Suffolk and norfolk YC

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paul salliss

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I have noticed that this yacht club has it's own marina, and have been thinking of keeping our boat there for a while, what is the cruising area like around there as I have little knowledge of that area of the coast, for us it would be same distance in the car to get to as the solent is, plus Holland looks to be about 100nm away

Any knowledge of this part of the world would be very welcome
 
Not a lot around that part of the world... Southwold is lovely, but not somewhere to go weekend after weekend... you'd be better off a bit further south IMHO (into south Suffolk or even Essex), and if you're coming over the Dartford crossing you're driving past that area anyway, so even closer than Lowestoft.... saying that, if The Broads appeals, then its handily located for access.
 
Leaving aside being able to lock into the Norfolk Broads, the nearest destination is Southwold which is about 10 miles away but has tidal limitations, the next destination further South is the Alde/Ore which is some 30 miles away.

If you are coming from Kent and want an alternative to the fleshpots of the Solent then one of the marinas on the Orwell might prove a convienant alternative at the RN&SYC.
 
That is interesting feedback, not sure the Broads is our thing, Solent is great but starting to think about a change, happy to do 2 hours in the car as we are just so used to it now, living in Sevenoaks,

Not sure about Essex, my last two boats were based there for around 6 weeks each so got a little feel for it in 2011 and 2012, it s a tricky one
 
paul salliss said:
I have noticed that this yacht club has it's own marina, and have been thinking of keeping our boat there for a while, what is the cruising area like around there as I have little knowledge of that area of the coast, for us it would be same distance in the car to get to as the solent is, plus Holland looks to be about 100nm away

Any knowledge of this part of the world would be very welcome
Click to expand...

You will need to travel a long way to get anywhere from Lowestoft, I would go for somewhere nearer to thames if you want to explore the east coast, yes its about 105 miles to the other side but how many times a year will you want to do that? Its an ok place to stay short term but wouldn't want to be there permanently. I live and work close by but wouldn't base boat there as you would soon get bored. Club is very nice though.
 
Lots of good advice here and much appreciated, it has got me thinking, I have been round this thought process before, perhaps east coast further south could be a good base for a few months it would be somewhere different and the journey to and fro would not be too bad at all for us
 
Agree that the Orwell would be a good choice.. its a really pretty river, and there is a wide range of destinations within sensible cruising distance, plus its easy to get across to Belgium, Holland and France.... good for the Thames into London too.... and finally, its quite powerboat friendly, with lots on the river already.
 
good for powerboats... i'd recommend Haven rather than Neptune, as I, and a number of other forumites can confirm that it can get a bit noisy at night that close to the town... Haven is still only a few minutes walk to decent pubs and restaurants though.

Its about 8 miles up the river to open sea, but that can be a very pleasant cruise in its own right, and als provides a good sheltered alternative to passage making when the weather is a bit less 'considerate'!

There are several other nice marinas up the river, from Foxes just past the bridge, to Shotley nearest the sea... all have pros and cons, and have forumites spread liberally across all of them!
 
You may wish to consider Titchmarsh Marina on the Walton Backwaters.

Close to great cruising ground around the Orwell etc, close to open waters, sheltered marina and sheltered anchorages nearby. Lots of open space around the marina and great beaches just a five minute drive away. A little cheaper than the Orwell marinas too.
 
Having moved around from the east coast to the south, Lowestoft Good for overnight stay, good place to stay if going to Holland as sheltered ,(when weighting for a good forecast )as others,s have said not a lot on the east coast unless you are prepared to travel long distances in your boat, we used to average one to two hundred miles per trip out and that's in a week end, saying that passage planning will keep you occupied unlike the south coast :)
Orwell is ok Ipswich good for swmbo ( shopping ) we had a couple of seasons in Neptune as Haven a long walk into town other marines are ok Woolverston worst for shelter on the outside of marine, what you will find on the east coast is that you will be restricted by the tide more,Orwell the exception , but then this make,s for more interesting passage planning as mentioned above, essex area ok if you live that area , good for weekend trips if based on the Orwell ,London good for a weekend trip as is around the Swale, Titchmarsh open and a bit Barron but on the right day very enjoyable ,
Well worth a look if you don,t like it move on, that's the great thing about boating :)
 
We kept our last boat at RNSYC for four or five seasons. No question that options for places to go are limited but it depends what you want. We had a great time because there was a nice bunch of people in the marina, the club is lovely with excellent food and there tended to be plenty going on e.g. lots of visiting boats, regular racing (sailing) and an active group of RIB owners. The kids effectively grew up there and thoroughly enjoyed it.

Most weekends we would stay in the marina with maybe a trip out to Scoby sands or to anchor off Pakefield (when calm enough) to mess about in RIBs etc. Southwold is a real gem and the Broads are close at hand for a weekend visit (but you have to pay a toll) and when we had a week or so off then the east coast is a pleasant cruising ground if you head south (Deben, Orwell, Blackwater, Crouch, Medway, Thames). Holland, Belgium and France are also options and if I recall correctly all three are approximately 100 miles from Lowestoft.

It may not work for everyone but at that time it was perfect for us, not least because we had good friends there at the time.
 
Shotley is worth a look .

As to RN&SYC, I copy paste a section from our experiences over the years , please read this in the humour it is intended but you need to bear in mind all the events are a true reflection and at the time I didn’t always recognize the humour.
On passage from South Ferriby ( Humber ) to Dover I need to refuel and there is only really Lowerstoft that has all states access without a large detour (Ramsgate is possible but at 185 NM is on the extreme Range.) Great Yarmouth is a little commercial and damage is inevitable from the Tidal quayside.
I would take my boat on this trip and back each year also helping friends move their boats to the South coast.

One evening I left work and went to the boat still wearing my suit, my trusted crew Jamie prepared the boat and caste off as I put my wet weather gear on, 5 hours later we arrived after dark and too late for food, we had a few in the Club House before we went out for a Kebab, and had to ask in another pub or two where we could get food.

We followed a couple into the Marina but the gate was slammed shut in Jamie's face
"oh no, it's not for the likes of you in here"

I pushed Jamie to the side and replied " its alright, he's with me"

" OH, WELL YOU'RE NOT COMING IN EITHER "

"we have our boat in there"

"YOU'RE NOT COMING IN"

the gate code was illuminated above her like an angels halo, the Year the Club was founded and I even remember the code years on

"the code is 1859, please let us in"

"I'll call the police if you don’t go away"

thankfully Jamie had already scaled the wall and was behind her now, once the Angelic Rottweiler lost the protection of the metal 8 ft high gate she retreated and I was able to gain entry in a civilized fashion.
I admit I hadn’t shaved since 0730 but we were still wearing sailing jackets and shoes, she must have known we were guests of the Yacht Club ?

The Club would not fuel us until 1000 am the next day and even then it would depend how many dinghies needed launching as they took precident over the fuel Pontoon. Concious of the wind picking up to 5-6 and sea state forcast of Moderate to Rough we decided to leave for Ramsgate at first light without fuel.
The Thames Esturay was far too rough to risking checking the fuel gauge but it settled down a little off Ramsgate and I found the needle bouncing between Empty and reserve .

Following the fuel issue heading South on the return passage I was single handed and I phoned to check fuel availability and berthing so I booked in as I needed diesel to complete my passage home 120 nm, and I needed to be sure of a berth as my Insurance didn’t allow me to sail single handed at night.

My error was using the term ‘Insurance will not allow me to sail single handed after dark’
The initial response from the Club was outstanding

“We will listen out for you and send someone down to help you with your lines, we have some Dutch boats coming but we will defiantly get you in and we have plenty of fuel."

On arrival at Lowersoft I called port control and was greeted by the Yacht club, as I got closer to the Yacht club there were half a dozen people who where ready to take my lines when a voice came over the VHF
" DAKA is that you, are you the Motor Boat ? ", sorry we have no room for you and we can not let you near the fuel berth as we want to berth some Dutch Yachts there"
I went through my difficulties with needing fuel and not being able to continue after dark and was offered a berth for 20 mins while I used a jerry can to fill 100 gals.

I found the Marina under the Bridge much friendlier and they allowed me a full tank of diesel, even stayed open late for me.

Another reason I had phoned to check on diesel was from my experience the previous year……………..

They ask how much fuel you want and then halve it so always say you need double there.

Some Dutch boats were due in and always wanted UK cheap red to take home so they didn’t want me to use it up; they agreed to let me have 40 gals.

This would have left me stranded 15-20 nm offshore in the Wash.

The hose was lowered down to me, after about 35 gals I went below, closed the Patio doors and asked SWMBO to make me a cup of tea, she knew something was wrong as I never drink hot drinks.
Then the shouts started
"that’s it, you've got 40 gals"

The shouting carried on for ages and became shrieks of terror.

We came to the conclusion the hose had come out and must be filling the Marina with diesel.

I popped my head out and asked if ever thing was alright

"YOU'RE ONLY ALLOWED 40 GALS"

"how many have I got ?"

"TOO MANY"

"what"

"TOO MUCH, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF"

"how many liters have I got ?"

" NEARLY 300"

"how many gallons is that ?"

Long pause

"60 GALLONS TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF"

alright I agreed, you best turn it off.

"I CANT YOU HAVE TO DO IT FROM DOWN THERE"

"I hope I have enough money, how much is it ?"

"TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, I CANT SEE THE PRICE UNTIL YOU TURN IT OFF, ITS GOING ROUND TOO QUICKLY "

"any discount for bulk purchase ?"

"TURN IT OFF, JUST TURN IT OFF"

Which I did with a smile on my face, and we did make it home with out a fuel problem.



The problems don’t end with obtaining Diesel when you’re a stinker, RN&SYC are equally tight with their water

One morning we received a ‘welcome’ from the Club and came before I had even stepped off the pontoon, they wouldn’t give me any water.
"Oh you dam Blundall crowd coming in just to fill your water tanks"
Apparently water is charged for on the Norfolk Broads.
A large Yacht left the hose running for 2 hours to stop us getting our hands on it, we were storm bound for two days and eventually I did get a token but was told " you only get one token, even if you are here for a week storm bound don’t expect more water- you will have to pay." (We were paying £30 a night to stay!)
 
Shotley is worth a look .

As to RN&SYC, I copy paste a section from our experiences over the years , please read this in the humour it is intended but you need to bear in mind all the events are a true reflection and at the time I didn’t always recognize the humour.
On passage from South Ferriby ( Humber ) to Dover I need to refuel and there is only really Lowerstoft that has all states access without a large detour (Ramsgate is possible but at 185 NM is on the extreme Range.) Great Yarmouth is a little commercial and damage is inevitable from the Tidal quayside.
I would take my boat on this trip and back each year also helping friends move their boats to the South coast.

One evening I left work and went to the boat still wearing my suit, my trusted crew Jamie prepared the boat and caste off as I put my wet weather gear on, 5 hours later we arrived after dark and too late for food, we had a few in the Club House before we went out for a Kebab, and had to ask in another pub or two where we could get food.

We followed a couple into the Marina but the gate was slammed shut in Jamie's face
"oh no, it's not for the likes of you in here"

I pushed Jamie to the side and replied " its alright, he's with me"

" OH, WELL YOU'RE NOT COMING IN EITHER "

"we have our boat in there"

"YOU'RE NOT COMING IN"

the gate code was illuminated above her like an angels halo, the Year the Club was founded and I even remember the code years on

"the code is 1859, please let us in"

"I'll call the police if you don’t go away"

thankfully Jamie had already scaled the wall and was behind her now, once the Angelic Rottweiler lost the protection of the metal 8 ft high gate she retreated and I was able to gain entry in a civilized fashion.
I admit I hadn’t shaved since 0730 but we were still wearing sailing jackets and shoes, she must have known we were guests of the Yacht Club ?

The Club would not fuel us until 1000 am the next day and even then it would depend how many dinghies needed launching as they took precident over the fuel Pontoon. Concious of the wind picking up to 5-6 and sea state forcast of Moderate to Rough we decided to leave for Ramsgate at first light without fuel.
The Thames Esturay was far too rough to risking checking the fuel gauge but it settled down a little off Ramsgate and I found the needle bouncing between Empty and reserve .

Following the fuel issue heading South on the return passage I was single handed and I phoned to check fuel availability and berthing so I booked in as I needed diesel to complete my passage home 120 nm, and I needed to be sure of a berth as my Insurance didn’t allow me to sail single handed at night.

My error was using the term ‘Insurance will not allow me to sail single handed after dark’
The initial response from the Club was outstanding

“We will listen out for you and send someone down to help you with your lines, we have some Dutch boats coming but we will defiantly get you in and we have plenty of fuel."

On arrival at Lowersoft I called port control and was greeted by the Yacht club, as I got closer to the Yacht club there were half a dozen people who where ready to take my lines when a voice came over the VHF
" DAKA is that you, are you the Motor Boat ? ", sorry we have no room for you and we can not let you near the fuel berth as we want to berth some Dutch Yachts there"
I went through my difficulties with needing fuel and not being able to continue after dark and was offered a berth for 20 mins while I used a jerry can to fill 100 gals.

I found the Marina under the Bridge much friendlier and they allowed me a full tank of diesel, even stayed open late for me.

Another reason I had phoned to check on diesel was from my experience the previous year……………..

They ask how much fuel you want and then halve it so always say you need double there.

Some Dutch boats were due in and always wanted UK cheap red to take home so they didn’t want me to use it up; they agreed to let me have 40 gals.

This would have left me stranded 15-20 nm offshore in the Wash.

The hose was lowered down to me, after about 35 gals I went below, closed the Patio doors and asked SWMBO to make me a cup of tea, she knew something was wrong as I never drink hot drinks.
Then the shouts started
"that’s it, you've got 40 gals"

The shouting carried on for ages and became shrieks of terror.

We came to the conclusion the hose had come out and must be filling the Marina with diesel.

I popped my head out and asked if ever thing was alright

"YOU'RE ONLY ALLOWED 40 GALS"

"how many have I got ?"

"TOO MANY"

"what"

"TOO MUCH, TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF"

"how many liters have I got ?"

" NEARLY 300"

"how many gallons is that ?"

Long pause

"60 GALLONS TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF"

alright I agreed, you best turn it off.

"I CANT YOU HAVE TO DO IT FROM DOWN THERE"

"I hope I have enough money, how much is it ?"

"TURN IT OFF, TURN IT OFF, I CANT SEE THE PRICE UNTIL YOU TURN IT OFF, ITS GOING ROUND TOO QUICKLY "

"any discount for bulk purchase ?"

"TURN IT OFF, JUST TURN IT OFF"

Which I did with a smile on my face, and we did make it home with out a fuel problem.



The problems don’t end with obtaining Diesel when you’re a stinker, RN&SYC are equally tight with their water

One morning we received a ‘welcome’ from the Club and came before I had even stepped off the pontoon, they wouldn’t give me any water.
"Oh you dam Blundall crowd coming in just to fill your water tanks"
Apparently water is charged for on the Norfolk Broads.
A large Yacht left the hose running for 2 hours to stop us getting our hands on it, we were storm bound for two days and eventually I did get a token but was told " you only get one token, even if you are here for a week storm bound don’t expect more water- you will have to pay." (We were paying £30 a night to stay!)
 
Its a different matter now as they don't get the amount of visitors as they used to and last season there was a lot of vacant berths as its not as popular now. Not the best place for a nights sleep when weather is bad.
 
I remember reading this tale when you first posted it years ago Daka and there is little doubt that in the past the attitude of some left a little to be desired and those of us who had a mobo were not exactly flavour of the month in the eyes of what was probably a minority of the overall membership. Even so, the behaviours you describe are extreme and were probably down to individuals as opposed to being illustrative of the club as it was at that time.

Happily things have changed considerably and the club is very welcoming of all, whether it is a mobo or a yacht that brings you there. This has been the case for quite some time so it is important to add some context to your tale. Sure, it probably isn't perfect but what club (of any kind) is? I can certainly say that in our time there being refused a berth or fuel simply wouldn't happen, in fact to the contrary whist they didn't take bookings they worked on the basis that no-one would be turned away. This meant that the marina was pretty busy on occasion but the atmosphere was good and in the main everyone rubbed along well.

Overall, I think that as far as options go in Lowsetoft it is the best place to stay/visit. As Aquapowers says a blow in the wrong direction can make it a little lumpy in the marina but most of the time it is fine and a combination of the clubhouse and location next to the town centre and sea front make it the obvious choice to pay a visit IMHO.
 
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