First crossing to Cherbourg

[RobBadgie]

Hi,

I'm planning my first crossing to Cherbourg (from Haslar) in a few months. My basic plan was to aim to arrive around slack. And (because its two tides) just set a CTS directly between the two places (except IoW is in the way) and let the tides just net off. Can anyone tell me if this is reasonable?

Also, any links to what paperwork I will need would be helpful.

Thanks!

 

[neilf39]

Aim uptide a bit so if you are behind schedule you will not then struggle uptide. Based on a tide atlas plot where you expect to be every hour and see how you are doing against that when sailing. You should adjust accordingly. This is more important the closer you get to destination. It takes me 14 hours so I can't balance the tides exactly.

 

[laika]

I tend to plan this trip according to what the tide is doing at this end rather than the other. From Gosport I like to set departure so as to get a push round the east of the island, possibly heading to studland the day before if the tides are better. Formerly the objective was to get into Cherbourg while the late opening restaurants were still open. How things work now with the PAF others who have been in the last couple of years can advise.

if going east of the island, calculate your CTS from a point you actually have a strait line to Cherbourg from (i.e. Bembridge ledge) based on the time you estimate you’ll be at that point. And as everyone will tell you, err on the side of being uptide when you get there.

 

[RJJ]

Aim uptide a bit so if you are behind schedule you will not then struggle uptide. Based on a tide atlas plot where you expect to be every hour and see how you are doing against that when sailing. You should adjust accordingly. This is more important the closer you get to destination. It takes me 14 hours so I can't balance the tides exactly.

Erring uptide: I like to do this on the basis of adding an extra hour or two to the crossing plan. Helps me avoid the confusion, to which I am susceptible, of wondering which way is up given arriving around slack! It's also then convenient to write your passage plan with, for each hour, expected distance-to-waypoint; very easy then to track if you're ahead of schedule.

Then once you are halfway across you can start adjusting to target. Don't be in too much of a hurry to adjust I.e. keep some "in the bag". There are plenty of ways for an unfavourable change in wind or direction to slow your progress.

Also your point of sail makes a big difference to your planning. If a beam reach, easy to change course 30 deg "up or down" with minimal loss of speed. If a fine reach, and there is any risk (if you end up down-tide) of ending up close-hauled; or if a broad reach and there's risk it turns into a run, then be more conservative in the appropriate direction, because if you lose speed-over-ground you are exposed to stronger and ever-increasing tide. To put it another way, keep distance "in the bag" with regard both to tide, and add even more if there's a chance of a less favourable point of sail.

 

[RobBadgie]

Thanks all for the advice

 

[LadyInBed]

My basic plan was to aim to arrive around slack.

I would advise plan to arrive an hour or so before slack Cherbourg or half an hour or so after, depending on what suits departure time best. The reason being the importance of an approach from the up tide side, so planning to arrive before or after will put you on the correct side to get a course in with the tide as currents run much stronger around the Cherbourg Peninsular.
If you want a copy of the Tide stream charts for your phone/tablet see NP250 English Channel : Monty Mariner

 

[doug748]

This looks quite handy though I have only skimmed it:

How to go to France in summer 2022

Don't forget to Email your PAF form before you travel, link in the above. The link suggests there will be no fuss if you forget the form but, when dealing with officialdom, I find this can vary from day to day. Also form 1331 for leaving the UK, helpfully this can be posted if preferred.

I've only done the crossing once, it's a bit of a stinker esp in prevailing winds when it can be a day's work getting out of the Solent. As Laika has suggested an overnight in Studland gives you a fresh start plus a better slant on a SW wind. The anchorage outside the marina in Cherbourg is ok and can save a days charge if you arrive too late to do anything but sleep.

.

 

[peter gibbs]

Hi,

I'm planning my first crossing to Cherbourg (from Haslar) in a few months. My basic plan was to aim to arrive around slack. And (because its two tides) just set a CTS directly between the two places (except IoW is in the way) and let the tides just net off. Can anyone tell me if this is reasonable?

Also, any links to what paperwork I will need would be helpful.

Thanks!

As you know tides around the Chbg peninsular are very strong. However you time your departure you must shape a course to approach the dedtination marina from uptide. If delays occur en route you may have to correct.
Approaching the E entrance at night presents a mass of lights and hazards entering the outer harbour. Be prepared especially if viz is impaired. I once had to cut to the west entrance for safety reasons.
Within the marina grab a visitors pontoon or any vacant slot. The outer pontoon has no shore connection. Marina staff are most helpful and grub in the club over the HM is recommended.
Happy sailing!

 

[johnalison]

I have done the trip from the Solent and also Brighton a number of times but I don’t consider myself an expert at it. The suggestion that you should arrive at slack water implies a lack of confidence in your abilities. I think you should go back to basics and do what others suggest. It is not really harder to arrive at any random tide so long as you are in the right place. More important to me at least is to leave at a civilise hour and have a reasonable tide passing west Solent.

With GPS it is straightforward to aim for somewhere the appropriate side of Cherbourg and, as RJJ says, make an adjustment somewhere towards the end. It was some years ago but I think that part of my thinking on the last occasion I did it was the expectation of a wind shift or change, and that had to be put into the equation. Cherbourg can be a bit confusing at night, so perhaps best avoided for a first time, but it’s an interesting place and you’ll enjoy it.

 

[capnsensible]

It's worth keeping in mind that the more complicated you make your plan, the more things there are that can go wrong....imo.

Lots of times I did this crossing, I left at around 1600 on a Friday. As in after work. From Gosport. Near Nab, steered 185 mag,
Plotted position Dr ep or decca/ GPS when it arrived around 20 miles off. Reshaped course, as others have said, to arrive up tide. Not worried about slack water.

Might not work every time but gets you close. Had some awesome nights out there, great place.

 

[jimi]

I used to do this trip very regularly from Hythe. I used to cat the tide down the Solent and through the Needles whenever I could as that often gave a slightly better angle on the wind. Always aim uptide of Cherbourg until you see the whites of its eyes. Turning at the last minute to go down tide to the entrance will be fast with the tide under you. There are two entrances so aim to enter through the up tide one as well so if you screw up you can always go in the other. Plan a course to steer but basically steering to 180 for the first 8 hours or so will get you to around the right place to reasses remaining CtS depending on passage speed , position and remaining tidal offset. Enjoy. My first crossing was as skipper one clear December night without GPS. Spent hours working out various tidal offsets based on speed through the water to get CTS and ended up sailing through Easter entrance without adjusting course still love night sailing!

 

[ashtead]

We are a Haslar boat and have ventured to cherbourg a number of times over the years ,originally as a cruise in company back around 2007 with 4 other boats in 2007 approx. You don’t say when you plan to leave exactly ie is a few months June but some thoughts .
1)First thought is tides out Solent ,if neaps or springs and timings of such tides depending on your departure time;
2) you might depending on tides prefer to depart via Needles and then prefer a stop over night before in Lymington or if you prefer a scum in Yarmouth or even bobbing around on a buoy outside Yarmouth;
3) we have departed both ways out - leaving Haslar so from Bembridge ledge you have tide running with you and via needles with previous night in Lym.
4) ideally if you time permits you might aim for a trip day before to Lym say,night in Lym yacht haven booked well in advance and be venturing out of Lym next morning say around 6am depending on sunrise with a tide sending you out via needles,which wind or motor willing sees you hit cherbourg entrance to rade around 6pm bst uk time or say 7 CET. It always tends to be better in our experience to head for northern entrance but clearly depends on sweep on arrival.
5 based on this time it will be too late to check in to local customs
Hope that helps

 

[st599]

Also form 1331 for leaving the UK, helpfully this can be posted if preferred.

Isn't this deprecated/removed in favour of the terrible new web app.

 

[LadyInBed]

The anchorage outside the marina in Cherbourg is ok and can save a days charge if you arrive too late to do anything but sleep.

If you arrive around or just after midnight, the marina staff are very accomodating. They normally charge for the day and night after arrival. The same with leaving, I've never been charged for the day I leave,even if it's 4 pm.

 

[ashtead]

If if is late the non land attached centre pontoon in marina can save some stressful motoring up and down dead end looking for berths when arriving in dark but I guess it depends on how well you reverse .

 

[Mudisox]

I nearly always stop and anchor in the outer harbour [within sight of the marina] on arrival. and then normally catch up with the Zzzzzz.
If this is your first crossing, ever, or for the year, you can slow down to a gallop before worrying about berthing and officialdom.

 

[Stemar]

We did it in our Snapdragon several years ago and, with a suitable weather window it was pretty straightforward. I set a waypoint 10 miles off Cherbourg and others for the East and West entrances to the harbour. When we got to the first, I worked out what the tide would be doing in a couple of hours, and headed for the up tide entrance. That way, I got a second chance if I let myself stray down tide a bit.

 

[Poignard]

I nearly always stop and anchor in the outer harbour [within sight of the marina] on arrival. and then normally catch up with the Zzzzzz.
If this is your first crossing, ever, or for the year, you can slow down to a gallop before worrying about berthing and officialdom.

Yes, that's what I used to do (before I relocated my boat to Brittany).

Have a good sleep at anchor and next morning a lot of berths become available as people leave.

 

[Bobc]

Could I suggest that instead of going up the back of the island (which seems to take hours), that you go up the Solent, stay at the west end overnight (Alum bay, Yarmouth, Totland, etc.) and then go out the needles end. It makes the crossing shorter and simpler. You can pretty-much just head due south and then correct your course when you are about 10 miles out.

 

[johnalison]

If you arrive around or just after midnight, the marina staff are very accomodating. They normally charge for the day and night after arrival. The same with leaving, I've never been charged for the day I leave,even if it's 4 pm.

On one of our night-time arrivals we were detained by the French customs cutter a few miles outside the harbour and boarded by some rubber men. This delayed our arrival until we’ll after midnight and we were able to state quite honestly that our date of arrival was that of the morning.