Commuting to the Boat

[PGD]

I’m quite lucky I only live 20 minutes from where the boat is moored on the Thames but I’m thinking of moving her for a season to the south coast. Been down to Poole for the last couple of weeks and it take me 2 hrs. Had a great time meeting Old Harry and the local dolphin. Solent would be a bit nearer. Thought about Brighton but all the tourist traffic and the M25 are putting me off a bit – must take up Chris P’s offer of a tour.

How far to people travel and if it’s a long way does this stop you boating or become a bit of a pain but you do it cos you ort to ?

Peter

 

[BarryH]

Used to keep the boat in Poole all year. I still go there only now I tow the thing there as well. Some people say I'm mad, there probably right, but I get to use the thing more. With the occasional trip else where we use the thing a whole lot more. It takes me about the same sort of time as you, well 2.5 hours towing, never had much trouble with the traffic cos I try not to use the motorways if poss.

Took the boat down to brighton and to be honest I found it fairly umm, boring.(dons flame proof suit). The Thames is ok for a potter with the family on a sunday afternoon, but still keep going back to Poole after all these years!

Yeah! I know its running rough, but your lucky its running at all!!

 

[byron]

I have to travel 300 yards to my boat and even that tires me out. As for Brighton... Yuch! wiff all due respect to Pauline and Chris it's a prison for boats, nowhere to swan off to if the weather is dodgy. Naah! stick to the Thames at least you can go out whatever the weather and go salty when you feel like it. If I were going coastal I would choose Ramsgate or the Medway, The Solent is a Sewer, Poole is too crowded.

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[BarryH]

You sayin' I spend my time in the gutter!

Yeah! I know its running rough, but your lucky its running at all!!

 

[airbubble]

My experience is that you either have to moor it miles away, in your case Devon-like, or nnext door. Anything in between gets irritating.
Try to find a decent affordable mooring in Solent Poole area anyway....

 

[BrendanS]

I had my boat about 20 minutes away, on the Thames, for 2 years. Put into down in Lymington last year, and used it more than on Thames. Quite like Lymington as you can access all of Solent quite easily, but can be out of Solent past Hurst point in minutes. often pop down to use mid week evenings when it's usually flat calm and very, very few boats on the water. quicker to get to than Poole for me.

 

[AJW]

15 minute drive to where boat is stored on trailer then 'bout an hour to either Bradwell or Levington. Or 2.5 hrs to Solent, 3.5 to Poole/Weymouth, 6 to Devon or 10 to West Coast Scotland. Beauty (and curse) of the trailboater!

Dunno whereabouts on the Thames you are but East Coast (Essex/Suffolk) might be worth a punt for a year or so.

AJ

 

[rmashton]

I'm like yourself - 20 minutes down the road to pure bliss. I'd prefer this to driving for 2 hours - I'd never use the boat. Now I can just pop round on the way home from work, have a cup of tea etc.

 

[Stingray]

I am just 15 minutes away from the boat which is on pontoons in the River Roach, wonderful for short jaunts or doing work but anything else has to be tide to tide as we only float for about two hours! Moving to Wallasea in the River Crouch for the winter, which is about twenty minutes drive, but afloat all the time. This area gives you the whole of the Crouch/Roach system and associated creeks plus forays south to Thames/Kent/France and north to the Blackwater and east coast rivers.

 

[PGD]

Done the Thames for 6 years now, understand all point suggested and yes Pool is very busy even coming out of season - sun out - boat out !

Just like the attraction of being able to open her up now the new engine is run in - 70 hrs on the Thames should have settled her down nicely. But were to go and how to do it.

 

[Geoffs]

I commute from Oxfordshire to Poole, about 90 miles, given a good road I can do it in an hour and a half. Coming home on summer sundays can be grim. I think the worst trip was 4 hours.

I like Poole, lots of places to go, and you meet a good bunch, well BarryH and Duncan, anyway. Yes it can get crowded, but there is plenty of room. The Solent isn't a sewer, not everyone's favourite place, perhaps, but there are good places to go, and the beaches have cleaniness awards.

Old Chinese proverb 'Man who sail boat into rice field, soon get into paddy'

 

[whisper]

240 miles or 3 & 3/4 hrs. if I don't stop.
Too far away as far as I'm concerned for very frequent weekend trips. Try to avoid boating anywhere in mid July to late August in any case.
Manage to get in 90-110 hrs a year and hope new boat will help to increase that by maybe 50% - we shall see.
There are really only 2 things that prevent more regular use :- a) Imbeciles on the M5 hogging the centre lane which causes lethal queues of high speed tailgaters which does wonders for ones blood pressure b) The fact that the boat is on a half tide berth which naturally tends to restrict the hours of usage. Mustn't have too much of a good thing must we!

 

[DepSol]

8 mins to the boat from home by scoot and 3 mins from work lovely having lunch aboard every day in the summer.

Dom

I am boating again ;-)

 

[Falcon71]

I travel from South Bucks to Port Solent. On a Friday night it takes 1 1/2 hours, as long as we don't leave until after the rush at about 7-7.30, getting there for 9-9.30, children straight to bed, drinkies for me.

Only problem with Port Solent is the locking in and out, but as long as you want to get off early, no problem. Again, on Sunday eve, we delay the return home, eat first so missing the traffic.

Not that the weather has been up to much in the past few weeks for going anywhere. We wanted to go to Channel Islands this week, but with reports of high winds and fog didn't fancy the trip in the end. Went to watch Wasps instead, lots of young men running about a field in shorts ... lovely!!

 

[byron]

"lots of young men running about a field in shorts ... lovely!!"

Wouldn't do a thing for me /forums/images/icons/wink.gif

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[Guest]

I keep my Fairline Targa on the Hamble and I live in Nottigham.Thats a round trip of 340 miles,and takes between 3 or 4 hours each way,depending on traffic.I think its worth it but cant speak for the wife.

 

[claymore]

The boat is 293 miles from home which takes 5 hours. We split the drive into 4 sections and its soon covered. We both sleep easily when not driving - actually, I'm quite good at sleeping when I'm at the wheel - we also take a flask and some grub. The Scottish motorways are not as busy as the English ones and once through Glasgow its a beautiful drive up to the west coast. If we leave at 7 on a Sunday evening we are home for midnight and we usually work it so that we are away by lunchtime on Friday at the latest. 5 hours from Fleetwood would see you exactly midway to the Isle of Man with the VSEL sheds still in sight at Barrow and committed to all the crappy conditions that the Irish Sea has to offer.
No Comparison.

regards
Claymore

 

[MapisM]

Wrong viewpoint, IMHO.

The way I look at it, during the boating season I have to leave my boat at 5 am on monday morning.
About three hours of motorway, thanks God traffic still reasonable at that time.
On friday, I usually leave the office late - say 8 pm or so. Would be pointless to rush, just to get stuck on the motorway.
Onboard by 11 pm or so, later when stopping by in some fish restaurant (open till very late, very common in the Med).

Is that a bit of a pain? Well, yes, but it doesn't stop me from working, 'cause I have to.

 

[duncan]

Used to have boat on all tide poontoon on the tidal Medway, and could be underway 45 minutes from leaving home - but - small boats need somewhere to visit to provide fun for other on board (fishing does it for me but ..........)
Each year the trailer came out a couple of times for holidays and the boat and family set of for land based accomadation in Plymouth, North Brittany, Spain (twice) Loch Lomond , the Hamble and then Poole..........at the last a mobile home purchase followed by a diesel boat a year later has resulted in the weekly 'commute' of 2 hours each way - Friday night /Sunday night for the last couple of years and it's great!
No air conditioning, no diary, and the mobile is strictly for other boaters based in the area to arrange who's on BBQ duty, who's getting the food and the booze!
Oh, and the fishing is really great too
Busy? - a bit but as long as you avoid the bridge opening time rushes it can be brilliant - 7pm on a Saturday night will see the beach at Studland empty like the tide went out!
You are more than welcome to come out if you want to look at what the area offers - I believe we have similar sized boats.

 

[NorthernWave]

I had my boat in Brighton for a while and must admit the traffic is a blooming nightmare. Also Parking, depending what end of the marina you are depends where your allowed to park, i.e. west end you have to park with the rif-raf in the multi storey. Hated walking past the Maccy D's poss caring my duvet and pillows!!!
Boat also gets a battering by the weather.

The good points however, the town is buzzing, there is always something to do, you never get stuck by the tide and there are generally a younger crowd there.

I'm now in Chichester and which is nearer (brighton 2.5 hours chich just 1)
Love it apart for the 4 mile stint before freedom, but very sheltered.

Chris

Relaxation starts at the pontoon gate