First crossing - Barfleur, Alderney or .....?

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fjweaver

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With great timing we've been planning our first cross channel for this coming weekend (before BG arranged his!).

We're leaving Friday night via the Needles - coming back Tuesday. Our plan was to head for Cherbourg but i think it's going to be busy on Saturday.

I'm beginning to think of Barfleur or Alderney instead - maybe ending up in Cherbourg on Sunday or Monday.

Any views/preferences/suggestions or other destinations would be very welcome

thanks
Frank
 
Depends on the wind direction. (if you intend to sail) if it's a SW Alderney could be a bit of a pain and cherb (always room in cherb for a little one) or St Vaast (have to lock in and out) would be a better bet.

if you are leaving via the needles I always favour the passage to alderney if the winds in the right direction. Leaving an hour before HW gives you 7 hour of good tidal vectors towards alderney. Just be aware of the tides it's easy to miss alderney and get sucked down the race. (alderney is a no no with anything of a hint of north wind in it).

If it's your first crossing Cherb wins, just because ease of entry. And if the weather turns there's always the ferry back to pompey

Have a good trip
 
IMHO, depends this w/e what you mean by Friday Night. However, if you can work the tides well, and of course depending on wind, I have found Solent-Alderney a far better passage than Solent-Cherbourg. Trouble is if the wind is wrong, (N-NE) Alderney could be very uncomfortable.

Vic
 
Just re-read your post and see it's your first crossing. In this case, the shear ease of entry to Cherboug probably takes priority over all else. If as is almost inevitable you are a bit tense after a first crossing, tackling Alderney approach is probably not what you want. St Vaast is quite a lot further (in time at least) and you may well have to anchor off waiting for the lock.

Vic
 
Cherbourg is a bit like aiming at a barn door at twenty paces -you're bound to hit it if you make sure you get a bit up tide as it can run strongly along that coast. I've never been to Barfleur but I understand it dries completely and is described in the Shell Channel pilot as "awkward berthing".
 
Yup... I cycled there from cherb a couple of weeks ago. Nice place, but not a place to take your boat unless you want to dry out against the harbour wall.

On a different subject did you know you can go up to the top of Barfleur light house for 2euros theres a musum there too.
 
Cherbourg might be busy but you'll get a berth. I'd head there as it's you're first crossing. Don't know what the wind's doing this weekend but if it's in the east the Alderney is a bit rolly. I'd make Cherbourg my first port, then Alderney if the weather's right, then back home via the Needles. Whatever you do have a good trip.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

Coming from the Hamble we're planning to use the tides to get us out by the Needles by about midnight Friday. The winds forecast are SW so maybe not so ideal for Alderney. Barfleur doesn't sound ideal for a first time so maybe we can beat the masses into Cherbourg and head round to Alderney after a day or so.

thanks again
 
Yes agree with all that's been said. Cherb. is easy. Alderney needs very careful use of the tides and has a reverse tide close in for much of the time. Best way of going to Aldy is to go to Cherb first but still needs great care with the tidal streams or you go down the race. Don't go to Aldy if NE winds are likely.

Barfleur needs careful pilotage and timing. Also don't go there if strong NEly likely. Got stuck there for best part of a week once. Bounced on the bottom every time the tide came and went, graunched the topsides on the wall, broke all the mooring warps and the anchor chain. Only dared sleep at low water. Otherwise a pleasant, quiet place to go.

You can anchor outside St Vaast to wait for the tide if the weather is suitable. Once when we went there the whole of the Quay opposite the marina was occupied by a huge funfair, more like a mobile theme park! Thought we were going to have loads of noise well into the night but it all closed down before we wanted to turn in.
 
St Vaast is much much nicer than Cherbourg, and Cherbourg on a Sunday is extremely boring.

I haven't looked at the tides for St Vaast but surely if you are going down on the ebb to the Needles, then you'll probably be near the Barfleur light about 12 hrs later and the tide will be ebbing around the corner. You'll really want a flood tide around Barfleur to get into St Vaast when the lock opens so if you are going Friday night you may find you get there too early.

Dave
 
Interesting... you say leaving the needles an hour before HW gives 7 hours of good tidal vectors towards Alderney. I'm planning the passage myself. Can you advise me, do you mean HW Needles/ HW Portsmouth/ HW Dover?
 
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