London Numpty

[roblpm]

Ah.... here comes the problem.

Compromise.

If you want a low cost entry, with a decent 70s/80s boat with low mooring costs then you have to take the rough with the smooth.
Most swinging moorings will need a dinghy, even if there is a trot boat at times.
If keeping a non sailing wife happy is part of the criterion then imho you can rule out a swinging mooring. You can also rule out a 70s/80s boat. You would need a 2000s plus 34 footer plus with decent heads, shower, hot wster, galley and bed. You will need nice pontoon access.

That will cost a completely different scale of funds.

So without compromise you will prevaricate forever and never buy a boat. There will never be the right time to meet all your requirements. Or compromise and you can meet many of your requirements today.

Yeeha. Though. The only thing I disagree with is that it doesn’t need to be a 34 footer. My Parker 275 before was comfortable and had hot water. However I think the pontoon access is probably essential. My Parker was 1991. So I think the correct compromise is spend the money on a marina. Buy the most comfortable boat from the mid 90s!

 

[Egret]

Apologies - missed that robplm (#41) above is the OP so favours a marina. For a mid way compromise, Brightlingsea as an example has a water ferry until 2300 on Fridays and Saturdays in the summer and 1900 on other days in summer, but realistically I wouldn't want to be afloat overnight without a dinghy of some type even though it is very sheltered but it could be kept on board. People will be able to tell you if there is anywhere similar in the Medway area. The question of 'facilities' - if the kind of toilet with basin in it's own little cabin on any of the Hunter Horizons and similar, or another Parker 275, or the Westerly Regatta is acceptable, then a smallish boat of that type may be viable. Brightlingsea harbour for example has very neat clean showers, toilets and washing machines etc at the marina for all BHC mooring holders on an electronic key. Clubs can also let members have keys to showers, and there are the clubs, eating pubs, shops, chandleries, repairers etc within easy walking distance. Moorings likely to be available will most likely touch bottom at low tide, as nearly all do, but the mud is soft and can cope with a fin keel. A larger boat with full facilities will of course be more civilised and won't necessarily cost a lot - possibly less than a beach hut.

 

[Daydream believer]

Brightlingsea harbour for example has very neat clean showers, toilets and washing machines etc at the marina for all BHC mooring holders on an electronic key.

Brightlingsea mid river pontoons do not have water & electric. Plus if one is on a pontoon for long one will want to go ashore numerous times a day. The cost of the ferry soon mounts up & for 2 persons @ £4-00+ for a return trip becomes silly money. One may as well be on a mooring & use a dinghy. There is a marina, but one should check if that is available long term.
As for showers, a boat comfortable for 2 persons would be eminently better with decent shower facilities, so shoreside is less important. But that is a personal preference. The OP may not care.
There is little of interest in the town & really it is the sort of place one vists a couple of weekends a season for short jollys.

 

[Egret]

It's all a balance of facilities against cost in any location, and access to the type of water the OP wants to sail in - as example the pontoon berths in the middle are about half the price of the marina and individual moorings on buoys tethered fore and aft are about a third - moorings a bit further up the mud are about one fifteenth of the cost. Moorings will be quieter. Is the boat mainly for sailing or more of a weekend out of town cottage which might need a bit more luxury, There are lots of possible places. Maybe try a number of locations before deciding or move around. Boat type and mooring location may be separate decisions. Have you followed up the Westerly Regatta / Griffons, or the offers from the Medway clubs?

 

[potentillaCO32]

Brightlingsea mid river pontoons do not have water & electric. Plus if one is on a pontoon for long one will want to go ashore numerous times a day. The cost of the ferry soon mounts up & for 2 persons @ £4-00+ for a return trip becomes silly money. One may as well be on a mooring & use a dinghy. There is a marina, but one should check if that is available long term.
As for showers, a boat comfortable for 2 persons would be eminently better with decent shower facilities, so shoreside is less important. But that is a personal preference. The OP may not care.
There is little of interest in the town & really it is the sort of place one vists a couple of weekends a season for short jollys.

We enjoy staying at brightlingsea for a visit. The sea wall walk is interesting and having french marine there proved helpful. I take your point over the cost of the ferry. Even with two of us it added up over a couple of days in the summer.

 

[justanothersailboat]

I have had quite a few happy nights sleeping on a Queenborough mooring, only rarely disturbed by a large coaster. I've liked it much better than sleeping in marinas, to be honest, I sleep far better. I imagine most of the Medway isn't that different though some bits are busier - it'll be very specific to the exact spot. And the trot boat there is included and runs til 9 in summer, which is pretty good for getting down from work. I don't think many places have anywhere near such accommodating boat arrangements, sadly. Arriving after work and having to blow up an inflatable tender is definitely a significant step less convenient.

 

[mullet]

Does anyone have any advice about how it is sleeping on the swinging moorings on the Medway?

Gillingham Reach where I keep my boat can be a bit bumpy in a north easterly, comfortable the rest of the time. I’ve not moored overnight upstream but I’d expect it to be more sheltered in all conditions. River traffic noise and wakes have never bothered me.

If I were considering getting to a boat on the Medway using public transport I’d be looking at one of the clubs or marinas on the Gillingham/Chatham side of the river because they are much closer to the stations, easy walking distance to some of them if you are not heavily loaded. There are some good club options on the Upnor side but needing taxis or an extra leg of public transport to get to them would quickly get tedious for me, it would be limiting if trying to catch the tide after work or especially when public transport and cabs are scarce such as coming ashore late or early. I’ll often drive down to sort the boat for a sail and the rest of the family will come by train later - getting to a mooring on Gillingham Reach from the station is pretty painless.