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York to Thames


dogsarelandseals

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I have bought a single engine 30ft Broom Ocean in York, and need to get her to Walton on Thames. I have received excellent and sensible advice from both forum members and the broker, who all agree it would be all round a much better idea to just haul it down. However I wanted to put the feelers out to see whether anyone might be remotely interested in helping me to sail it down. Feel free to laugh/jeer, but here are the specs for anyone interested. There will be myself and my partner, and the boat has two double bed cabins, so you would have one to yourself. At time of sailing it will have all mod cons (kitchen with air fryer, hob, bathroom with shower). I'm of course happy to pay travel and for meals. We will do as much of the work as possible, and really are asking for someone to come along as guidance. I'm more putting the feelers out on this to see a) if anyone would be interested, and b) whether its going to be more money/hassle than its worth. We would be wanting to move her in about 4 weeks time, so hopefully when its less 'perfect storm' weather out there. If no ones interested and it's a ridiculous idea, at least I've given you all a laugh on this dark Sunday evening and we can have her hauled down?

Edited by dogsarelandseals
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1 hour ago, dogsarelandseals said:

I have bought a single engine 30ft Broom Ocean in York, and need to get her to Walton on Thames. I have received excellent and sensible advice from both forum members and the broker, who all agree it would be all round a much better idea to just haul it down. However I wanted to put the feelers out to see whether anyone might be remotely interested in helping me to sail it down. Feel free to laugh/jeer, but here are the specs for anyone interested. There will be myself and my partner, and the boat has two double bed cabins, so you would have one to yourself. At time of sailing it will have all mod cons (kitchen with air fryer, hob, bathroom with shower). I'm of course happy to pay travel and for meals. We will do as much of the work as possible, and really are asking for someone to come along as guidance. I'm more putting the feelers out on this to see a) if anyone would be interested, and b) whether its going to be more money/hassle than its worth. We would be wanting to move her in about 4 weeks time, so hopefully when its less 'perfect storm' weather out there. If no ones interested and it's a ridiculous idea, at least I've given you all a laugh on this dark Sunday evening and we can have her hauled down?

Are you planning to go down the North Sea from the Humber - I presume this boat is  a wide beam (usually 30 ft)? Have you any experience at all or is this new territory for you and your partner?

If you are not happy doing this it is not a good idea in the time frame you mention, and especially at this time of the year with an untried boat and an untried skipper.  Much better, easier and much, much quicker to ship it by road transport. Incidentally, there are also issues onthe tidal Ouse at Cawood - machinery flooded as is Selby swing bridge, which may mean Cawood Bridge being a barrier to boats for a period of time.

 

Howard

 

Edited by howardang
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57 minutes ago, howardang said:

Are you planning to go down the North Sea from the Humber - I presume this boat is  a wide beam (usually 30 ft)? Have you any experience at all or is this new territory for you and your partner?

If you are not happy doing this it is not a good idea in the time frame you mention, and especially at this time of the year with an untried boat and an untried skipper.  Much better, easier and much, much quicker to ship it by road transport. Incidentally, there are also issues onthe tidal Ouse at Cawood - machinery flooded as is Selby swing bridge, which may mean Cawood Bridge being a barrier to boats for a period of time.

 

Howard

 

Yes I think down the North Sea from Humber is the only way we could do it. AFAIK she would not fit down any other way. She is a wide beam - 10ft across. I have no experience at all, although we will be staying in York and learning over the next few weeks. Thanks for the feedback, I think you're right, and everyone who has advised me has agreed with you. Just wanted to 'test the waters' before I book haulage even though I was pretty sure what I would be told. Thanks again.

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2 hours ago, dogsarelandseals said:

I have bought a single engine 30ft Broom Ocean in York, and need to get her to Walton on Thames. I have received excellent and sensible advice from both forum members and the broker, who all agree it would be all round a much better idea to just haul it down. However I wanted to put the feelers out to see whether anyone might be remotely interested in helping me to sail it down. Feel free to laugh/jeer, but here are the specs for anyone interested. There will be myself and my partner, and the boat has two double bed cabins, so you would have one to yourself. At time of sailing it will have all mod cons (kitchen with air fryer, hob, bathroom with shower). I'm of course happy to pay travel and for meals. We will do as much of the work as possible, and really are asking for someone to come along as guidance. I'm more putting the feelers out on this to see a) if anyone would be interested, and b) whether its going to be more money/hassle than its worth. We would be wanting to move her in about 4 weeks time, so hopefully when its less 'perfect storm' weather out there. If no ones interested and it's a ridiculous idea, at least I've given you all a laugh on this dark Sunday evening and we can have her hauled down?

I assume you are not an experienced sailor, or you would not be asking. Arrange transportation by road.

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7 hours ago, LadyG said:

I assume you are not an experienced sailor, or you would not be asking. Arrange transportation by road.

She does say that she has no experience at all so I am glad she has asked for advice and I hoe she enjoys the boat once it reaches the Thames.

 

Howard

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Although it a nice idea I would not be planning any trips out of the Humber until May at the earliest. Not only for the weather but also the daylight hours. 

Even then the weather and the sea state must be relatively calm.

If your boat has been to sea in the last year it may indicate its capabilities?

If the boat has been used on the river only for some years  there is a risk that a sea trip will shake up crud in the tank and cause fuel issues. I suggest a  test cruise to Hull or Grimsby  should be a minimum requirement but in any case you can only make the trip in small steps. 

The sensible option is to put it on a truck.

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I've made the reverse trip - from centre of London to York.

It really isn't for someone with no boating experience. I had limited experience off-shore (mostly sailing) when I made the trip, but took along a crew member with a lot of experience.

You really need to be sure of your boat. Also your ability to deal with issues. Can you confidently replace oil filters, at sea (i.e. when boat is pitching up and down), in the dark? Are you familiar with ColRegs? What is your knowledge of navigation, can you plot a course to make the best use of tide, avoid sandbanks?

Making this trip you will end up several miles offshore at times (crossing the Wash). Have you ever done anything similar? What are your emergency procedures if you have an engine failure when offshore?
    
Do you know how to operate a radio and have the relevant licence?

Fuel consumption; how far can you motor on your boat's tankage? 

These are just some of the things to take into consideration before undertaking such a trip. 

Even the best laid plans can go awry. We had no issues motoring up the coast, hit all our waypoints on time, then snapped the propshaft coupling pulling out of Grimsby dock. No warning, it had been fine for over 200miles.

 

Oh - and you should be aiming for the correct weather window rather than have a fixed date in mind. Don't assume that the weather will cooperate. 

Edited by Alastair
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If you want any corroboration of the above or different views, try the YBW forums.

There's a Thames section (lots of Brooms there , some with sea experience as well as an East Coast section as well.

IM(H)O sea / coastal Brooms were bulit for inland use - sea going versions were always higher powered with twin big diesels.

There's a Broom owner - handle OldGit - on the Thames section who is most helpful....

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I've got about forty years experience, and would consider this to be a challenging journey in an unknown boat even with a good crew, plenty of time, and good nav aids including AIS and something like this https://www.radio-solutions.co.uk/icom-ic-m330ge-vhf-dsc-marine-transceiver-radio-with-gps-receiver.html?gclid=CjwKCAiAhc7yBRAdEiwAplGxX64L014_nO-Gy-ZvQ5OTeKBYwIAdkmhJKJj_YK5RIuY_psOFiK7RChoCvhIQAvD_BwE

Preparation would include fuel cleaning and major servicing plus some sea trials. .... , VHF training course and an apprpriate motorboat course.

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I've done this sort of thing quite often over the years on inland trips, just for food and a bed because I like going boating, but you need a sea-going equivalent of me to get you down to London. Someone who knows what they're doing at sea might step forward, try the YBW forum maybe as mentioned by Old Goat? The big advantages over road haulage, as I always say to people new to boating who are contemplating an inland boat move, must be that you can learn on the way (boating skills, and about your boat in particular), and enjoy the journey, as well as saving money.

Assuming I've recovered enough from an operation I had in January, and at present I do feel good, I might be up for crewing for you on the last little bit on the non-tidal Thames, which I know well. [Or on up river if you change your mind about the destination]. By then you'll know what you're doing with the boat anyway? 

 

Depending on the boat's draught and air draught, which might limit where it can go, you might wish to cut out the sea-going bit and possibly reduce your length of road journey by just taking the boat by road down to the Grand Union somewhere then taking it down to Brentford. Road haulage all the way might be more sensible than that because I've heard distance doesn't generally increase the cost by much. And if you crane in near the Birmingham end you'll have a lot of locks to do, plus the Braunston and Blisworth tunnels for which a widebeam must book passage with CRT. Better, if not at Walton on Thames there must be various places on the Thames above Teddington where you can crane the thing in, removing the need to do the tidal bit Brentford to Teddington, and I could help you do the Thames locks.

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1 hour ago, Peter X said:

Road haulage all the way might be more sensible than that because I've heard distance doesn't generally increase the cost by much.

Yep, you heard right and listened to the important bits.

 

The last quote I needed for boat transport was lift out £700, trailer ride £600, lift off £500, total £1800.

 

I tried again and paid £680 total ... admittedly for a slightly different journey.  I had to move the boat 1/2 mile at the pickup end and was dropped in a couple of miles away from where I wanted at the delivery end.

 

Once it's strapped to the trailer, the miles are pretty much irrelevant.  Pick your lift out and lift in carefully, because I can get my boat delivered to the Mediterranean for less money than I would need to pay for a lift in/out at some marinas!

 

 

Edited by TheBiscuits
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