The Wash (Boston) to Norfolk Broads anyone done it?

[CX54WEK]

you all just asumed he was a novice..!! you never actually asked..!!
you have no idea what is boat condition is as you never asked.. it could be the best one around..
i never advised him to go following my navigatioal skill's.only stated how i did it (3 times)..
you all seem to be assuming that he as no skill's.is boat is a reck and he as a deathwish..!!.. all i'm saying dont crush the man's dream's before he start's..if he can go with cwx then of cause that would be everyone's best approach.

No one is crushing his dreams, it is good to have goals and destinations to dream of reaching. Everyone is suggesting he gets some experience with this particular boat before attempting such a trip be it in company or alone.

The boat has been bought through Burton Waters Lincoln which are based inland on a canal/river. Chances are the boat has not been off the river for a long while. This can lead to all sorts of problems when the boat starts to be used at high speeds again, not least crud in the fuel tanks being shook around and blocking filters. Best to find this out on the river than out at sea.

Three short hops from GY to Lowestoft at least 5 years ago isnt really much of a preperation for a 90 mile sea trip from Boston to Lowestoft or slightly shorter if going in at GY. The chap has already said he needs to brush up on his chart reading skills but also wont be having a chart plotter either. This isnt the reasoning of an experienced man at sea.

We are not the most experienced either having only been out to sea a few times ourselves. However we are taking the time to plan the trip as a group so that we all know our intended route and also boltholes in which we can reach saftey should we need to. We also all know our own limitations and those of our boats, something that can only be gauged through experience. Better to gain that locally for a year or so and build trust in your crew and your boat. Maybe we have lost our aventurous streak as we get a little older (26 & 35!!) but we wouldnt consider taking a boat we didnt know the reliability of, the fuel consumption of or the ability of to sea for our main holiday. It isnt worth ruining the holiday for the family and making them scared of the boat.

My advice would be to stick local for the first year or so and get to know the boat and its characteristics. It wil be worth it in the long run and you will enjoy the trip to the Broads even more when you do achieve it. Just set realistic goals for your first year afloat, it is supposed to be an enjoyable passtime not one to get wound up about.

 

[PaulGooch]

you all just asumed he was a novice..!! you never actually asked..!!
you have no idea what is boat condition is as you never asked.. it could be the best one around..
i never advised him to go following my navigatioal skill's.only stated how i did it (3 times)..
you all seem to be assuming that he as no skill's.is boat is a reck and he as a deathwish..!!.. all i'm saying dont crush the man's dream's before he start's..if he can go with cwx then of cause that would be everyone's best approach.

Not at all. He said himself, he's done a 6 mile trip a few times, some years ago, that's a novice, plain and simple. You're right, we don't know about his boat, neither does he, he doesn't even know for sure how much fuel it holds. We suggested he get some experience with it.

I never advised him not to do the trip, i've said more than one that it's do-able. I think we've all given him good, sound advice to ensure he has a safe and enjoyable trip.

 

[moonraker 36]

well larson you've got best part of a year..to sort the boat,brush up on your nav.
the only reason i asked what engine you have is i would imagine cx54 will be crusing around the twenty knot mark.
(their want be much crud in a petrol tank)
i am off down to hull from keadby in october(go out sat morn-back sunday)let us know if you want to tag along....larson..

 

[CX54WEK]

well larson you've got best part of a year..to sort the boat,brush up on your nav.
the only reason i asked what engine you have is i would imagine cx54 will be crusing around the twenty knot mark.
(their want be much crud in a petrol tank)
i am off down to hull from keadby in october(go out sat morn-back sunday)let us know if you want to tag along....larson..

There will still be sludge in the bottom of a petrol tank that is capable of blocking filters and stopping the engine once shook up certainly with the age of boat in question (if it is the one i think it is anyway)

Our cruising speed will very much depend on weather conditions and sea state. If the conditions are similar to those we encountered going to Wells then we averaged about 25 knots. If the conditions are similar to the ones we encounterd over the last bank holiday weekend then we averaged about 14 knots and used considerably more fuel.

If Larson250 does take you up on your offer to go to Hull he needs an early tide to make it from Burton Waters to Keadby to pick you up along the way. Dont forget it is two hours from Burton to Torksey plus a further 3 or so hours from Torksey to Keadby (if you stick to the limits above Gainsborough) then a further hour to two hours (depending on your cruising speed) to Hull. So at relatively high cruising speeds thats a six hour cruise at least.
We have made it from Hull marina to Torksey in 4 hours so it can be done given the right tide times.

Another thing to watch is that Hull Marina no longer have a petrol pump so you will need to find a petrol station in Hull to fill up the petrol tank if you choose the high speed option.

One last thing Larson. Make sure you have the correct charts before going onto the Trent, Ouse or Humber. Stray out of the channel and you will ground the boat. Its good fun is Trent boating!!

 

[larson250]

If you mean by "the correct charts" the two photocopied booklets that I was robbed for then yes I do have them.

I have heard nothing but "the lack of water" on the Trent and how dodgy it can be.

I think my biggest mistake has not been buying the boat, but leaving it there.

Ahh well, new marina next year!!!

Thanks for the offer Moonraker and thanks all for the advice.

Dean

 

[Fenlander]

Just do it.

 

[PaulGooch]

Just do it.

Would you care to elaborate on that ?

 

[CX54WEK]

If you mean by "the correct charts" the two photocopied booklets that I was robbed for then yes I do have them.

I have heard nothing but "the lack of water" on the Trent and how dodgy it can be.

I think my biggest mistake has not been buying the boat, but leaving it there.

Ahh well, new marina next year!!!

Thanks for the offer Moonraker and thanks all for the advice.

Dean

There have been a lot of grounding incidents on the Trent this year caused by people not sticking to the channel. If you stick to the channel there is no problem, even in the middle of this summer when the river levels were low there was still more than enough water in the channel to stay afloat. You will hear some horror stories from people in the marina about the Trent, but most of them come from people who rarely get off their berths and think a trip to the Pyewipe is a day out. That doesnt mean the Trent is an easy ride you still need to be careful but it isnt the horror story some make it out to be. We have so far completed 250 hours of use this year, many being on the Trent, Ouse and Humber and have so far managed to stay clear of the river bottom.

The charts for the Ouse and Trent are little more than a simple diagram with a red line indicating the channel position. They may seem expensive at £5 each to you but if you dont have them running aground on the rocks is going to do a lot more than £5 worth of damage. The channel doesnt always follow the route you would expect it to so the charts are vital if you want trouble free river cruising.

I wouldnt give up on BW just yet. The marina location offers some great cruising grounds all within easy access and in the winter is flood protected. There is a great sense of community spirit within the marina (or certainly where we are on E pontoon) and a great many people with a wealth of experience to help you along the way.

It may seem that a lot of people are trying to put you off doing this trip but it is only through their own experience. You really do need to know more about your boat before you set off. Find out its fuel capacity and fuel range at least before even considering the trip.

 

[larson250]

I agree with in relation to the purchase of the booklets (£5.95 actually) but i'm sure they could be made to look a lot better value for money and contain some other useful local information eg. pubs, towns, etc. Not something that looks as though it has been drawn by a six year old.

Do you think if I sold half a dozen sheets of blue paper with a red line across the centre of them and named it the mid Atlantic people would buy them?

You are also dead right about the horror stories, the people who don't leave the marina and the Pyewipe.

We were up there at the weekend and decided to sample the Chinese restaurant on the Friday night for a special occassion, which I can thoroughly recommend. Having arrived in a torrential down pour I was glad to see the weather picked up considerably on Saturday when we left for the dreaded Trent. Our aim was to pass through Torksey and see where we could get too. Spend the night and come back on sunday lunchtime.
That wasn't to be, as when speaking to the lock keeper he told us that we wouldn't get through before 4pm and then would only be able to moor on the lowside in order to back back sunday afternoon.
Rather than spend the night there we decided to go into Lincoln so turned around and headed in that direction.
We hoped to moor at Lincoln and go for a walk around the shops but the 3.6metres of short stay mooring was occupied by a half sunk thing that looked as though it had spent its entire life there. his needs greater than mine I thought, so did a loop and headed back to the Pyewipe.

We stopped there for a pint and returned to the berth. Another thing you have hit the nail on the head with is the community spirit within the marina. I have made some good friends. (costing me a fortune in wine)
However when trying to get back into my berth (stern on) the wind caught me and I had to try a second time. As we did this Caroline said that she saw a bloke on a boat almost opposite frantically beckon his wife to come and see me make a pigs ear of it. I didn't it went in perfectly and I didn't see him either, but I will look out for him and if he's reading this COCK!

We had a great day and the weather was beautiful. It's a shame we couldn't say the same for sunday.

Thanks for the reply and I will come and introduce myself at some stage. Please don't think I'm having a go at anyone's adventurism i'm not. I will glady take any advice whether I act upon it is for me to decide.

Cheers for now,

Dean

Just to round off I have met some very interesting people who I think

 

[CX54WEK]

Your choice of mooring on the tidal Trent is very limited hence the lack of places listed or identified on the charts. The only place to stop between Torskey and Cromwell is Dunham Bridge and the only place to stop in the other direction is Gainsborough unless you lock up into West Stockwith or Keadby. The charts are £5 if you buy them from the lockie at Torksey rather than the shop at Burton Waters. Looks like you could also do with a tide table so that you can work out when you can go out onto the Trent the lockies also sell those for £1. Failing that you can ring them in advance to book a locking which will save you a journey to Torskey for nothing if the tide times are wrong.

If the university moorings in Lincoln are full you can moor through the Glory Hole on the left hand side as you head for Stamp End outside the Waterside Centre. This is a better mooring than the uni moorings in our opinion and very handy for the shops.

We must have missed you as we were out on Saturday as well. We went down to Washingborough with friends before heading back to Burton Waters for a friends house party. Couldnt remember going to bed so was very confused when i woke up yesterday morning to find the boat still at the bottom of his garden.

I wouldnt worry about having an audience around where your berths are. We have to put up with the people in the chinese and the people in Yots watching us get into our berth. Luckily there was no one around when had to have a second go at getting into our berth yesterday morning in the wind and the rain!!