First Cherbourg Crossing from the Solent - what do we need?

[Seajet]

Please note my correction of typo, while 'metal fatigue' is a snag worth considering, I was whinging on about Mental fatigue, this is a really serious and I think under-rated problem, so in modern parlance 'task sharing' might help, as would hot meals - either by flask or 'self heating meals', try Amazon -.

My personal boost/snack for crossing the Channel is a couple of Jacobs crackers X 3, butterred, either side of a decent slice of Cheddar; in extremes one could use a Primula tube outpouring and a slice of 'plastic cheese ' but I'lll never forgive my chum for leaving the plastic films on...

 

[prv]

navigation - its good to plan your course and plot your predicted S curve Xchannel. Then plot actual positions and figure out why they vary!!

It makes you think about including leeway, tide effects into your predicrted course. Perfection is when you do this, set the autohelm to the bearing necessary and don't change it until you enter the harbour entrance!!

Agree with this. For my first crossing (Scuttlebutt Cherbourg last year) I'd written down the offsets due to tide for each hour in order to work out the net effect and hence the course to steer. Soon after we set off I thought to draw these offsets on the chart and then sketch a curve passing through them. It was encouraging to see that whenever I plotted our position throughout the trip, it was pretty close to being on that curve. Only needed some minor corrections at the Cherbourg end (I'd aimed for the uptide entrance and ended up switching to the downtide one).

If nothing else, seeing us track along the curve gave me some confidence that if the GPS were to go down, continuing to steer our course would give us a landfall more or less in the right place.

Pete

 

[prv]

'task sharing' might help, as would hot meals - either by flask or 'self heating meals', try Amazon -.

Last year between the lanes and Cherbourg I cooked pork and paprika sausages, proper mash from scratch, peas, and onion gravy. Fie to your self-heating meals, sir

(OK, it was very flat that day. Bit more wind appeared around Bembridge on the way back, so I did chilli and rice in bowls in the cockpit.)

Pete

 

[LadyInBed]

Work out which way the current is running at your ETA.
Plan to enter Grand Rade through the up current entrance
then if it goes pear shaped you have the down current entrance as a fall back.

Without AIS, any ships you see in an arc of about 40 - 70 degrees off the bow will pass quite close but I have seen from AIS that they will (mainly) alter course to cross at about half a mile.
Any ships out of that arc will not normally be of any concern.
When you first see a ship he will be about 5nM away.

 

[sailorman]

Then again, you don't want to be found even dead in Ouistreham. After you've passed the horrible lock you need to go through you are treated with the most expensive and boring marina in the area.

we find it nicer than Guernsey & all staff are first class
Guernsey staff have difficulty adding 3 days to get a 4th free when the 4th is on the 30th of June when the free day ceases

 

[albionahoy]

Fantastic stuff, all. Thank you. I have been nervous about our time across. While I'm pretty comfortable of what our little jewel will make, in the Solent, we haven't dealt with sustained really big seas - like we might get - in her yet. (Because when we get wind over tide trying to get to Yarmouth, we often say 'sod this' and head to Cowes... )
So it seemed to me I needed all sorts of 'insurance' in my calculations, which you've all pretty much confirmed. MERCI.

And, reading the threads and Yachting Monthly, it seems red diesel should be ok. I can speak the local lingo, so hope I can blag it should there be any questions...

So finally request: please sacrifice any virgins you find about to the weather gods.
If it's blowing a hoolie I ain't goin.

 

[Seajet]

Fantastic stuff, all. Thank you. I have been nervous about our time across. While I'm pretty comfortable of what our little jewel will make, in the Solent, we haven't dealt with sustained really big seas - like we might get - in her yet. (Because when we get wind over tide trying to get to Yarmouth, we often say 'sod this' and head to Cowes... )
So it seemed to me I needed all sorts of 'insurance' in my calculations, which you've all pretty much confirmed. MERCI.

And, reading the threads and Yachting Monthly, it seems red diesel should be ok. I can speak the local lingo, so hope I can blag it should there be any questions...

So finally request: please sacrifice any virgins you find about to the weather gods.
If it's blowing a hoolie I ain't goin.

Albionahoy,

as this place is only 9 miles from Crawley I sadly have far more chance of an alien landing his UFO and strolling up to kick me in the shins than a virgin, or at least a female one.

I've found when crossing the Channel that knowing all the paperwork is correct significantly reduces stress, especially when French patrol boats accelerate towards one !

Even with GPS it can get a bit lonely out of sight of land after a few hours, if you feel this don't think you're the only one, and trust your compass & instruments.

Despite Masterchef PRV Pete's mutterings, 'self heating meals' from Amazon or at least a flask of hot water for tea, coffee, cup-a-soups or in the last resort ( please forgive me ) pot noodles can be a booster.

Going across the Channel is not such a big deal, and unlike coastal sailing not much of the time is spent with a lee shore; just remember there are alternatives like taking an extra day and / or ferries, it's supposed to be fun not an endurance test.

Enjoy yourselves and please tell us how you got on,

Andy

 

[chubby]

My tactics are to go off on the boat to the IOW, usually Yarmouth, and just get used to being on the boat, everything stowed and working, then pick up a mooring outside Yarmouth.

You can relax because the anchor wont drag but you will be too excited to sleep.

Get up and go at first light, you will be beyond the Needles by your normal geting up time and hiting the shipping lanes about midday and the french coast early afternoon and in by tea time and in the yacht club bar by dinner time sampling the menu.

dont relax the navigation once you sight land because there are still several hours of tide to account for.

Dont be afraid to use the engine to keep up a good speed and allow the autopilot to work whilst you concentrate on the nav. Tell the crew 60 miles at 5 knots = 12 hours, but if you do 6 knots and get in early they will think you are great. If you sail at 3 knots, by the 19th hour boredom will set in!

Study all the forecasts in advance but eventually you have to turn off the home computer and just get out on the boat and go.

Have a fall back plan: if after an hour or so it is too choppy go for say Studland, farther west usually helps. If Cherbourg is on ethe nose even motor sailing go for Alderney or vice versa. 12 Hours dead into the wind is a slog, 20 or 30 degrees off motorsailing is fine.

Do the nav in advance so you dont have to look up tables underway.

Get food ready, nibbles, cereal bars whatever and bottled water in the sports bottles.

Depending on crew get a bit of kip when possible, even 30 mins head down whilst clear of the shipping lanes just so you arent tired at the end when you need to concentrate.

If you get to Cherbourg after dark and dont fancy going up and down the lanes there is an easy waiting pontoon near the entrance, not linked to the shore but lets you get a kip and pick a good berthin daylight.

If you leave home after breakfast by the time you have got onto the boat and cast off you will stil have the IOW in sight midday and pschychologically you will think you are going nowhere.

Come on the scuttlebut rally and join the fleet going accross.

We have sometimes heard other boats leaving at a similar time passing a TR and kept in loose VHF contact whilst crossing, saying hi every few hours boosts confidence.

Enjoy, it is a great feeling to go abroad under your own steam!

 

[johnalison]

All the above, and take your RYA membership card to get 20% off marina fees (at least, this applied in June).

A Sadler 29 is plenty big enough to do the crossing comfortably in any decent weather - we did it in ours many times in the '90s with only Decca as an aid, no liferaft, AIS, radar or plotter. We found that entering in the dark could be confusing at first as the lights got lost in the background, so if you are doing this, get the course to the Petit Rade & marina written down before you need them as it is quite a long way in.

Be prepared to encounter pot-markers in odd places, even at the harbour entrance.

I agree about heading well in, but there should be no need to do it astern as the alley is wide enough for my 34ft boat to turn in and the Sadler is much handier.

Our comfort foods are samosas and Bovril.

 

[johnalison]

Fantastic stuff, all. Thank you. I have been nervous about our time across. .

I would be very worried if you weren't nervous. I have crossed the Channel and North Sea most years in the last 30 and get the willies every time.

 

[Sailfree]

Can I add for any others contemplating their first X channel that a number use the Scuttlebutt Cherbourg Cruise to do this.

We don't leave in a convoy and all go at our own speed but it does result in some 10 to 15 boats Xing on the Friday or Saturday so there is always one in your vicinity if you need help.

eg I always take my diving gear in case anyone gets a propellor wrap.

There are also a number of bigger boats that could if necessary tow you in.

This is not the reason we go - we go to enjoy other formites company, put a face to a name and enjoy the French wine and food but it is an added attraction for a few.

If this is attractive to anyone else please see seperate thread.