Clyde Summers Living

[roblpm]

Some old threads but nothing recently.

Clyde summer (yes I know there isn’t one…..!).

I live abroad quite a lot as my mrs is a long way away and has a job she likes and doesn’t wanna retire and be a hippie like me. I work remote and have business and 20s kids in Scotland.

So I am wondering about using a boat in the Clyde for 3 or 4 months in the summer both to sail and to sleep on. Will have a car for trips to office, shops and storage.

Marinas have liveaboard bans. Though a week at a time is fine i think.

I suppose what I am wondering is the possibility of a mooring which I could pay for all summer. Club or just rent. Then sleep and work 4 nights and then sail off to marina or whatever over the long weekend. With occasional trip to marina down the Clyde or whatever.

Some of the clubs have mooring rental purchase and showers! But I am super confrontation averse and don’t want to irritate people. At a club with a launch it would be pretty obvious that I was going the opposite direction to the others at 9pm in the evening!

I suppose I should just man up and email the mooring person at RNCYC for example. I understand Gourouck has bad ferry wash?

Would probably end up only being say 40 nights sleeping on board a season. I suppose I could keep moving but would be nice to have a “home port”. Also would give me something to do helping out at a club!

Any ideas?

 

[dunedin]

Sounds like a great plan.
Don’t worry about a “liveaboard ban” - for 3 to 4 months at year maximum (even less if only 40 days) that is not a “liveaboard” of the type that some marinas get worried about. And I know of many living openly in major marinas all winter, for example.
And when on board you may choose to move around for variety anyway - the main use for the mooring sounds like would be when not on board, which is just typical usage.
Would somewhere like Tarbert be an option, lower cost than the big marinas closer to Glasgow, if o ly travelling back and forward less frequently?

 

[roblpm]

Sounds like a great plan.
Don’t worry about a “liveaboard ban” - for 3 to 4 months at year maximum (even less if only 40 days) that is not a “liveaboard” of the type that some marinas get worried about. And I know of many living openly in major marinas all winter, for example.
And when on board you may choose to move around for variety anyway - the main use for the mooring sounds like would be when not on board, which is just typical usage.
Would somewhere like Tarbert be an option, lower cost than the big marinas closer to Glasgow, if o ly travelling back and forward less frequently?

Aha thanks for that! The other reason to not use a marina is not paying when i tootle off somewhere! Need to sit down with a calculator.

Actually reason for Clyde is to not be an antisocial old fart. Kids are in Edinburgh and Manchester and friends in Edinburgh and Glasgow. So I think the fantasy of people joining me for the weekend is far more likely on the Clyde. Anyway for a year or three til I get bored of it!! Also I can pop to the central belt to see my business partner although he always says zoom is the same which I definitely don’t agree with!!!

So maybe I should just bite the bullet and pay for 4 months in one of the marinas and then disappear for a few weeks or and every weekend to not appear like I’m just using the boat as a house!!

 

[dunedin]

Edinburgh to The Clyde marinas is a short hop. We regularly do day sails from Edinburgh in the winter months,
And yes a swing mooring might be cheaper for when leaving the boat - Rhu marina used to do moorings with use of pontoon for loading etc.
I don’t think most places would have an issue with you living on board for a few weeks, Certainly not if head off sailing periodically, which would be most fun (lots of amazing places in the Clyde). No need to head home for a weekend unless that suits you.
Just never mention the L word, as it doesn’t apply to your proposed usage - which is less than half the year anyway.

 

[roblpm]

Edinburgh to The Clyde marinas is a short hop. We regularly do day sails from Edinburgh in the winter months,
And yes a swing mooring might be cheaper for when leaving the boat - Rhu marina used to do moorings with use of pontoon for loading etc.
I don’t think most places would have an issue with you living on board for a few weeks, Certainly not if head off sailing periodically, which would be most fun (lots of amazing places in the Clyde). No need to head home for a weekend unless that suits you.
Just never mention the L word, as it doesn’t apply to your proposed usage - which is less than half the year anyway.

Great thanks! Seems like a bit of guilty pleasure really! Now I am just pricing up the (expensive) marinas but in reality if I want to work and go to the gym and all of that sort of stuff 4 days a week a marina is a better idea!

 

[ridgy]

There are moorings at Fairlie that you can rent. Then you are in the middle of the big marinas with Largs afew minutes away and on the other side Ardrossan and Troon.
Hardly worth the effort or cost saving though. Loads of space in Troon, they won't be turning anyone away. Plus a direct link to Glasgow and a big supermarket in walking distance. Job done.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

RB Marine Services are at Roseneath, have their own moorings, jetty, services and is opposite Rhu Marina. It is a 20 minute drive to Helensburgh round the too of the Gareloch. Train stations at Garelochhead, and Helensburgh available, as are decent roads to the motorway network.

The price of a good dinghy and reliable outboard, would easily be covered by 4 days a week, at 4 months, of marina fees. This would get you to and from the shore and somewhat offset the inconvenience of a mooring.

Rosneath Jetty, Camsail Works,Rosneath, G84 0PU

info@rbmarineservices.co.uk
+ 44 1436 831 231

RB Marine Services, Rosneath, Scotland

 

[Boathook]

Aha thanks for that! The other reason to not use a marina is not paying when i tootle off somewhere! Need to sit down with a calculator.

Actually reason for Clyde is to not be an antisocial old fart. Kids are in Edinburgh and Manchester and friends in Edinburgh and Glasgow. So I think the fantasy of people joining me for the weekend is far more likely on the Clyde. Anyway for a year or three til I get bored of it!! Also I can pop to the central belt to see my business partner although he always says zoom is the same which I definitely don’t agree with!!!

So maybe I should just bite the bullet and pay for 4 months in one of the marinas and then disappear for a few weeks or and every weekend to not appear like I’m just using the boat as a house!!

and even more likely if you are in a marina.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Hardly worth the effort or cost saving though. Loads of space in Troon, they won't be turning anyone away. Plus a direct link to Glasgow and a big supermarket in walking distance. Job done.

Another vote for Troon. It is a big marina combined with a hotel and there are an independent restaurant and other boat businesses on site. The carpark is huge and there are always people coming and going so someone there most of the summer wouldn't stand out.

 

[scottie]

having sailed on the clyde for too many years the type of sailing is a major factor in deciding the marina I believe
BUTE offers a great deal
Beware that going up any of the lochs means coming back the way you just went this also applies to troon and Ardrossan both of which have similar due to having a open crossing

Having a car expand your options somewhat

 

[dunedin]

For actual day sailing, places like Largs are massively better thanTroon and Ardrossan - very short hop to the Kyles, more variety and almost always sheltered enough to sail somewhere.
Whereas Troon is exposed and a bash in Wrsterly to get anywhere.
Fairlie moorings an option, but look a bit exposed for staying on board? Gareloch moorings more sheltered?

 

[ylop]

having sailed on the clyde for too many years the type of sailing is a major factor in deciding the marina I believe
BUTE offers a great deal
Beware that going up any of the lochs means coming back the way you just went this also applies to troon and Ardrossan both of which have similar due to having a open crossing

Having a car expand your options somewhat

I think that point is particularly valid at RNCYC that the OP mentioned. It’s a nice enough setting but to get anywhere else is a slog so unless you are into racing round the cans it could get repetitive.

The OP mentioned the gym - might be worth exploring Portavadie as they have stuff onsite - although it’s not the centre of sociable and if you are going to be that far from civilisation, personally I’d choose Oban.

 

[roblpm]

and even more likely if you are in a marina.

Yes this is definitely one consideration! My son for example doesnt have a full weekend off work so important he can come from Edinburgh maybe Saturday afternoon by train (or i pick him up somewhere) then overnight and sail Sunday and back to Edinburgh Sunday evening.

 

[roblpm]

RB Marine Services are at Roseneath, have their own moorings, jetty, services and is opposite Rhu Marina. It is a 20 minute drive to Helensburgh round the too of the Gareloch. Train stations at Garelochhead, and Helensburgh available, as are decent roads to the motorway network.

The price of a good dinghy and reliable outboard, would easily be covered by 4 days a week, at 4 months, of marina fees. This would get you to and from the shore and somewhat offset the inconvenience of a mooring.

Rosneath Jetty, Camsail Works,Rosneath, G84 0PU

info@rbmarineservices.co.uk
+ 44 1436 831 231

RB Marine Services, Rosneath, Scotland

Ok another twist i just thought of...... I am not going to get away with not seeing my mrs for 6 months! So a midsummer trip is necessary, say between 4-8 weeks. Would you leave a boat on a mooring at RB marine or elsewhere for that matter for that long. Would be in June and July. Is there anyone you can pay to check on your boat? I will be an 11 hour flight away...... Or just pay and get it hauled out but seems like a hassle doing that twice a year. Then I can just pay monthly for expensive marinas while i am using it! Saves a little bit over the £6000 annual fee at Largs!! In fact it might even be cost effective to pay for a "home" mooring there and then jaunt about staying in the marina for whatever time i want. I can easily do the trip down to Largs/Kip whatever for family based sailing. Or Rhu for convenience. Ok this is a good plan as if i drive down to see family further osuth for a long weeked im not paying for a marina. Will be a 10.5m boat. So total for whole year at RB is £2071. Then spend a good amount on posh marinas....!

So whats the received wisdom about leaving boats on moorings whilst 5000 miles away?!!!!

And if you were doing that would you get a hard dinghy and leave it on the mooring. I have an old avon redcrest i think that i could keep on the boat for use while out and about.

 

[ridgy]

Plenty of boats take their moorings in April and are not moved or looked at again until they come off in the Autumn. My boat is on a mooring 120 miles away and I haven't seen it for 6 weeks and not given it a single thought.
If it's a commercial mooring e.g. Fairlie or RB then I would expect that they would have a drive round every few days and see that boats are properly secured.
I think a Fairlie mooring is about 1100 for the summer, I had one a couple of years ago. They can also be hired for shorter periods and being next to Largs you can pop in there when you need a marina.

 

[RunAgroundHard]

Leaving on a serviced mooring, from a reputable company, should not be a problem. It would not bother me.

R&B has dinghy storage, so just leave your boats dinghy at their secure location.

Inform R&B that you will be out of country and ask if they can check your boat over from time to time. They are always out on the water.

A down side of a mooring is battery power. You definitely want solar panels to help maintain battery charge. R&B have a pontoon for taking your boat into, to collect crew, load up et cetera. It may have power, so from time to time, you could head in and charge the batteries on a mains charger.

 

[ylop]

Ok another twist i just thought of...... I am not going to get away with not seeing my mrs for 6 months! So a midsummer trip is necessary, say between 4-8 weeks. Would you leave a boat on a mooring at RB marine or elsewhere for that matter for that long. Would be in June and July. Is there anyone you can pay to check on your boat? I will be an 11 hour flight away......

Really if you are 3 hrs away or 11 hrs it makes little difference; if there's a problem by the time you get there it will be a big problem! I think it makes sense to ask the question of any marina/yard if they actually check everything for boats on moorings - e.g. I know that Kerrera offer a specific (paid for) service where they actually check the boats (battery voltages, bilges etc?) rather than just hope to spot something chaffed. Beyond that you need to think about leaving it for a long time everytime your leave (e.g. I always add an extra tie around the furled headsail, and an extra line on the mooring because that's where I hear/see issues arise for others.

Bear in mind that the months you will be away are when the clyde gets nice weather so your non-boating friends may prefer to join you...

Or just pay and get it hauled out but seems like a hassle doing that twice a year. Then I can just pay monthly for expensive marinas while i am using it!

Actually don't rule that out - I was talking to someone in the queue at the Bar at Kerrera and he comes up from London for a few weeks at a time a couple for times a year but has it hauled out when he goes away and waiting for him on his return. Seemed to think he was getting less wear and tear etc that way. And when you are actually USING it you can probably anchor saving more £££.

 

[Paddys milestone]

Bet you wish that you were there today.

 

[roblpm]

Bet you wish that you were there today.

Ahahaha. Well instead I am 5000 mile’s away in a tropical country 4 degrees from the equator but freezing cold! 11 degrees outside and no heating!