Greetings from Redcar

[Little Gem]

We are a recently retired couple who got together just a few years ago in Redcar and discovered that we both have a love for life on the water. This our second year with our little motor cruiser - and we thought it was about time to join an internet forum, with the aim of exchanging ideas, information and general banter on all aspect of watercraft. We look forward to picking your brains and learning from those with more experience than ourselves.

[BruceK]

Hello and welcome. Do tell us more about your boat and cruising grounds.

[Ianfs]

Hi Little Gem

A very warm welcome to our ultra friendly forum.

We are from all over GB and although some boats are bigger than others, it doesn't matter here, we all love boats.

Any pictures are always welcome.

[Little Gem]

Hello and welcome. Do tell us more about your boat and cruising grounds.

Thank you for a warm welcome to the Forum. Our ‘Little Gem’ is a trailer mounted 1983 Norman Headline 20ft GRP cabin cruiser with an outboard motor, acquired by us in June 2015. She was in reasonably good condition when we bought her, but nevertheless we have made a vast number of improvements to suit our requirements. Since retiring, everything is done on a budget and all the work is happily undertaken by ourselves as an ongoing DIY project.

Both being new to boating for pleasure, we had to do a great deal of research, but so far we have installed a new windscreen and front window, reupholstered the interior, made new curtain and cushions, fitted new flooring, added new helm lighting, made a rope ladder, installed a marine VHF/DSC radio, additional leisure battery and additional electrical distribution board, compass, solar panel, radar arch with mast, navigation lights, radar reflector, radio antenna, TV/DVD and aerial, new porta potti and bought a brand new outboard motor. We also now have a new Garmin GPS chart plotter with BlueChart g2 vision, a sounder and transducer, which is yet to be installed, once we identify a sweet spot at the stern transom with our new engine, which has yet to be run in.

A couple of anchors, rode, box hatch, anchor roller and chain pipe have yet to be fitted – and we’re contemplating an additional emergency outboard motor (possibly electric). I plan to book a Marine Radio (SRC) course later in the year – and get the radio licenced for use next year. We have all the wet weather gear and a pair of automatic buoyancy harnesses – and a new lifebuoy is due to be delivered.

The boat is stored ashore in a secure compound and last year we took her out half a dozen times on the upper River Tees. Last month we spent a rather enjoyable five days on board, exploring potential mooring points along a twenty-mile stretch of the river.
The Headline 20 is not really designed for sea, but we are determined to cruise down river, through the Tees Barrage lock, into the estuary and weather permitting, follow the shore into some of the delightful little harbours up here on the North-East coast, at some point in the future.

Our aim is to achieve some experience with our current little boat, whilst saving for a much larger vessel in a few years’ time. Hopefully, we’ll also gain additional experience by crewing on other vessels at sea and taking all the relevant RYA approved courses. We have become members of the local marine club and will no doubt learn much from them.

Our ultimate objective is to spend half the year cruising the Northern Mediterranean.

[mlines]

Did little gem come from the Thames?

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[BruceK]

That sounds great. The thought of 6 months of the year in the Med really appeals to me. Unfortunately not possible with 22 days a year leave plus BH's. Nonetheless we manage to get out every weekend regardless and enjoy what time we have. Normans have a great reputation and I am sure in a gentle sea you could fulfil your immediate ambition of exploring some of the local harbours. Just pick your times, weather and tides carefully and don't rush it.

[Little Gem]

Did little gem come from the Thames?

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Quite possibly. We bought her from the previous owner near Liverpool, but a BSS Examination Certificate locates her on the Oxford Canal in 2012.

[Little Gem]

That sounds great. The thought of 6 months of the year in the Med really appeals to me. Unfortunately not possible with 22 days a year leave plus BH's. Nonetheless we manage to get out every weekend regardless and enjoy what time we have. Normans have a great reputation and I am sure in a gentle sea you could fulfil your immediate ambition of exploring some of the local harbours. Just pick your times, weather and tides carefully and don't rush it.

Thank you for that advice.. It's all very welcome. We live just a hundred yards from the beach at Redcar and are familiar with the tides and weather here - though I imagine the rip tides and eddies around the Tees estuary will need detailed investigation. We'll be cruising with a new 20HP outboard, which I realise is quite low powered for sea cruising, but if we work with the winds and tides rather than try to push against them, I'm sure we'll be okay. Don't wish to rub it in, but since retiring.. we're never in a rush.