on the phone any way, as it is too small.
My phone sits in a locker as soon as I get on the boat. Best place for it in my opinion.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Having never used a phone on my boat for anything other than making a phone call back home to report in; may I ask if the GPS function actually works when out of sight of land?
I know I cannot always get a phone signal, even when I am close enough to the shore to see the nudists at St Osyth. Not that I would want to you understand See the nudists that is.

The GPS function works - it isn't dependent on a mobile phone signal.