Crossing TSS

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Fenders

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I have crossed the Channel on many occasions from the Solent to the Channel Isles and Cherbourg, etc, and always maintained a good look out and obeyed all the advise/rules that are metioned in the Pilotage books.
It has always amazed me at the number of ships that ply up and down the Channel. In a few weeks I am planning, subject to weather, to sail from the Brighton area to St.Valery, crossing the TSS at the obligatory 90 degrees from due south of Beachy Head on a heading of approx 165 degrees. It will be a daylight crossing and I will be ready to put the donkey on if necessary. Should I give Dover CG a courtesy call or just maintain a listening watch on channel 11?
I guess the further east you intend to cross must concentrate shipping into smaller confines. This must make a crossing in the eastern Channel more difficult than the central or western Channel.
Having read through books, studied charts, looked at the MCA website and read through the various threads on ybw.com can anyone offer me any further advise on this procedure or am I being over cautious?
I am a great believer in being well prepared for any eventuality. Belts and braces!!

Thanks

Fenders /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Would not call Dover unless you have a specific problem. Could talk to them if you suddenly find yourself in poor visibility with no radar for example.

Crossing the shipping lanes is not a problem 'Just' keep a good watch. Monitor carefully any ships that concern you on the way over, and take big and appropriate avoiding action when you need to.

The hardest part is when you have a whole train of ships with few gaps in between, but you will find your way through one way or another.
 
'big ships' keep a close watch on small vessels, especially yots ......... they will plan their course to miss them, normally by a mile or so if possible, if not then 0.5 of a mile.

only last minute alterations by the small vessel/yot cause big problems

have faith /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif ......... well, prey /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
 
Thanks for your replies.
Your comments are most interesting and I am now re-assured that my sail plan for the trip is "sound".

Fenders /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
From your post I suspect that you already know this, but lots of people seem confused so I will chip in here...

You cross a TSS on a *heading* perpendicular to the 'lane', not a *track* perpendicular to the 'lane' as lots of people seem to think, in error.
 
Thanks, Lemain,
I was aware of that. I did mention "heading of ...." as opposed to "tracking..."
Becomes a problem when the wind is on the nose.
Just have to resort to the engine to maintain the required head so as to cross perpendiculary if that occurs.
Thanks again.
I am sure that this will be of interest to others.

Fenders /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
 
Good point and I don't know the answer. Is a sailing-only vessel (i.e. no motor) prohibited from crossing a TSS if it cannot guarantee to maintain a heading perpendicular to the lane? Something stirring at the back of my mind says that in the case of a vessel under sail the vessel shall maintain a heading as close to 90 as possible. Hopefully, someone will come in with chapter and verse.
 
'If obliged to cross the traffic lane do so on a heading as nearly as practicable as possible at right angles to the lane.'

- realistically 10 degrees off course will make to difference to the time taken to cross the lane. 20 degrees not much more. Have to assess at the time. Do however need to be much careful about watch keeping if not at 90 degrees. In one direction it will make it much easier, but not the other!
 
Recently crossed from Scillies to Padstow, a course that clips the TSS by a couple of miles or so.

As there no ships in sight, except a warship on the horizon, I continued on my course to Padstow. As I was leaving the Tss, Hms Cornwall made a bee line towards me at quite some speed. At two mile she stopped and tooted five times.

I assume she had got her knickers in a twist as I had just broken the law, there were no other ships in sight.

I wonder how much fuel she burned in the little tiff.
 
One very important point to remember when crossing (and was drilled into us at Nautical College) is "A vessel shall so far as practicable avoid crossing traffic lanes, but if obliged to do so shall cross on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of traffic flow."

So it's not the nice magenta lines on the chart you are crossing it's the traffic flow in that lane. Also, while the COLREGs apply fully in a TSS, remember "A vessel of less than 20 meters in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of a power driven vessel following a traffic lane." So don't expect them to give way!

Also be careful off the Dutch coast, those lads take misbehaviour very seriously and my opposite number had a visit from the CG threatening court action for taking a short cut and bringing the ship into the inshore traffic zone!
 
Hmmm...that's not the point as the previous poster point out. They can get silly about enforcing the letter of the law/regulations and can get very nasty. Apparently the Dutch are known to board yachts that have transgressed (I don't have that first hand, though).

If HMS Cornwall has a captain who cannot control his anger (itself a very worrying characteristic in such an officer) and who wastes countless litres or tonnes of fuel in preference to a simple call on Ch16, then what can we expect of the lower minions whose duty it is to do nothing but enforce the regs? Even more worrying for those who sail overseas in waters under the jurisdiction of regimes that are not renowned for their treatment of alleged transgressors!
 
Apologies if I may be stating the obvious here, but occasionally we still meet yachts who try to make themeselves invisible........

Get yourself a decent radar reflector - if using the old octehedral type make sure it is in the rain catcher position. and as high up as practicable.

If motoring then hoist your mainsail - it's a lot easire to spot a yacht with a sail up than without particularly during the day with a sea running.

Put your nav lights on - many still don't - you would be amazed at how many we come accross who only put their lights on when they see a ship coming towards them, a few don't even bother when they do see us.

I can't promise that every ship will see you but the above certainly helps a lot.
 
Re: when is it busy?

On my few crossings, traffic has sometimes been very light and at other times almost nose to tail. Could an experienced merchant navy chap give us all a clue to movement patterns in the Channel ?
 
[ QUOTE ]
- realistically 10 degrees off course will make to difference to the time taken to cross the lane. 20 degrees not much more.

[/ QUOTE ]

Talking to Dover coastguard recently, they said that generally they could accept up yo about 20 deg off the rightangle, but not much more. They made the point that with a heading more than 22.5 deg off the rightangle you would be showing your stern light in one direction or the other, giving a very confusing picture by night.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Put your nav lights on - many still don't - you would be amazed at how many we come across who only put their lights on when they see a ship coming towards them, a few don't even bother when they do see us.

[/ QUOTE ]A few years ago I was sailing back singlehanded from St Peter Port to the mainland, conditions were quite choppy for my boat at that time, so I was cold, wet and rather tired during the night. All through the night the radar showed two targets within a mile of me but they were very poor, coming and going, and despite it being a very dark night, I could not see any lights. I could not relax for a moment, knowing that there were vessels out there, fairly close, without lights and could not relax for a moment. Around dawn the truth unfolded...two yachts without their lights on. I would have throttled them if I could have.

As you say, can people PLEASE keep their lights on and invest in a decent radar reflector!
 
You should put youreslf on collision course with a deep draft ULCC, with no nav lights, or sails, then at the last minute hoist sail, put on the nav lights and on VHF loudly demand that power gives way to sail.

At 0200 or any early hour around that time, call on channel 16, at various intervals ''Ship on my starboard side'' without giving any other information,and making it sound urgent. This is most effective when there about 300+ vessels passing through.

Under sail it is best to clear an oncoming vessel ,then as soon as he thinks you are clear, imediately tack back accross his bows,this causes much hilarity on the bridge of the on coming ship.

Dover coastguard prefer to be known as ''Dover Spy Patrol''
by all means call them up at any time with inane and stupid questions, they have nothing else to do.

Seriously, think like you are driving a car,drive defensively,
even the most high tech, highly manouverable ship may still have an idiot on watch,believe me in the last 30 years i have seen it.
I am not sure about calling up Dover coastguard, and telling them your intentions, if you do and have a good radar reflecture at least thay can track you and assist if needed, they are there to help as well as police the area.

I am also guilty of human error, changed crew on a ship, I was mate, the captain i was with, habit was to leave the nav lights on continuously from port to port, i relieved the second mate (who had been with the previous old style captain, who insisted the nav lights went on at dusk and went off at dawn).
You guessed it.
i ran throught the channel untill 0200 when relieved by the new captain, who later told me at 0400, he was called up and told he had no nav lights on, yes we ran most of the night with no lights.

Trust no one
 
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