Tranona
Well-Known Member
That route is maximum of 1.4m draft and the OP has far more than that and will only just make it if he goes through the main route.
Estimate time and cost to sail from Baltic Sea to Mallorca
- Thread starter Voyager 5
- Start date
That route is maximum of 1.4m draft and the OP has far more than that and will only just make it if he goes through the main route.
Daydream believer
Well-Known Member
I have done the Thames estuary to just north Of La Rochelle single handed in my 31 ft boat when I was 59 Years old.& this year i did Camaret. Nothing like as long as the trip you propose but I would still use the same guidlines for longer trips SH
I found the French coast the best for heading west up the Channel & I sailed up to 80 miles per day. the longest legs being Bradwell- Boulogne, Le Havre - Cherbourg & St Peter Port to Leziardrieux
Those are all doo-able with fairly easy tidal gates in the harbours.
However, I do suggest sailing a day & resting a day.
When i did my 2 SH circumnavigations of the UK I found that the best option, except for 6 legs of over 100 miles when i needed a bit more rest. Being younger that may not bother you.
Heading south - starting in May I had 3 or 4 delays due to being stuck in harbour due to bad weather for up to a week at a time.
If you pick destinations where there are 24 hour entries then 100 milers are OK. However, if the harbour is tide restricted then i think the 50-60 mile a day trips are better to make it easier to guess timing or so as not to be too tired if stuck outside in bad weather waiting for tides to enter harbours
I would also suggest you make sure your engine is well serviced & you carry lots of spare fuel. As you move south winds can get light & it is tiring just drifting as you are still "on edge" as if there was a breeze
I found the French coast the best for heading west up the Channel & I sailed up to 80 miles per day. the longest legs being Bradwell- Boulogne, Le Havre - Cherbourg & St Peter Port to Leziardrieux
Those are all doo-able with fairly easy tidal gates in the harbours.
However, I do suggest sailing a day & resting a day.
When i did my 2 SH circumnavigations of the UK I found that the best option, except for 6 legs of over 100 miles when i needed a bit more rest. Being younger that may not bother you.
Heading south - starting in May I had 3 or 4 delays due to being stuck in harbour due to bad weather for up to a week at a time.
If you pick destinations where there are 24 hour entries then 100 milers are OK. However, if the harbour is tide restricted then i think the 50-60 mile a day trips are better to make it easier to guess timing or so as not to be too tired if stuck outside in bad weather waiting for tides to enter harbours
I would also suggest you make sure your engine is well serviced & you carry lots of spare fuel. As you move south winds can get light & it is tiring just drifting as you are still "on edge" as if there was a breeze
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Voyager 5
Active Member
I second Tranona: I have considered that, it would be a great option to shortcut, but from what I have read it seems the draft is only 1.3 metres (I have a 1.58 metres draft, in salt water, probably 1.63/1.64 in fresh water).
Voyager 5
Active Member
Daydream believer, Thank you for the information.
I was wondering if any of you gentlemen has any particular (book/video/website) guide or reference to suggest for the trip from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca, sailing around France and Spain. I know there are many, but is there any in particular you would recommend as a practical guide for someone completely new to this route?
I was wondering if any of you gentlemen has any particular (book/video/website) guide or reference to suggest for the trip from Amsterdam to Palma de Mallorca, sailing around France and Spain. I know there are many, but is there any in particular you would recommend as a practical guide for someone completely new to this route?
macd
Well-Known Member
Trouble is, if you go the conventional route and buy pilot books, you'd be looking at maybe seven or eight. It might be more helpful, and certainly cheaper, to start by finding a few blogs of people who've done it. Anyone?
I daresay JimB's site wouldn't be a bad place to begin, too: http://www.jimbsail.info/
By way of a P.S. I'd add that probably no-one needs to tell you of the dangers of Biscay which, though real, are something of a cliche and often overstated. The Portuguese coast gets little such mention, but regularly claims yachtsmen. The combination of little sea-room, big swells and few all-weather harbours is not to be underestimated. Then there's the lobster pots...
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Voyager 5
Active Member
Thanks for the link, I will check it out.
I have heard of Biscay, but what are the lobster pots...?
cmedsailor
Well-Known Member
It's like walking in a minesfield! Fishing (lobster) traps and you see, if your a lucky, just a small flag above the surface of the sea. There are everywhere along the Portuguese coasts. Better stay far away from the coast if you sail during the night and look very very carefully during the day.
Voyager 5
Active Member
How far from the coast? 2 NM? or more?
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Well offshore. Pots and nets are laid in many locations. Not a particularly big problem if you are sailing although the lines can get caught on rudders but more a problem when motoring. Sensible to fit a rope cutter to your propeller.
macd
Well-Known Member
Quite so. The economics puzzles me. It's bloody deep off there. How do they afford the lines?
Tranona
Well-Known Member
Look at the price of lobsters - unless you like £5 Canadian ones from Iceland or Lidl Actually if they are laid in a string there are only two long lines - one at either end.
Twister_Ken
Well-Known Member
We found they tended to be laid in some sort of grid. Once between the lines, we'd see them going past either side, but had nothing on the bow. Didn't stop us looking and keeping our fingers crossed though. Deepest one we saw was in 700 metres plus, according to the chart (echo sounder gives up at 80 m). Made me wonder if it was a lobster pot on the end, or some other form of pot.
Voyager 5
Active Member
Are there other sites or books covering specifically the Netherlands/Belgium sailing?
JimB's site is great, but unless I am mistaken it does not cover Netherlands/Belgium.
macd
Well-Known Member
I'm sure there must be such websites, Voyager, but I've never sailed there so don't know of any. Hope someone else can help.
No doubt Imray can help with pilot books, and no doubt others in the local language.
Tranona
Well-Known Member
www.imray.com is the major publisher of Pilot books.
Cruising Guide to the Netherlands available from many on line sources including amazon.
Belgium does not have enough coastline to justify a dedicated guide!
You may find joining the Cruising Association useful. Details on Jim's site.
Cruising Guide to the Netherlands available from many on line sources including amazon.
Belgium does not have enough coastline to justify a dedicated guide!
You may find joining the Cruising Association useful. Details on Jim's site.
ribrage
Well-Known Member
2 nm will put you in amongst more pot markers than if you were hugging the coast, when we left Lisbon we went close to 10 miles out and were still encountering pot marks, many were spotted late at night and very last thing as they scraped down the side of the boat , long keel and no engine running gives an advantage as there are less potential underwater snags , but its still a lottery.
To be pedantic they are fish traps, rather than lobster pots - they love salted cod , take a trip around any supermarket on that coast line and the smell is enough to make you turn around and walk straight back out.
macd
Well-Known Member
Sir, you are mistaken. That's not pedantry. It's accuracy.
(Assuming it's true, of course, but I have no reason to doubt it.)
It was also news to me, so thanks.
ribrage
Well-Known Member
charles_reed
Well-Known Member
The time would be almost incalculable - I'd give myself 6 months. Too many uncontrollable variables.
However starting from where you are why not come up the Rhine, across on the Main and then down the Danube to the Black Sea. That would take you about 10 weeks to do comfortably. I know two boats who've done that and both have found it inexpensive and great fun.
However starting from where you are why not come up the Rhine, across on the Main and then down the Danube to the Black Sea. That would take you about 10 weeks to do comfortably. I know two boats who've done that and both have found it inexpensive and great fun.
Voyager 5
Active Member
Thank you Tranona and Macd!
I will investigate further in the direction you proposed (imray, etc.).
I will investigate further in the direction you proposed (imray, etc.).
