17 foot boat across the channel...Possible?

[Jeepster]

1. 2.5 hours is a fast channel crossing - I take 3 on a good day at 20knts
2. French inland waterways in a UK registered boat require an ICC with CEVNI
3. Your boat should be UK registered

1) Hmmm?...Cap Gris-Nes point in Northern france is 21 miles from Dover, near as damnit. At a constant 20 knots, which is 23mph, it should take you just under an hour...So where are you crossing from and to to do it in three hours???
2) Thanks, but can you give me more details on what "an ICC with CEVNI" is as I have'nt heard of that before.
3) My boat is'nt "registered" with anyone as far as I know, but they will know its British as it has a prominant Union flag painted on either side of the stern.

 

[carlton]

You've gotta be 'avin a larff.

 

[azman]

Yes you can do it, and you probably won't die. (which is nice) People have made the trip in far lesser craft.

Do it with 2 (yourself and another adult who knows the risks), not 6 in the boat, and beg borrow or steal an inflatable with a reasonable sized motor on it, so you can get yourself home if it all goes tits up.

The actual crossing is going to take you at least 4 hours, and in that time a lot can change, so MAKE SURE you are confident in the weather forecast, and tool up (flares, clean tank, well serviced motor, VHF, etc). the advice to get the RNLI to do a sea safety check is a good one.

And do the suggested course(s)

Good luck

and don't die

 

[alruss]

Do a course on navigation, you will not be travelling in a straight line through the water.
The water will be moving up or down the North Sea, taking your boat with it, you wil be steering at an angle to counteract the tide so travelling considerably further.
ICC and Cevni are Qualifications you need to use your boat, any boat, on the continental inland waterways.
Sail boats have a totally different shape under the water, and some ballast, making the hull inherantly more stable. It is also mostly enclosed and designed to be a wet boat, yours with six people on board plus all their gear plus all the fuel for the engine and the fuel for your passengers your freeboard will be compromised and a relatively small wave or the wash from a large ship will enter the boat if broached.
Join a club, most have teaching facilities for power boats to get your ICC and CEVNI endorsment. Other members will give you the wealth of their knowlege free of charge.
From your posts, you do need some education in the ways of the sea, the same as you have to know the ways of the road to do your work.
Please learn from others, WE ALL HAVE!!!!!

 

[Searush]

The fact that you feel the need to ask the question tells me that you have doubts. You owe it to yourself & your innocent passengers, for whose safety you will be held legally responsible, to explore those doubts.

You will have to deal with tides, navigation, French officialdom, UKBA, changing weather, the busiest maritime traffic separation system in the world etc etc.

Check them all out & when you are confident you can meet all the legal & safety requirements you'll be fine. Or you could end up in court or be dead. Ok, that sounds a bit harsh, but it IS the reality of the 3 possible outcomes of your trip. It's largely up to you which outcome happens, that's the responsibility of taking people out in your boat.

 

[[2068]]

The weather is going to be the limiting factor with a 17 foot boat, especially going around the Goodwin Sands and mid-channel.

Anything less than perfect conditions (F3 or less) is going to be scary.
Visibility needs to be good.
Wind going the opposite way to the tide is bad.

Crossing the traffic lanes with large ships bearing down on you at 18kts is going to be scary if you are going very slowly.
You need to set a heading to cross the traffic lanes at 90 degrees. "Diagonally" will probably result in a huge fine.

It's possible on the right day, with 2 people onboard, backup (liferaft or tender), and the usual safety kit.

Be prepared for your return trip to involve a ferry and trains.

 

[carlton]

...Be prepared for your return trip to involve a ferry and trains.

You forgot to mention a hearse.

 

[[2068]]

You forgot to mention a hearse.

Nope, I can't find a funeral director that covers the Dover Straits ...
or indeed anyone offering a water-borne hearse service. Is this a business opportunity?

 

[azman]

We could ask the current owners of the Havengore if they fancy lending a hand just in case.

 

[Jeepster]

Sarfend to Calais is about 60 nautical miles. At 6 knots, that'll take you 10 hours. There'll be more of a chance that you'll be doing 3 knots though.

Your boat is too small, your engine is too small, 6 people will overload it. For the purposes of staying alive, this would be an ill advised trip.

Yes, Top Gear did it, but how big was their support crew ?

Follow the advice of joining a local club. Contact the RNLI and ask them for a "Sea safety check", costs nothing and someone will come along and give the boat and you safety gear a once over. It's not a pass or fail thing, just some expert advice.

Take it slow and stay safe.

I have no intention of sailing 60 miles to France or have any need to...My boat is on a trailer when its not in the water so I will be towing it down from London, and then taking the shortest route across on my boat from the closest free slipway to Dover.
Even with only 9.9hp and with seven to eight adults on board, with the tide in our favour she can easily do 10-12 knots so with a maximum of 5-6 on board and timing our departure to keep the tide in our favour, and with a low wind, a constant 9-10 knots is possible.
8 knots is 9.2mph and IF I can do that speed constantly, and that may or may not be possible on the day chosen, a crossing would take about 2 hours 42 mins, so at a constant 10 knots a sub 2 1/2 crossing is possible.
Assuming I head straight from Dover to Calais harbour, do you know if there are any free moorings in there? If not, surely there must be some remote area within the harbour where free anchorage is possible? If so a small inflatable tender will be taken to get us to shore and back.

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

I can't believe this isn't just a wind up.

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[BrendanS]

I'm assuming it is, otherwise I'd have given some reasonable advice. A few generations ago, when 17' was a normal sized boat, many did the crossing, but only when conditions were good. 6+ people wasn't normal, and I'd not like to be on a 17' boat in any rougher conditions, unless they were extremely experienced, as you spend more time being concerned about their welfare, than concentrating on the seamanship required.

It's perfectly reasonable to do such a crossing, but he seems a bit blase about it, so probably shouldn't do the trip until such a time as he doesn't need to ask the question on a forum

 

[Jeepster]

The fact that you feel the need to ask the question tells me that you have doubts. You owe it to yourself & your innocent passengers, for whose safety you will be held legally responsible, to explore those doubts.

I dont dought my boat is capable of making the journey safely, even with the little engine I have now, what I dought is that I will be able to find somewhere free to moor up in Calais when I get there.
However the biggest thing putting me off now is the revelation of the need for an ICC to navigate French inland waters.

You will have to deal with tides, navigation, French officialdom, UKBA, changing weather, the busiest maritime traffic separation system in the world etc etc.

I would not be undertaking such a voyage without knowing all the risks.
I have to say that French officialdom is a much bigger worry to me than crossing the shipping lanes though!

Check them all out & when you are confident you can meet all the legal & safety requirements you'll be fine. Or you could end up in court or be dead. Ok, that sounds a bit harsh, but it IS the reality of the 3 possible outcomes of your trip. It's largely up to you which outcome happens, that's the responsibility of taking people out in your boat.

If I did'nt think it was possible for me to make the voyage I would'nt have asked the question in the first place.

 

[PaulGooch]

I have no intention of sailing 60 miles to France or have any need to...My boat is on a trailer when its not in the water so I will be towing it down from London, and then taking the shortest route across on my boat from the closest free slipway to Dover.
Even with only 9.9hp and with seven to eight adults on board, with the tide in our favour she can easily do 10-12 knots so with a maximum of 5-6 on board and timing our departure to keep the tide in our favour, and with a low wind, a constant 9-10 knots is possible.
8 knots is 9.2mph and IF I can do that speed constantly, and that may or may not be possible on the day chosen, a crossing would take about 2 hours 42 mins, so at a constant 10 knots a sub 2 1/2 crossing is possible.
Assuming I head straight from Dover to Calais harbour, do you know if there are any free moorings in there? If not, surely there must be some remote area within the harbour where free anchorage is possible? If so a small inflatable tender will be taken to get us to shore and back.

Dunno how you work your speed out, but the hull speed of your boat is considerably less than the figures you quote. I can't see any way that a 9.9HP engine will get a 17 foot boat, with 8 adults onboard, on the plane.

What safety kit do you have onboard ? VHF ? Plotter ? Paper charts ? Radar ? Radar reflector ? Flares ? Life jackets for each person ?

What's the max rated load for the boat in kg ?

What's the max rated number of persons ?

Do you know how to navigate ?

What backup do you have for the engine ?

How much fuel will you need ?

Do you have a ships radio licence for the VHF ?

Do you have an operators certificate of competence to use the VHF ?

The boat will need to be British registered, a union jack painted on the side is not acceptable.

You will need an international certificate of competence (ICC) to enter French waters and it will need a CEVNI endorsement to go into the inland system.

You will need insurance. This will need to cover use in foreign parts.

For your boat and engine, travelling across the tide, 4 knots might be a reasonable average speed. Your MPG will be much less than on a river, as you'll be travelling across the tide.

The idea of having the tide "in your favour" highlights your inexperience. You will be crossing the channel, the tide will never be behind you, you will always be crossing it. This will reduce your speed and increase you fuel consumption.

It makes no difference to me, or anyone else here whether you attempt this or not. It makes no difference to us if you fail or succeed or if you and your 5 mates all perish in the attempt, although none of us would wish it upon you. You asked for some advice and the best advise you will get here is not forget it for now. Get some training, join a club, get the sea check etc. You need to gain some more knowledge and experience before undertaking such a trip.

 

[BrendanS]

You will need an international certificate of competence (ICC) to enter French waters

No you don't

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

If you really, really want to take your underpowered and overloaded boat on an exciting trip in open waters to foreign lands - why not tow it down to Southampton and see if you can get to the Isle of Wight?

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[PaulGooch]

No you don't

Since when ?

 

[jimmy_the_builder]

No you don't

You're right, he doesn't - if he can prove it's a UK registered vessel...

Cheers
Jimmy

 

[BrendanS]

Since when ?

You've never need to, so since when doesn't make any sense!

 

[PaulGooch]

You're right, he doesn't - if he can prove it's a UK registered vessel...

Cheers
Jimmy

Doesn't the union jack painted on the side cover him ?