Windsor-Solent

[thejonesey]

I am just looking ahead to the summer and I am planning to take the boat to Solent and beyond in July and August...how else am I going to make use of those 30 "free" nights! I am "guestimating" that it is 150-175Nm or more to the Eastern Solent which at 1mpg is going to work out pretty pricey. The alternative is to get her delivered to the Hamble which at £600 each way plus lifts is going to work out at least 1/3rd cheaper.

I know the trip around would be an adventure but we cruise as a family and the kids won't cope with such a journey (5 and 7) meaning that it is slightly missing the point. When we get there, I plan to hop up and down the coast and ... who knows, I might struggle to take her back when the time comes.

What would you do? Do I have my mileage and costs about right? (I am working on sea cruising miles so there will also be a cost of getting the boat to that point!)

The 3rd option is to cruise the East Coast?

 

[paultallett]

Have her lifted and spend your time enjoying the South Coast. We did it and never returned to Windsor......

 

[ripvan1]

Stick swmbo and kids on train to solent (portsmouth?) grab a mate or advertise for crew - sure someone would relish the trip - and meet family -

 

[rafiki_]

Stick swmbo and kids on train to solent (portsmouth?) grab a mate or advertise for crew - sure someone would relish the trip - and meet family -

+1

 

[rr_123]

Stick swmbo and kids on train to solent (portsmouth?) grab a mate or advertise for crew - sure someone would relish the trip - and meet family -

Have the boat delivered, spend the time and money saved on the lash with mates in the solent - and meet the family

 

[Elessar]

Stick swmbo and kids on train to solent (portsmouth?) grab a mate or advertise for crew - sure someone would relish the trip - and meet family -

the trip is great - I used to do Thames winter south coast summer and love the journey.

Only licence rates and winter lock closures stopped me coming back, I am now permanently on the coast.

Overnight ramsgate and it's 2 days. Or leave her at Chatham free for a while and break the journey.

You can stop at the inside of the pier at st Kats to drop the family off - the central London bit is special and shouldn't be missed.

 

[Geoffs]

Rob, definitely do it, and by water. The back of a lorry is not the place for a capable boat like yours. I did Poole to Oxford and back (with some wonderful hospitality from Byron) in 2008, that was 700nm round trip. Super trip, best one I've ever done.

Assuming family vaguely ok on a boat, can't see a problem, if you take it easy.

Would suggest Windsor to St. Kats or Limehouse, if tides want to play, may need a stop at Teddington if not.

St Kats or Limehouse to Ramsgate, very pleasant run and Ramsgate a lovely little harbour. Can refuel at Ramsgate, Windsor to Ramsgate should be ok if you have reasonable range.

Ramsgate to Brighton, about 80 miles (4 hrs at 20 knots), if I remember correctly (log on boat!). Remember to call up Dover Harbour as you pass. Another delightful run.

Brighton to Solent, easy.

Come down and see us at Cobbs Quay, Poole, not far from Solent.

You will have a wonderful time if weather behaves, ok you'll use some fuel, but that's what you have a boat for! It is not as daunting as it sounds, split it up as suggested, do your passage planning and it's just like a few days normal cruising.

 

[lewsd]

Mileage and costs look about right to me, I took mine by road last Sept.

Kind of an interesting trip go on the water, but a lot of it is actually a bit boring, and even if the weather is kind it will still take a few days. If the weather goes British on you, it's a few days watching the wind and rain stuck in a marina someplace you'd probably rather not be!

Mine was out of the Thames at breakfast time and back in at Lymington in time for lunch easy! Booked up months in advance, and the weather was horrible following it down the M3 - who cares!

 

[thames cruiser]

Whilst I fully understand the arguments (well made here) for having the boat trucked, I'm all for the trip around. I did it last year (from Bray to Hamble) and we thoroughly enjoyed it. Down side, apart from cost, is it takes time to get there (and back) meaning you will have less time actually in the The Solent to play around there - but for us the experience of the passage was well worth it. This year we may take our boat around early and leave it there for a few months, getting the car down to the coast at weekends during the summer - a compromise between trucking it down for the summer hols and spending most of my two weeks summer leave on the trip there and back.

Oh, and according to my log, Teddington to Hamble Point Marina was 230nm (but, this inluded a double trip out to Thames Barrier and Imperial Wharf and back to give the turbos a blast (new speed limit says you cant do that now!), and copious playing for photo shoots off Beachy Head, so I'm guessing your 170nm estimate is probably about right.

Whatever you do, have fun!

 

[nautiboats]

Thames to Port Solent

I did the round trip from Putney to Port Solent Marina two years ago in a Targa 38 I was delivering. From memory it is about 180 miles We were going to do it in one hit but ...

We actually broke down in Dover which was a pain but generally it was a very pleasant and interesting trip. I took my two kids who were 11 and 13 at the time along with the owner and they enjoyed it too. The only "dodgy" bit, all other nautical things aside, was the very narrow gaps between some of the sandbanks on the Margate / Dover stretch.

Dover provided us with a hideaway at the time. Albeit the facilities are a bit bland there but it is a good hidey hole in the event of bad weather.

Would definitely recommend going by sea.

I am going back round by power catamaran on Sunday to Whitstable from Portsmouth it's supposedly work but I am looking forward to it

 

[SteveE]

When we brought new F33 from RYB we had 2 weeks on the Thames getting to know her, then the trip to Port Solent. The first day we did the locks, and spent the evening on a mooring at Chelsea near the Conrad Hotel, easily done in a day.

The 2nd leg was Chelsea to Ramsgate, we went down the Thames at 30 knots crisp weekday spring morning, and waved to all of the City types crossing the bridges to work... Chelsea to Ramsgate was easy on nearly a full tank, not using that much on the 6knt Thames stretch.

Re fulled at Ramsgate and made East Cowes that night. 2 very enjoyable days... We did East Cowes as we did not want to go straight to PS, and played on the Solent the following day..

Easy and enjoyable trip in 2 days...

 

[SP2]

Another vote for delivery by sea. Couple of years back, crewed my friends' Ocean 37 from the Hamble to Chatham. Left at 06.00 and made Chatham at 21.30 with a splash and dash in Ramsgate en route.

Yes it can be a bit dull in parts but at least you are moving at a reasonable speed so each leg is not too long.

Also a vote for doing it with a crew of willing hands rather than family.

 

[thejonesey]

Mmmmmm!

Decisions, decisions! I think we might do a bit of both (sea there and truck back) as I imagine the trip there will be exciting, new and the start of our summer boating while the journey home might be a more sober affair! (No offence to those on the Thames but no one likes going home at the end of a holiday!)

Many thanks for all the input - a wealth of information once again.

While checking through old threads the other night I realised that I posted a question about flybridge seating one night and four days later post about buying a Fairline Turbo 36! It has turned out to be a very expensive way to increase the seating on the flybridge.... but I wouldnt have it any other way.