Channel / North Sea Navigation

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Resolution

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Along with a few others, we will be taking Resolution this year on a big outing from the Hamble to the Baltic via the Kiel canal. Starting the passage planning, I am getting apprehensive about navigation in the narrow bits of the Channel and into the North Sea. Seem like lots of sandbanks, traffic and forests of windfarms. All a bit daunting for someone who has never ventured East of Eastbourne!
We will be four fairly experienced old codgers on board and don't want to hang about to much on the way to Kiel. The boat is a comfortable 42 footer. We have AIS and radar (but have seldom ever used the latter and are not practiced with it.) The initial thinking is to get down to Dover, put in for a rest and be ready to catch the best tide onwards. What should we do then?
What routing?
Tide timings?
Best charts to get?

Any advice welcomed.
Peter
 
Three main options: cross towards Cap Griz Nez and follow the coast NE-wards, cross the shipping lanes some 10 miles further to the N, then zig-zag across and around the Flemish Banks toward the Belgian coast, both daylight trips or thirdly, head north quite a bit further and cross the shipping lanes straight for the Dutch coast, a longer trip.

Coast-hopping along the Belgian and Dutch coasts, you will not be bothered by wind farms, Much will depend on the length of the trips you want to make. As far as the Frisian islands, all can be divided into easy daysails, from the Frisian Islands to the Kiel Canal is best done in one go, about 36 hours, so not too bad
 
An alternative, which might be dictated by weather or other factors, would be to go from Dover up to Lowestoft (or maybe Harwich) and across from there to Ijmuiden or Den Helder or carry on. This misses the wind farms and can be done as day sails, almost. There is plenty to see and do in the Frisians, but you would probably want to save this for your return, when adverse winds are more likely.
 
We kept a boat in Dover for over a decade, I would suggest a route (this is not my preferred route for lots of practical reasons but it gives you a quick stop off in Calais if you get jittery) from Dover to Dunkirk, leave Dover via western entrance, then leave the Varne to starboard and cross the TSS to ZC2 and follow the coast line to Dunkirk but watch out for sandbanks on the French side. You will encounter ferries from Dover to Calais and Dover to Dunkirk along with all the other traffic.

Preferred route

Cross (most of) the ferry traffic at the eastern entrance to Dover port i.e. leave Dover by the eastern entrance, then make for the Sangetty light buoy on the south side of the Goodwin sands, (keep out of the TSS) from there cross the TSS via the MPC and follow the buoyed channel to Dunkirk east, watch out for ferry traffic entering and leaving Dunkirk west. Check your chart for wrecks outside Dunkirk east.

As usual pick a favourable tide keep a good lookout, you could do the trip in 6 hours.

Edit, Be aware that the DIRECTION of the water flow changes from west to east 2 hours before HW Dover, leave Dover around 2.5 hours before HW just in case Port Control Delay your departure.
 
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If you don't want to take too long to get to the Baltic, and have decent weather, I would go for Den Helder, with Ijmuiden as a stop if you want a break. Crossing over to France before Dunkirk means following up the channels which you could do without if you want to get some miles under the keel. So long as you are sensible the traffic is not such a big issue, especially with radar and AIS to fall back on if the visibility deteriorates.
 
Joker said:
Ramsgate to Den Helder gives you a route running about 5 miles N of the main shipping lanes, which is quite useful.
Click to expand...

That's right. I've just clicked on yr blog..nice one,bookmarked looking forward to reading it,Jerry (I've been up there before and intend again)
 
I did Dover to Kiel in a 43'er. Owner only wanted day hops so did: Dover/Zeebrugge; Zeebrugge/Ijmuiden ( or Scheveningen); Ijmuiden/Den Helder; Den Helder/Nordeney; Nordeney/Brunsbuttel; Brunsbuttel/Kiel.
Some long days but doable with two of us clogging along in a boat that size. Nav was straightforward up the channels between the banks using a plotter.
Ramsgate/den Helder sounds a good option. Lowestoft/Ijmuiden is the standard commute for lots of Dutch and shorter of course.
 
As you can see, there are several options. I would be prepared to keep an open mind until I had to decide, say, at Dover. Coming from the East Coast, I have done most of the proposed trip a number of times, including non-stop three times. In half-decent weather, the second part, along the Dutch/German Frisians is pretty quiet, with next to no ship traffic and usually flat seas in the inshore channel that you will follow.

You have to buck the tide some of the way whatever you do, but all that matters is arriving at the mouth of the Elbe at the change of tide. This is remarkably undifficult but a lot of people seem to get it wrong and end up against a 4 knot current. You can take a break fairly easily at Norderney, or even Helgoland, though you will need to keep clear of a traffic rotary scheme nearby (or face stiff penalties).

BTW, the Dutch chart packs 1811 & 1812 are more or less indispensible between Den Helder and Norderney, where you are most likely to be seeking shelter.
 
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Thanks guys for some helpful suggestions.
It looks as though the plan to break at Dover is a good one. Subject to weather, I am inclined to then aim for a non-stop run to Dan Helder and then on to Norderney.
Joker: your blog is indeed entertaining and the photos excellent.
A good distraction from the snow outside!
 
Depending on how fast you can make... you can go from the Solent to Doveer in one go with the tide behind you all the way...

Leave the Solent at low water, through the Looe chanel... (more tide) on the flood and if you get to Royal Soverigne before the tide changes it will carry you all the way to Dover on the ebb... The node point is somewhere between Soverigne and Dungerness...

If you are not going to carry it in one go you can stop at Eastbourn ..

Calais has limited access..
Dunkirque full access
The Ziderkirke channel between France and Belgium, very close to shore is well buoyed... but DO NOT go outside the rhumb line... "there there be sandbanks" and they are very hard!!

A must is to visit Oostend and say hello to Peter who runs the Royal Oostend Yacht Club.. once met never forgotten, thonugh the red fuel issue is not yet resolved..

Because there is a lot of commercial traffic the entire coast is very well buoyed..

The approach to the Keeil Canal is very will marked with huge posts.. However it can be an awful bit of water is itnis running a South easterly or North Westerly..

The lock to the canal at Bruinhaven is easy... get inside ASAP.. Itntakes a day to transit the canall and is very boring.. apart from being passed by commercial traffic at auite a lick.. You are not allowed to move after dark... but there are a number of marinas along the way you can stop in..
Pay dues at the lock at Keil.. but when I did it the man seemd to delight in making yachts wait for an age and more ...

Enjoy
 
Peter, I've only been as far as Amsterdam but IMHO the advice is right: go past London and cross from Harwich: you avoid the worst of the TSS junctions and also the rather unruly commercial unlaned traffic off Holland. I actually went in to London on the way, so I navigated sandbars on the way in (south of the estuary) and out (crossing the estuary from Stangate Creek to get up to Harwich) and I can't advise on crossing the estuary from the outside, including the big TSS roundabout there.

I have a spare, unused copy of Admiralty Leisure Chart Folio SC 5607 ('Thames Estuary Essex and Suffolk Coast') at home (mistaken duplicate internet purchase) which you're welcome to have. Our boat's also in the Hamble river so PM me and I'm sure there'll be an easy way to transfer it across to you.

The North Sea Passage Pilot book was great for me - gives experienced recommended routes from A to B. Beware always of shifted sands since the pilot was published; I know of one in the Thames Estuary since all my charts were published.
 
Tomahawk said:
Depending on how fast you can make... you can go from the Solent to Doveer in one go with the tide behind you all the way...

Leave the Solent at low water, through the Looe chanel... (more tide) on the flood and if you get to Royal Soverigne before the tide changes it will carry you all the way to Dover on the ebb... The node point is somewhere between Soverigne and Dungerness...

If you are not going to carry it in one go you can stop at Eastbourn ..

Calais has limited access..
Dunkirque full access
The Ziderkirke channel between France and Belgium, very close to shore is well buoyed... but DO NOT go outside the rhumb line... "there there be sandbanks" and they are very hard!!

A must is to visit Oostend and say hello to Peter who runs the Royal North Sea OostendeYacht Club .. once met never forgotten, thonugh the red fuel issue is not yet resolved..

Because there is a lot of commercial traffic the entire coast is very well buoyed..

The approach to the Keeil Canal is very will marked with huge posts.. However it can be an awful bit of water is itnis running a South easterly or North Westerly..

The lock to the canal at Bruinhaven is easy... get inside ASAP.. Itntakes a day to transit the canall and is very boring.. apart from being passed by commercial traffic at auite a lick.. You are not allowed to move after dark... but there are a number of marinas along the way you can stop in..
Pay dues at the lock at Keil.. but when I did it the man seemd to delight in making yachts wait for an age and more ...

Enjoy
Click to expand...

 
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My plan at the moment is to head to Lowestoft then go straight to Heligoland have a break there to get timings right for the Elbe .

I' m reckoning about 36 to 48 hours from Lowestoft to Heligoland.
 
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