Hartlepool Marina to Shotley Marina

Daydream believer said:
One last comment. If you do not get a permanent berth at Shotley try not to end up at Ipswich. The further up the river you go the further you have to sail before you can go anywhere. Shotley has the advantage of being near the entrance to the mouth of the 2 rivers & you can be on your way ASASP. Whilst the river up to Ipswich might seem enchanting at first, it will soon turn into a "ditch" & you will have 1.5 hours sailing or motoring ( with the tide) before you can actually do anything. Every trip will be seriously tide dependant. That will eventually drive you mad.
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Thank you, so much for all the detailed info from everyone really kind of you to all take the time. Happy to set a course five mile out and travel in daylight to make spotting pots easier.

I am very lucky that it has a reasonably new Chart plotter with split screen AIS/Radar.

Thankfully we have a berth at Shotley booked, all the staff there have been so lovely on the phone and we are popping down this weekend to have a look around.

Looks like I will have to bring the boat back from Grimsby as owner and his friend cannot get time off work so will help me with first leg. I have a friend coming as well so hopefully they wont be tempted to turf me overboard and keep the boat o_O

So I will either need a delivery Skipper to get the boat from Grimsby 6/7th June or wait until the 14th when my South coast experienced friend can help me (aided by all your helpful insight.

Many Thanks Paul
 
I've done the trip from Whitby to Lowestoft, and in my planning, I considered going into Grimsby, but worked out that it would lengthen the trip substantially. The distance from Whitby - Lowestoft is 153nm; Whitby - Grimsby is 76 nm and Grimsby - Lowestoft is 100 nm. So, going via Grimsby means an extra 20 odd nm (4-5 hours), and two long passages instead of one. I haven't taken account of the shipping lanes at the entrance to the Humber, either; these aren't an issue on the direct passage. Further issues are that Grimsby isn't accessible at all states of the tide - indeed, nowhere is between Whitby and Yarmouth. For me the clincher was that I'd rather be 20+ miles offshore in reasonably clear water if an easterly came along than immediately off a very inhospitable lee shore without any useful ports.
 
The big problem with making the trip longer than 100 miles is tiredness. I did the trip from Grimsby to Lowestoft in 18 hours. I was SH . I suspect that the OP will be on adrenaline , being in a new yacht ( to him) & will not rest easy. The Op mentioned a 1.88 metre draft so I assume a 35ft plus boat & he should match that easily enough playing the tides &- if possible- the weather. I seem to recall that I left as soon as I got free flow at Grimsby to get out of the Humber, Punched the tide across the Wash then rode the tide round the corner to Lowestoft arriving just as it turned against me. You have to do a careful passage plan & using the tide saves a lot of time, Hence I motored the last 10 miles. One needs favourable tide for the last 6 hours if poss

So one can manage 18 hours OK without sleep. After that things get tiring & sea sickness tends to come into play. Food might not have been eaten, Dehydration could be an issue. It often is with me if I am not careful & I know about it but I still fall foul.
I accept that the OP has a crew looking after him, but one wants to enjoy the trip, not make it an endurance test . If SWMBO is coming along then he needs to consider her as well.

Grimsby may be a few miles off the track but a rest will make a terriffic chance to rest, charge the batteries, de brief on the first part of the trip & discuss the next leg. With a new boat there may be some issues that want attending to. No chandleries there, so make sure you have plenty of tools spare filters etc. I managed to get in OK & one can time arrival Ok with a bit of care . Hartlepool to Grimsby is 98 miles so one can reckon on 19 hours for that as well. One will need 24 hours rest before going on.Are you really sure that you will be able to sleep properly en route on one's first long trip in a new boat? I think not.

As for being offshore, one may well have to pass inside the windfarm so that limits how far one offshore one can go. It is still a fair way from land anyway. One factor is the route through sand banks. I do not have a chart to hand to check Whitby to lowestoft but I know that one can have issues leaving due to bridge timing /tide & having to pay an extra day etc
 
Paulfireblade said:
I am very lucky that it has a reasonably new Chart plotter with split screen AIS/Radar.
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In that case you needn't bother with the Inogen light to guide you up the dredged channel into Shotley, you can just zoom in on the plotter and follow it that way.

A lot of people are wary of negotiating the lock at Shotley; there's no need to be. Have a look at it this weekend when you visit. The secret to stress-free locking is to have fenders rigged on both sides of the boat, and to have lines rigged on both sides of the boat. Then, whichever way the wind's blowing, or whichever side other boats are in the lock, you will always be prepared for tying up to the floating plastic pontoons on the sides of the lock. Most importantly, have lines on midship cleats and always tie the midships one first - then the bows or stern can't get too far away from the side.

Is your new boat called "Porschia"? If so, it looks great and sounds as if it's been really well cared for.
 
AntarcticPilot said:
I've done the trip from Whitby to Lowestoft, and in my planning, I considered going into Grimsby, but worked out that it would lengthen the trip substantially.
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That makes complete sense and if I can find a delivery crew we will possibly bypass Grimsby but if not we will be doing a crew change so Hartlepool to Scarborough for an overnight stop and then Grimsby will be the first leg with the current owner and a friend of mine and second leg will be Grimsby to home with as many stops as we can fit in tide dependant. Would have loved to stop at Whitby as the owner say it is really nice.
 
Daydream believer said:
The big problem with making the trip longer than 100 miles is tiredness. I did the trip from Grimsby to Lowestoft in 18 hours. I was SH . I suspect that the OP will be on adrenaline , being in a new yacht ( to him) & will not rest easy. The Op mentioned a 1.88 metre draft so I assume a 35ft plus boat & he should match that easily enough playing the tides &- if possible- the weather. I seem to recall that I left as soon as I got free flow at Grimsby to get out of the Humber, Punched the tide across the Wash then rode the tide round the corner to Lowestoft arriving just as it turned against me. You have to do a careful passage plan & using the tide saves a lot of time, Hence I motored the last 10 miles. One needs favourable tide for the last 6 hours if poss

So one can manage 18 hours OK without sleep. After that things get tiring & sea sickness tends to come into play. Food might not have been eaten, Dehydration could be an issue. It often is with me if I am not careful & I know about it but I still fall foul.
I accept that the OP has a crew looking after him, but one wants to enjoy the trip, not make it an endurance test . If SWMBO is coming along then he needs to consider her as well.
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Not the easiest stretch of coast but I will be taking advantage of all the stops suggested and don't worry there is no way I want SWMBO to be on the boat and get put off, she is really excited about getting the boat and I want that to last so we will be pottering up the rivers for a while and she is happy for me to go take friends when I want to go further afield.
 
pvb said:
In that case you needn't bother with the Inogen light to guide you up the dredged channel into Shotley, you can just zoom in on the plotter and follow it that way.

A lot of people are wary of negotiating the lock at Shotley; there's no need to be. Have a look at it this weekend when you visit. The secret to stress-free locking is to have fenders rigged on both sides of the boat, and to have lines rigged on both sides of the boat. Then, whichever way the wind's blowing, or whichever side other boats are in the lock, you will always be prepared for tying up to the floating plastic pontoons on the sides of the lock. Most importantly, have lines on midship cleats and always tie the midships one first - then the bows or stern can't get too far away from the side.

Is your new boat called "Porschia"? If so, it looks great and sounds as if it's been really well cared for.
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I was looking forward to trying out the Moire light, don't say that :rolleyes:

Sounds like some sound advice about prep for lock, thank you and I think the advantages of the lock outweigh the inconvenience.

Great Detective work - Yes I am hoping to bring Porschia to Suffolk soon, I wanted a 35 or 37 but I was a bit slow but very impressed with her and liked the Genoa cars on coach roof with Genoa sheets back to companion way with all the other lines so should be good to single hand. The Surveyor could only find an area of staining on the teak on the cockpit sole and a little surface rust on the keel that can be attended to at next lift out so I think you might be right.
 
Looks like I need to find an experienced Skipper for the passage from Grimsby to Shotley or ask my Friend and ex owner if they will help me again the following weekend. So if you know of anyone, please let me know and happy to pay.
 
First of all....
The weather does not suddenly break. These days, weather forecasts go out a good two weeks ahead. OK at two weeks out they may be a total guess, but if you watch the forecasts for a particular date as it gets closer, you can get an idea as to how accurate the forecast will be for the particular day.

And most importantly, you will be prepared for any change in the weather that may look unexpected but has in fact been forecasted for some time. These days you should never get "caught out" by weather.
 
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Update - Trip completed.

Firstly, thank you for all the information and I am pleased to say my sail boat is safely tied up on a pontoon at Shotley. We had a successful trip and having considered stops, we decided to just sail non stop and with four of us on board it worked out fine.

Sadly minimal wind and what we did have was predominantly on the nose so we ended up motoring all the way and just putting up the mainsail for stability and visibility. We did 224 miles in 36 hours. We caught the tides to perfection around the Wash so we had more than our fair share of tide in our favour. The previous owner had tracked us on Marine traffic and apparently we hit nine knots at one point, apparently he was still watching us as we entered Shotley at 0330. That is dedication.

So now to explore the East Coast, can't wait.
 
Paulfireblade said:
Update - Trip completed.

Firstly, thank you for all the information and I am pleased to say my sail boat is safely tied up on a pontoon at Shotley. We had a successful trip and having considered stops, we decided to just sail non stop and with four of us on board it worked out fine.

Sadly minimal wind and what we did have was predominantly on the nose so we ended up motoring all the way and just putting up the mainsail for stability and visibility. We did 224 miles in 36 hours. We caught the tides to perfection around the Wash so we had more than our fair share of tide in our favour. The previous owner had tracked us on Marine traffic and apparently we hit nine knots at one point, apparently he was still watching us as we entered Shotley at 0330. That is dedication.

So now to explore the East Coast, can't wait.
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You're almost opposite me (y)
 

I attach a video of your proposed trip in reverse. Going south you have the advantage that if you have made use of the tides you will arrive with adequate water to enter harbours. The problem with this trip is that there are not many suitable refuges once you have got past Whitby/Scarborough. The Humber is very busy and the tide in and out is very strong so it is a major diversion we opted to avoid. Lowestoft is the first and only sensible option in my opinion unless you have a shallow draft and want to explore some of the Norfolk inlets. I attach a second video of coming back on another occasion when I opted to go direct from Whitby to Harwich.

 
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