Ideal Round Britain yacht for singlehander...

[Fascadale]

Haven’t done it yet but thats the plan. Rather dreading the Lowestoft and over the edge of the known world simply because of the boredom. Leaving the boat over winter in the west and spending a whole season there seems sensible given the fantastic reports about the area.
Only thing holding us up at the moment are the very elderly dogs.

I would treat Lowestoft to Wick as a delivery. The cruising starts at Dunnet Head and continues all the way round to the Mull of Kintyre. Plenty of good places to leave boats on the West Coast for the winter.

 

[Daydream believer]

Deep keel is only a problem between Lowestoft and Hartlepool, a stretch that really does have to be treated as a delivery

My boat draws 1.75-1.800 & was no problem at all. As for Lowestoft to Hartlepool I am not sure what you mean.
I went Hartlepool to Grimsby to Lowestoft & there was no problem with depth except for entry to Hartlepool & Grimbsby which I timed OK both times round

 

[Daydream believer]

It's a slightly random question without mentioning your budget.

Assuming cash isn't the big issue, for me, a Pogo 30 with the carbon fibre mast and lift keel would tick all the boxes.

You would have back ache for being bent double for weeks on end. Check out the silly headroom.

 

[Daydream believer]

This is a great plan, great voyage, loads of wonderful places to visit. I've been round a couple of times and would do it again

I have been twice S H & somehow it gets addictive. I suspect you might feel the same if you have done it twice.
The first time it is a bit stressful as it is a "big adventure". Second time it is more enjoyable as one has already done it so the confidence is there.
But as I said to a friend as he phoned me to say he only had 5 miles to go "Do you want to go again?" his reply was "If the summer was longer I feel that I would like to just keep on going & not wait until next time"
I am trying to get time to do it just once more if I can !!

 

[Daydream believer]

Haven’t done it yet but thats the plan. Rather dreading the Lowestoft and over the edge of the known world simply because of the boredom.

If you are worried about boredom then the trip is not for you. However, Grimsby to Lowestoft took me 18 hours, (arrived 05-00), so it was hardly time to get boring with the navigation out of the Humber etc & approach past Cromer etc in the dark. Most of the time spent dodging pots (caught 3)
Hartlepool to Grimsby follows the coast so there is something to look at & i entered the Humber at night, entering Grimsby dock circa 03-30, so one can hardly get bored navigating that in the dark. The Humber is a very busy place for shipping & keeps one on one's toes when single handed in F5.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

If you are worried about boredom then the trip is not for you. However, Grimsby to Lowestoft took me 18 hours, (arrived 05-00), so it was hardly time to get boring with the navigation out of the Humber etc & approach past Cromer etc in the dark. Most of the time spent dodging pots (caught 3)
Hartlepool to Grimsby follows the coast so there is something to look at & i entered the Humber at night, entering Grimsby dock circa 03-30, so one can hardly get bored navigating that in the dark. The Humber is a very busy place for shipping & keeps one on one's toes when single handed in F5.

It’s all part of the challenge/fun.

 

[LittleSister]

Deep keel is only a problem between Lowestoft and Hartlepool, a stretch that really does have to be treated as a delivery

What, and miss out on Great Yarmouth and Grimsby, the jewels of the East Coast?

 

[photodog]

What, and miss out on Great Yarmouth and Grimsby, the jewels of the East Coast?

Done both, happy to miss em going forward.

Hull as well.

 

[westhinder]

I would treat Lowestoft to Wick as a delivery. The cruising starts at Dunnet Head and continues all the way round to the Mull of Kintyre. Plenty of good places to leave boats on the West Coast for the winter.

Not to be missed on the way are the Farne Islands and Holy Island / Lindisfarne. I also quite enjoyed Amble, Eyemouth and Stonehaven. Even Wick has its own attractions.
Treating the East coast as a long delivery does not do it justice. Compare that to a trip from Nieuwpoort to the top of Denmark...

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

My boat draws 1.75-1.800 & was no problem at all. As for Lowestoft to Hartlepool I am not sure what you mean.
I went Hartlepool to Grimsby to Lowestoft & there was no problem with depth except for entry to Hartlepool & Grimbsby which I timed OK both times round

Same; didn't have problems with my old Bruce Roberts 6 ft draft, a trip from Hull to Brighltingsea ; apart from when entering in Wells-next-the-Sea where the channel changes all the time

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

What, and miss out on Great Yarmouth and Grimsby, the jewels of the East Coast?

I did the trip and I managed to miss both "jewels of the East Coast" Grimsby and Great Yarmouth!!!!!

 

[Daydream believer]

What, and miss out on Great Yarmouth and Grimsby, the jewels of the East Coast?

I did not miss out Grimsby. The club was the friendliest of the trip. It was the only thing going for it because whoever put the "Grim" in Grimsby knew what they were talking about.

 

[Champagne Murphy]

Not to be missed on the way are the Farne Islands and Holy Island / Lindisfarne. I also quite enjoyed Amble, Eyemouth and Stonehaven. Even Wick has its own attractions.
Treating the East coast as a long delivery does not do it justice. Compare that to a trip from Nieuwpoort to the top of Denmark...

Whitby is quite fun too.
Newcastle, take the metro into town.

 

[Wansworth]

I did not miss out Grimsby. The club was the friendliest of the trip. It was the only thing going for it because whoever put the "Grim" in Grimsby knew what they were talking about.

......didn’t try Immingham then!

 

[Fascadale]

My boat draws 1.75-1.800 & was no problem at all. As for Lowestoft to Hartlepool I am not sure what you mean.
I went Hartlepool to Grimsby to Lowestoft & there was no problem with depth except for entry to Hartlepool & Grimbsby which I timed OK both times round

I quite agree, no real navigational problems on the east coast, but, where would you rather spend your time: plugging up and down the Humber to Grimsby and back or in Orkney or the Hebrides?

But if you do go to Grimsby then I also agree that the Humber Cruising Association marina in the fish dock is a great destination. Really welcoming and seriously cheap beer

(Similarly, I would not want to waste much time between Gigha or Glenarm and Falmouth)

 

[[3889]]

I would treat Lowestoft to Wick as a delivery. The cruising starts at Dunnet Head and continues all the way round to the Mull of Kintyre. Plenty of good places to leave boats on the West Coast for the winter.

So why do it? As suggested above, if you can overcome the psychological need to circumnavigate (which won't really be satisfied anyway if using the canal) do west coast, around the top, through the canal then back down west coast Ireland. No duff bits and lots of great bits.
Dont think the OP needs to change current, suitable boat for one which may not be ideal in the long term if planning to head south.

 

[Daydream believer]

I quite agree, no real navigational problems on the east coast, but, where would you rather spend your time: plugging up and down the Humber to Grimsby and back or in Orkney or the Hebrides?

But if you do go to Grimsby then I also agree that the Humber Cruising Association marina in the fish dock is a great destination. Really welcoming and seriously cheap beer

(Similarly, I would not want to waste much time between Gigha or Glenarm and Falmouth)

The beer is cheep because they syphon it out of the dock:ambivalence:
Newlyn is great.
I grant you that Milford Haven does make you a bit depressed but it is Wales so it is understandable.
But Dunlaoghaire & Ardglass are quite nice.
If you cannot find anyone to talk to in Ballycastle then there is something wrong with you. A good place to stock up.
Port Ellen - Well yeah!! gave that a miss second time round.

 

[Phildorset]

I'm doing a very similar trip, starting next spring and leaving the boat wherever I can en route when I need to be back at home, I expect the boat to be away for at least a year, maybe two. I chose a Django 7.70, twin keels, pretty spartan inside but it's got all I need. Not for everyone I appreciate, but no boat is. I'll follow your thread and wonder what you'll choose? Best of luck. P

 

[White_Belle]

We're heading off in early May next year anticlockwise from the Solent in our Westerly Tempest 31, fin keel (1.5m). We don't have any specific plans and will cheerfully leave the boat in Scotland somewhere for the Winter if necessary.

 

[iLens]

I did it this year in a Hanse 34 (1.9m draft) and had no problems anywhere. I was mainly single-handed, and the advantage of the Hanse is it has a self tacking jib and all lines are lead to the wheel(s). Most of the time this didn't matter, but several times in crowded areas it proved very useful not to have to leap about the cockpit when short-tacking.
I went clockwise (see log link below) but I found the east coast far less interesting than the west (I went up the Irish side), so maybe it's better to do the east first. Having said that, I really liked Wells-next-the-sea, Grimsby, Scarborough, Whitby etc. You can get all the way into Newcastle through the Winking-eye bridge to a pontoon. It's just rather the long boring coastlines between the ex-fishing ports that gets a bit depressing. Wick-Whitehaven-Peterhead worked well to break up the Moray Firth. Don't go through the canal - Orkney is essential and the area north of Mull is the best cruising ground of the whole trip. Lastly, I agree with another post you need to tell your insurer what you are doing (especially as you will be sailing alone at night - magic!), and you will need a reliable autopilot. Have a great time!