Newbie Help: Sailing on the North East Coast

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ukChris

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Hi all, being new to YBW and to sailing, I was wondering if someone could please suggest what length of yacht would be suitable for my intended use:

I would like it to be trailerable so a lifting keel or possibly bilge would be preferred, and would like to go around the UK North East coast (Northumberland specifically). I don't intend to do much / any sailing further than say five miles out, but would like to be able to sail it in conditions other than flat-calm. I wouldn't be using it in rough weather, but would like to be able to cope with choppy conditions and be confident that I could stay out overnight there in a bay.

Budget is quite restrictive /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif but have been looking at between 18 and 22' used yachts. What do you think?

Also, what's the North East coast like for sailing?

Thanks.
 
Welcome to the forum.

The 1st thing you will need is a chart or even an AA book of maps - Northumberland is nowhere near the UK Northeast coast! As for type and size of boat ... my best offer is go and find your local sailing/yacht club and find out what they sail and why. The local perceived wisdom is not infallible but is usually based on many years experience.
Just a thought - 5 miles out in the North Sea will probably take you more than an hour to get back to shore and an hour is quite enough for our weather to go from "don't like the look of that cloud" to downright nasty.
If you are brand new to sailing, you could do worse than start off with a dinghy to learn the rudiments and find out what "floats your boat". Joining a club will lead to a variety of opportunities to sail on other boats and from there you may find your choices easier.
 
first of all when the sea gets rough up there its rough and if you ever get problems any where near whitby then bewarned they may rescue you but you wont have any thing left on your boat after they do as they are all theiving ba**ards up there.
 
As m'learned friend Captain Awol implies the UK and England are not synonymous. That aside you will find the Northumberland coast offers some interest. Holy Island and the Farnes are probably the highlight and you can reach Eyemouth in a day from Amble or Blyth.

I'm not sure about trailer-sailing as you need to find a suitable slip each time but you can sail any sort of boat you like really. My boat (long keeel) was based in Blyth for 59 years and seems to have provided her various owners with a good deal of enjoyment.
 
Thanks for the welcome and the reply - albeit pedantic geographic reference. Sorry to offend any Scottish readers, I meant Northeast <i>English</i> Coast.

I've tried small dinghy sailing and would like to 'upgrade' to something larger, but yes I agree a trip on one would be a good start! Amble marina's quite near me, I'll probably take a trip there.
 
What about a local boat - one of the all aluminum Extraverts? Not pretty to look at, but tough as old boots and go quite well. Lifting keel and trailerable, 7m long. Their main home port is Blyth. If you're interested get somone from the Royal Northumberland Yacht Club in Blyth to put you in touch with a current Extravert owner so see if there are any for sale.

Here's one...
extranef.jpg

and another...
2007RNYC134.jpg
 
Thanks for the replies, I hadn't heard of the Extraverts - I'll have a look into it. How much would you say a reasonable condition fully rigged one would cost second hand?
 
£4k would be a reasonable start for a sailable and equipped one but maybe cosmetically tatty. There aren't a lot of them and they haven't been made since the late 80's, but being aluminum they're likely to go on for a long time yet.

The builder was Dalton Linkleter, who is now retired.

An similar alternative by the same designer is an E-Boat. Their main home is Edinburgh way. They have a website here...

E-Boats
 
its a long and painfull story of what happend to me up there in whitby but i will post it with photos and clippings from the whitby local bullsh*t paper and what the mca said to me and the corrupt council . /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif
 
Chris, Welcome to the forum. I am no expert on sailing in the North East tho I was born in Newcastle., and have saild up there twice from down south. The North East is very very high on my list of places to explore and I wish you well in finding the boat to do it in. As others have said, the North Sea seems to be a funny place. It is relatively very shallow and like many places, can catch you out if you arent paying attention. So maybe there is the first suggestion. Always think about what you are doing, always be aware and always think about safety, maybe get into the habit of running through some "what if" scenarios in your head as you are sailing along. The choice of boats is endless, and I think the best advice I could give, is get one that floats, get one thats as safe as you can make it, learn how to sail, then go sailing. Be safe, and enjoy ...................
 
Thanks for your post CentaurP - it's nice to hear someone's enthusiasm for sailing up here, I'll keep in mind what you said about having to keep your wits about you. Approx what length of boat would you say is safe and seaworthy for the type of sailing I am after (I mentioned it in the 1st post in this thread)? Would a 20-22ft'er be up to it?

Thanks /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
What about a Hurley 22? I have heard good things about them but have not sailed on one. I think I have read that they are quite sea-worthy and you should be able to manage one single handed as long as you have had some prior sailing experience.
 
The Hurley 22's look great, and it seems that some have bilge keels as well so that would do the trick. Morgana you mentioned that it would be fine on the NE coast - even to stay over on?
 
Well, i've done a couple of nights on one with two other normal sized adults and it was just fine.... there is a decent sized forepeak berth, and the two saloon berths are both useable by an adult.... its a well thought out little craft.... and safe and solid as well....
 
Also, what's the North East coast like for sailing?

I'm based at Amble. There you are straight into the Heritage coastline. It is beautiful. there are various places eg. Alnmouth, Boulmer Haven, Low Newton that provide anchorages free of charge. Launching can be done at Amble, Boulmer and Seahouses or even Holy Island. All free or very cheap. The jewels are the Farne Islands (several anchorages) or Holy Island where you can anchor in the natural harbour or dry out on mud.

The drawback is swell! Winds from NW round to SE lift the swell. That makes our shallow entrance harbours dangerous.

Go to www.tmtr.com/rally to find much info and pilotage on all the places you will visit.

Welcome to the NE coast.
 
I'll definitely look into the Hurley 22, seems like there is quite an age range with different designs all classed as 'Hurley 22' - for example the 1967 looks quite different to 1985. Is there anywhere that lists the different stages of design? Would be good to compare before trailing to look at each one.

Thanks Teredo, sailing around Northumberland sounds great, can't wait to try it. I'll make a note about the swell...

Both Alnmouth and Amble are well within distance for me to use, so they will probably be the launching locations of choice. I'm probably going to be visiting the Amble yacht club today and a few other days to see if anyone's around or any boats for sale - it's only ten mins down the road.
 
[ QUOTE ]
first of all when the sea gets rough up there its rough and if you ever get problems any where near whitby then bewarned they may rescue you but you wont have any thing left on your boat after they do as they are all theiving ba**ards up there.

[/ QUOTE ] I've sailed up here for 20 plus yrs, You are right about the sea, As for the rest, Total Bollocks! If you had a bad experience in the North East (Of England) it's a shame, but tarring everyone with the same brush just demonstrates your ignorance of both the area and the vast majority of the people who live and sail here, As for getting in some sailing Chris, we're based in Hartlepool, should get re-launched in the next week or two, If you fancy a trip or two I'll PM (Flashing red icon) you my phone number, Regards, Mike.
 
Well said!!!

I once had a bad experience in Kent. I fell out with one person, not the whole county!

As Mike said Chris, come and try it for yourself. My last boat was a Pegasus 700 (7 mtrs) and sailed brilliantly round here. I sold it for 4grand,

Andy
 
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