cherbourg to uk

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just add water

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having never done open sea we need to bring our new baby home from france as i see it we have 3 options transport her ,, pay some one to sail her over ,,or again pay some one to bring her over and to put up with me looking learning and questioning but bloody enjoying (swmbo says no one else on this planet would do what she does daily ) what would be the best option for us any advise would be welcome cheers
 
just add water said:
having never done open sea we need to bring our new baby home from france as i see it we have 3 options transport her ,, pay some one to sail her over ,,or again pay some one to bring her over and to put up with me looking learning and questioning but bloody enjoying (swmbo says no one else on this planet would do what she does daily ) what would be the best option for us any advise would be welcome cheers
Click to expand...

That depends on how big the baby is, amongst other things. Also where in the UK your destination is. If it's a 40' yacht that'll be kept in Poole it's a bit of no-brainer but if it's a Leisure 17 (a fine boat) you could spend a long time waiting for a weather window and then still have to put it on a trailer to get it to Wick. In your circumstances I'd want to sail it if at all possible though. I always feel there's something slightly ignominious about a yacht arriving in her hope port on the back of a lorry for some reason.
 
she is going to the lakes and would be transported there she is 31ft just dont want to miss out on something that i might not be allowed to do again
 
Go to Cherbourg and get her. You know you want to.
Depending upon your knowladge, expierience and confidence an expierienced friend or delivery skipper may be a good way to learn. In any event the sense of achievment and enjoyment will be worth it even if you truck her to drinking water and keep her there for ever after.
 
Cherbourg to the South Coast is not actually difficult, anyway. Assuming you have, or are prepared to wait for, reasonable weather, just head more or less north out of the harbour and keep going until you (nearly :)) bump into England. It's 60 miles (to the Needles) so in a reasonable 31-footer that's just a long day. The only part likely to cause any stress is avoiding the shipping, but that's only a fairly small part of the passage.

Pete
 
Why not head East along the French/Belgium coast and then take a skipper on board for something like Oostende - Burnham-on-Crouch and then you could make your mind up whether you wanted to put he on a lorry or sail her further North yourself then? Provided you miss the Barfleur overfalls (very easy and they're not particularly bad anyway) Cherbourg to St Vaast would be a nice start for a shakedown cruise to find out her little foibles and anything that needs fixing, etc. Prevailing winds are offshore on that side of the coast so you'd have no lee shores to worry about if anything did give trouble so I'd reckon it's a perfect opportunity. St Vaast is a lovely place and the approach is easy provided you follow the instructions. As you say, it's an opportunity you may not get again.

If that's the Nicholson then congratulations on getting yourself a lovely boat.
 
I'm quite sure that with a less guarded missive you could persuade someone on this forum to sail her with you to some port near to the lakes. Perhaps over a few sessions so that you really get to see what you'd be missing if you put her in a puddle. Cherbourg to the UK is only a short hop...

p.s. I'd suggest avoiding a tailwind for your first passage.
 
It's really not that bad, despite some gloom and doom merchants.

There are several bite sized routes that you can take. All of them scarcely out of sight of land.

If you are going for the south east as your pick up point.

Hack up the French Coast and take a quickie from Boulogne to Dover in daylight. Crossing the TSS is common sense and prudence.

Go for it.
 
don't come straight home to the uk...... your miss some of the delights of st vaast / deuville / Honfleur..... or even a holiday in the channel islands this summer.
 
On the September Scuttlebutt Cruise to cherbourg there have been boats as small as 24'.

When we have done the Wayfarer championships (16' Dinghy) a number have sailed their Wayfarer from UK to N Ireland one year and Denmark another. Its in canada this year so no one is sailing there from UK!!

Providing proper preparation and good weather window its no problem.
 
Sailfree said:
On the September Scuttlebutt Cruise to cherbourg there have been boats as small as 24'.

When we have done the Wayfarer championships (16' Dinghy) a number have sailed their Wayfarer from UK to N Ireland one year and Denmark another. Its in canada this year so no one is sailing there from UK!!

Providing proper preparation and good weather window its no problem.
Click to expand...

As small as 24' eh ?! Some people must be mad ! :)

Just choose your weather, the main thing which gets people into bother is ' got to be back on Monday '; The Solent via the Nab is a daylight doddle from Cherbourg, don't be too proud to motor to keep average speed up and give St Catherine's a wide berth.

Enjoy !
 
A bloke once said to me:
"Never try to make a delivery trip into a holiday, If your speed drops start the engine and go for it, never mix your motives."
Or words to that effect. I think there is a good deal of sense in it.

There are sound reasons to get the boat to a handy port for the M5, tout suite, (Poole, Weymouth?) as Uricanejack has suggested.
 
I met a chap in St Peter Port who had sailed from Salcombe in his Hunter 490 ( 16' ) , he was well over 6' but it wasn't a problem; I've sometimes thought that if I'd been in France or the Channel Isles when over-run by the Nazis I'd have had a good try crossing the Channel in anything I could row let alone sail !
 
If you can keep the ocean on the outside, your 31' boat is eminently capable of the trip from Cherbourg, in convenient legs, to anywhere you ( with some others ) might wish to take it. The points made about ensuring you're NOT on a timetable are VIP. Also there are enough deeply-experienced bods lurking on this forum who could 'help you considerably' get your boat safely back to where you want her - probably in steps - and keep you from having kittens at the same time.

And it may cost you quite a lot short of the 'arm and leg' it would cost to have her shipped from Cherbourg.
 
I'm glad you enjoyed your voyage. I knew you would.
My first boat was a 24ft, I went with my 11yr old Son and 9 yr old Daughter to deliver her home.
The sense of achievment was fantastic, for all of us it was the most memorable trip we did.
You will enjoy your future trips just as much but the first will never be forgotten.
Good luck with her.
 
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