River Hamble/Solent Moorings double the price of River Orwell, is it really twice as good?

Paulfireblade

Paulfireblade

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Almost all of my sailing both training and chartering has been in the Solent, the nearest I have sailed to Suffolk is the Medway in Kent. Now thinking about buying a boat and although no one buys a boat to save money (how do you make a small fortune owning a boat - start with a big one!)
I do feel value for money is worth consideration.

I enjoy sailing in the Solent during the Winter when it is quiet so how does sailing from the River Orwell compare, I would prefer a deep fin keel for sailing windward so is that going to really limit where I can go. What do people think who have sailed both?

I would be interested to hear your thoughts.
 
My view on the Solent, and Hamble in particular, is that it operates in an economic bubble sustained by London types to whom yachting is an inelastic activity, an attitude which enables many service providers to charge accordingly. Good luck to them, if you have the £££ enjoy it, but if like me, cost is a factor in choosing a sailing location there are multiple, preferable locations. Relatively time rich, I find Brittany kicks the Solent into the long grass on all counts. I think the concept of ploughing through mud on the E coast is overstated. There are plenty of deep water destinations, but, if you have the moolah and the inclination, go for it and enjoy the fine dining offered at the Jolly Sailor and Master Builder?
 
The solent can be a great base for many destinations with numerous options for different time frames.
Swinging moorings can be had in portsmouth harbour from £450 per year .
It does not have to be marina prices for everything.
 
I draw 5 ft and chose the East Coast and have absolutely no regrets. There's supposedly a more relaxed vibe than the Solent, most people seem to think it's better value, but I'd say that, wherever you sail, you'll find bargains, if you look hard enough... So... Perhaps think more about your journey times etc... Happy sailing!
 
Paulfireblade said:
Almost all of my sailing both training and chartering has been in the Solent, the nearest I have sailed to Suffolk is the Medway in Kent. Now thinking about buying a boat and although no one buys a boat to save money (how do you make a small fortune owning a boat - start with a big one!)
I do feel value for money is worth consideration.

I enjoy sailing in the Solent during the Winter when it is quiet so how does sailing from the River Orwell compare, I would prefer a deep fin keel for sailing windward so is that going to really limit where I can go. What do people think who have sailed both?

I would be interested to hear your thoughts.
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Those of us who sail the East Coast would rather not tell you of the benefits otherwise it will get crowded! ☺️

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk
 
I assume you trained with Elite in Chatham, if so you would have walked by the bow of Concerto. Over the years I have sailed and moored in plenty of places in in the Solent ditch, but I prefer the Medway and the East Coast as it is more relaxed with few hoorah henrys doing sailing. Weekends in the Solent means many of the Hamble boats head for the popular haunts of Cowes, Lymington, Yarmouth, etc. If you arrive after 2pm you may find on very busy weekends that the full sign is hoisted. This rarely happens on the East Coast and I can have a full day sailing and still find places to moor.

For me the Medway is closest to home for me and only takes 20-25 minutes either way depending on the time of day. It is a fairly wide with plenty of places to learn how to cheat the tide and quiet anchorages, it also has little commercial traffic. You should seriously consider berthing as close to home to maximise your sailing time. If you are considering the Orwell or nearby I would suggest you get a copy of the East Coast Pilot. East Coast Pilot One of the authors Dick Holness is a forum member with the handle Cantata. The other excellent book is Crossing the Thames Estuary by Roger Gasper, forum member Tillergirl.

Sailing on the East Coast will certainly cost you a considerable lot less than the Solent. If you marina berth expect a £4000 saving.
 
I live near Southampton so the Solent is where I keep my boat.

I like: many places to go within a few hours. Lots of friendly clubs. Access to a whole range of services.

I hate: mobos that run at top speed, cut me up and leave a 2m hole in the water that scares the **** out of anyone who is sailing with me.

Nowadays, I look forward to leaving the Solent for longer summer cruises.
 
I've kept a boat in both.

The East Coast definitely generally more relaxed, friendly and cheaper than the Solent. Much more peaceful. There's plenty of water deep enough for a 6ft keel around the Orwell, Crouch etc., but you'd be missing out on a lot more shallow water and short cuts, and be much more time restricted by the tide for some entrances/moorings etc. Sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies, and not subject to big swells, though you can sometimes get an ugly chop with wind against tide in the shallow waters. Handy for trips to Belgium, Netherlands and northern France. Good supply of quiet (and free!) anchorages. Scenery is, shall we say, an acquired taste, and generally variations on a theme, rather than the diversity of the Solent. Lots of interesting/entertaining wildlife - birds, seals, etc. Not so good for getting ashore in most places as steeper coasts. Enough commercial traffic to add a bit of interest, without lots of big ferries to bother you.

I liked the Solent, especially in the winter when it was quiet (I remember sharing it with just one other boat one Christmas morning!), and the relative proximity to the West Country and Brittany, but it wasn't often a relaxing place to sail.

Another advantage of the East Coast is the East Coast Forum, which is a particularly friendly, helpful and aggro-free corner of the YBW forums.
 
the solent is great;

Price wise we get ripped off in the solent.

Anchorages are often rammed in Summer.

The water is often churned up by mobos and you have to book at many of the harbours (which irritates the hell out of me)

but it's sheltered, pretty, and there's always somwhere to go. But not particularly quiet unless you try really hard.

However, we've sailed with friends out of brightlingsea and that's great, and the east coast rivers and the Thames estuary are also great places to weekend sail with loads of places to stay

The solent can be done for much less than the outrageous mooring prices in the marinas, by joining a club or taking up a swinging mooring so the actual boat running costs can be kept under control.

As for getting work done, it cuts both ways imho - yes there is the expertise, but there's almost more demand than people, so getting good, timely service is very very difficult; that's not saying that they are all too busy or have a "can't be arsed" attitude, but there are quite a few that do; which is a shame.

you pays your money and takes your choice - I think if we lived closer I'd go and play in the mud for a while, but it's a 2 hour drive from home to the solent and at the moment, that's far enough
 
LittleSister said:
I've kept a boat in both.

The East Coast definitely generally more relaxed, friendly and cheaper than the Solent. Much more peaceful. There's plenty of water deep enough for a 6ft keel around the Orwell, Crouch etc., but you'd be missing out on a lot more shallow water and short cuts, and be much more time restricted by the tide for some entrances/moorings etc. Sheltered from the prevailing south-westerlies, and not subject to big swells, though you can sometimes get an ugly chop with wind against tide in the shallow waters. Handy for trips to Belgium, Netherlands and northern France. Good supply of quiet (and free!) anchorages. Scenery is, shall we say, an acquired taste, and generally variations on a theme, rather than the diversity of the Solent. Lots of interesting/entertaining wildlife - birds, seals, etc. Not so good for getting ashore in most places as steeper coasts. Enough commercial traffic to add a bit of interest, without lots of big ferries to bother you.

I liked the Solent, especially in the winter when it was quiet (I remember sharing it with just one other boat one Christmas morning!), and the relative proximity to the West Country and Brittany, but it wasn't often a relaxing place to sail.

Another advantage of the East Coast is the East Coast Forum, which is a particularly friendly, helpful and aggro-free corner of the YBW forums.
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A good summary IMHO

One factor that I don't think has been mentioned is that the east Coast Rivers are a larger cruising ground than lake Solent, for example the Orwell to the Medway is 60 miles while a similar distance from Yarmouth would get you half way across Lyme Bay.

I often contemplated keeping my boat on the East Coast during the summer and moving to the Solent in the winter but the passage between the two can be tedious.
 
Where ever you boat ,keeping it half way across the country from home seems a curious allocation of precious time. !
Would suggest that the East Coast does present more in the way of challenging ones boating skills.
 
It's best to live where you keep your boat.
The Solent area is a great place to live and work.
Also the racing culture is pretty good in boats of all sizes.
I used to race different boats four times a week.
For cruising, France is there for a long weekend.

I'm sure the same applies in places on the East Coast, and probably on the Clyde too.
But people who live miles inland and ask which place to keep their boat will always be outsiders.
 
Crowds are an issue in the Solent, but it doesn't have to be expensive to moor if you're willing to compromise. A deep water mooring for a fin keel would be a fraction of the cost of a place in a marina. Even a tidal or semi-tidal mooring could suit a fin in Pertsmouth Harbour's gloopy mud. If you get one from Gosport Boat Yard, you won't even have to blow up your dinghy much of the time as they have a "free" water taxi. If you have a bilge or lift keel, the options are even cheaper.
 
oldgit said:
Where ever you boat ,keeping it half way across the country from home seems a curious allocation of precious time. !
Would suggest that the East Coast does present more in the way of challenging ones boating skills.
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We are in north bucks so closest would be Chatham and so far I have been lucky travelling to Elite training around the M25 roundabout but I know my luck won’t hold for long. Solent and Suffolk coast both around two hours but Solent can easily stretch another 30 mins if snarled up near Oxford and some of the Suffolk Marinas look fairly rural increasing my chance of tempting OH to join me.
 
Concerto said:
I assume you trained with Elite in Chatham, if so you would have walked by the bow of Concerto. Over the years I have sailed and moored in plenty of places in in the Solent ditch, but I prefer the Medway and the East Coast as it is more relaxed
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I did my first training weekend with Elite a couple of weeks ago as my previous School in Solent still not reopened. I will be back at Chatham to do a mile builder, so that should be fun.

I will get a copy ofEast coat pilot, thank you.
 
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