River or Sea?

[petem]

I kept my last boat on the Solent and really enjoyed it. I've alway though river boating to be a bit boring, but as I live in land locked Gloucestershire I could be convinced otherwise.

I'm not trying to take the piss (for once) and would be interested in answers to the following.

1) Does going up then down the same bit of river get boring?
2) Would I be better on the Thames rather than the Severn?
3) For a fairly young chap (me) with a family, which parts of the Thames would hold the most interest?
4) Is it all old fogies on the river?
5) Isn't it a bit grim owning a planing motor boat and never being able to get it on the plane?
6) Which is safest for a young (6yrs old) child?

Thanks, Pete

 

[sjnewport]

We kept several boats for over 10 years on the River Avon at Bristol and holidayed every year to the Severn.We travelled many times to both Stourport and on the Avon to Stratford and both very enjoyable.Not too much hard work especially on Severn as locks are done for you.Great hospitality at both Upton and Tewkesbury marinas and Glouscester docks very good for a visit.Also locking into Bristol docks on longer weekends away and seeing the sights there are good.I suppose we take them for granted seeing them all the time.And if you go with a non fly bridge model could take up to Bath.Moorings right in the centre of Bath..great for visiting.
Recently we have changed to a trailable boat and have taken her to both the coast alittle bit and the Thames.
Had 2 holidays on the Thames,doing both the bottom non tidal and tidal bit to Thames barrier and last year the whole length of the Thames,right up to Lechlade.
Excellent river and could go back year after year.Up to BWB controlled rivers we have used wonderful facilities,aall locks done for you,fresh water readily available,rubbish points.etc.It may seem silly to get excited over this but the River Avon at Bristol has no facilities at all like the Thames.and a months license just over £30 for our boat.... good value
Must say also still get a kick out of looking at holiday snaps of our boat with Windsor Castle and Houses of Parliament in the background!!!
Found river not crowded at all in August,always found moorings and dearest bankside was £5 per night and very often found free spot to stop and BBQ!!!
Don't forget from the Severn you can also access the Bristol Channel..not as daunting as some would have you think,and I am a very cautious easily frightened crew member!! Even better with marinas now at Portishead and Watchet and several on the Welsh coast.Haven't used them yet but are excellent according to friends that have.One problem thoguh the top half the water is definately brown unlke Solent,but gets blue around Tenby I think.I am sure someone on forum will correct me if I am wrong!!
We have friends from Bristol docks who have gone to both Padstow and over to Ireland on their 2 weeks hols, so you don;t have to permanently be stuck inland.
Although with our towable one now able to vary boating alot more..this year Esater on Thames,Spring break in Solent summer fortnight west coast of Scotland.
All of this has been enough to keep active 10 year old happy for his boating life plus of course the dinghy!!1
One other thought a friend had kept a boat at Poole for about 7 years and has moved this year to Plymouth to cruise new waters so a suppose any stretch of water that you use week in and week out and have to keep returning back to eventually becomes boring even if we thoguht Poole was brillient last year seeing it for the first time as a boat owner And I am sure people have moved off the Thames to see pastures new.
Oh and by the way we have a redundant tent in our garage now that we bought a few years ago when we had bigger boat based on one river so we could do different types of holidays!!So I suppose motto everything becomes boring after a while!!!
Cindy

 

[coliholic]

We've boated on the River Ouse in Cambridgeshire for the last five years or so and are now going to the sea for a change, so here's my two Eurosworth:

1) Yes a bit. It's nice to be able to go out irrspective of the weather, but it can get a bit "samey". We've been in the same marina all the time we've been boating and have deifnitely got to the "that bush has grown really big this year hasn't it" stage.

2) Never been on either. where are they?

3) Dunno

4) No. There are old fogies, young fogies, trainee fogies, bigheads, knowalls and some really nice folks of all ages and backgrounds. Some youngsters with young kiddies and oldies with\without grandkids too, who you can have a really good laugh with. We've had some great barbies with all sorts there. But of course there's some we'd turn the other way to avoid. Is that unique to the rivers? I don't thnk so.

5) Yes and No. Can do some really flash "wheelies" out the locks for a few yards and there's a couple of "quiet" stretches on the Ouse where, as long as you check first for fishermen, you can then turn round and clear out the turbo's. Got caught out once though, a fisherman moved in and was wading in the river after I'd checked and so coming back we went past him at about 18 knots. He didn't see the funny side of it though when the wake hit him. Better to do this in the close season for fishing.

6) Not boating at all is safest. Wearing a lifejacket is a pretty good idea. Making sure they can swim is also a good idea. Any young guests I have on board, I insist they wear a LJ. No LJ, we ain't going. Fallen in too many times myself to take it lightly esp with little ones. Oh and NO jumping off the boat onto the pontoon for anyone. Get the boat in close and let 'em step off. Improves your boat handling skills no end.

River boating, on the Ouse anyway, tends to be very social. Lots of "lets all meet up at X pub for a barbie\drinks\dinner" etc. Locks are good fun, get to chat to loads of people, 'cos we all have to work the locks oursleves. Don't think that's the case on the Thames, don't know about the Severn. Everyone's very friendly, except the narrowboaters who toddle along at 3knots and take up a whole lock and mooring on their own, though they tend to stick to their own crowd.

Overall it's not better or worse, just different. Worth a try esp if it's close to home and you can get to use the boat more. Ours is 5 mins from home so we tend to do a lot of summer evenings in the marina or 2 mile trips to town for a takeaway and watch telly and wave at the poor people walking by.

Just make sure you come off the plane before you go in the lock. Now where have i heard that before?

<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by coliholic on Tue Mar 5 23:52:20 2002 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[sjnewport]

Another thought that I didn't have in last LONG post!!We joined club when we started boating and they held great social events over the years,in fact ended up being commodore myself for 2 years!!!I think the clubs have a good following on any river because obviously from you starting point you nearly always only have 2 ways to go,up or down stream, and social gatherings are easier to organise and well attended.On coast so many ways for people to go and distances to cover from same starting point so not such a captive audience to organise social evevts from
Also with kids if lucky enough to have other kids at marina or club events you don't even have to entertain them as they seem to entertain themselves playing in field whilst you BBQ and drink beer!!
By the way River Ouse sounds good,Are there many launch sites on it,just a thought for the future!!
Cindy

 

[byron]

River boating (Thames view point) tends to be more of a social activity. There is always something going on which requires you to join in and/or watch. For kids there is far more for them to do. If you really wanted to you could go from Regatta to club events the whole season through. River boaters on the whole are way better boat handlers at close quarters than sea boaters can imagine (You should see people like MikeT or ChrisP handle a boat). Sea boating as you know is a more lonely activity requiring a different set of skills. I enjoy both but view both activities as two seperate worlds each having their own delights. On the River one gets to know everyone sooner or later, can you envisage knowing every boat on the Hamble? Indeed can you imagine a dinner & dance attended by people from every club on the Solent?
Last week we had just that sort of D&D and it isn't the only 'do' held during the year.

ô¿ô

 

[martinwoolwich]

Speak again 2003!!

I have exactly the same question but in reverse.

We've had a season on the Thames and really enjoyed it. We've done both Tidal and non-tidal and been all the way up to Oxford.

But all the questions you ask in comparisson River/Sea are exactly the same as ours have been. So this year we're moving down to the Hamble.

It would be interesting to check up with each other at the end of this season and get each others views!

 

[terryw]

We spent the last couple of years on the Ouse in Cambridgeshire, in fact our first years as boaters, and really enjoyed it. Never really enjoyed the locks, although they are great places to meet people.
We have got to the stage where we have seen that tree before, and "hasn't that cow moved since last time", and so we are now moving to the Solent in our new boat.
One word of caution if you are going the other way (ie Sea to river). Some locks are very narrow, the one at St. Ives in Cambs is just 11'-0", and some bridges and locks can be quite low, especially if you have a radar arch. It may be worth buying a river guide before you decide to move, or you may find yourself locked in to a relatively short stretch of waterway.

 

[coliholic]

Yes several slipways along the river. Might find some info at www.goba.org.uk. If you want more details send me a PM.

 

[hlb]

I think it's allot harder going from sea to river rather than the other way about. River to sea. Theres a chalenge and a feeling. That youve done some thing. I sailed round lands end and spent a winter up the Severn. Quite nice and very sociable, but I was soon board going up and down the same bits of river and every thing being too easy. So hopped it back to Plymouth.

Haydn

 

[Guest]

Agree with Byron each has its good points, the river has generally more to see and do, plus it gives guests
(crew) some involvement in and out of locks. I am up on the Thames after a year at sea during which time
I only got the wife out three times and that was when it was below F3.

She likes that fact that she can make drinks on the move on the river (hot or cold) walk about without
holding on etc.

What I do miss on the river is the challenge of plotting course, using my toys PC GPS VHF charts etc.
Greater sense of acheivement for skipper at the end of a well planned passage but of course purely
selfish and not so much fun for those guests on board who don't contribute to same.

cneighbour