Hull marina for sail cruising?

[Skylark]

Just musing, what's Hull marina (and surrounding waters) like for sail cruising?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Just musing, what's Hull marina (and surrounding waters) like for sail cruising?

If you like North Sea passages OK I guess.

 

[Andibs]

I was there for a couple of years and more times than not, couldn't get out because no river, only mud flats.

Have to go out on a flood tide and carefully time things to make sure you can get back in. Strength of tidal flow is a bugger at the best of times.

I moved the boat to Northumberland and got out more times in a month than the previous year.

Andy

 

[Poignard]

If your boat has a shallow draft and her mast in a tabernacle, you might get some ideas from that very enjoyable book "Holmes of the Humber", by Tony Watts.

https://www.waterstones.com/book/ho...d-times/tony-watts/ian-mcmillan/9781907206399

 

[Seastoke]

And it is wild around the bars that surround it.

 

[Ceirwan]

I can maybe help, as I've sailed this area all my life.

Hull is probably the nicest marina on the Humber in terms of location, right in the heart of the city centre. The access is decent, 3 hours either side of high water, so basically 12 hours in any 24 hour period, or close enough.
Grimsby HCA based in the fishdock is a better bet if you want racing and is actually better located as a cruising jump off point as you're closer to the mouth of the river, they also have a bar & in general a lot more actual sailing happen there. Access is 2 hours either side of high water when they get a level, outside those hours you can pen in and out using the lock, but there is a charge.

The other option is the HYC at Brough, these are mud berths, but fin keelers sit in it fine, but there are currently issues with the location of the mudbanks in the upper river that make sailing for anything not lift keel to be quite difficult. Access is 1 to 1.5 hours before HW on springs, to only at HW on neaps, or somethimes not at all if its a very shallow tide.

Whenever you stay, you need a seaworthy boat and a good engine is a help, tides run more than 6 knots in places, and it can be a horrible place with a wind against tide on springs. 20 knots of wind with 6 knots tide and another 6 of boatspeed means all of a sudden you have 32 knots across the deck.
You need to be careful with navigation at all times in the upper reaches, the chart is published every 2 weeks., there's also a lot of shipping movements to content with.

Neap tides are often the best times to enjoy the river, less tidal flow, less shipping movements, and more water at low tide.

In terms of cruising destinations, quite limited, most round Britain sailors tend to go from Lowestoft and skip the Wash and river.
But to the North you have Bridlington (OK), Scarborough (very nice), Whitby (also very nice). To the South you have the Wash, all the ports here are very tidal and to be honest, not worth the hassle. But you have Kings Lynn, Wisbech, Boston is trickier unless you can drop the mast.

Wells next the sea is an easy passage from Hull / Grimsby and you can do it in a day, and is well worth a visit, again very tidal, but good facilities once you get to the (dredged) pontoon at the town quay.

Everywhere else in the area requires a boat that can dry out. Once you are out the river, to the south Lowestoft is the closest place with 24 hour access, to the North you are looking at Whitby or Hartlepool. So its challenging area to cruise.

Its not a bad jumping off point for the Netherlands, Ijmuiden is about 36 hours depending on the boat, or Den Helder is a little closer. Though an easier passage is to go to Lowestoft and then jump across from there.

That said, for all the bad points above, it does have its moments, and in nice weather can be really rewarding, you'll also learn a lot more about navigating & pilotage than you would in an easier stretch of water.

 

[Skylark]

Kind of you to post, @Ceirwan very informative. My boat draws 2.1m.

My prime objective is to reduce road mileage but there are few, viable for me, options.

 

[Ceirwan]

Kind of you to post, @Ceirwan very informative. My boat draws 2.1m.

My prime objective is to reduce road mileage but there are few, viable for me, options.

2.1 is a lot, but still workable, I'm 1.95 and its a little tricker than when I was 1.6, but not hugely so.
Have a look at the map & see what's around, but in terms of day sail locations, you're talking Brid / Scarborough to the North & Wells to the south. All of them you can get into with your draft if planned.
All in all, the coast is quite exposed, and the only truly safe harbours in any conditions are Hull / Grimsby, then Lowestoft to the South & Hartlepool to the North.

In terms of very local from Hull, you just have Grimsby or Goole, neither are particularly places worth a visit in their own right.

For day sails, most people go down river with the ebb, maybe anchor at spurn point or somewhere else depending on the wind, & come back with the flood.
If you purely want a jumping off point for going up and down the coast, then Grimsby is better situated as you're at the mouth of the river, and is better managed than Hull.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

On the Humber, there's South Ferriby, on the river Ancholme. Locking in and out restricted by tide, of course, and the Ancholme is used for drainage so occasionally it is emptied!

But the problem with anywhere on the Humber is the very strong tidal stream, which effectively means that you have to go with the tide unless you have a planing powerboat. Sailing against the tide is a non-starter.

 

[Ceirwan]

On the Humber, there's South Ferriby, on the river Ancholme. Locking in and out restricted by tide, of course, and the Ancholme is used for drainage so occasionally it is emptied!

But the problem with anywhere on the Humber is the very strong tidal stream, which effectively means that you have to go with the tide unless you have a planing powerboat. Sailing against the tide is a non-starter.

I'm not sure how long its been since you last visited, but its not really an option anymore, the place is a shell now, I popped down a few weeks back, one boat in the water that looked like it was ready to sink. The yard just full of derelict hulks.

As I understand it now, the lock needs 24 hours notice as well now & the place is so silted up that the last person I know who visited last year, had to stay alongside the lock as the ran aground trying to get to a berth.
Its a real shame, because in the past it used to be a busy place.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

I'm not sure how long its been since you last visited, but its not really an option anymore, the place is a shell now, I popped down a few weeks back, one boat in the water that looked like it was ready to sink. The yard just full of derelict hulks.

As I understand it now, the lock needs 24 hours notice as well now & the place is so silted up that the last person I know who visited last year, had to stay alongside the lock as the ran aground trying to get to a berth.
Its a real shame, because in the past it used to be a busy place.

That is a shame. It's 60+ years since I was there, and then it was a thriving place.

 

[Caer Urfa]

Maybe to far away for you but look at Royal Quays Marina on the Tyne, access is 24/7 not problems with depth and 20 min marina to open sea, North you have Blyth, Amble and the Farn Islands Eyemouth etc
South Sunderland, Seaham, Hartlepool Whitby Scarborough etc

 

[Ceirwan]

That is a shame. It's 60+ years since I was there, and then it was a thriving place.

Its been on a bit of a downward slide since Rodney who used to run the chandlery passed away. (a long while back now)
Like you say, its a shame & its nice quiet location.

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Its been on a bit of a downward slide since Rodney who used to run the chandlery passed away. (a long while back now)
Like you say, its a shame & its nice quiet location.

No chandlery or boatyard when I was there. But that was at least 60 years ago.

One thing that I find strange is the silting in the river. I recall that in winter, and even occasionally in the summer, the water level in the river was lowered to drain the land upstream, increasing the flow rate. That would, of course, prevent silting such as shown on Google Earth. I can't help but think that the silting must make land drainage upstream less effective - and that's what the river, sluice and lock are all about.

The main drawback was the white lime dust from the cement factory and the aerial bucket chain that brought limestone from the quarry to the factory!

 

[Supertramp]

I have never sailed the Humber but know it well from the land. A challenging and limited place to sail unless you can take the ground. There is a fine passage anchorage inside Spurn Head, and others up the coast in offshore weather. My view is the West coast offers better sailing and more possibilities for short cruises.

But it does have a train station nearby which is another way to reduce road miles.

 

[Skylark]

I have never sailed the Humber but know it well from the land. A challenging and limited place to sail unless you can take the ground. There is a fine passage anchorage inside Spurn Head, and others up the coast in offshore weather. My view is the West coast offers better sailing and more possibilities for short cruises.

But it does have a train station nearby which is another way to reduce road miles.

Thanks for commenting. I’m a north Wales sailor by heart but had to move to The Clyde when nature played a cruel hand to Holyhead. My now local waters are 24 hour access in any direction and the scenery is simply stunning but 4 1/2 hours by car or 6 by train is wearing a bit thin.

Reading the comments within the thread, really kind of people to share the experiences, I don’t think that Hull matches my cruising aspirations, unfortunately.

 

[Laysula]

Thanks for commenting. I’m a north Wales sailor by heart but had to move to The Clyde when nature played a cruel hand to Holyhead. My now local waters are 24 hour access in any direction and the scenery is simply stunning but 4 1/2 hours by car or 6 by train is wearing a bit thin.

Move house.