Yacht Forum UK

I'm moving job and will probably spend quite a lot of time in London - three days, two nights per week for the next couple of years. I'm weighing up the option of staying aboard a boat - in the central London area for those days and trying to understand the practicality of that. That option would actually entail accelerating my plan to buy a sailing yacht early (was planning to buy in a couple of years after the London stint) and using that. Loads of questions off the back of this, but I thought the first Q is: can this be done, I'm aware that St Katherines dock might be an option, but it's classed as non-residential. Would it be possible to stay on board 2 nights a week? What's the likelihood of getting an annual mooring there? I dropped an email to the address on the St. K web site, but I've had no reply.

Anyway - it's early days so I have no detail of boat etc, but just wondered if anybody on the group is actually doing what I am thinking of doing?

We 'lived' aboard in St Katherine Docks for a month without anyone batting an eyelid but I think ownership has changed since then. When we were there the way it worked was once you were in, you could stay as long as you liked. We booked our entrance 6 months ish in advance.

If you were literally only sleeping aboard 2 nights a week, and kept your head down, I don't imagine anyone would even notice. It's normal to stay aboard your boat in a marina from time to time.

Find out what their terms state is the maximum sleepover count annually perhaps and then stick to that - or don't ask don't tell.

Of course if you break the rules and get found out you might then be in a bit of a sticky situation.

We've always come clean with our plans wherever we've lived afloat and never had a problem so if I was you I'd just give them a call.

We've not been living afloat for more than 2 years now

Thanks for such a quick response. The website doesn't cover max nights so I take your advice and give them a call, email didn't work. What are the facilities like there?

Jeff wrote:We 'lived' aboard in St Katherine Docks for a month without anyone batting an eyelid but I think ownership has changed since then. When we were there the way it worked was once you were in, you could stay as long as you liked. We booked our entrance 6 months ish in advance.

If you were literally only sleeping aboard 2 nights a week, and kept your head down, I don't imagine anyone would even notice. It's normal to stay aboard your boat in a marina from time to time.

Find out what their terms state is the maximum sleepover count annually perhaps and then stick to that - or don't ask don't tell.

Of course if you break the rules and get found out you might then be in a bit of a sticky situation.

We've always come clean with our plans wherever we've lived afloat and never had a problem so if I was you I'd just give them a call.

We've not been living afloat for more than 2 years now

They're OK. Not the best, but far from the worst.

I believe it's changed now but when we were there the laundry facilities were on a floating pontoon within the area of moored boats, and they were completely free of charge.