Day Skipper to France?

[Poignard]

Cherbourg is so full of British yachts that they generally don't bother with any of that. The first time I went I took my SSR card up to Reception; the lady on the desk found it useful to copy down the spelling of the boat's name, but she certainly had no interest in it as a document per se. Likewise never needed to show passports etc, never even seen a Douanier.

I guess a spot-check is always possible, but it's rare.

Pete

+1

In 18 years of visiting France by boat nobody has ever asked me to show any documents at all, or asked to see flares or other equipment. Neither am I on the SSR.

 

[sailorman]

RYA & certain club members benefit from a discount

 

[Sailfree]

Colin may arrange a Cherbourg spring cruise.

One thing - are you confident of no sea sickness in say 14 hrs. If not ensure crew can take over. I find the wind from the rear quarter produces a corkscrew motion that can make me ill !

Post on here if going one weekend and certainly others will be going so you can keep in contact with someone!

I will be going in June and do a few other weekends during the year.

You will probably want to go in the spring/summer but a number have found the scuttlebutt September weekend cruise to Cherbourg good for first X Channel.

 

[JumbleDuck]

RYA & certain club members benefit from a discount

In shops throughout France or just Cherbourg?

 

[sailorman]

In shops throughout France or just Cherbourg?

The Marina berth

 

[alant]

I intend to do the same trip this year. 24'6 MAB. Day skipper, 3 and a bit years experience around the Solent, round the island and Hamble to Poole and back. I suspect we have a similar level of experience.

My boat needed a bit of TLC when I got her, so each new adventure means checking her over and improving what I have. Last year's run to Poole and back ended with F6 gusting top 6 or 7 and I really regretted not getting a 3rd reef in the main. I sorted this this winter. I have also strengthened the forward chain plates and extended them to spread the load across a wider area because they looked like they needed it. My VHF also died so when I replaced it I added one with GPS and AIS receive. I dont think this is crucial to the trip but if it seemed a worthwhile addition when replacing the radio. I now feel that the boat is ready so with proper planning, I should be able to do this trip.

I have planned the trip a few times, with different options for Springs or neaps and starting and ending from various places including Gosport, Yarmouth (North passage or Needles) and Studland. But I like planning and "pretend" dry sailing - it's something to do on boring Sunday afternoons!

Good luck with your trip.

Don't forget, you do lose 'sight of land' when a bit further off the beach, which can be disconcerting if your first outing, no visual hints like the lump south of Calshot. The problem most face, apart from weather & shipping, is recognising what part of France they are looking at as they approach. Even Cherbourg isn't always obvious until quite close in. My suggestion, would be to have an initial aiming point well to one side (preferrably up tide) & then head for one of the entrances. even when inside either entrance, the marina isn't easy to spot, so don't forget to check this pilotage bit well beforehand. A mate, had engine failure & anchored off the naval base some years ago, to affect repairs. The french were not amused.

 

[prv]

The problem most face, apart from weather & shipping, is recognising what part of France they are looking at as they approach. Even Cherbourg isn't always obvious until quite close in.

This is true - there's a few bits and bobs you can mistake for Cherbourg initially. But with GPS it isn't really a problem per se, you can follow your position across the chart (or plotter) towards Cherbourg even if you're actually looking at the wrong bit of land - till you suddenly realise that it's not where you're going.

even when inside either entrance, the marina isn't easy to spot, so don't forget to check this pilotage bit well beforehand.

Good point. Obviously I know where to go now, but the first time (in the dark) I was glad I'd taken a couple of bearings off the chart before we went in. You only need three, one from each of the main entrances towards the inner entrance, then from the inner entrance to the marina.

If anyone can find a decent photo of the Cité de la Mer building from the sea, that would be good as a landmark for the OP if he arrives in daylight. The marina is immediately to the right of it.

PEte

 

[Stemar]

My passage plan for Cherbourg from the Solent is to work out my course to steer to a waypoint about 10 miles off Cherbourg (basic DS stuff) and stick to it until a couple of hours from the waypoint, irrespective of where the tide takes me. I'll then adjust my course to get to the waypoint. At the waypoint, I work out what the tide's doing for the next couple of hours and set a course to go to the uptide entrance. That way, if I do get it wrong, I've got a down tide escape route. It's a dispiriting thing fighting a 5 knot tide in a small boat! Given the choice, I'd prefer neaps for the trip

Log your position every hour in case the GPS goes down and bring a good book and a kitchen timer. Put the autopilot on, set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes put your feet up and get your nose in the book. When the timer goes off, have a good 360 degree look round. If there are no threats, reset timer, feet & book. (This supposes good visibility. You don't want to be out there in bad!)

Finally, as someone else mentioned, DON'T be pushed by a schedule to come back if you don't like the forecast. Leave the boat and take the ferry. 'I need to be at work on Monday' has killed far too many sailors!

 

[[70521]]

They say if you can't do it yourself ....TEACH IT

Oh dear.... that is so last century.

It takes somebody who fully understands a subject and can get it across in a way that somebody else can understand to be a good teacher.

 

[jac]

My passage plan for Cherbourg from the Solent is to work out my course to steer to a waypoint about 10 miles off Cherbourg (basic DS stuff) and stick to it until a couple of hours from the waypoint, irrespective of where the tide takes me. I'll then adjust my course to get to the waypoint. At the waypoint, I work out what the tide's doing for the next couple of hours and set a course to go to the uptide entrance. That way, if I do get it wrong, I've got a down tide escape route. It's a dispiriting thing fighting a 5 knot tide in a small boat! Given the choice, I'd prefer neaps for the trip

Log your position every hour in case the GPS goes down and bring a good book and a kitchen timer. Put the autopilot on, set the kitchen timer for 10 minutes put your feet up and get your nose in the book. When the timer goes off, have a good 360 degree look round. If there are no threats, reset timer, feet & book. (This supposes good visibility. You don't want to be out there in bad!)

Finally, as someone else mentioned, DON'T be pushed by a schedule to come back if you don't like the forecast. Leave the boat and take the ferry. 'I need to be at work on Monday' has killed far too many sailors!

+ 1

but with a tweak - waypoint about 5 miles (i.e. about an hour) away from the entrance and don't put the waypoint directly off Cherbourg but aim the waypoint in what you expect to be an uptide location and then shape a course for the uptide entrance. If you put it directly off the destination then head uptide you will have to sail at a more aggressive angle over say 5 miles to get uptide than if you do that over 50.

 

[sailorman]

+ 1

but with a tweak - waypoint about 5 miles (i.e. about an hour) away from the entrance and don't put the waypoint directly off Cherbourg but aim the waypoint in what you expect to be an uptide location and then shape a course for the uptide entrance. If you put it directly off the destination then head uptide you will have to sail at a more aggressive angle over say 5 miles to get uptide than if you do that over 50.

:encouragement:

 

[alant]

Oh dear.... that is so last century.

It takes somebody who fully understands a subject and can get it across in a way that somebody else can understand to be a good teacher.

Probably someone who has never been on an RYA course!

 

[prv]

It takes somebody who fully understands a subject and can get it across in a way that somebody else can understand to be a good teacher.

True - but you can still be a poor teacher without reaching that standard

Pete

 

[colvic987]

Cherbourg is so full of British yachts that they generally don't bother with any of that. The first time I went I took my SSR card up to Reception; the lady on the desk found it useful to copy down the spelling of the boat's name, but she certainly had no interest in it as a document per se. Likewise never needed to show passports etc, never even seen a Douanier.

I guess a spot-check is always possible, but it's rare.

Pete

Must be too much revenue to lose out on if all the brit boats leave and go home , so its all a myth that we cannot use our fully tanked red diesel over in france, it will certainly help when I decided to venture down that way once I can get time to sail to the south coast...

not having to steam clean my tank before venturing across with newly purchased white diesel....... happy days .....

as to the 'shall I venture over to Cherbourg' question, i would say, if you feel confident in getting there with your crew and back again, then give it a go, be safe and it will give you loads of confidence to start venturing to more difficult locations in the future.

 

[prv]

so its all a myth that we cannot use our fully tanked red diesel over in france, it will certainly help when I decided to venture down that way once I can get time to sail to the south coast...

not having to steam clean my tank before venturing across with newly purchased white diesel.......

That was never a problem in France. The most they've done is to outlaw red diesel in cans on the grounds that you didn't need to bring it and it would be very easy to sell on. But as posted above, that doesn't mean you'll be instantly arrested if you do it.

The ones who were anal about red were the Belgians, and I hear they've backed off a bit since our East Coast brethren stopped visiting them and all the marine businesses complained to their authorities that their takings were down. The main problem now is for Belgians and Dutch who come over here, as they'll be clobbered back home if they fill up with our diesel.

Pete

 

[sailorman]

Must be too much revenue to lose out on if all the brit boats leave and go home , so its all a myth that we cannot use our fully tanked red diesel over in france, it will certainly help when I decided to venture down that way once I can get time to sail to the south coast...

not having to steam clean my tank before venturing across with newly purchased white diesel....... happy days .....

as to the 'shall I venture over to Cherbourg' question, i would say, if you feel confident in getting there with your crew and back again, then give it a go, be safe and it will give you loads of confidence to start venturing to more difficult locations in the future.

See #35

 

[alant]

Must be too much revenue to lose out on if all the brit boats leave and go home , so its all a myth that we cannot use our fully tanked red diesel over in france, it will certainly help when I decided to venture down that way once I can get time to sail to the south coast...

not having to steam clean my tank before venturing across with newly purchased white diesel....... happy days .....

as to the 'shall I venture over to Cherbourg' question, i would say, if you feel confident in getting there with your crew and back again, then give it a go, be safe and it will give you loads of confidence to start venturing to more difficult locations in the future.

I would prefer " if you feel certain in getting there with your crew and back"!
Just confidence alone is really dangerous.

 

[Gordy M]

Again thanks for all the great advice

while on the subject of ssr register, all you cherbouger's better tell him about red diesel checks, flares, customs check etc etc........

that should definitely put a spanner in the works, just before he decides not to call the insurance company, as he has decided to stay put..........

She is registered on SSR, I have flares (not my jeans, but do have those too), I have never put red diesel in her (can't say if previous owner did or not), re customs why would that bother me am not intending to smuggle or break any laws?

Gord

 

[sailorman]

Again thanks for all the great advice



She is registered on SSR, I have flares (not my jeans, but do have those too), I have never put red diesel in her (can't say if previous owner did or not), re customs why would that bother me am not intending to smuggle or break any laws?

Gord

Enjoy the trip but it is a soul less place imo, just a staging post for better places.

 

[prv]

She is registered on SSR, I have flares (not my jeans, but do have those too), I have never put red diesel in her (can't say if previous owner did or not), re customs why would that bother me am not intending to smuggle or break any laws?

He's just stirring

People have had stupid arguments over those topics in these forums in the past. Not a problem for you.

Pete