Sovereign Light

[Chickpea]

A not ‘hot off the press’ review.

We hired Sovereign Light in June 2019. It was for my Mum’s birthday so we wanted something a bit posh, but still wanted something that looked more like a boat than the big things from Faircraft Loynes or Ferry Marina, which I always think look like giant floating shoeboxes (though, I can totally understand why people hire them as they look lovely inside).

We liked the look of the upper deck, and the extra raised forward-facing seating inside, and these turned out to be as nice as we’d hoped they would be. We also liked the idea of separate showers rather than wet rooms.

The lower helm position was ok but we didn't think the visibility was great, especially when it was raining. Though, I guess this is the case with most boats. So we preferred to use the upper steeting position, even when it was raining. 

The galley was very well equipped, and the saloon was spacious and comfortable, and had loads of storage.  We didn’t need to use the shower room that opens onto the saloon so that ended up being a very handy extra storage space for the vast quantities of stuff we brought with us.

My parents had the forward cabin and appreciated not having to clamber over each other to get in and out of bed. The only negative for them was that my dad had to stoop to use the shower cubicle. He isn’t particularly tall so this was a bit surprising.

We had the rear cabin which was fine. The headroom was compromised quite a lot by the table and chairs on the upper deck, but we were expecting that (though it didn’t stop me from bashing my head on numerous occasions!) What was a little bit disappointing was the lack of storage. One very small cupboard, a little cubby-hole and a ‘wardrobe’ with hanging space for about three items of clothing.

We also had trouble using the bow thrusters to start with, which caused much embarrassment when trying to manoeuvre at Acle in strong winds. After a couple of calls to the boatyard they worked out it was because we were starting the engine with the key from the upper deck, rather than starting it from the lower helm position, then switching to the upper helm. They may have told us about this at the handover, but we don’t remember. Also, I don’t understand why they don’t cover over the ignition on the upper helm if you’re not supposed to use it!

No real complaints about Herbert Woods though. They were nice and friendly and efficient. Apart from the bow thruster issue we had no problems with anything, and everything seemed pretty clean and well maintained.

We absolutely loved being on the top deck and having uninterrupted views of the scenery and I’d definitely get this style of boat again, though I’m also looking forward to trying something a bit different next time.

I’ll dig out some photos and put them in the holiday tales section when I get the chance.

[SwanR]

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this boat. Herbert Woods is one yard we’ve never hired from. But I can confirm that Ferry Marina’s shoeboxes are lovely inside. 

Look forward to hearing more from you.