Thinking Of Going To Scotland.

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hlb

hlb

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Last time we did it was Umm, 15 years ago. Pwelhelli, puffwelly umm , well anyway. We went. Puff welly to Duglas IOM, Then. To Port Partric. It all seemed short distances at the time. We then went to Camble Town as I remember, then sort of shuffeled up to the Crinan Canal. Then on to Tobermory. Are there still shops and stuff or have they all closed.

Is there a better route now. Dont want the marina to marina route, though can put up with the odd one. Croab haven seemed OK. It's just that now I have a bigger more faster boat, distances seem longer.:mad:
 
urrm its conwy to douglas iom, like we did last year, then Northern Ireland. We also did Howrth & Malahide last year at £40 per night, so we might give that a miss this year.

Its such a shame we can't get on the shannon or associated areas without going to Limerick. Anyway just looking for suggestions after my "why don't we do the broads like we used to do", oh no was the answer, epecially not in one of those boats that you can drive inside your lounge, with a roof you can slide back.
 
We are not going on the broads in a bath tub type boat. Sithee. It's Mucky Farter or nowt.

We could have gone tuther way from Plymouth, but ended up in Wales. The only thing good about Wales, is that you can get to some where ese.
 
I've always fancied Strangford Lough, a bit like the Swellies only bigger, but never actually got there. If you want to avoid Marinas, then I can recommend the Skerries (just past the Rockabill light & turn left.

It used to be a holday resort for Dubliners but is more of a dormitory town now - very like New Brighton on the Wirral where I grew up. Anyway, it has a big wall thet the fishing boats hide behind when the wind blows or the Fisheries Inspectors are looking for them. Got a few shops too & when we were there (28 years ago-ish!) they happily took our English pounds in lieu of Irish Punt. No holes in the wall then for plastic cards!

Why not pop into Dickies & part with 30squids for an up to date Irish Sea pilot? It will compliment your AA road map a treat & show where you can top up provisions, fuel & water & empty the residues.

Irish East coast is a weather shore, so water is generally fairly flat if you are close enough to see the dogs wagging their tails. James TT will give you the Craic.
 
Strangford is a lovely place, spent many happy weeks there, taking engines out after that other sinking do. Been up and down the East coast like a wandering jew. South coast a bit as well. Fair bit of Scotland as well, but sold the boat on the way round, which was a bit limiting.
 
Scotland

hlb said:
........We then went to Camble Town as I remember, then sort of shuffeled up to the Crinan Canal. Then on to Tobermory. Are there still shops and stuff or have they all closed.

....Croab haven seemed OK. It's just that now I have a bigger more faster boat, distances seem longer.:mad:
Click to expand...

For covering milage, stay away from Crinan, but do East Ireland and cross over to West side of Mull of Kintyre.... Prefer Ardfern to Croab haven (rip of on fuel cost and you are a captive audience in there... more options in Ardfern.... do CuanSound on the leg to Oban.... Fuel at BP next to the Ferries at Oban at near half cost of Croab... and Oban Marina at Kerera is actually quite nice as you are on the island with free ferry to & from Oban, which makes it relatively quiet...

Circumnavigate Mull with Iona, Staffa etc., before or after anchor at Tobermorey, which is lively at times, but always good fun... Loch Sunart and in to Salen (fresh Scollops available) is a nice detour and good anchorages.

Have a nice journey...
 
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butting in

Greetings,

hope you don't mind me butting in here with no input at all but a few questions.
All this talk of nipping across the Irish Sea, the IOM, Plymouth to Wales and up to Scotland has me feeling quite envious. I have a Fjord 27 and once we have put a beefier engine in and got used to handling her on estuaries and the like, I fancy broadening our horizons with just the trips outlined above. What sort of boats are you lot doing these trips in and do you think my 27 footer Semi Displacement will handle it?
1. Plymouth-Wales - I take it that means round Land's End?
2. Are all these trips done when superb weather is forecast?
3. Is that Dickies of Bangor? or is it the same firm?

I only have 8 or so years till retirement and we will probably end up in Dolgellau or somewhere similiar so cruises up the West Coast are what I am looking at but am wondering whether I will have to upgrade the boat.

regards

arthor (who waffles too much obviously)
 
arthor said:
......I have a Fjord 27 and once we have put a beefier engine in and got used to handling her on estuaries and the like, I fancy broadening our horizons with just the trips outlined above. What sort of boats are you lot doing these trips in and do you think my 27 footer Semi Displacement will handle it?
.............
Click to expand...

With enough time on your hands, no problem ... done most of Norway (some 90NM open sea passages) in a 7 knot 50 hp Tresfjord 26

60_1.jpg


Planning journey and time available is key.... With a beafier engine (eg a TMD 40 A or B), the Fjord should comfortabely cruise at 12 - 14 knot and handle most of the sea you will encounter with grace modern boats can only dream of. She could become a bit twitchy in following seas, but key is then to slow down and avoid bow stuffing into waves etc.. Great boat, wonderful seakeeping and very capabable cruiser...
 
thanks for that Alf,
have heard good things about her on a few fora and would love to keep her. My decision would be to either upgrade or put some love and a bit of cash into her. Have always fancied building from scratch anyway so some work on her will hopefully purge me of silly project ideas. I was thinking about a Steyr (175-200 ish) later on which will certainly give me the oomph I need. We haven't had her long and being on the Ure at the moment, will have plenty of inland to get us up to speed handling wise before sticking our noses down the Humber. Have ben liaising with a surveyor in regard to fitting some sort of outboard well so I can mount a remote controlled Yam Hi thrust (25hp ish?) as a river engine, displacement speed aux and also parking engine as I am **** at parking.

thanks again

arthor

ps I know the Steyr will be pricey but much lighter than a TAMD and if she is fine in all other aspects then I think it will be worth it
 
arthor said:
Greetings,

hope you don't mind me butting in here with no input at all but a few questions.
All this talk of nipping across the Irish Sea, the IOM, Plymouth to Wales and up to Scotland has me feeling quite envious. I have a Fjord 27 and once we have put a beefier engine in and got used to handling her on estuaries and the like, I fancy broadening our horizons with just the trips outlined above. What sort of boats are you lot doing these trips in and do you think my 27 footer Semi Displacement will handle it?
1. Plymouth-Wales - I take it that means round Land's End?
2. Are all these trips done when superb weather is forecast?
3. Is that Dickies of Bangor? or is it the same firm?

I only have 8 or so years till retirement and we will probably end up in Dolgellau or somewhere similiar so cruises up the West Coast are what I am looking at but am wondering whether I will have to upgrade the boat.

regards

arthor (who waffles too much obviously)
Click to expand...


Theres no reason why you could not do it, but something a little bigger would be better. We did alot of Wales to Ireland In the old Princess 33, thats what we did Scotland in.

My P35 is a much bigger/ better boat. It's been down to Brittainy, CI's, Solent. Even went to Birmingham once.:rolleyes:

You need a boat that can handle twice that which you expect, also with a bit of redundancy for when stuff breaks. Lands End a few times, no special weather, not storms if we could help it, though been in a few.

Course most of this was done in times when diesel was around 20p ltr.

Different story now.
 
arthor said:
thanks for that Alf,
have heard good things about her on a few fora and would love to keep her. My decision would be to either upgrade or put some love and a bit of cash into her. Have always fancied building from scratch anyway so some work on her will hopefully purge me of silly project ideas. I was thinking about a Steyr (175-200 ish) later on which will certainly give me the oomph I need. We haven't had her long and being on the Ure at the moment, will have plenty of inland to get us up to speed handling wise before sticking our noses down the Humber. Have ben liaising with a surveyor in regard to fitting some sort of outboard well so I can mount a remote controlled Yam Hi thrust (25hp ish?) as a river engine, displacement speed aux and also parking engine as I am **** at parking.

thanks again

arthor

ps I know the Steyr will be pricey but much lighter than a TAMD and if she is fine in all other aspects then I think it will be worth it
Click to expand...


If your serious about long sea trips. Look at boats Bernard Olsinki designed in the 80's. Quite happy at over 20 knots in a F7 following sea, beam seas the same, just a bit rollercoasterish. Only in head seas do you need to slow down.
 
arthor said:
thanks for that Alf........
ps I know the Steyr will be pricey but much lighter than a TAMD and if she is fine in all other aspects then I think it will be worth it
Click to expand...
A pleasure...

Please do consider a properly reconditioned TMD 30 / 31 / 32 .., which is a four cylinder... as well as the 2.5 L Ford Transit engine and some of the Nanni diesels based on Toyota blocks, plus the mercruiser (CMD) 4 cylinder... should be much cheaper than Steyr, and parts perhaps more readily available... If you buy a new engine you will seriously struggle to get your money back at time of sale ... and for the money you spend, you may as well consider a different boat along the lines of hlb's suggestions..
 
sea's Plymouth to Wales were not good, you look at 10 different forcasts all saying different things, the day we set off the forward flybridge seat broke, apparently my fault for leaning back on it !

So hlb was in front in not leaning back mode, as it couldn't be done, & I'm on the very, very wind dominated back seat. Anyway we got there. We've got a nice video of it, but we now can't add music, even tho paid for, so it seems a bit dull.
 
It's saved as a jpeg rather than an mpeg, haydn, so it won't play. BTW I'm impressed with Henry, I've never seen him so alert & smart looking. Who was he trying to impress? The bitch next door?:D

Edit, That's better mate!
 
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