UK Live aboard-is this crazy?

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daveg45

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HI everyone

Could anyone give advice on suitable marinas in the UK with live aboard potential? Having gone through the loop of buying and keeping a yacht in the med we have decided to berth in the UK for a year or so to gain experience and accessibility. Our first thought where Gosport or Torquay for easy access into a decent cruising area but cost seems crazy. The downside is we are currently have commitments in Yorkshire. The boat is 42ft with a 2.1 m draught.

Dave
 
Yorkshire may be a challenge but Hartlepool isn't too far away. Probably about £2500 a year for a berth in a nice new purpose built marine with bars and restaurants and only five minutes walk from the town centre.

Security is good and there are a few liveaboards there already.

Have a look at http://www.hartlepool-marina.com for more information.

PM me if you want more local information.

Alan
 
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The downside is we are currently have commitments in Yorkshire. The boat is 42ft with a 2.1 m draught.

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Where in Yorkshire - Jonny_H has been in Fleetwood and Glasson Dock which are both OK with Liveaboards. Fleetwood is a bit of a dump, but Glasson Dock is fabulous - as a location, marina and yard - not for sailing. You can only get through the sea lock for an hour at HW, and the canal/marina lock in daylight. If I was UK based, I would have spent from October to April, (maybe May), at Glasson, and happily not done much sailing, then a few months either cruising, or at Whitehaven.
 
Hull is about 150 squids a mtr per year plus 50 electric connection plus 300 for full live aboard (if they know about you!) Leeds is 40 mins from leaving your boat!
 
I managed to live aboard in Deacons Boatyard, Bursledon. Beautiful area, good pubs, about 4 liveaboards there already. Nothing like being able to pop over to the Isle of Wight on the weekend - I had an amazing time there. Reasonably priced too.

nick
 
Based near York Richard. Hull Marina is close and to be fair not a bad marina at all. However The Humber isn’t the best place to be and the cruising ground is not great. I remember sailing there in the 70’s when it first opened. Whenever I have been there even on a good day barely 2 boats pen out if any. I was in Gosport a couple of weeks ago and the Solent looked like an extension of the M25!!!. Most of my experience with boats has involved 2 big engines on my father’s boat as a young teenager. I was favouring Torquay as it has 24 hour access into deep water with nothing to really worry about. An ideal place I thought to get to grips with sailing on all points of sail, getting to grips full with sticks and strings and general pilotage. Then again it is 5 hours drive from Yorkshire. The initial choice seems to be semi live aboard on the south coast with good sailing or full live aboard in Hull with ....well I guess Holland is 32 hours away on a good day.
Am I on the right tack so to speak?

Dave
 
We wintered in Chichester Marina and they were fine about it. Prices a good deal lower than other nearby areas but not cheap, it must be said.

Getting to Yorkshire is a problem from Gosport or Chi.

Make sure you have at least one probably two decent dehumidifiers on board over the winter - they will improve your comfort more than you'd believe.
 
Richard I am amazed, I was born and raised in Whitehaven and wouldn,t dream of spending more time there than I could possibly help.
BUT, even in Whitehaven, surely no one could need TWO dehumidifiers! unless they have sunk.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Richard I am amazed, I was born and raised in Whitehaven and wouldn,t dream of spending more time there than I could possibly help.
BUT, even in Whitehaven, surely no one could need TWO dehumidifiers! unless they have sunk.

[/ QUOTE ]

We loved Whitehaven as a sailing destination.... beat the hell out of Fleetwood, hand for Scotland and IoM, Tescos, restaurants, chippies, pubs, and the sea front/harbour area was being transformed in a big way ... even thought it might be worth buying a few houses there.
 
Good Heavens!

Tho, the Scotland bit is right, I left W/haven to live in Kirkcudbright, happily for 20yrs until I left the UK, probably for good 12 yrs ago.
Cheers Richard, Bill.
 
I couldn't find CooCooBree on the map, first time I needed to go there.
 
[ QUOTE ]


Where in Yorkshire - Jonny_H has been in Fleetwood and Glasson Dock which are both OK with Liveaboards. Fleetwood is a bit of a dump, but Glasson Dock is fabulous - as a location, marina and yard - not for sailing. You can only get through the sea lock for an hour at HW, and the canal/marina lock in daylight. If I was UK based, I would have spent from October to April, (maybe May), at Glasson, and happily not done much sailing, then a few months either cruising, or at Whitehaven.

[/ QUOTE ]

Your having a larf?
Glasson dock is a right [--word removed--] hole
only seconded by hesketh bank in the [--word removed--] hole stakes

And not really cheap either

A couple of people have said it's nice to me recently but when ever i have gone it looks like a place old boats go to die.
last time i was there Half the pontoons have carried away it's in the middle of nowhere so if you dont have a car you will be well stuck.

unless i'm going to the wrong place?

Rob
 
[ QUOTE ]
A couple of people have said it's nice to me recently but when ever i have gone it looks like a place old boats go to die.
last time i was there Half the pontoons have carried away it's in the middle of nowhere so if you dont have a car you will be well stuck.

unless i'm going to the wrong place?

[/ QUOTE ]

I left in August 06 - pontoons seemed OK.... a few old boats dying on the shore, definitely in the middle of nowhere and you need a car or you will be well stuck /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

I loved the place - a walk or drive round to The Victoria, watch the boats going through the locks, a game of golf at the flash club round the corner, a walk along the canal bank, nice people, nothing the yard cant do .... I guess you have to spend some time there to find out what it's really like - not everybody will like it.
 
can anyone tell me more about Hartlepool and the sailing around that coast. It may just fit the bill.

Thanks dave
 
I don,t know about, Hartlepool Dave, but re you needing to get to Yorkshire, and wanting to have a decent sailing area, Maryport may be worth thinking about, plenty of destinations for weekends or longer, IoM, Ireland, Scotland, N Wales and not a bad town, a friend used to think nothing of commuting every w.e. from Keithley(sp?). The price used to be ok too.
 
Fleetwood is OK. Not brill, no fancy yacht club city centre marina location (although there is a bar, loos, showers, washing machine & dryer), and is a bit silty at the moment, but basically OK security, OK pontoons, fresh water and unmetered electricity included, comparatively cheap, convenient shopping. There are a good few liveaboards - presumably it works for them. Berthing / Marina manager Pete is a good helpful guy. 42' would be no problem. Because of the silt you might sink your keel in and rest your bottom on the silt at neaps - PM Jonny_H for comments - but they are dredging section A (where I am) very soon. I live near sHuddersfield & Halifax, it's hour and a quarter from Fleetwood marina to M62 J22 on an average run, so then you're in Yorkshire. It is a boat park, not a pleasure destination, but then who would expect Fleetwood to be glamorous? /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif

They are doing some new development on the NW side of Fleetwood docks at the moment so there is dust flying about some days.

Liverpool is much plusher, at twice the price, nicer facilities including overpriced restaurant, but very little shopping on the doorstep, and it's the same journey time to Yorkshire. Heard some rumour about L'pool essentially being locked in for the winter while they do maintenance on the locks?
 
How would Maryport compare Steve, re price, accessability/tides, I think re sailing destinations Maryport has it, Depends on where in Yorks you want to be re travelling time maybe? Bill.
 
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