We often get enquiries like the one above. And we are always delighted when someone new wants to take up sailing and we are happy to give advice where we can, but the advice we give is often a surprise to some people.

Learning to sail – We have tried over many years to offer sailing lessons here at Preston Marina, but for various reasons beyond our control we have not yet been able to make them viable here. Those starting out in sailing should consider the RYA Start Sailing Level 1 and 2 courses. Luckily here in the North West there are a number of RYA training centres that offer this course. You can find out via the RYA website.

We do offer many RYA training courses, some of which will be very useful to anyone who plans to go to sea. The RYA Day Skipper Shore Based, the VHF/SRC Radio and the Marine Diesel Engine courses should be considered as pretty much essential.

Keeping a sailing boat at Preston Marina – Naturally we want as many boats moored here as we can get and we would love you to apply for a mooring here at Preston Marina for a sailing boat.

It could be that Preston Marina is a great choice for you and your boat – we are easy to get to by road and rail for a lot of people, we have good facilities, friendly staff, we have a 40 acre non-tidal dock basin which is ideal for practising boat handling and testing a boat’s systems, and we have among the very lowest mooring fees for a commercial marina you will find anywhere.

But….there is a reason for those low marina fees.

If you are looking for a home-base for a sailing boat to go on longer cruises from (of say 2 or more weeks at a time), then yes, Preston Marina could be a very good and cost-effective choice for you. We are also a good winter laying-up option.

However, if you plan to go sailing for day trips, or weekend trips then Preston Marina is not for you. In an offshore motor boat this is no problem, but in a sailing boat it is.

The reason? Location

If you study the navigation chart (nautical map) for our area you will begin to understand. A combination of fairly extreme tides, shallow waters, prevailing onshore winds and relatively long distances to destinations or sheltered safe-havens make sailing in this area really quite difficult.

We are 15 miles from the open sea (the Irish Sea) via. the River Ribble – and, while the navigation of it is pretty easy, most sailing boats will take at least 2 hours to get from the marina to the sea – although they are likely to be using their engines as opposed to actually sailing as the prevailing wind is “on the nose” when going out.
The river is only navigable for around 2 – 3 hours. So when you go out you can’t come straight back as the tide will have gone out in the river.
There are no sheltered places to stop and anchor or moor in the river.
Once you are out of the river and at sea there are no harbours, marina, ports, moorings or sheltered anchorages closer than around a 12 hour sail away (therefore quite possibly arriving in the dark) – and most destinations require you to time your passage correctly so that you arrive at high tide.
The Irish Sea has a well known reputation for being quite rough – even when the wind and weather is not too bad. This often surprises even experienced boaters. A frustrating characteristic of the Eastern Irish Sea is that when there is enough wind to sail the water is often uncomfortable…and when the water is calm there is not enough wind to sail!
So – if you are sailing in the Irish Sea you need a strong boat and a strong stomach! You will be out there for at least 12 hours at a time.
You also need to have good knowledge of tides, navigation and experienced seamanship to sail safely in this area – You should be at least at Day Skipper level, it is not a good area for novices.

So, our advice – look before you leap. We only want happy customers and sadly, due to our location, we might not be the right place for those who want to get regular use from a sailing boat.

Boat advice…

Well, if you really want to keep a boat at Preston Marina, and get lots of use out of it then a good strong offshore motor boat with diesel engines is the best option.

But…if you want a sailing boat….

Firstly – you won’t be able to use it for day sailing and weekend trips away from the marina – sailing boats are just too slow, the distances are too far and the tides here are just too restrictive to get out to sea, get to a destination and get back within a normal weekend.
If you do want a sailing boat for cruising in this area it should be a strong, proven offshore design and build – they don’t build ’em like they used to and often some of the older models of boats are well suited to our area – as long as it is well maintained with a good survey. We particularly like boats like Westerly and Moody and boats of that nature….solid sea boats!
We would also recommend you have a bilge (twin) keel boat. Most of our coastline is quite shallow, especially when the tide is out – and there are could be times when you find yourself somewhere where the tide will go out completely. A bilge keel boat will stand upright (dry out) on a level sea bed. This type of boat gives more options.
Get a boat that is not too small and not too big – but just right. We would say something 26 – 32 feet long is about right in most cases. Small boats are often just too slow and/or too vulnerable in the offshore conditions of the Irish Sea – and larger boats, although often faster and can be more comfortable in rough conditions (but not always!), they require more experience to handle and more upkeep, and they are sometimes too deep (draft) for easy navigation in the shallow waters of our coastline.
Do your research, take your time, get plenty of advice and make sure you get a proper survey. You will need it for your own peace of mind, but you will also need it to get proper insurance.

Before buying any boat make sure you can get a mooring for it – and don’t assume that if it already has a mooring it can stay there – check first!

This information is obviously not intended to be a complete guide to getting into sailing – and it may not apply to everyone but it written in good faith and is hopefully helpful to some who are thinking of going sailing….Bon Voyages!