First time crossing North Sea

Tim Good

Tim Good

Well-Known Member
Joined
26 Feb 2010
Messages
2,888
Location
Bristol
Visit site
Just existing the Caledonian Canal and headed for Shetland and then cross to Norway. Never sailing the North Sea before. Anyone got any pointers or done that stretch before? I hear the seas can be a bit steep and nasty? Also some rigs to dodge?
 
northcave said:
Just existing the Caledonian Canal and headed for Shetland and then cross to Norway. Never sailing the North Sea before. Anyone got any pointers or done that stretch before? I hear the seas can be a bit steep and nasty? Also some rigs to dodge?
Click to expand...

Not sailed it but spent plenty time on several of the rigs and platforms over the years in conditions ranging from glass calm to just plain scary wind and sea.

The seas are very steep in a gale but your not going to set off if there is one in the offing. In summer east of the Shetlands there are the most amazing sunsets that don't actually set, the sun just kisses the horizon then starts to rise again. I so want to see that from the deck of my boat..
Ive seen whales, dolphins, sunfish, and turtles from various rigs over the years.Also yachts every now and again.

The rigs and platforms are well lit and there will be a standby vessel that will chase you away if you get close to the 500 meter exclusion zone round them. Plus the noise from them will, should, alert you to their presence if you approach from downwind. ( as may the smell...)
 
I've only crossed the North Sea once. It was the month of June, several years ago We had exited the Kiel Canal, sailed south west along the German, then Dutch coast in readiness for a crossing. Shipping Forecasts had been accurate for about the prior two weeks. We turned west based upon a good forecast. Almost exactly halfway a full gale blew up out of nowhere. It produced steep seas in no time at all. Two crew spent the night on the cabin sole lying in their own vomit. My pal and I took 1 hour turns on the tiller. A really hard overnight slog making something like 2 kts, we were blown a long way south. At one point I put out a vhf Pan Pan to alert all ships as to our situation. No replies. A scary experience and not one I'm keen to repeat.
 
Orla said:
This guys has just crossed from Norway to Shetland, but he doesn't really worry about what the weather is doing :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOMNtwHWyCQ

Also spent quite a bit of time in the North Sea, If you have time in Shetland to wait for the right forecast should be a very enjoyable trip...
Click to expand...

Great that's for the info. Yeah plan is to hop to Shetland and await. The weather windows are small at this time of the year it seems but there are some.
 
northcave said:
Just existing the Caledonian Canal and headed for Shetland and then cross to Norway. Never sailing the North Sea before. Anyone got any pointers or done that stretch before? I hear the seas can be a bit steep and nasty? Also some rigs to dodge?
Click to expand...

No rigs on a direct route between Lerwick and Marstein light (or at least there didn't used to be). We did that passage in 2010 in a 27 footer, took about 36 hours and we motored all but the first three of them in a flat calm!

I blogged the trip at http://znoy8.co.uk/2010/index.html

- W
 
As an aside when I was 12 my parents, my sister and I crossed from Newcastle to Bergen on a ship. The weather was dire and if you wantd to move you had to hold on because the ship was rolling really badly. My father and I went down to breakfast and were the only ones there everybody else on the ship was seasick.
 
northcave said:
Just existing the Caledonian Canal and headed for Shetland and then cross to Norway. Never sailing the North Sea before. Anyone got any pointers or done that stretch before? I hear the seas can be a bit steep and nasty? Also some rigs to dodge?
Click to expand...

Went across & back in 2014, Lossie >Sandnes>Bergen>Sandnes>Peterhead.
The Northern North can be hideous or boringly flat and foggy. I worked in it for over 30 years before sailing it. The main problem is it is open at the North end to lots of fetch, so you can have OK wind but the seas from a storm 3 days ago, or 500 miles away.
We went over at the end of May. The main problem was cold. Wind wise it ranged from zero wind to 25/30Kts, and seas to about 4metres. So quite hard work.
To have enough wind for sailing, but not too much - you will run into the start or tail end of something a bit gnarly. It is not easy to find decent conditions all the way across. 25Kt fog is not unheard of east of Shetland. AIS may be helpful for spotting supply boats, but the rigs are mostly stationary! Best to keep 1NM away or you will have guard boats buzzing you. (they lead very boring lives , so chasing yachts away is good entertainment)
We're doing the reverse this summer - (new to us) boat from Kiel back to Peterhead - via Denmark/Sweden and Norway again... and then to the Clyde.
 
northcave said:
Thanks... we set out tomorrow to Shetland and then will await a reasonable window of weather. Will report back.
Click to expand...

Best of luck with a long enough window?
Lerwick is OK, for a few days, but not quite > a week.. Where are you heading for , Haugesund or Bergen, for starters.?
 
By way of an update:

Ok so made it to Norway and been here for a couple of weeks skiing around Sæbø! It is fantastic!

Crossing wise we did an over nighter to Shetland and just picked a reasonable weather slot. The protection from swell by the Oarkneys and Fair Isle was noticeable! A good amount of wind is advisable to prevent rolling as the swell seems to come from all angles but mostly the west.

Then we sheltered in Shetland for 4 days and let a couple of gales past. We then set off with a gale warning issues but it was moving south and blowing westerly and so used the good wind and shelter of Shetlands to keep out of any big Atlantic swell. Even though we were headed to Alesund further north we kept in the Lee of the Shetland till half way across and then headed North.

I used Predict wind with GFS and PWG models to carefully plan passages as general forecasts are not specific enough. In our case we set off into Viking with a gale warning issued. Stupid by most standards but the accuracy of the 50km resolution GFS model showed in fact the North part of Viking was only 5/6 and dropping with the gale moving south.

Very good App called Havneguiden which details lots of little harbours to duck into if you have to make landfall further South than expected.

The Stad peninsular for us was flat calm but we kept off by 5 miles anyhow.

Alesund has a nice little harbour in the town centre. Easy entrance and access via the North.
 
LadyInBed said:
Sounds like a good passage. What was your crossing time and distance?
Click to expand...

50 hours to Alesund at around 250nm including the dog leg. Newly installed AIS the day before was great with all the rigs and support vessels moving around. Feels a bit like cheating though.
 
Alesund: If you haven't already done so, the various museums in the centre of town are worth a visit. There is the Art Nouveau one (Jugendstilsenteret) and the Aalesunds Museum (I think that is the one with the lifeboat).

Also, we did an interesting guided walk around the town, arranged via the tourism office. It was interesting the learn about the fire that almost destroyed the place (early 1900s), but which led to the architectural style you see today.
 
Way back in the 60's I was an apprentice and an older apprentice sailed from the Forth to Norway and back in a Wayfarer with his brother. I thought him mad then and nothing has altered my opinion since but they lived to tell the tale. Had problems in Norway apparently as the local officials refused to believe they'd done it.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Other threads that may be of interest

R
My boat trip hopefully in May Around Scotland
2 3 4
Replies
65
Views
2K
RobBradley
R

Share this page

Top