Making my post retirement sailing plans!

[johnalison]

I would say that 2m is OK but pushing it a bit and will cause some limitations on where you can go and when. I would only choose such a draft if it were my intention to cruise further afield as well.

 

[Skellum]

I would say that 2m is OK but pushing it a bit and will cause some limitations on where you can go and when. I would only choose such a draft if it were my intention to cruise further afield as well.

Thanks John. Yes it is our intention to cruise further afield as well as explore the East Coast. Would 2m prevent us getting into the Deben or Ore? Brightlingsea?

 

[johnalison]

Thanks John. Yes it is our intention to cruise further afield as well as explore the East Coast. Would 2m prevent us getting into the Deben or Ore? Brightlingsea?

I'm 1.5m, which is not very different proportionally but canmake quite a difference on the water, if only psychologically. I am only a visitor to the Deben/Ore and don't know them in detail but entry would be easy enough if you are as conservative as we are, ie, just before HW. You might get neaped at the Tidemill I suppose but others will know better. You could certainly be neaped at Tollesbury. Your choice of anchoring ground will also be reduced, though most well-known places could accomodate you. Again, Brightlingsea is possible if you don't mind a few inches of keel in the mud sometimes.

 

[Skellum]

 

[PeterWright]

Hi Skellum,

We draw 1.83m (6 ft) and we have several friends with 2m draft m all keeping noats on the East coast (R. Orwell). We don't find this a problem. I have written before of my concept of "half tide ports" which I define as a port you can enter or leave in a 2m draft boat half tide or greater and that applies to many ports on the East coast. This year, for the first time (in over 50 years East coast cruising) I am a bit doubtful about the Deben and Ore bars, so go for HW =/- 2 hours, but it still works for many other ports. As half tide is more or less the same height for Neaps or Springs, this concept saves an awful lot of height of tide calcs.

Got back on Monday from a brief jaunt up the Ore / Alde entering and leaving at #~HW -1 with quite a sea running in a NNE5 on the way in - no problems. Anything with E in it makes that entrance uncomfortable, but we were in no danger.

Peter.

 

[Skellum]

Thanks Peter - that’s good to know.

 

[Paulfireblade]

Our boat is 1.9 M and you do need to be careful and some Marinas are out of bounds but a lot of places to visit before needing to go further afield and the Sailing benefits in my mind make the deep draft worth the effort.

We met a couple from Sheffield and they like the East Coast so much they berth their boat here.

A14 is an easy run from Cambridge and better value than South coast where your berthing estimate would double at least

 

[Skellum]

Our boat is 1.9 M and you do need to be careful and some Marinas are out of bounds but a lot of places to visit before needing to go further afield and the Sailing benefits in my mind make the deep draft worth the effort.

We met a couple from Sheffield and they like the East Coast so much they berth their boat here.

A14 is an easy run from Cambridge and better value than South coast where your berthing estimate would double at least

Thanks Paul. We had set on 2m as about the max we should look at - I get the feeling that’s the crossover point at which options for further travel outweigh the benefits of access to everything all the time. As we will be retired, we should have more flexibility on time afloat. From Cambridge EC was always going to win out over the Solent for both travel and berthing cost reasons.

 

[Skellum]

Actually I’ve seen a few boats on line that have wing keels (Starlight 35 and Sigma 362) which draw 1.5m or less. Any thoughts on these?

 

[Concerto]

Actually I’ve seen a few boats on line that have wing keels (Starlight 35 and Sigma 362) which draw 1.5m or less. Any thoughts on these?

They can be useful to gain access to shallower places. Also helpful drying out alongside.

On the otherhand, if you run aground on mud you will stick and less likely to reverse off. Drying marina berths are a problem as you do not sink into the soft mud as easily as a fin and the wings can hold you down when the tide rises.

My brother used to have a Contest 42 with a wing keel and had a problem with the cradles in Chatham Marina. The width of the wings stopped them moving the cradle with their tractor based lifting mechanism, so he could only be lift out by the crane and placed alongside the crane. Frequently he had to wait for this specific position as any heavy boat was usually placed there.

 

[Debenair]

I sailed out of the Deben for twenty years on boats drawing almost 2 metres. As PeterWright says half tide is your friend. Shingle is ok ish to hit as the keel carves through it but avoid sand which is like hitting concrete.

 

[cueball]

Im 2.1m, you have to be careful and plan your tides, but for the most part the sailing outweighs the creek crawling!

 

[sailorman]

Greetings from Hong Kong - a bit further East and warmer than most of you I know. I am brand new to forum membership although I have been "observing " for a while, so please go easy on me!

With the HK situation not being great, and with time on my hands as the office and the bars here are closed, and no sailing here, my thoughts are seriously turning towards retirement planning and a return to the UK - ideally in early 2022. We will be living in Cambridge, so it looks like the Orwell would be a sensible place to keep a boat. Mrs Skellum is also a very keen sailor so we would expect to be out and on the water regularly. We like the availability of a club - always good to chat with like minded folk after a day on the water and tap into the local knowledge. Having looked at the obvious places SYH looks favourite, but I guess there is no rush to decide on that and open to other suggestions.

Boat usage will be cruising rather than racing, with long weekends on board and some extended cruising to France etc.

At this stage I would appreciate a bit of help with understanding the financials as this will determine how hard I need to work in the meantime! Our previous boat in HK was a Ruffian 23 with an outboard, which is a different kettle of fish to the 33' boat that we think would fit our requirements in the UK. I am estimating c40k for the boat, which from online research ought to be sufficient to get a decent early-mid 2000s Elan 333 or similar which doesn't need any serious money spending on it in the short term - eg engine, rigging, sails all good for the next few seasons.

Breaking it down so far, I am estimating (in today's money) mooring 1600-3800 depending on whether we go pontoon or swing, 360-400 insurance (no racing), 250 lift in / out . Maintenance wise I wouldn't describe myself as particularly gifted, though I have been known to service a winch and change the valve on a Jabsco toilet, so for stuff like the engine I would need to pay for that to be done - any thoughts as to the cost of an annual service? Also how much to budget for an antifoul? Are there any annual boat registration fees in the UK? Additionally how much to allow in a typical season for anything unexpected that breaks during the year?

Have I missed anything? Are my calculations totally wide of the mark?

Thanks for your help everyone and hope to see you on the water in a couple of seasons!

make sufe your assetts are bdyond thd governmdntr reach since my discharge from hospitisl my personal card have cpst US 7000 BOAT VOUCHESAND COUNTING.good luckwithyr plans

 

[Skellum]

make sufe your assetts are bdyond thd governmdntr reach since my discharge from hospitisl my personal card have cpst US 7000 BOAT VOUCHESAND COUNTING.good luckwithyr plans

Thanks Sailorman and hope you are on the mend. I am booked to return to Blighty for a few weeks over the festive season and intend to spend some time checking out the east coast from land with Mrs Skellum just to get a feel of it. Cheers all.

 

[Dee Bee]

My only comment is that the marinas are getting quite crowded on the Orwell - Shotley is quite close to capacity for larger boats and I think Levington usually has a waiting list so you might need to suss out a couple of alternatives. Don't know about the Ipswich marinas.

 

[sailorman]

Your abilities are similar to mine, or rather, lack of. Antifoul and consumables , say £200 (polishes etc). Engine service can be significant at around £500. You may need to budget for visiting other places if you are doing extended cruising. Depending on where you go, this might be £20+ per night, though inland Holland and much of the Baltic is cheaper.

I don't set aside a fund for the unexpected, but this usually involves things like new sails or outboard and could be a few hundred to some thousands.

There seem to be plenty of vacancies around at present, so you should get what you want.

500 for an engine service sounds exwssiveto me.l did all my own maindnence.

 

[johnalison]

500 for an engine service sounds exwssiveto me.l did all my own maindnence.

I used to service my old Volvo 2002 on the Sadler but my 2030 plus saildrive is more of a job and I have relied on professionals to keep it going in the last 20 yrs. My £500 was a rough maximum to cover engine, saildrive + replaceables over the years. I can do oil and filter changes but that’s about the limit of my ability. Incompetence costs money, I’m afraid.

 

[Tasape]

I paid £430 for a basic service on a Volvo penta 2030b in April 2021 , at Foxs marina Suffolk . I bought this , my first boat , motor sailer in 2019 . She’s a jouet 940 ms , 31 foot twin keel , I’ve spent apr £10,000 on her , hull and keel work , drive shaft , prop , shaft seal etc , raw water pump , battery charger and batteries etc etc , she’s having the standing rigging replaced after Christmas . I intend keeping her for a season or two and selling or trading her in for a “ stink pot “ .

 

[LONG_KEELER]

I used to service my old Volvo 2002 on the Sadler but my 2030 plus saildrive is more of a job and I have relied on professionals to keep it going in the last 20 yrs. My £500 was a rough maximum to cover engine, saildrive + replaceables over the years. I can do oil and filter changes but that’s about the limit of my ability. Incompetence costs money, I’m afraid.

£500 wouldn't buy you a single tooth implant.

Probably just the Heli Coil bit and a one way Ryan Air ticket to Turkey. I would enjoy fine dining every day and risk having to turn up at work on a Tuesday now and then.

 

[sailorman]

Your abilities are similar to mine, or rather, lack of. Antifoul and consumables , say £200 (polishes etc). Engine service can be significant at around £500. You may need to budget for visiting other places if you are doing extended cruising. Depending on where you go, this might be £20+ per night, though inland Holland and much of the Baltic is cheaper.

I don't set aside a fund for the unexpected, but this usually involves things like new sails or outboard and could be a few hundred to some thousands.

There seem to be plenty of vacancies around at present, so you should get what you want.

Keep cash under the bed as funds in ths bank are easily found.l have to pay for mu oan health care now um home. And cozt over the past 6months ewuates to 7k pkunds. In thiz so cslled erlfRe state. I was discharged fron hospjtal unabls to stNd or walm. Due to inadiahate pbysio. So needed geslth careat homeas i had savings in excess of23'250i have to fund own carethe local social servicws arrange this packafe and add a 400 00 arangement fee on top. Bastids . I am a local council tax paysr of many yrs standing plus now virfually disavledqnd housebound.i hope yr retirement goes well1