Thinking of moving to the South West, whats the sailing like?

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Guise

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We are tentatively thinking of moving to the Somerset / Devon direction, but one big question is the cost of keeping a boat there and how good the sailing is.

Firstly cost, we are currently paying £285/metre for a marina berth, however the ones we've looked at on the South West coast seem to be in the £4-500 range, far too expensive but we need a pontoon berth with at least 1.5 metres of water.

Next sailing. Having never sailed West of Poole its a complete unknown to us, apart from what we can learn from pilots, Reeds etc etc, any reflections on both the South & Bristol Channel coasts as good sailing areas would be much appreciated.

Boat is 34' x 11' with 5' draft fin keel, we tend to be weekend coast hoppers, liking quiet creeks and harbours, however a walk on berth for a home mooring is essential
 
Sailing in the South West is excellent. It's 'real' sailing, though; big seas, longer journeys, compared to the Solent, at least. There are lots and lots of quiet anchorages, you could spend several days in Salcombe Estuary at anchor, longer if you like to explore in a dinghy. Dartmouth, Plymouth, Falmouth ditto. I've not much knowledge of permanent berths there, but Marinas are much the same price as the Solent for visitors.
Only sail in the Bristol Channel if you have to!
 
South West UK cruising grounds are great, some of the best coastline in the UK. We've been there on and off for the last 10 years and never get bored of it.

If you want a Marina with shore access, they are all expensive IMO.
 
yoda said:
How about this?

http://www.torpointyachtharbour.co.uk/page/18/prices

The SW is great cruising ground and there is a healthy club racing scene in most places.

Yoda
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That's more like it, thanks Yoda.

1) PRV - We currently sail in the Thames Estuary

2) PCUK - thanks for that, our only concern about the North is that everywhere seems to be tidal (not surprisingly) which limits sailing possibilities, we're really keen on access for at least 4 hours either side of HW. Any suggestions where we could be based in the N to achieve that?
 
StormNorm said:
Only sail in the Bristol Channel if you have to!
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Do not even think of heading north of Padstow or south of St David's head! There lies only danger and pain! Massive tides, dangerous seas, pirates, sea monsters and dragons! That is only on the English coast! The Welsh coast has all these problems PLUS the Welsh!!!! If you are used to the Solent the lack of boats will be disconcerting too!
My pontoon berth in Cardiff is frighteningly expensive too, £800 this year!
Allan
 
Allan said:
Do not even think of heading north of Padstow or south of St David's head! There lies only danger and pain! Massive tides, dangerous seas, pirates, sea monsters and dragons! That is only on the English coast! The Welsh coast has all these problems PLUS the Welsh!!!! If you are used to the Solent the lack of boats will be disconcerting too!
My pontoon berth in Cardiff is frighteningly expensive too, £800 this year!
Allan
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I've never had any problem at all with the Welsh.
My comment was light-hearted, of course.
 
Allan said:
Do not even think of heading north of Padstow or south of St David's head! There lies only danger and pain! Massive tides, dangerous seas, pirates, sea monsters and dragons! That is only on the English coast! The Welsh coast has all these problems PLUS the Welsh!!!! If you are used to the Solent the lack of boats will be disconcerting too!
My pontoon berth in Cardiff is frighteningly expensive too, £800 this year!
Allan
Click to expand...

There are terrible places like Lundy too!

Frankly the passage from Lundy to Padstow is my Favorite. Last time we had dolphins with us for an hour.

The tides can be your friend too if you work with them. There are counter currents too if you stay near the shore.
 
You get what you pay for. It is expensive and crowded but not as crowded as it used to be and there are more facilities now. Sutton Harbour used to be my favourite in Plymouth with their hotel quality showers, but the prices are now eye watering. You get out of it what you get out f it what you put in, you can hop from marina to marina, but you can find some lovely places to anchor, not necessarily in the pilot books either, just take note of the conditions and wind direction.

Lactic Bay and outside Looe are great places to anchor in the right conditions.
 
I presume you want a marina berth for ease of access when travelling from a distance. Otherwise there are loads of full-tide moorings for those willing to use the dinghy. Look around the smaller boatyards and 'marinas'. Here is another....http://southdownmarina.com/

Ex East Coast Sailors often comment on how strange it is to sail within feet of the shore without running aground. OTOH running aground is more than just embarrassing round here, the ground is full of hard bits.
 
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