First cross channel trip

[laika]

It's not a poor option if you and your crew are capable of running a reasonable watch system.
If there's 3 of you, you can have 2 on deck at any time and all get sufficient sleep.
Different people prefer different watch systems. That could be a whole different thread.

I'm guessing the OP has sussed that opinions vary . I'm sure this works well for you but I'd be more inclined to give a first-time crosser doug748's advice. Personally it takes me a couple of days to get into a watch system. As skipper I'm rubbish at sleeping on trips of less than 24 hours. In my experience (yours may be different) there's pretty much no point in a formal watch system for short trips with friends: It depends who's most tired. I have no problem sleeping knowing my alarm is set and my anchor is well dug in. I do appreciate though that someone else with pre-departure anticipation might *not* be able to sleep the night before: we're all different.

Our milage may vary but I'd suggest to a friend to do the trip in June, leaving at or just before dawn and do it in daylight. The old arguments of being better able to see traffic aspects from lights and identify position from lighthouses are less relevant with AIS and GPS (not that I'm saying rely wholly on those). I'd also make a week of it rather than a long weekend, maximising options of where to go from, when to jump, and adding in the possibility of going or returning via, say, Alderney. Your first cross channel is surely worth a week off work?? Minimising leg distance is good. I like to go from and/or come back to Studland which is short and usually gets a better cut on the prevailing wind, but not convinced the trek out from Chichester would justify the time. Hauling anchor or dropping off a buoy is *soo* much more early departure friendly than navigating out of a marina (especially chichester) so anchoring the night before departure at east head/pilsey would cut down on passage time.

 

[LadyInBed]

When people refer to " waiting pontoon"( noted in an earlier post but cannot find it now) in Cherbourg. I always thoughtthat the outer non connected pontoon was for very large yachts & not a "waiting pontoon" as such. In fact small boats stuck half way along it could be a real pain in the rear to a large yacht wanting to get on to it.
Am I correct?

I called it a waiting pontoon because I sometimes wait there! but only when there is plenty of space. Only a fool would park in the middle.

 

[lw395]

.... Your first cross channel is surely worth a week off work?? .....

Most of our trips to Cherbourg would not be worth a week off work.
Particularly for the crew.
And I wouldn't want to spend a whole week sailing 3 or 4 up on a small boat.

It's France, it's offshore. So it suits us to approach it in a crewed offshore mode, rather than a two-up coastal daysailing mode.

That way, we get some good use out of the boat, three days' sailing for one day's annual leave.
I'll take a Monday or Friday off to go across on someone else's boat, not a week. I wouldn't expect others to do much different for my benefit.

For a lot of people, working with some mates and sharing your boat a little pays great dividends.

 

[dom]

Most of our trips to Cherbourg would not be worth a week off work.
Particularly for the crew.

Exactly, and it is exactly what the OP wants to do!!

Mind you, he could also retire, buy a farm in Brittany.......................................

 

[laika]

And I wouldn't want to spend a whole week sailing 3 or 4 up on a small boat.

It's France, it's offshore. So it suits us to approach it in a crewed offshore mode, rather than a two-up coastal daysailing mode.

I'm not criticising your approach in any way: I'm sure it's ideal for you and may also be for the OP but per previous comment "We're all different". If your crew is 3 blokey blokes up for a weekend of blokey sailing...well I'd find it hard to take a weekend of that but me, my partner and another couple or one or two close friends can happily enjoy a week's cruise in each others' company especially if spending a lot of time ashore and getting a reasonable night's sleep each night.

And sure the OP explicitly mentioned long weekends but isn't this a freewheeling discussion with a variety of views for the OP to pick and chose from?

 

[lw395]

I'm not criticising your approach in any way: I'm sure it's ideal for you and may also be for the OP but per previous comment "We're all different". If your crew is 3 blokey blokes up for a weekend of blokey sailing...well I'd find it hard to take a weekend of that but me, my partner and another couple or one or two close friends can happily enjoy a week's cruise in each others' company especially if spending a lot of time ashore and getting a reasonable night's sleep each night.

And sure the OP explicitly mentioned long weekends but isn't this a freewheeling discussion with a variety of views for the OP to pick and chose from?

Don't disagree with any of that.
Some of the people who will do a long weekend with us are not blokes, blokey or otherwise.