Where is the worst area you have sailed?

[MrCramp]

We wre in Hull for a while. Once you are out the lock you can go to Grimsby or well Grimsby. No where else to go for 8 hours until the lock opens again.
Tide can be differnt on oppisite sides of the river and the sandbanks are mobile. 6 knots of tide. Marina freezes over, and enough mud in the water or should that be water in the mud to sandblast any hull. Wonderful people though.

The Humber is the worst area I have ever sailed, horrible fast tides and no-where to go!

 

[uxb]

The Solent/ IOW area..

Crowded, expensive, murky water and too many Breton caps.

 

[bluemoongaffer]

Holyhead. Rough, wet, strong tides. Nothing to recommend the town except the ferry to Dublin. Nice yacht club though

 

[photodog]

The Solent.

 

[Garold]

Holyhead. Rough, wet, strong tides. Nothing to recommend the town except the ferry to Dublin. Nice yacht club though

I thought Holyhead was lovely. The safest, most beautiful place on the planet.

However we did put in there after sailing north through Cardigan Bay, trying to enter the Menaii Strts, running aground on the beach, bouncing on the sand for 10 minutes, and managing to reverse of in 25 knots of SW wind with the odd passing mist/fog bank just to disorientate the panic stricken sailor. Then we motored round to Holyhead in a rolly sea with my dad wearing as many lifejackets as he could get his hands on!

Anyway, back to worst places.

Well thinking about it, probably that bit of beach entering the Menaii Strts.

Cheers

Garold

 

[Lakesailor]

I noticed the answer magically appear in the forum list

 

[snooks]

Depends on why you go sailing...

If you go sailing to to sail, I found the Seychelles pants, 12 days the most breeze we had was 10 knots for 20 minutes. The scenery, beaches and wildlife were amazing though!

If you go for night out and meals ashore I can't recommend Desolation sound, there are some good restaurants but they are few and far between. If you want isolation and to have a camp fire with the calls of wolves in the distance it's unbeatable.

If you want good hot weather, avoid Scotland, it's cold, winding and plagued by midges. It is does however have some of the best cruising in the world.

A much as I love the channel Islands the tidal ranges and directions restrict your cruising, so you can't go where you want to, when you want to.

The Med can lack a challenge, get too hot, and the wind can come up out of nowhere.

It all depend on your definition of "worst" really

 

[Romeo]

Where exactly are you meaning?

Ok, some of this may depend on what type of boat you have but what is the worst area you have sailed in.
I must admit I found sailing on the NE UK coast a pain because with 2m below you there are very few places to go.

What do you mean by NE UK Coast? Are you referring to the Moray Firth or, as I rather fear, do you mean everything North of Norfolk until you get to Orkney?

 

[iain789]

Sailing in Montenegro last year. Every day without fail listened avidly to the weather forecast. Every day was the same.

"General Synopsis - NORMAL. Wind - force two or less, direction variable. Fine, visibility good"

We did a lot of motoring that week, what do these people talk about when the weather is always the same? (Mind you the Gulf of Kotor is spectacular).

And yes, Snooks, you are right, Scotland is cold, wet, windy and miserable with clouds of man-eating midges. Best avoided. (We need to keep the crowds away).

 

[charles_reed]

Cardigan Bay is mainly full of drying lee shore harbours and the two with water at all states of the tide - one is half tide and they're both very expensive - probably explaining why few venture there although it's a lovely place.

Having sailed Ceregedion Bay, I will admit it has certain challenges but they pale into insignificance compared to the N African coast, in any onshore wind.

 

[Slow_boat]

I was Solent based for the early years of my sailing career. It was overcrowded and expensive thirty years ago, I should imagine you can walk across the decks to the IoW on a summers weekend. And Salcome was snobbish and a rip off then, too. But for those who like that sort of thing, I guess they're great.

I shalln't be rushing back to either, except to show swmbo how lucky we are.

 

[capnsensible]

West side of the Adriatic, Italys' east coast up by Brindisi. Yuk.

Polluted sea and sky. Bit like the Humber.....

 

[Blueboatman]

The Morbihan (probably) was for me.

Tides just too fast, too many isolated dangers,no go areas and shellfish beds to avoid, channels just too narrow and all v v popular.

And v keen to charge us for it all too.

Its a horrible feeling when you are looking for a nearby rock and there it is, sliding but safely under the keel on a rising fast tide, arghh.

 

[Fascadale]

Humber is where I am planning to spend the winter

what is wrong with the Humber?

Dylan

I think the question has been well answered by others.

The Humber Cruising Assoc marina in Grimsby is good though: and it sells what may be the cheapest pint around the coast of our fair isle.

 

[rotrax]

Ok, some of this may depend on what type of boat you have but what is the worst area you have sailed in.
I must admit I found sailing on the NE UK coast a pain because with 2m below you there are very few places to go.

Did not like the Bristol Channel one little bit! We were however on the delivery trip with our new boat and were perhaps a bit overly apprehensive. Nasty headsea,no refuges on the south side for our boat until Padstein, exepting the outer harbour at Ilfracombe where we spent five nights on the hook stormbound alongside the Lundy boat which was'nt going either.It was nice when the water got clear after the muddy stuff higher up though.

 

[Searush]

I thought Holyhead was lovely. The safest, most beautiful place on the planet.

However we did put in there after sailing north through Cardigan Bay, trying to enter the Menaii Strts, running aground on the beach, bouncing on the sand for 10 minutes, and managing to reverse of in 25 knots of SW wind with the odd passing mist/fog bank just to disorientate the panic stricken sailor. Then we motored round to Holyhead in a rolly sea with my dad wearing as many lifejackets as he could get his hands on!

Anyway, back to worst places.

Well thinking about it, probably that bit of beach entering the Menaii Strts.

Cheers

Garold

That's just bad timing, arrive on the late flood & it isn't a problem, well bouyed & enough water. But SW 5 & above over ebb, it becomes a very dangerous place. Anchor at Llandwyn Island until the tide is right & then fly into one of the best little cruising areas in the world.

 

[snooks]

I was Solent based for the early years of my sailing career. It was overcrowded and expensive thirty years ago, I should imagine you can walk across the decks to the IoW on a summers weekend.

If you follow the crowds you are part of the crowd, if you don't you can still find some lovely places away from marinas, charterers and crowds.

 

[Conachair]

Well on one side I liked everywhere apart from Chatham

But in general it all gets much better once south of 35deg N.

 

[TSB240]

The Morbihan (probably) was for me.

Tides just too fast, too many isolated dangers,no go areas and shellfish beds to avoid, channels just too narrow and all v v popular.

And v keen to charge us for it all too.

Its a horrible feeling when you are looking for a nearby rock and there it is, sliding but safely under the keel on a rising fast tide, arghh.

Forget cruising North Wales then. We went in and out at full spring flood and ebb at Port Navalo this year. No comparison to Bardsey or Menai at full bore.

Worst sailing ground Southport Marine lake no rocks, no tide, next to no water! Very crowded for 24hrs.

 

[TimBennet]

Whitehaven.

If you go out for a short sail, you just flop around a very dull corner of the Irish Sea.

And when it's time to go back, things get even worse - you end up in Whitehaven.