Crossing from Dartmouth - N Brittany

[sabresailor]

Hi - I have made a few channel crossing before from Portsmouth to Cherbourg - all during the day. Usually taking between 14 & 18 hours in my Sabre 27 - so averaging about 4.5 to 5 knts. I'm now planning to cross from south Devon - probably Dartmouth & head to the N Brittany coast in one hop (+ 1 crew [my wife]). The straight line distance is about 25% longer - so I will definately be doing some in the dark (perhaps a crossing time of 18 to 23 hours).

I was thinking about leaving perhaps at midday to ensure my arrival is in daylight with plenty of contingency. Any views?

Also my wife is not the most confident sailor when out of sight of land! - but has done the previous crossings with me. I'm not sure she will like it if I sleep - do folks simply have tons of coffee & stay awake the whole time?

I guess my other option is via either Alderney or Guernsey.

I would be grateful for any other advice from others who make this crossing.

Mike

 

[NPMR]

Hi Mike

My wife's first cross-channel in our Sabre 27 was from Dartmouth to Guernsey, done in daylight mostly by leaving at 4am and arriving at about 6pm but flat calm having motored all the way! From there went to Treguier and N Brittany, via Jersey (I was seasick so ran away!) Came home direct to Falmouth and basically stayed awake most of the time whilst wife slept when she could, probably about 4- 5 hours in total - I got about 1-2 hours. Knackered at the end but content.

Next crossing was to L'Aber Wrach, took 24 hours and pretty similar situation but we did have crew for the way out. Came back direct from Camaret, no stops in 28 hours. Had to have sleep then and got some but snatched in bursts of about an hour with my wife having more, as she had a dreadful migraine, we think from fumes as were motorsailing, so I was mostly awake for the crossing - kept going on chocolate and snacks but not caffeine (except for Cola perhaps).

Other crossings seem to be same pattern.

It feels as though on the older or slower boats, or more lightly crewed ones, you have to be prepared to stay on watch for longer.

This year my wife has resisted the crossing, especially as we have had virtually no sailing compared to usual, due to family ailments and commitments.

PM me for a 'phone number if you want more info/chat.

Nigel
HUZZAH

 

[jonathankent]

I've only been x-channel once (return trip). It took us 18hrs from Torquay to St Peter Port (90nm) - motoring all the way in a completely flat/windless channel. 18hrs sounds a long time, but I enjoyed every minute of it and didn't sleep at all... no coffee required either /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif We left Torquay at 10am and arrived St Peter Port at 4am, OK in the dark, but it was easy enough to get into. The worst bit I found was once we caught a glimpse of the lighthouse off Guernsey... and at 20miles off it takes a very long time to reach it!

I would recomend then that as your wife isn't too keen on being out of sight of land that you make sure that you are on the ball for the shipping lanes and such... going Dartmouth across you'll miss the lanes to the SW tip, but the convergance zone just adds to the problems IMO.

I agree with your logic about wanting to arrive in daylight, just bear in mind your timing around the shipping lanes.

Good luck with the trip.

 

[jimbaerselman]

I'm sure you'll remember from your earlier crossings that it's best to plan an up-tide arrival at your destination!

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
I was thinking about leaving perhaps at midday to ensure my arrival is in daylight with plenty of contingency. Any views?

[/ QUOTE ] I always try to arrive around mid morning in a strange harbour as everyone is awake, and the leavers are beginning to leave, so there is space.

[ QUOTE ]
Also my wife is not the most confident sailor when out of sight of land! - but has done the previous crossings with me. I'm not sure she will like it if I sleep - do folks simply have tons of coffee & stay awake the whole time?

[/ QUOTE ] Mine used to the the same. I used to cat nap and take coffee/Pro Plus tablets (caffeine).

[ QUOTE ]
I guess my other option is via either Alderney or Guernsey.

[/ QUOTE ] St Peter Port is an easy entrance but you have to get the tides right everywhere around the CIs. Don't try Beaucette in a setting sun as it blinds you and you can't easily see the already hard to see approach channel. Braye harbour is quite easy but the currents run like an express train so you can end up going backwards round there, if you get it wrong! Timing, timing, timing, is what the CIs are all about.

 

[doug748]

There are a number of advantages in stopping at SPP. You will have a more restful trip, build confidence, your wife may be happier making the whole leg in daylight and you reduce the possibiity of arriving downtide of the French destination, dog tired, in poor viz. Westabout Guersey is a very easy approach, but if the tide dictates, the Little Russell presents few problems in fair conditions. If you go for this, I would leave Dartmouth at first light or an hour before. Cheers Brian.

 

[howardclark]

Done this a few times from Dartmouth. If you want to do it in one go I'd suggest somewhere like Treguier, from memory, just over 100 miles. This puts you within easy reach of Guernsey or Jersey if you get too tired.
My wife is also a little nervous and refuses to sleep below! She just dozes in the cockpit come sun rain or hail.

Crossing the shipping lanes at night in decent visibility does give you good warning of large vessels, but we do find fishing vessels difficult to cater for due to their erratic path. In fact SWMBO Jayne often enjoys this sort of lookout job as it gives some focus to what you are doing.

If there are just the two of you I think its essential that you share the watches. As you get further over the channel there are more rocks etc to worry about so need some kip on the way. 2 hours on, 2 hours off is manageable for us - then sleep for 12 hours after a safe arrival!

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
As you get further over the channel there are more rocks etc to worry about....

[/ QUOTE ] Pre-GPS/Decca that was a consideration but these days I don't think that rocks and other solids are any more of an issue over there than they are on the English side of the Channel? Tides are the real difference. I cheat by defining an achievable arrival time/point several miles off the coast outside races and channels and I either use more power, or stooge about so that I arrive at EXACTLY that time. I have previously done the nav calculations for the next stage, into the approach, which tends to go like clockwork as it is only for an hour or so and is predictable. In that way I arrive with uncanny accuracy impressing Mrs L. every time /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

Only thing i'd add to the above, is that its easy to make stupid mistakes after a long 24hr crossing if you don't sleep.... just when you don't need to be making those mistake.... (been there, done that)

My SWMBO is a lot more confident than she used to be, and now happily takes a watch, but previously, I used to just cat nap for 45mins or so at a time, and made sure she was clear that it was OK to wake me if ANY doubt existed.....

Important IMHO...... Pro plus etc would help, but sleep is better!

FWIW, our summer cruise this year will probably entail one long leg of around 145nm if the wind is in the right direction, and i'll try to time it to work with the tides rather than the light as Lemain suggests above... but that is based upon the arrival port being straightforward... might be a bit more inclined to factor light in as well if it was a difficult entry

Have fun!

 

[BlueSkyNick]

Agree.... going without at least a little sleep and relying on chemicals to stay awake is not sensible. I have three rules where overnight passages are involved - stay safe, keep warm (partly by avoiding hunger) and don't get tired.

eg on our recent Biscay crossing, we went into our 4hour watch rota from the beginning so that we didnt all (3 of us) get knackered at the same time.

If you are relying on staying awake for the duration, which could well get extended if you have a problem of any sort, don't make the passage in the first place.

 

[davies]

Night crossing with daylight at each end is fine provided that you are well rested. It's generally easier to make out what other vessels are doing at night because the lights showing are much less ambiguous than a grey blob in daylight. There is some merit in breaking the trip at the CI, though from Dartmouth this would be a bit of a dog-leg if you are aiming at real Brittany (ie anywhere west of Paimpol). However, two of us had a very good close-hauled passage from Penzance to Treguier (close reach in southerly wind) a couple of weeks ago, so the longer non-stop jumps are perfectly practicable. Whatever you do, aim for enjoyment and interest rather than achievement and you'll have a great time