The Clyde.... great or what?

[photodog]

After nearly a decade in the southwest, we have been giving some pretty serious thought to shifting the boat..... Our favorite place for sailing is the West Coast of Scotland and the Clyde... The Southwest just seems to get more crowded every year, and in poor weather the sea state gets a bit more rowdy than we would like.... This year whilst the wind and rain has been poor, what has really put me off has been the virtually two weeks of Moderate/Rough- Rough/High conditions......

Our experience on the Clyde and to some extent the Mull/ Croabh area as well indicates that we would get the peace and quite which we are missing in the Southwest, and even in poor weather there is still some great deepwater sailing to be had, with lots of places to go.....

We are thinking that upgrading our wind generator and and adding heating would be essential.... any other tips?


I think that Kip would be our best spot, we are driving from Newark/Nottingham.... so figure a extra hour on Plymouth... eg 5 instead of 4..... but we could fly from EMA to Glasgow, or take the Train to Edinburgh and connect.....

Anyone else doing this sort of run, with pointers or tips?

Kip Marina, any feedback, plus how long is the waiting list in real life? (9.5 meters)

Anyhone got any good tips for a transport company to shift the boat up there by road?

Any other tips or observations would be greatly appreciated...

Thanks!

 

[Gwylan]

Re moving the boat - assume it's a sailing boat, so it sails. Done it in 24' so 9,5 metres not a trial -just have to get the weather window. Or write off 2 or so weeks.
Try Dumbarton, little known, semi derelict marina but easy for the train from Glasgow and straight out into the Clyde, with the tide. Don't tell everyone
Altogether the whole area is too nice to be left unspoilt so better hurry up and make the most of it

 

[Rigger]

I moved from N Wales to Largs 2 yr ago. Even though I live only 30mins from Conwy ,after 15 yrs I fancied a change and now have a 5 hr drive to get to the boat. I reckon I've used her a lot more however, I can leave work on Friday and be on the boat by midnight, no tidal worries and more or less guaranteed sailing over the weekend with plenty of choices . The only thing I really miss is being able to pop down to the boat on a whim or to sort out minor probs. It's a long way away when your not certain you turned the gas off!
I have no regrets about moving at all and am still discovering secret anchorages.

 

[Skylark]

No doubt there are others with far more experience than I but I'd give a very big thumbs-up for The Cylde. Stunning cruising grounds with absolutely delightful anchorages. I do have first-hand experience of the "4 seasons in one day phenomena", though. I can blow up quite quickly.

I wouldn't dream of moving the boat by road!. Two weekends with a stop-over at Holyhead?

David

 

[Skylark]

No doubt there are others with far more experience than I but I'd give a very big thumbs-up for The Cylde. Stunning cruising grounds with absolutely delightful anchorages. I do have first-hand experience of the "4 seasons in one day phenomena", though. It can blow up quite quickly.

I wouldn't dream of moving the boat by road!. Two weekends with a stop-over at Holyhead?

David

 

[awol]

Dreadful place - natives are anglophobes, quite unintelligible and can be belligerent, especially if you spill their beer. Water is downright dangerous with rapacious Calmac ferries out to get you and the marina prices are quick approaching the south coast. Weather, of course, is always foul - Musto HPX is the minimum waterproof level you need and your best sails will be ruined by the gales.

Stay down south, it's much nicer, safer and the beer is warmer!

 

[mikemonty]

For info. - Dumbarton not so much semi-derelict as an over-wintering boatyard. Every time you want to sail it would mean 6 miles of narrow river channel before you reach number one buoy and relative freedom.

I'm not up on marinas - only used Largs when a real storm forecast (boat on swinging mooring 1/2 mile north)
I had my 26 ft Contessa trailered up from Falmouth to Largs 3 years ago when I bought it - I can try to find the contact details if you are stuck. I can't say I'd recommend or condemn him - I was on a flotilla holiday in Greece when the transport was done - but he did the job with no problems or mishaps.

I love the Clyde (though no experience of elsewhere) out today in 20 knots of breeze, 6 - 61/2 knots SOG, lots of scenery/wildlife and an uncanny ability of the boats round about us to vanish when the breeze gets up! (One of the few left as we headed back home in said 20 knots and a 3 foot following sea was a drascombe lugger - must have been seriously gnarly/salty guy!)

 

[nordic_ranger]

Hi, Kips good and there is no waiting list that I know of. Fly to Glasgow, airport bus to Paisley and train to Inverkip then 500 yard walk to the Marina. Driving Motorway Dual carriage way to Greenock then 6 miles to Kip. Good cruising area the Clyde with always a bolt hole to find shelter in if needed. Yacht transporter ask Kip there is a few who regularly come in and out of the Marina.
Down side Midges and rain. /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif

 

[cliff]

Have a look at Troon. Flights to Prestwick.

Not as convenient to the Kyles as Kip but the Mull is much nearer from Troon.
---------------------

Artificial Intelligence is no match for Natural Stupidity

 

[starboard]

My mate lives in Peterborough area and sails out of my home marina here at Troon....they often drive but on the odd occasion drive to Stansted and use the often penny flights Ryanair provide to Prestwick which is only 5 minute drive from Troon.

I have lived and sailed here for the last 30 years and without doubt the best place in the world to sail........what I would say though is dont spread the word too much as we dont want the area ruined as the south coast has been!!!!

Paul.

 

[Clyde_Wanderer]

PD, I have only been sailing for about 2 yrs now, so dont have near as much experience as most of the other readers, but I would imagine it would be hard to find any other sailing ground with more choice of destinations as the Clyde, with a choice of somewhere to go in most all weather conditions barr the worst.
I wouldent recommend Dumbarton for a base, as if you are only comming up for, say, a wk end or even a long wk end, you will loose quite a bit of time getting down to open sailing ground, especially if you have to take tide times for the lower river into consideration.
It would be worth your while buying and studying chart C63, or the equivelant folio set, to get a good idea of the sailing options.
You could always keep your boat at Kip or Largs during the season, and winter it on hard at Rothesay dock boat yard in Clydebank, which would be a more cost effective option.
Best wishes in whatever decision you make.
C_W

 

[AntarcticPilot]

Well, I berth at InverKip, and I am very happy. Convenient for both Glasgow and Prestwick airports, good road connections (I drive up from Cambridge and reckon to do it in 8 hours). I'd argue that there isn't much advantage in flying unless you live in an airport's back-yard. I'd have to be very lucky to get there in less than around 6 hours flying (including the journey from home to airport, check-in, flight, journey from airport), and even a £1 cheap ticket actually costs about £30 with taxes. I reckon driving (in a VED band A car!) is a) environmentally more favourable, b) not very much different in time, c) not much different in cost (but usually cheaper) and d) allows me to take other people and lots of baggage from door to door. I'd love to see an airline check-in clerk's face if you tried to check in an outboard!

As those on the forum may remember, I had originally thought of sailing on the East Coast, which is only an hour or so from Cambridge. Apologies to those who love it, but I'm afraid that several weekends spent looking at the East Coast marinas and rivers put me right off the idea!

 

[KenMcCulloch]

[ QUOTE ]
Dreadful place - natives are anglophobes, quite unintelligible and can be belligerent, especially if you spill their beer. Water is downright dangerous with rapacious Calmac ferries out to get you and the marina prices are quick approaching the south coast. Weather, of course, is always foul - Musto HPX is the minimum waterproof level you need and your best sails will be ruined by the gales.

Stay down south, it's much nicer, safer and the beer is warmer!

[/ QUOTE ]
I agree with my learned friend. Indeed I met a man recently who had moved his boat from Largs to Barcelona because it was cheaper and the weather was warmer.

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Hi

Most of the points are covered but I think you are being optomistic about travelling times I think for me at the western end of the A50 it would take at least 51/2 hrs with no stops to make Kip or Laargs if the traffic was kind if not and Friday afternoons are not good for getting up to Preston and through Manchester traffic, it could take longer. Speeding is not an option as I travel that route frequently and have managed 9 points kindly donated by Westmoreland and Boarders police. So before you do it try the journey on a day and time that you would normally go to the boat.
The sailings great better than the South West but honestly the weather is variable to say the least.

 

[SoSageofLorn]

I have sailed out of Kip on and off for 10 years or so.
I live in Hertfordshire, my average trip time is 6.5 hrs.
The times I have flown, average overall 8 hrs +.

We manage to sail almost every other weekend.

I sailed on the East Coast for 10 years, there is no comparison.

 

[Billjratt]

Don't know about Kip, but Largs is full (however Fairlie is fairly near) and Troon has spaces. If cost is a real stopper, there are mooring associations and clubs as well.

 

[photodog]

Thanks everyone! I am probably being a bit optimistic on driving times.... /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Maybe we will be seeing you next year!

 

[rhumlady]

The midges are not so bad just now due to the wind and rain;-)

I would recommend John Shepherd for transport. Maybe not the cheapest but good. I would think that for a boat of your size Kip would be around £4000 per annum but check their website. If you keep her in the water during the winter there are often good sailing days right through, all you need is heating.

 

[Spyro]

OK no one has suggested CLYDE MARINA so I will. Good facilities and cheapest on the Clyde, halfway between Troon and Largs. 20 minutes on dual carriage way from Prestwick Airport, 45 mins from Glasgow Int. Trains from Glasgow and Prestwick to the station right at the marina.
Not to mention the new toilet block opened this week. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[1114C]

we were in kip until last year, we have now gone further west, 3 of us own the boat with me in Glasgow, thes others in Manchester and Shrewsbury - those in Shrewsbury did think about going to Wales but have decided the drive is worth it.

Kip is not full I do not think, you can get 10% off if you are on the outer pontoons, it is expensive for Scotland but facilities pretty good, service okay (not great but okay), hotel in the village better for food than the onsite restaurant which has few yotties in it ever as far as I have seen

if it were me i would definitely go for kip or largs - I was not such a fan of ardrossan nor troon as quite a long way south and a lot of the best places in the clyde are further up however there will be many who will differ from this opinion

i would definitely recommend you try it for a couple of seasons to see how you get on - you can always go back (but I bet you won't)