Alderney - East coast

[Nautipete]

Planning to visit St Peter Port via Braye in a couple of weeks ... any advice on sailing Alderney East coast fairly close to, have been used to travelling some way off in Motor Boat but now converted to sail ... looks possible, staying off offlying dangers, in fair going tide, but would welcome any local knowledge.

Have been reading posts for a couple of years now, just got to getting in; picking brains for advice, many thanks.

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[VicS]

Welcome to the forum.

With a large scale chart and a good pilot book there should be no problem. If you want an exciting day trip around Alderney get a copy of Robsons C.I. pilot and follow his instuctions for circumnavigating the island close in. We did it quite a few years ago and only chickened out of one bit.

<hr width=100% size=1><font color=purple>Ne te confundant illegitimi.</font color=purple>

 

[DepSol]

Its not that bad depends on what state of tide you are there but the NE coast s worse in my book. going south from there on gets clearer.

Best of luck and enjoy SPP. It was quite empty today plenty of spaces but thats cos they moved the carnival dates I spose.

<hr width=100% size=1>Dom

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.soltron.co.uk>the website</A>

 

[philwebb]

Why not go through the Swinge? It makes for a shorter journey time. You have to
look at your pilot book and get the tide right, but it makes for an exciting ride.
You shoot through like a cork out of a bottle. There are offlying rocks near the
Clonque fort but nothing to worry about if you stay just right of centre of the channel.
(south going)

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[Blue_Blazes]

Hello Pete, welcome to the forum. Let me know when you're coming to Alderney and we can meet up, I'll send you a PM with my contact details.

Nothing to fear in going from Braye to Guernsey via the Swinge, provided the weather is reasonable, wind with tide. Saily boats should leave around 2 1/2 hours after local High Water. Once past the breakwater, if the vis is good you should be easily able to identify Corbet (pronounced Kirby) this is the furthest out danger on the Alderney side, but is steep-to on its NW side. Aim to pass 50 yards or so outside Corbet, then continue on this course until you can see a three headed rock, which is part of the group known as the Noires Putes (Black Whores) open with the Southern end of Alderney. After that it's 220 degrees all the way to the Roustel beacon at the Northern end of the Little Russel. Depending on your draught, and whether it's a Neap or a Spring tide, Pierre au Vraic could be a danger. This drying rock is around 2 1/2 miles SW of Alderney. The clearing marks for it are a white cone on Tourgis hill to the North or to the South of Fort Clonque. White cone on top of the fort = big trouble. I'll gladly point out these rocks and marks while you're here if you like. I can also show you the relevant transits in Malcolm Robson's book, but I couldn't possibly photocopy them for you could I? That would be a breach of copyright and law abiding citizens like me don't do that

There is no good reason (other than adverse weather) to go the long way round via the East coast. In fact unless you stand well off, a sailboat could end up coming unstuck, as so many have in the past, on the Brinchetais Ledge.

Bill.

<hr width=100% size=1>One of these days I'll have a boat that WORKS

 

[Nautipete]

Gentlemen, many thanks, very reassuring to have some experienced and local input, also adds that certain something to see that others rush in to help with some detailed advice, all we need now is weather to resemble July not March and we're off!, thanks again.

Kind regards,
Peter L

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