The Humber - what is it like?

BobA

BobA

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Good afternoon all,

Unfortunately was made redundant on the 31st of last month but this morning got a job offer through the post which will entail moving 200 miles to Hull. We don't want to stop using our little boat so that will be going as well eventually.
My question is really - what is the Humber like as a cruising ground, where to go etc.

Any help and advice gratefully received.

Bob
 
Hi Bob

I am sure DAKA will answer your question fully indue course. he has spent a lot of time there. though he may be away on his boat in porto solenti for the weekend by now.

i did a trip from Burton Waters to Hull then to Kings Lynn a few years ago and the only thing I would say was that the water was pretty mucky.

You will of course be able to cruise the Trent and Ouse as well. Several friends loved to go to York from Lincoln.

IIRC the tide runs quite fast and if going up the Trent you will need to take care of the very shallow waters above Apex.

Doug
 
Nedim also knows the area well and may be along soon /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

There are of course positives

Cheap fees
cheap services (of all kinds as Hull Marina is in the Red light district /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)
cheap pizzas
close to the Inland system -U bends at 40 knots /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
Spurn golden sands anchorages /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif

and negatives

Beer bottles thrown at you from 1130 am to 0400
Filthy water
rough/dangerous wind against tide situations
moving sandbanks
Yorkeis

But the best bit is the proximity to the M18-M1-M25-M3-M27 /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif



The Humber has its attributes but you will need to change from coastal to inland, but the inland is in wide rivers at 30 knots, so there are windy sunny days when you will enjoy calm conditions but watch out for wind against tide.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Beer bottles thrown at you from 1130 am to 0400
Filthy water
rough/dangerous wind against tide situations
moving sandbanks
Yorkeis

[/ QUOTE ]
Oooh sounds loverly /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
[ QUOTE ]

cheap services (of all kinds as Hull Marina is in the Red light district /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif)


[/ QUOTE ]


Inside information?
/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Like others say.

Brown water
Very fast currents (in the channel)
120 shipping movements per day (in the channel)
The channel moves
Can get incredibly rough in adverse conditions
Not as pretty as the Lakes

We ran aground under the Humber bridge in the middle of the river at High Tide once.

But I learned to sail there and it has a certain charm.
 
If Hull marina is a bit much for you - and the red light bit isn't so much of an issue since the Duke of thingy pub across the road shut down - you could try Grimsby or if you are more interested in inland stuff go to Naburn marina near York.

The Humber down from Hull is fairly straightforward, well buoyed channels and the big stuff sticks to them so fairly predictable.

Upstream from Hull is a bit more tricky - channel shifts continually - charts are issued I think, monthly. Tide runs very fast between the sandbanks and is difficult to judge off the ends of the banks.

As Daka says - wind against tide - especially W to NW against a spring flood, can be a character building experience which may strain the relationship with your laundryman!

Main disadvantage with the Humber is that there is nowhere to go - Next stop South is Lowestoft, north is Bridlington. Perhaps more scope on inland stuff.
 
We had great fun taking Lazy Days home about 10 years ago, motored up the east coast from the Medway, calling in at Shotley, Yarmouth and Grimsby. Had a very hairy sail up to Hull in a force6 wind over tide and having to keep to the channel. Didn't fancy the turn into the hull marina 'the entrance lays back' so went further upstreamm to go about with more sea room. Lost a life ring that was later picked up by the Dutch CG. Had a great night not far from the marina two hen nights were celebrating in the same restaurant and invited us tow old codgers to join them.
Next morning ventured up to Goole with thick heads but did manage to navigate the floating marker boats. called into the Waterways museum and arranged to be on exit on return journey. Made it all the way to Castleford and found the old Smith and Sons boatyard where lazy days was built in 1930.
 
Thank you all for your input,

need to investigate this 'inland' stuff as I had not even thought about that possibility but I suppose that needs even more paperwork Safety Certificate and licences etc.

Anybody point me in the right direction?

Bob
 
[ QUOTE ]
Main disadvantage with the Humber is that there is nowhere to go - Next stop South is Lowestoft, north is Bridlington. Perhaps more scope on inland stuff.

[/ QUOTE ]

So! Boston, Sutton Bridge, Wisbech, Kings lyn, Brancaster, Blakney, Wells and Great Yarmouth don't exist???
But I agree the area is not one for the girls!!
 
"So! Boston, Sutton Bridge, Wisbech, Kings lyn, Brancaster, Blakney, Wells and Great Yarmouth don't exist???"

Well I suppose -

That is -

If you call that an existance!
 
Depends what you call an existance really . Boston has improved recently , Sutton Bridge has quite a nice marina there now , with a very freindly pub within easy walking distance , Wisbech has also improved but more on the marina facilities than the town itself , Kings Lynne council seem to have been chucking money at improvements and the whole place is now quite nice , as for Wells , apart from the fact that it's not easy to get to by sea ( follow the locals , they know best ) the town is very nice and again has had loads chucked at the facilities . Maybe this coast isn't so bad after all /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Went into Wells last year for diesel. Seemed a nice spot. The channel is a bit thin on h2o but the harbour master came out in his boat to lead us in. Which was very nice of him.

I think calling Sutton Bridge a marina is somewhat overstating things.

Unless they've improved the bridge Boston is virtually useless to boats with masts and keels.

Haven't been to the "marina" at Wisbech, but the town doesn't exactly lift up one's heart.

Not been to Kings Lynn for a while, but unless they've made some significant changes I wouldn't fancy it much.

In many ways these places all have the same problem in that they may be pleasant enough places to keep a boat but where you want to day sail or even weekending the tidal restrictions make this inconvenient at best and impossible at worst.

To do say Hull to Sutton Bridge and back:

HW Leave Hull
LW Somewhere S of Spurn Last half of ebb against you
HW Somewhere near Wash Tide assisted
LW Still in Wash - Ebb tide against - maybe anchored waiting next flood into river
HW Tied up SB
LW
HW Leave SB tide assists
LW Heading up Lincs coast tide against
HW Tide assist to Spurn (if your Lucky
LW Still stuck outside Humber wtg tide
HW Back in Hull.

My tongue was in my cheek, but you see its not exactly easy for most people wanting to go for a weekend. Perhaps with a motor boat you could save a tide but still a bit limiting. Certainly can't do it in a weekend.

PS

At one time there was a sort of big man's round the island race. Started somewhere on the Trent, went down the Humber, South to the Wash, up the Witham to Lincoln, along the Foss Dyke and finish back on the Trent. Probably not enough people with small enough boats with lowerable masts to make it worthwhile now.
 
From here I'm aiming at a bit of coast hopping and I know what you mean about Wisbech town , so it's not on my list of places to stop . I'm aiming at SB to Kings Lynne for the first leg , mainly because I like what they've done there and I don't think it'll be too difficult for me . I can leave the boat there for a few days because it's only 45 minutes from here by road .

By the way , there is talk of restarting the round the island race and also a midsummers BBQ and cricket on a sandbank mid wash if you're interested .
 
Will you be able to make SB to Lynn in a tide?

Afraid I don't know much about motor boats - so no idea what performance you have available.

Good to hear about the Round the Island race - that will show that mamby-pamby Solent lot a thing or two. Sadly my boat won't fit through Lincoln so I won't be able to enter (phew).

Please make sure to post when you find out more about the cricket match - it;ll probably be better than the stuff we get at Headingley nowadays.

Whats the situation now at Lynn - I have vague memories of a heavily silted up sort of creek with decrepit old fishing boats, but perhaps thats gone now.
 
I'm looking at doing the SB to Lynne in my , ahem , sail boat ( 21Ft Debutante ) so I'm looking at going out on a tide assisted trip into the Wash , then having a bit of a play in the open before coming back in , so it'll be a weekend trip then back by car .

Lynne itself has come on in leaps and bounds , it's still got a smallish fishing fleet but the quayside is quite nice away from them , and the town itself is really looking good now.

The cricket match is being planned in another forum so if you fancy a trip out to join us I'll let you know where and when , should be good fun though
 
Shhh , I was keeping quiet about the first leg cos it's a quick out and in so I might know what I'm doing when I get to Lynne /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif . Hulls cleaning up nicely so hopefully we'll be on the move soon buddy /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif
 
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