NormanS
Well-known member
I guess your swans are all ducks.
Cruising ground recommendations
- Thread starter MagicalArmchair
- Start date
cherod
Well-known member
Is that a joke , or do you know something about the weather that others dont , after this year never again
Minerva
Well-known member
does that mean when you lot of southern softies start talking nonsense, us Scottish sailors can say “shush now, the adults are talking!”
Concerto
Well-known member
MarkWe are planning our next years cruising with our four kids (who will be 3, 7, 10 and 13 next summer) on our Bavaria 40. We do love the East Coast, with a single "passage" of ten hours across the Thames from her home in the Medway to the Orwell, where all the passages within the holiday itself are kid friendly. This year we did SYH, Woodbridge (with a draft of 2 meters), Ramsholt, Stone Point beach, Titchsmarsh, and then Woolverstone, with still plenty of options of different places we could have visited.
What other crusing grounds, within a reasonable holiday time range, would you recommend?
Delivering the boat with the eldest and then getting a ferry/plane could be an option to go further afield, however, smaller, sheltered passages once we arrive over the two weeks, with interesting places would be the ticket (ideally with beaches!).
I'd be grateful for any of your advice or recommendations based on your experiance.
Your choices are really the Solent, the West Country including possibly the Isles of Scilly and Channel Islands, or the Dutch inland waterways. Done all of them at sometime and would suggest choosing nearer the time depending on the weather. The first 2 may have a lot of beating at the start of a holiday and the latter at the end to get home.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
What you and the other posters seem to forget is that for starters the OP is located on the Medway. You mad as well have told him to take the b..y boat to Brazil for 3 weeks it is so remote. It would take the Op all his time to get to the west coats or it would involve loads of silly hassle moving the boat first. For what? pi..g rain, boring sailing for kids & midges on the school hols.does that mean when you lot of southern softies start talking nonsense, us Scottish sailors can say “shush now, the adults are talking!”
Wake up & be realistic to the OP's needs & stop dreaming about what you might like to do someday.
ashtead
Well-known member
Should you have time and say a crew /friend /mates who would enjoy trip maybe a sail to Jersey via Solent. Then family drive to Portsmouth and catch ferry or fly to st Helier. We spent about 4 days in jersey marina alongside a Contest 50 something who had sailed from Netherlands and family had flown out for 2 weeks in Jersey . It’s possible to sail from say Cherbourg straight to jersey in a long day -we are 12.8 m -so you just need a passage to cherbough say from Brighton etc if Solent not attractive and to plan usual route to Brighton from your home port. It really turns on how much time you have and available spare crew who fancy a trip say to jersey . Same idea would work with st Malo but facilities ashore there not great but clearly st cast has large family friendly facilities.
david_bagshaw
Well-known member
Sail to the Netherlands, the southern estuaries.
ylop
Well-known member
I think the Ijselmeer is underated by many brits. I agree it is ideal for the sort of trip the OP has in mind. Make sure you download the weed app (for avoiding areas with too much growth in the water rather than any other form of holiday indulgence!).
Oddly I see lots of kids that are in the OP's age having load of fun "up here". Crystal clear water to jump in, very few jetskis etc for the parents to be stressing about mowing them down, fish to catch, sheltered anchorages to explore in the dinghy/SUP/kayak, very quiet roads to wander on ashore, hills and trees to climb to break up the sailing etc. My impression is the tranquility allows the parents to relax a bit and let the kids enjoy what they want to do. Not all kids are the same. When its raining heavily there are no midges, when its windy there are not midges, when its bright sunlight there are not midges, when more than ~ 50m from shore there are no midges. So all you need is a plan for dry, no wind days with a bit of cloud in the sky. Apparently those don't happen in Scotland - but if they do you have a boat...
This however is very real - he was talking about moving it with his eldest (13).
Mark-1
Well-known member
Agree the West Coast provides plenty of fun for kids. My first trip there was at 9yo. Still the best holiday of my life and it's given me a life long love of the place and I've gone back time and time again. Apart from anything else kids enjoy being "free range" and you can do that in a remote area away from cars much more than you can in the busy Solent. However the Solent provides entertainment too and the West Coast of S might as well be on the moon for the OP. So my vote is still Solent (or Holland, but I've never been there so can't really comment.) Personally, even the Solent still seems a hell of a trek for a 3 week trip, even in a 40 footer.
As you say, not all kids are the same. The OP knows his specific 13yo and their capabilities. I and my brother would have been a reliable crew at 13. My daughter at 13 is certainly capable of being a reliable crew on a long trip, but wouldn't be very enthusiastic about doing it. Nelson at 14 jumped onto an enemy ship and started slicing up Frenchmen with a sword. My gut feel is there's a high chance the OP's lad is far more capable than many of us elderly YBWers with five decades of experience, but rubbish eyesight and knackered knees. Either way, we don't have the information to make a judgement and the OP does.
doug748
Well-known member
You might visit the Low Countries for the next few years, Delivery trips sound fine but can be a real pain, I would save that for later when the smallest is 7, maybe and the others are much more self-reliant.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
Much more than 2 weeks with 3,7 & a 10 year old might be an issue. After a while they will start missing their friends. Then one will start wingeing & start another off, as they start arguing. Then you belt one round the head & the missus starts, because you have hit one of the little s..ts. Before you know it you get " I hate you & I hate your b..y boat" & the holiday goes tits up. Personally I would stay close to home, which is why the Dutch canals are my choice.
Kids can be a pain at home, let alone couped up on a boat for 2 weeks. Just needs one with a virus from school & you have it made.
Kids can be a pain at home, let alone couped up on a boat for 2 weeks. Just needs one with a virus from school & you have it made.
NormanS
Well-known member
Oh God, you are depressing.
Mark-1
Well-known member
None of that is specific to sailing and the OP knows his own family. He's asking us about cruising grounds, not about his kids. (And I fear we've felt him down a bit becaise we've come up with pretty obvious choices that he will likely be aware of and aren't even that local.
Daydream believer
Well-known member
The kids are very relevant to the cruising groundNone of that is specific to sailing and the OP knows his own family. He's asking us about cruising grounds, not about his kids. (And I fear we've felt him down a bit becaise we've come up with pretty obvious choices that he will likely be aware of and aren't even that local.
MontyMariner
Well-known member
The Solent is the place I head for when all other options are ruled out!
ashtead
Well-known member
Indeed it does depend a lot on what the young crew might wish to do on arrival. Clearly a port to port hop for the whole hols might not be attractive. Do they want beaches and paddle boarding on arrival or more urban entertainment like shopping and fun fairs,lotto trains and carousel etc? I guess one solution is for children to list priorities - bobbing around in windswept Alderney might not suit many. I guess the Isle of Wight has many attractions if you wish to stay in uk and obviously younger crew might travel separately by car and ferry and hence avoid long sailing trips . Can you perhaps carry a dinghy on your trip - do you want a protected harbour for the dinghy sailing etc? Do you want challenge of channel crossing ? A week in Bembridge will set you back £550 approx so much cheaper in France at say st cast with its lovely beaches.
Pye_End
Well-known member
Netherlands. It has such a variety of cruising ground. People are fab. Huge number of options of where to go, so you can plan your day depending on how many hours you want to be underway. Nothing here compares.
dunedin
Well-known member
Did the children miss in the OP’s post #1 - “Delivering the boat with the eldest and then getting a ferry/plane could be an option to go further afield.” So not trying to do the positioning as part of the main cruise. And if considering flying back, prepared to cover a bit of distance.
But that aside, somewhere closer like Holland or perhaps Kiel Canal and Denmark does make more sense.
cherod
Well-known member
MagicalArmchair
Well-known member
Thank you all, that is why this community is so great, all this experience and expertise.
The kids, certainly at this stage, are the most important consideration as the last thing I want to do is put them off sailing completely and ruin their summer holiday because I want a good thrash to windward and to test the limits of the boat, and I'm sure those of you with children who have watched them succumb to sea sickness for many hours will understand the guilt that gives you that is very hard to shake off in a hurry ! The age kids are most susceptible to mal de mer is from 3 to 12 I believe, which is exactly where my little crew sit. Thomas, who is 12, rarely suffers from sea sickness now (his solution if he starts feeling sick on passage is to demand a fry up!) and now wants more exciting sailing (he would love the thrash to windward). Sophie, who is 9, is more cautious, but doesn't get sick at all, Matthew who is 6 does get really sick, and Isabelle who is 3 can be in a short steep chop and wonder what the bother is about and is yet to get sea sick at all.
Based on that, I need, as others have suggested, something that will work within the limitations of my crew.
So, your wonderful, suggestions, thanks again, in order of preference so far
The kids, certainly at this stage, are the most important consideration as the last thing I want to do is put them off sailing completely and ruin their summer holiday because I want a good thrash to windward and to test the limits of the boat, and I'm sure those of you with children who have watched them succumb to sea sickness for many hours will understand the guilt that gives you that is very hard to shake off in a hurry
! The age kids are most susceptible to mal de mer is from 3 to 12 I believe, which is exactly where my little crew sit. Thomas, who is 12, rarely suffers from sea sickness now (his solution if he starts feeling sick on passage is to demand a fry up!) and now wants more exciting sailing (he would love the thrash to windward). Sophie, who is 9, is more cautious, but doesn't get sick at all, Matthew who is 6 does get really sick, and Isabelle who is 3 can be in a short steep chop and wonder what the bother is about and is yet to get sea sick at all.Based on that, I need, as others have suggested, something that will work within the limitations of my crew.
So, your wonderful, suggestions, thanks again, in order of preference so far
- Holland @John_Silver @Pye_End @david_bagshaw @Concerto : This route looks ideal, and if the weather looked suspect on the way back, the younger crew could always take the ferry back and the eldest and I could deliver the boat back.
- The route
- Chatham - Ramsgate - 8 hours
- Ramsgate - Nieuwpoort - 8 hours
- Niewpoort - Bresken - 6 hours
- Bimbling in Holland! What onward destinations do you suggest once in Bresken? We get do get itchy feet after a second night in a port.
- Deliver boat back if there is no good delivery weather window back and the kids can catch the ferry or fly.
- Pros
- The initial passage is no longer than that of crossing the Thames.
- Exotic Dutch destination!
- There are beaches on the route.
- Cons
- There are passages here for the kids. They have been sailing all their life, so if the weather is right, and this doesn't phase me too much. Expect sea sickness on some level though!
- More expensive if we need to leave the boat, or deliver the kids back by ferry.
- The route
- Frisian Islands @John_Silver: These look great, a 24 hour passage would take us into the Waddenhaven if we had a fair weather window, so we could leave at 11am on a Saturday, and be there 11am on the Sunday and be able to cruise around the islands. How exposed is it?
- Solent @Stemar : This is definitely an option. Ticks the beach box, and if we stay at MDL we have freedom berthing there so we could deliver the boat in around 36 hours, leave the boat, and then come back with the kids by road. Cheap, and we will have ports we have not visited there, however, the kids would find going abroad more exciting.
- The route
- 36 hour passage.
- Drive down, 2 weeks bimbling in the Solent, drive back.
- Pros
- Cheap (Freedom berthing)
- Easy to get to (Drive)
- Beaches
- Sheltered Solent "Lake"
- Cons
- Two weekends away from the kids delivering the boat there, and then back again.
- It's not foreign, so no holiday feel. Less epic.
- The route
- Kiel Canal and Denmark @dunedin: I would love to cruise the Baltics also. No tide appeals. What kind of itinerary have you completed before that way?
- S. Brittany: There would be two sets of passages, one to the South Coast, and then on, and I think these are simply too exposed when we arrive. One for when they are bigger I think.
- Western Scotland @Goldie : I would love to go again, and we will when they are bigger, however having delivered my fathers boat there previously, it is reasonably epic and would bust our two weeks I think.
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