Isle of Man - Disabled Guest - Lots of Firsts, Advice Welcome!

[ColourfulOwl]

I'm currently planning on sailing from Fleetwood Marina to the Isle of Man around the 29th of March and spending the bank holiday week pottering around the Isle of Man with the plan to return to Fleetwood around the 6th of April - weather dependent of course.

This will be my first time doing a single handed passage longer then 5 hours. Due to the tides it also means I'll be leaving during the night, which will also be a first for me, as I want to arrive at IoM in day light. And during my time at the Isle of Man, I'm intending (weather depending) to try and spend more time on the hook then in the harbours. This will also be my first time anchoring my own boat, and first time trying to anchor single handed (thankfully I have an electric windlass). Quite a few firsts in that list

I'd be interested in getting some localish knowledge from anyone who sails this area for things to look out for or even recommendation for things to do at this time of the year. My current route would have me going south of the wind farms, I'm presuming at those depths fishing pots are not something I need to be too concerned about during the night?

At present I haven't fully mapped out my passage plans, and I won't be able to do so until closer to the time when I know what the weather is going to be. But In general I suppose the default plan would be to get into Douglas.

I've seen Salty Lass's videos about Douglas and their general recommendation would be to get on the habour wall rather then the pontoon due to how tight the habour is. My boat is roughly the same length as theirs, only being .5m shorter. Any advice on how to dock against a harbour wall single handed? This would also be a first - In general coming alongside is something I've not really had to do all that much either as my boat is on a finger pontoon that I go astern into.

I know a lot of it is going to be trail by fire, but any wisdom people can share would be greatly appreciated as It'll help me be better prepared

Even though I've said a lot of this is single handed, my mobility limited/disabled mum and little chorkie will be joining me for this. The actual boat stuff is single handed. Having looked at the satellite view of Douglas and Peel, I'm presuming Peel would be more mobility friendly as we would be able to grab a pontoon berth. My mum is able to step on and off the back of the boat okay due to the swim step, but getting on and off at the side would be tricky because of the life lines and my decks are quite high - even as some at 6 foot 2, I find it difficult to step up on to the decks from the side and that is with a fender step! I suppose my question here is two fold, what is there around Peel? And for anyone who does frequently have mobility/disabled people on board, do you have any tips and tricks for helping them to get on and off the boat?

 

[LittleSister]

When I had someone with limited mobility visit my yacht I released the lifelines and pulled them out of the way to make it easier for my visitor to get on and off the boat. My lifelines on that boat were secured/tensioned by thin cord lashings (wound round the fittings numerous times to give the required strength), so it didn't take long to do this. It would have been even faster had I had the luxury of pelican hooks securing/tensioning the lifelines.

That boat was fairly small (23') and had low freeboard by modern standards, so the height above the marina pontoon was not an issue. For your higher decks you might consider purchasing and carrying with you some folding (but sturdy) steps for the task. (You might find them useful yourself!) The size of the steps' feet might be important, depending on the pontoon surface. Steps with a handrail would be an major advantage, but might be too bulky to store aboard a boat.

I think that it will be important to consider to what extent your mum will be able to move around the boat OK, and especially to get between the cockpit and below. Unless the weather is very calm, it can be seriously unpleasant to be below, especially if unable to see the horizon, in waves and swell, particularly if she is not used to being aboard a boat. (I think it might perhaps be a journey too long and exposed if she is not.)

Good luck, and I hope you both enjoy the trip.

 

[wingcommander]

Hi . Just my tuppence worth . A good starting point would be spend first night at Piel Island. Then your not restricted by lock out of Fleetwood and can plan an early dart across , all daylight. Call it a 12 hour crossing, so you'll experience a full ebb and flow. If you go directly from Fleetwood you'll be pushed south 9f the windfarm for the first six hours then the opposite for six , so yes trying to go north is silly
Still its a long passage ,so an East Side of the island would definitely be my aim , either Douglas or Derby Haven ( anchor or moorings) weather permitting. Then maybe head for Douglas marina or around to Peel next day .
IOM has some very interesting tidal flows see below.
Ime planning a similar crossing myself this spring/ summer . I have done it solo in the opposite direction coming back from Scotland to Preston ( night crossing) due to my window to get into the Ribble and found it relatively easy though a little tired.
Best of luck with your plans . We may cross paths.

 

[ColourfulOwl]

Hi . Just my tuppence worth . A good starting point would be spend first night at Piel Island. Then your not restricted by lock out of Fleetwood and can plan an early dart across , all daylight. Call it a 12 hour crossing, so you'll experience a full ebb and flow. If you go directly from Fleetwood you'll be pushed south 9f the windfarm for the first six hours then the opposite for six , so yes trying to go north is silly
Still its a long passage ,so an East Side of the island would definitely be my aim , either Douglas or Derby Haven ( anchor or moorings) weather permitting. Then maybe head for Douglas marina or around to Peel next day .
IOM has some very interesting tidal flows see below.
Ime planning a similar crossing myself this spring/ summer . I have done it solo in the opposite direction coming back from Scotland to Preston ( night crossing) due to my window to get into the Ribble and found it relatively easy though a little tired.
Best of luck with your plans . We may cross paths.

That's exactly the plan on the return leg. The tide times for the return on the 5th, 6th or 7th are roughly 8, 9 and 10 respectively. The idea would be grab a mooring at Piel the night before, and set off to get in on the morning tide the following day. In 2026 I'm planning on doing a full circumnavigation of the UK, bold given how little experience I currently have - bought my boat in July last year with no prior knowledge of sailing. I know I can do the majority of the loop in day light, however I'm sure there will be situations where I will have to night sail. I figured this little passage could be a way to shake things down and figure some stuff out. During my day skipper in September last year we did a night sail as a part of it, I personally didn't mind it and had no issues spotting the lights etc, but the other's on board weren't fans and did struggle to spot things a distance away. I don't think I'll have much issue with the actual night sail, especially as I'm planning to not need to drop anchor or pick up a mooring in the dark single handed. There's just a few things I need to watch for around the channel getting in and out of fleetwood, there's that unlit pole thing people seem to constantly hit and has demasted 2 boats in the last 9 months, the beach as you round corner past the ferry terminal is awfully close / likely completely hidden in the dark and I know some of the bouy markers are no longer lit.

I was thinking, obviously weather permitted, I might head for the south coast. Castletown bay, and Derby Haven give good options for a quick place to drop anchor and catch up on sleep before attempting to get into a tight harbour. With St Mary being right next to Castletown and having mooring bouys, I figured that would be a great back up to atleast feel secure. The adrenaline will be pumping for most of the first night/day and it'll kick in again when it's time to anchor. With it being my first time anchoring, I'm not sure whether I'd actually be able to get a good kip or not - hence looking for mooring bouys.

I'm going to be at the boat this weekend taking stock of and organising things, wiring in the new 12v tele, measuring anchor chain and installing the new Rocna 20kg. If you want to say hi in person feel free to pop on by. I'm on E pontoon

When I had someone with limited mobility visit my yacht I released the lifelines and pulled them out of the way to make it easier for my visitor to get on and off the boat. My lifelines on that boat were secured/tensioned by thin cord lashings (wound round the fittings numerous times to give the required strength), so it didn't take long to do this. It would have been even faster had I had the luxury of pelican hooks securing/tensioning the lifelines.

That boat was fairly small (23') and had low freeboard by modern standards, so the height above the marina pontoon was not an issue. For your higher decks you might consider purchasing and carrying with you some folding (but sturdy) steps for the task. (You might find them useful yourself!) The size of the steps' feet might be important, depending on the pontoon surface. Steps with a handrail would be an major advantage, but might be too bulky to store aboard a boat.

I think that it will be important to consider to what extent your mum will be able to move around the boat OK, and especially to get between the cockpit and below. Unless the weather is very calm, it can be seriously unpleasant to be below, especially if unable to see the horizon, in waves and swell, particularly if she is not used to being aboard a boat. (I think it might perhaps be a journey too long and exposed if she is not.)

Good luck, and I hope you both enjoy the trip.

I've not actually looked at how my life lines are connected to my pushpit so I've dug out the photo's I took when viewing the boat. I only have one photo of that area, but it looks like they are connected using a pin style connector, and then the line itself is tensioned using a simliar screw type thing as the standing rigging.... I should probably know the names of those things . My only issue would be the spray dodgers/shields on the side with the boats name. They are currently attached with table ties, I'll have to figure find some short rope or bungee cord instead.



I do actually have a small step that could be used on the dock, but it's probably not as sturdy as I'd like. I current use it to get in and out of the 'garage', which is the port aft locker which is about 6" deep and about the same in length. That's definitely something to pop on the to get list before we go

My mum's been fine actually moving around the boat in the past. Arguably it's easier then at home as there are hand holds everywhere on the boat. Ironically I'm the only person in my family who gets sea sick, everyone else doesn't, and I'm the one who bought a boat to live from I have no concern that my mum will be fine with the longer passage, the question I have is whether or not I will Over time I've started to get better with my sea sickness, and it usually passes quite quickly after feeding the fish once or twice. But It is something I'm still trying to figure out a solid method that works for me. I've been taking Sturgeron tablets during my last few outings and as long as I take them on time, I've been fine, and thankfully I get no side effects on them. I will be bolstering those with lots of cups of tea and ginger biscuits during the passage

 

[SteveA]

That's exactly the plan on the return leg. The tide times for the return on the 5th, 6th or 7th are roughly 8, 9 and 10 respectively. The idea would be grab a mooring at Piel the night before, and set off to get in on the morning tide the following day. In 2026 I'm planning on doing a full circumnavigation of the UK, bold given how little experience I currently have - bought my boat in July last year with no prior knowledge of sailing. I know I can do the majority of the loop in day light, however I'm sure there will be situations where I will have to night sail. I figured this little passage could be a way to shake things down and figure some stuff out. During my day skipper in September last year we did a night sail as a part of it, I personally didn't mind it and had no issues spotting the lights etc, but the other's on board weren't fans and did struggle to spot things a distance away. I don't think I'll have much issue with the actual night sail, especially as I'm planning to not need to drop anchor or pick up a mooring in the dark single handed. There's just a few things I need to watch for around the channel getting in and out of fleetwood, there's that unlit pole thing people seem to constantly hit and has demasted 2 boats in the last 9 months, the beach as you round corner past the ferry terminal is awfully close / likely completely hidden in the dark and I know some of the bouy markers are no longer lit.

I was thinking, obviously weather permitted, I might head for the south coast. Castletown bay, and Derby Haven give good options for a quick place to drop anchor and catch up on sleep before attempting to get into a tight harbour. With St Mary being right next to Castletown and having mooring bouys, I figured that would be a great back up to atleast feel secure. The adrenaline will be pumping for most of the first night/day and it'll kick in again when it's time to anchor. With it being my first time anchoring, I'm not sure whether I'd actually be able to get a good kip or not - hence looking for mooring bouys.

I'm going to be at the boat this weekend taking stock of and organising things, wiring in the new 12v tele, measuring anchor chain and installing the new Rocna 20kg. If you want to say hi in person feel free to pop on by. I'm on E pontoon

I've not actually looked at how my life lines are connected to my pushpit so I've dug out the photo's I took when viewing the boat. I only have one photo of that area, but it looks like they are connected using a pin style connector, and then the line itself is tensioned using a simliar screw type thing as the standing rigging.... I should probably know the names of those things . My only issue would be the spray dodgers/shields on the side with the boats name. They are currently attached with table ties, I'll have to figure find some short rope or bungee cord instead.

View attachment 173853

I do actually have a small step that could be used on the dock, but it's probably not as sturdy as I'd like. I current use it to get in and out of the 'garage', which is the port aft locker which is about 6" deep and about the same in length. That's definitely something to pop on the to get list before we go

My mum's been fine actually moving around the boat in the past. Arguably it's easier then at home as there are hand holds everywhere on the boat. Ironically I'm the only person in my family who gets sea sick, everyone else doesn't, and I'm the one who bought a boat to live from I have no concern that my mum will be fine with the longer passage, the question I have is whether or not I will Over time I've started to get better with my sea sickness, and it usually passes quite quickly after feeding the fish once or twice. But It is something I'm still trying to figure out a solid method that works for me. I've been taking Sturgeron tablets during my last few outings and as long as I take them on time, I've been fine, and thankfully I get no side effects on them. I will be bolstering those with lots of cups of tea and ginger biscuits during the passage

I'm based at Roa Island and have taken the trip to Douglas and Peel on many occasions - as well as visiting Fleetwood. I would suggest that there's no need to call into Piel first ( you would be against an ebb tide) and know several who go straight to Douglas from Fleetwood. Unless there is maintenance going on you can go through the wind farms, it is recommended that you keep at least 50m clear of each leg. Plan on taking between 8 and 10 hours to get there so leaving FW at HW would mean getting to Douglas when the flap gate is down.

 

[V1701]

Sounds like you have a good handle on things, I don't know your area at all but would just wish you luck, single handing is very rewarding. I swear by Stugeron, whether it's placebo or not doesn't really matter but I've been out in some horrible conditons & been fine with it...

 

[ColourfulOwl]

Sounds like you have a good handle on things, I don't know your area at all but would just wish you luck, single handing is very rewarding. I swear by Stugeron, whether it's placebo or not doesn't really matter but I've been out in some horrible conditons & been fine with it...

Didn't end up making it to the Isle of Man. The sea state was incredibly confused and rolly, plus the cold night made us all a bit sea sick lol. We ended up heading to Piel Island for the night. And then the following day we followed the coast up to Ross Island (White Bay) and spent a night on the hook there. First time anchoring went pretty smoothly, other then us being a bit further out then ideal. The forecast didn't quite match predicted, so it meant we spent all of last night in a giant washing machine. We came back on ourselves and are now in White Haven Marina. Getting into this marina was interesting with the double locks, not something I've ever dealt with before, but the guy at the sealock control was incredibly helpful and even helped with the lines etc.

We're planning on heading back down the coast to Fleetwood on Thursday, possibly stopping over at Piel Island again before heading back in. Weather permitted.

All in all its been a nice fun adventure out and it's been great to get to do some proper sailing. It flagged a few issues with my boat but nothing I can't tackle and try to
fix myself... well, other then the rigging. Spotted one of the backstay turn buckles only had a few turns on it (only about 4 threads were actually taking the load), it didnt even have enough of the line through the buckle to be able to even put seizing wire on it. Where all the other turnbuckles ony have about 1cm outside of extra thread outside of the buckle. I've tighted it down slightly, just enough to get the hole in the wire visible so I could put some seizing wire in place, however it has made the stay wire quite firm, with about .5 - 1cm of wiggle to it.

Need to get a proper Rigger to do an inspection and retune at somepoint but there don't seem to be many near my home port of Fleetwood.

 

[dunedin]

Didn't end up making it to the Isle of Man. The sea state was incredibly confused and rolly, plus the cold night made us all a bit sea sick lol. We ended up heading to Piel Island for the night. And then the following day we followed the coast up to Ross Island (White Bay) and spent a night on the hook there. First time anchoring went pretty smoothly, other then us being a bit further out then ideal. The forecast didn't quite match predicted, so it meant we spent all of last night in a giant washing machine. We came back on ourselves and are now in White Haven Marina. Getting into this marina was interesting with the double locks, not something I've ever dealt with before, but the guy at the sealock control was incredibly helpful and even helped with the lines etc.

We're planning on heading back down the coast to Fleetwood on Thursday, possibly stopping over at Piel Island again before heading back in. Weather permitted.

All in all its been a nice fun adventure out and it's been great to get to do some proper sailing. It flagged a few issues with my boat but nothing I can't tackle and try to
fix myself... well, other then the rigging. Spotted one of the backstay turn buckles only had a few turns on it (only about 4 threads were actually taking the load), it didnt even have enough of the line through the buckle to be able to even put seizing wire on it. Where all the other turnbuckles ony have about 1cm outside of extra thread outside of the buckle. I've tighted it down slightly, just enough to get the hole in the wire visible so I could put some seizing wire in place, however it has made the stay wire quite firm, with about .5 - 1cm of wiggle to it.

Need to get a proper Rigger to do an inspection and retune at somepoint but there don't seem to be many near my home port of Fleetwood.

Sounds a great trip. Always a good “plan” to not try to stick to a fixed goal / destination but adapt to suit the weather.Good call

 

[SteveA]

Didn't end up making it to the Isle of Man. The sea state was incredibly confused and rolly, plus the cold night made us all a bit sea sick lol. We ended up heading to Piel Island for the night. And then the following day we followed the coast up to Ross Island (White Bay) and spent a night on the hook there. First time anchoring went pretty smoothly, other then us being a bit further out then ideal. The forecast didn't quite match predicted, so it meant we spent all of last night in a giant washing machine. We came back on ourselves and are now in White Haven Marina. Getting into this marina was interesting with the double locks, not something I've ever dealt with before, but the guy at the sealock control was incredibly helpful and even helped with the lines etc.

We're planning on heading back down the coast to Fleetwood on Thursday, possibly stopping over at Piel Island again before heading back in. Weather permitted.

All in all its been a nice fun adventure out and it's been great to get to do some proper sailing. It flagged a few issues with my boat but nothing I can't tackle and try to
fix myself... well, other then the rigging. Spotted one of the backstay turn buckles only had a few turns on it (only about 4 threads were actually taking the load), it didnt even have enough of the line through the buckle to be able to even put seizing wire on it. Where all the other turnbuckles ony have about 1cm outside of extra thread outside of the buckle. I've tighted it down slightly, just enough to get the hole in the wire visible so I could put some seizing wire in place, however it has made the stay wire quite firm, with about .5 - 1cm of wiggle to it.

Need to get a proper Rigger to do an inspection and retune at somepoint but there don't seem to be many near my home port of Fleetwood.

The Ship Inn on Piel has reopened and will soon be serving food again. For your rigging I would suggest Andy at Impact Marine or Stuart from Glasson Dock.