How much better is sailing on the south coast compared to the north?

[MM5AHO]

Move to Scotland. The west coast of Scotland has the best waters for sailing in the UK. Not the most populated, just the best.

 

[awol]

Have you tried sailing in the North, it doesnt really read as if you have? The Firth of Clyde has signifcant dinghy racing and yacht racing.

Shhhhhhhhh! Don't get involved with the southerner squabbling. They'll just turn on you!

Not you too, Geoff!

 

[V1701]

If you can work remotely how about buying a boat to live on - rents and house prices are prohibitively high in a lot of places here on the south coast. I've been full time liveaboard for 10 years and love it, if I could work remotely I'd not stop at the UK south coast I'd keep on going south. Like you I'm originally from the Midlands, didn't set foot on a sailboat til I was over 40, can't see myself living in bricks and mortar again until I literally can't get on & off the boat safely any more...

 

[V1701]

Move to Scotland. The west coast of Scotland has the best waters for sailing in the UK. Not the most populated, just the best.

Bought one of your anchors today! 9kg for my Bowman 26 year off sailing next year. I am torn between doing round UK which would be mostly to sail & explore up there & just heading south & seeing where I end up...

 

[Laysula]

There's the South coast and the South coast. We sail out of Brixham and the local clubs have a very good mix of cruising and racing groups. I usually race on a Sunday morning through the winter and cruise throughout the summer.
We sailed for many years out of both Conwy and Holyhead and moved to the South 5 years ago.
If it helps your quandry, We wouldn't move back.

 

[Daydream believer]

Might be better to just monthly and muddle my way about until I find somewhere I like. Brighton has other useful land stuff like a near by gym etc. Boat draws 1.5 and has legs so might be fun on east coast.

Gym at Maldon & the Moorings at St lawrence bay are deep water so you do not need the legs in the sailing season

 

[lw395]

Personally I think it's all got to be balanced with work, family and other commitments,
There is a lot to be said for living near where you sail. The evening racing is often the best and doesn't take up a whole weekend. So I get a lot more sailing than if I lived or worked miles from my boat(s). That has a cost career wise. I'd have made more money and progressed further if I'd lived at the other end of the M3. More choice of jobs and more money. I've travelled a fair amount for work, but also worked at home some.
If you need to work near a big city, look at the places to live and sail nearby.
If you want your kids to sail, growing up in a coastal community may help.
The Solent is a reasonable balance, there is a fair amount of industry and commerce. It's not London, but it's not the back of beyond like Lyme Regis or Aberystwyth, both of which are arguably more attractive for sailing. These days, a lot of people need to know there will be another job nearby if the current one goes Pete Tong.
I dare say similar things could be said about 4 or 5 major estuary areas around the Uk? Clyde, Thames, Merseyside, Cardiff etc maybe depending on your field of work to some extent.

 

[RJJ]

Something often missed about racing - is it's the easiest and cheapest way to go sailing. There are always boats looking for crew, and if you're keen and punctual, you won't struggle finding a ride. Lots to be learned that way too.

Another way of looking at it - if you're gonna sail the Solent, might as well do something where crowds are considered fun.

 

[tonybarebones]

Your comment 'it just seems crazy' down south just about sums it up. In the Solent you can find facilitie for doing pretty any variation on boating. Trouble is everybody is trying to do it in the same place, and you will never, ever be on your own, except maybe in a January snowstorm, and even then there will be one or two other souls braving it. (I know, I've done it!)

Also, because of the crowding you will spend as much in a week here, as you do in a year 'oop north' and thats just for a mooring!

If you are a followerof the 'lonely sea and the sky', then dont come south! One thing you can guarantee: you will never be alone.

Cardiff’s the place to be...

Cheap as chips...

50 plus destinations within a tides sail...

Well sheltered from westerlies ...

Access nearly all tides, except big springs...

Good vehicular access...

Plenty of active clubs and marinas...

Don’t be shy give us a try...

 

[tonybarebones]

Hi all,

I've got completely obsessed with sailing over the past year, but continue to get increasingly frustrated with the lack of options where I live (Manchester).

I'm interested mainly in cruising on dinghies and yachts. But still have an interest in getting involved in some racing. There's a few clubs near me but everything is just incredibly slow to get started. I did my Dinghy level 1 & 2, but the club I did it at seems to be slowly dying as there's only ever a few boats out at a time. It also closes for 3 months over the winter. I looked at another club near me that seems more active, but I think they were unimpressed when I mentioned that I wasn't super bothered about racing. They want me to wait till some specific training day (IN APRIL) to get started.

I have Liverpool marina near me, but again, it's just all about racing.

Are things really massively better down south? I've seen clubs online with 1000's of members - just seems crazy compared to what we have up here.

I'm in a pretty fortunate position in that I can basically work from anywhere. Do you think a move down south could be worth it for the sailing opportunities?

Thanks everyone, really appreciate it.

I forgot to say if you need any further info then I’m your man...

Tony Davies

07816337904

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

The Solent and the nearby places (Chichester etc) is by far the most interesting sailing area. Also, Menai Straits its good for dinghy sailing and Blackwater/ Brightlingsea in Essex is good too.

 

[Jonny A]

If I were you I'd be on route to Dartmouth already.

 

[ashtead]

I would suggest”better” is dependent on what good looks like however as a Solent sailor who has in youth sailed oN the Norfolk Broads I guess that doesn’t qualiFy as the north. If you are seeking venues to visit in short cruising time protected from the worst weather excesses then the Solent has much to recommend plus being close to warmer lands of Brittany and the channel isles. If a good sail is a five hour trip arriving somewhere you can safely park up then provided you are either like the anchor or buoy or are nimble on the booking process then it has something to offer all types of crews be they wanting foo\d or ale or other entertainment. I suspect even solitude is on offer in the upper reaches of Chi harbour on a buoy or suchlike. Even Beaulieu can look fairly deserted at night. So the variety is there to suit all and even after sailing many great places for canoes,padleboards etc as well.

 

[Rafiki]

The east coast round Ipswich was on my list as somewhere vaguely close to places with jobs. I'm lucky enough to work remotely currently and dumb enough to want to live aboard (have inland for 8 years or so), but it's useful to be near somewhere with half decent salaries. Have settled on Brighton for now, doesn't look like the best sailing ground but I am far from the best sailor. Plan on working my way up the coast to Cornwall in summer.

Ipswich and that part of East Coast is good for cruising and some racing. From Ipswich Haven Marina you can walk to the Station and trains are 1 hour to Liverpool Street - right in the City where the real money is earned.

 

[Rappey]

Cant speak from experience of any sailing north but a big thumbs up for the south coast.
Based in Portsmouth Harbour the amount of places to visit within a short space of time is huge. It's about 22 miles out the solent west via the needles and then there is all the western south coast to explore.
Leave via the eastern end of the solent and 12 hrs later you can be in France.
Fareham,gosport and Portchester all have active sailing clubs.
The solent can be busy but it's easy enough to transit it without having to take collision avoidance as long as your paying attention to your surroundings.

 

[Concerto]

No one has mentioned the Medway. For the OP, if he decides he wants to move south for better sailing, then it should be on his radar for the type of sailing he wants to do. There are plenty of clubs that offer racing and cruising in cruisers and dinghies, and public slipways. The river has a long and wide estuary leading into the Thames. There is an organisation for all the clubs and boating interests on the Medway. About Worth looking through the web site. Marina berthing or moorings are roughly half that in the Solent, and having a boat for a liveaboard is not a problem. The Medway towns would be a cheaper option for a home than many of the South Coast towns and London is close by for higher paid work.

 

[jordanbasset]

Always found the sailing around Plymouth to be very good, some great places to go to within a few hours.

 

[Iliade]

The elephant in the room has yet to be mentioned... The weather!

It is a lot better to be based in the Solent in terms of comfort while sailing and number of days during which sailing is rational when compared to most other parts of the UK. I grant that there must be some fantastic sheltered sailing in Scotland, but you'll want to have eaten your porridge before going on the water!

One New Year we abandoned the C16th Sussex cottage we lived in at the time for the boat, based at Hayling, because it was so cold the underground sewage pipe froze. The sailing was very pleasant and unsurprisingly quiet.

 

[Skylark]

Work-Life-Leisure balance. Manchester is undisputedly the best city in the UK. I’ve lived south of the city for more than 30 years and wouldn’t dream of leaving, it has so much to offer.

West of Manchester is home to one of the best dinghy racing clubs in the UK. A good place to learn.

North Wales has some wonderful yacht cruising grounds. I’ve moored in Conwy and The Menai and spent 15 years in Holyhead. My boat is now in The Clyde. In retirement, I now have access to school boats based in The Solent and also The Clyde. The Solent is a great place to learn but is a cost prohibitive place to keep a boat. It seems unnecessarily expensive when there are so many equal or nicer places to sail at lower cost.

Leisure sailing in The Clyde takes some beating. There’s some breathtaking scenery. Many marinas, harbours and anchorages. Great place for day sails with many options for longer cruises.

 

[duncan99210]

Everyone’s been talking about locations, all of which are valid and relevant. However, I’m not at all sure what it is that the OP is chasing. He talks about wanting to do dinghy and yacht sailing, not focused on racing and using a club to provide his sailing. I’m not sure he’s going to find a club offering what he’s looking for, as all the clubs I know of are either totally focused on racing or offer mooring facilities for members using their own boats to either cruise or race.
Anyhow, I’ll throw in the Falmouth and the river Fal: fantastic scenery, great sailing and several clubs in the area.