New Boat

[SteveE]

Taking delivery of a new Sealine F33 end of March, been reading lots of posts here and have been very helpful, She will be moored in Port Solent and we are looking forward to seeing the South based members on the Solent...

A couple of questions, are there many F33 owners in the forum? and having read many of the pros and cons of Port Solent have many people had real bad experiences there?

Steve

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[byron]

Spot the berthee

<font color=blue>Welcome Steve, s'easy to spot Solent berthees. The men mince along with one hand on their hip, the women have hairy legs and a 5 o/c shadow. Brighton berthees are usually bruised and battered from their Saturday night punch ups, well the women are. The men are busy doing the chores assigned them by their womenfolk. Ramsgate berthees are lanterned jawed upright cool dudes in designer gear who think nothing of popping across the channel for dinner. Their women are blonde leggy and only wish to please their menfolk. Thames users are solid trustworthy types with an eye for flower arranging and origami. Welsh Berthees sneak around at night nicking each others fenders. Medway berthees don't clean their boats as they consider that to be poofy, they throw mud at them instead. Lastly there is Haydn who as yet has not been classified because Tutt will not let observers too near him.


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[SteveE]

Re: Spot the berthee

Thanks for that byron, I will print that and keep it under the chart table for quick referance...

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[DepSol]

Re: Spot the berthee

glad you missed out the ci but jersey and solent berthees seem similar.


<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

2003 is going to be a good year for me

 

[petem]

Port Solent

Kept my boat there for the 2 years that we owned it. Port Solent is good fun, let's face it there's plenty of days when it's too windy/grotty to take the boat out and at PS there's plenty to do. After a while the 10knt journey throught the harbour gets on your nerves but some people enjoy it.

The main problem is the lock. Don't get too worried about handling the boat in and out - the main thing to suss out is how to beat the queues.
1) Aim to come and go during freeflow.
2) If it's going to be a busy day then go through the lock before breakfast, moor up on the outer waiting pontoon then have your breakfast/wash, etc.
3) Listen to the VHF, if a queue for lock out is starting to form then get yourself on the queue, even if you're not quite ready.
4) When returnion to the marina, if there's a massive queue and you're in a rush then moor up on the outer waiting poonton and ask the marina to park it for you later.

If you do cock it up big style in the lock, don't worry you're not the first. A mate of mine managed to get his boat sideways and jammed across the lock. They had to get the marina tug to un jam him. Another friend managed to accidently turn his boat round in the lock meaning that he had to come out backwards!





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[byron]

Re: Port Solent

<font color=blue>Jeeze! how would you lot cope on the Thames. From my house to tidal is 27 locks and I have to do it single handed.

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[SteveE]

Re: Port Solent

Tetem,

Thanks for that, we will see how it goes this year and make up our minds in the winter if it is worth another season, we plan to return to Windsor in the winter to take the boat out of the water and get it ship shape for next year..

Thanks again...

Steve

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[BrendanS]

Re: Port Solent

As a matter of interest, how long does it take you to get down to tidal, and how do you time it?

When I was based at Wargrave, day trips mid summer used to be a pain as at locks like Marsh at Henley the queues could be enormous..waited in turn for over an hour and a half once, which was a real pain because when the queue was that long, there would be a flotilla of boats all juggling to maintain position (apart from the few up front who could moor up)...constantly playing with throttle and steering especially if there was any wind.

Very noticeable that the bigger boats with twin engines had an easier time of it.

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[byron]

Re: Port Solent

<font color=blue>It takes me two hard days travel to get to St Kats. I usually take 3 days. It can take me a week or more if I get ambushed and forced to join in revelry of one kind or another. I never travel at weekends, just moor up at a convenient pub, yacht club or a mates house for the weekend.
I agree about the jockeying against wind and current one sees in lock queues but I guess that is what makes so many Thames boaters good at boat handling.

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[SteveE]

Re: Port Solent

Ouch... I thought I was hard done by haveing to allow a day to get from Windsor to tidal during the week!!!!

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[tcm]

Re: Port Solent

not sure the thames is the happiest place for those zoomy engines is it? Aren't they a bit turbocharged?

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[byron]

Re: Port Solent

<font color=blue>Once I am down there I am there for weeks on end. Last year I was coastal from May - September. This year I am going to have more Thames time doing all the social bits like Henley Regatta, Festival etc. Might even get some pretty flowers and put them in a jamjar on my saloon table.

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[SteveE]

Re: Port Solent

Have not had the pleasure yet, she arrives from Sealine on the 28th, 2 weeks on the Thames to get used to her and then of to the South Coast to try them out....

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