Liveaboards and Marina towns in South England...

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ColinGreen

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Young couple moving to South England from the Caribbean. We would appreciate any info on living on boats. We're coming to England this summer and would like to check out any cool marina towns, live aboard communities, house boating canal scenes, etc... Interested in possibilities of commuting to or in London. Thanks in advance. Glad we found this forum. Carene and Colin, St. Thomas USVI
 
Unbelieveably expensive and waiting list for most places from what I here, in places they even charge for anchoring. Bristol and the east coast might be worth looking at. If the budget will stand it though there are some nice spots like Brighton. Try looking at the web sites for prices/availability.
 
Don't be dispirited by the replies so far there are places to sit and see the UK. It is true that there are lots of expensive marians but there are alos lots of town quays where the prices tend tp be more reasonable.

If you want to go into London try Katherine's Dock which is the marina next to Tower Bridge, Limehouse Dock a little further out and Poplar dock even further down the Thsmes (this has a hieght restriction of 15m).

Katherines Dock is easy walking distant into most of London. You'll probably need to book ahead but last time I looked the charges weren't high relative to the many other marinas in the south. Limehouse is the Thames end of the Grand Union Canal and has plenty of narrowboat liveaboards. Lots of narrowboats in Poplar dock but a little isolated situated as it is on the eastern end of Canary Wharf.
 
Thanks for the help so far... Keep it up! We're not dispirited in the slightest! Not mad either, the lack of 'culture', work and all-around quality of life in the islands is enough for us to make the move. Not to mention my wife is EU citizen and she can go into Nursing in London for free. The Caribbean is overrated -- Fun to visit, but living here sucks. Anyone else -- what about canals in Canterbury? Marinas in Portsmouth area? How long is the commute? Cheers CC + CG
 
Presuming by culture you are talking about wanting a spell of big city life, theaters resterants etc. I am sure if you want to live and work in the city you will find a place. If it was me I would look at a beth in the city, commuting into London seems to be the thing everyone complains about and it does sound hell. If you are already there much of the hassle goes away. Appart from accomadation I gather London is quite reasonable for cost of living. There are some other options you might look at. Bristol is a thriving place wih exellent night life and a historic port right in the centre with berths, there is a also a marina at the river ent entrance but don't know what it would be like to live in. Cardif is also a boom town with a very young vibrant culture and the new enclosed area formed by the barrage that has lots of berths. Liverpool is also a possibility, both liverpool and manchester (easily reached from liverpool dock) have very strong cultural centres but more contrast. All the places have major teaching hospitals as well as lots of other nursing opportunities. If you don't mind the weather Glasgow and Edinbough have also had a boost since devolution, same effect as Cardiff. Getting work in nursing would not be a problem in any of these places, in fact there is a still a substantial shortage in most areas of nursing for most specialisms so you could probably get works almost anywhere. One word of caution though, don't know if you have ever worked in the NHS before but they are not always that welcoming to 'outsiders' whether that is nursed who have worked abroard or even worked in the private sector in the UK, can be a bit tough for the first 6 months. Initially quite a good option is to signe up with an agency, you get to work in most of the local places and get to see what they are like. I used to reckon to get at leat 3-4 job offers a week and that's way out in Pembrokeshire!!

I will be doing the reverse next year, doing some travelling and working as a nurse as I go. Whats you experience of getting nursing work whilst cruising (my exerience is in industry (currently work in oils & gas construction as a site nurse) elderly and education. Will be looking more 'off the beaten track' rather than Med/Carribian. Mainly have you had any hassle with registration/qualifications and is it practical to work for reletively short periods?
 
Greenland dock might be another option in London, tube link a longish walk but jubilee line very fast into the centre. I was there for a while a couple of years ago (£50 a week for 33' boat), thriving liveaboard community but when I left there were changes afoot, not sure what it's like now. Are you sailing your own boat over or thinking of finding a liveaboard in the uk? There are also options in the Medway, about an hour south of london but might be a bit much commuting into london every day.
 
THANKS ALL... roly_voya -- I'll ask the wife about quals and work here... I know that she has to do school in the EU so she can be qualified to work there. An American BScN is worthless. You should check: http://allnurses.com/forums/index.php, it's been invaluable to us. Sounds like you want to be a 'travelling nurse' they call it. Work up to a year and then move on. We've moved down from NYC, so I'm thinking London will be downright civilized in comparison. 1 hours commute = time to get a good book. Cheers! cg+cc
 
[ QUOTE ]
1 hours commute = time to get a good book

[/ QUOTE ] Bear in mind that 1 hour's commute can also = lots of money. I live about 60 miles from London, in the direction of Southampton, almost exactly an hour by train to Waterloo station, and an annual season ticket is nearly £4,000.00 /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif It will be similar from Portsmouth, Brighton and also the Medway Towns, I suspect. I did the daily commute for about five years but wouldn't go back to doing it now. The sheer slog of the journey, with "defective trains" "operating difficulties" and "leaves on the line" can drive you to baffled fury.

If at all possible, I'd go for a liveaboard in one of the Thames marinas discussed here.
 
hiya, im living on my boat is gosport marina, just the other side of the water from portsmouth harbour. there are a few liveaboards here and it takes about 1.5n hours to get to london. its really nice, but we are leaving to travel and hopefully end up in the caribbean this xmas. it all depends on your budget. i know of some cheaper swinging mooring close by
 
we have lived on board for 8 yrs,inBrighton,Newhaven and Southwick.We have also lived in Caribbean(st maarten) for a few years so know both sides!!!It's ok here,easy links to London,but pretty good job scene down here too! If you are sailing over,it's pretty difficult to get a permanent berth if you tell them you liveaboard,if you are planning to buy a boat once yu arrive,you can usually wrangle a long term berth.We are leaving uk this summer to cruise french canals,and have a 9 ton hillyardsailing yacht sitting here for sale with a permanent liveaboard berth if you are interested!!!
 
Thanks for the info everybody... We don't have a boat yet, but may have one by the time we cross the Atlantic. Anyone out there Liveaboard in London itself? How hard is that to do? What about houseboats for rent? Thanks
 
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