If you lived in Leeds where would you keep your boat?

[Kurrawong_Kid]

Get a small boat and sail/race at one of the many clubs in the area.

+1 and also keep your “big boat” for holidays and long weekends at one of the better suggestions above. For 50 years I have lived in Stourbridge(west of Birmingham) and kept “big boats” at places 3 hours drive away, and not moved home for reasons similar to yours; whilst sailing Dinghy racing at home.The most difficult part is the maintenance. You have to “production manage” each job before hand at home and make as certain as you can that you have all the materials, tools and labour ready to take with you. No trouble doing that if you live in Leeds, most supplies easily available there, unlike say Conway.

 

[Amulet]

Thanks again. I regard myself as a native, so I don't feel out of place despite much time spent in England, Germany and Australia. I'm not a Gaelic speaker, though my late wife (from Sunderland) was. My boat is 8 minutes drive away, and given that it is an old wooden thing most of the hobby is fannying around mending things, with the occasional chance to sail. She's almost 60 years old and was designed and built by my father, so it would be a tiny bit of a wrench to swap her for even the nicest narrow boat. If I give up on local and go for a remote boat it will be either Greece or Sardinia. The western isles is where I lived and learned to sail, so there is a strong love for the place, so I suppose an option of keeping Amulet here and living elsewhere is possible. There is something of a problem with the availability of local traditional marine expertise. This is not a criticism of those who are here, but when I sailed her in East Anglia there was a wealth of traditional boat enthusiasts to help. I'll just muddle on for now. Just had new rudder-hangings made - the most expensive hinges I've ever bought. Don't buy a wooden boat!

 

[Power2Sail]

Having lived in Leeds and had a boat in a marina. I would say the best and easiest to get to would be Hartlepool. Also one of the cheapest.

 

[Teko]

We travelled most weekends to initially hull,hartlepool then north shields from leeds l, yeadon tarn is 4ft deep and not suitable for anything bigger then a wayfarer

 

[Tammany]

Too be honest if I lived inland I'd keep a boat on an inland waterway. Wouldn't want too be too far away as would probably use it less if became too much hassle just to visit. Inland cruising has just as much appeal to me as exploring the coast. Maybe if you really want to sail as well buy a decent sized trailable dinghy to go with it for coastal dinghy cruising that you could tow anywhere in the country for holidays. Been watching Roger Barnes of the dinghy crusing association videos on youtube recently and too be honest it looks great. Can't understand why some travel 100miles plus to go boating, I suspect their boats hardly ever leave the marina. Out of sight out of mind.

 

[steve yates]

I think it depends what other interests you have. I seriously thought about moving to that general (Oban-y, Ardfern-y, Crinan-y) way but decided against because although it would have been great for sailing it would have been absolutely terrible for other things I like to do. Leeds has theatres, art galleries, an opera company, two dance companies. top-division football, rugby league and rugby union clubs, a thriving LGBT scene and a huge West Indian Carnival. Oban has a pipe band, a community cinema, a shinty team and a big stone thing.

In the end I choose to live somewhere with even less to do than Oban, but with much quicker and easier access to places where things do happen.

Aye, mebbe. I have a wide range of interests, but nothing would make me live in Leeds rather than Oban! (Says the man stuck in Essex against his will )