first time to Channel Islands !

About the worst that can happen is you get fined a couple hundred euros if you were really unlucky. If it's just the little un's missing I'd be very surprised if they took action. The other option is just arrive anywhere between 1200-1400 local time, they'll all be at lunch!

+1 for St. Cast, good facilities, beach and restaurants. Also, not far away, Binic - probably ranks in my top 3, cant think of anything negative to say about it. Big market along the harbour front is worth a visit, thursdays IIRC.
 
Thanks Bandit - the little one is not coming cross channel - he is flying with the missus! Easyjet have confirmed no passport required for Jersey/Guernsey. Anyhow, it may be immaterial if the passport arrives in time. Even if it doesn't based on the 'hit' rate with French customs i'd take the risk......

St Casts sounds perfect - just what i'm looking for.

Thanks for those extra links JSYmartini - VERY generous of you :D

having a big swing on the route now too, based on several opinions I think i'll forget the Cherbourg stopover and head for Guernsey with the intention of using Alderney as the bolt hole (weather permitting of course!)
 
Even if it doesn't based on the 'hit' rate with French customs i'd take the risk......

St Casts sounds perfect - just what i'm looking for.
Bear in mind the smaller French ports have a bit of a 'soft spot' for Channel Island boats. I'm not sure it is always the same for those from further afield, so make sure you carry as much legit paperwork as possible.

Technically you don't need passports for travel between the uk and CI's, but you should fill out a customs form on arrival.
 
August Forecast

Xc weather and windfinder...

Or i ask jersey diver :)

I can give you an update as fly back to st helier tomorrow :)

If you want good weather in August I would ensure that Rob is working anywhere other than in the CI.
The weather is always rubbish when he is here, usually clouds over an hour before he arrives and sun comes out when his plane is back in UK airspace !!!

I suspect their may be fog tomorrow morning if Rob flying in.

Carteret is lovely, came back last night but I would aim for weekday trip (Quieter and Thursday market & cheaper) if you arrive am / leave pm rate is halved again so maybe 9 euro for your boat for the day. w/e overnight would be 37 euro ish. Carteret has a good range of restaurants, beaches & walks (lighthouse is worth a good stroll)

How old is your little one I had my 2 year old and my mum with me as my wife was working.

Also, a great day out is a potter round island of Jersey stopping or visiting various little harbours and bays. Portelet, St Brelades, Bonne Nuit, Bouley Bay, Rozel, St Catherines, Gorey to name a few.

I would suggest the RCC Channel Islands book by Peter Carnegie. Very good info with good photos of transits etc and quite up to date.
 
Bear in mind the smaller French ports have a bit of a 'soft spot' for Channel Island boats. I'm not sure it is always the same for those from further afield, so make sure you carry as much legit paperwork as possible.

Technically you don't need passports for travel between the uk and CI's, but you should fill out a customs form on arrival.

Hi Keith....

be honest I've been busy getting paperwork sorted this week, original boat invoice proving VAT paid, builders certificate, ICC's, radio licenses, Part 1 registry certificate - the only thing i'm unsure of is the expiry date of the liferaft & flares - i'll check them this weekend.

I have the customs forms here to post before leaving UK - naturally have the French courtesy & Q flags too......
 
Carteret

Looking upstream from 'Kiki's' at lowish tide

Photo0681_zps4395e46b.jpg


i felt quite sorry for this frenchman, saw him launching from trailer and thought there can't be much water left. I was enjoying my meal and beer and watched him stop in the channel and jump out to start pushing and running the engine in tilted position. I took this photo 10 mins later and the poor guy had driven into the only shallow patch in whole channel from the slipway to sea.

6 hours later he refloated............

Photo0682_zpsbc78e7b0.jpg
 
If you want good weather in August I would ensure that Rob is working anywhere other than in the CI.
The weather is always rubbish when he is here, usually clouds over an hour before he arrives and sun comes out when his plane is back in UK airspace !!!

I suspect their may be fog tomorrow morning if Rob flying in.

Carteret is lovely, came back last night but I would aim for weekday trip (Quieter and Thursday market & cheaper) if you arrive am / leave pm rate is halved again so maybe 9 euro for your boat for the day. w/e overnight would be 37 euro ish. Carteret has a good range of restaurants, beaches & walks (lighthouse is worth a good stroll)

How old is your little one I had my 2 year old and my mum with me as my wife was working.

Also, a great day out is a potter round island of Jersey stopping or visiting various little harbours and bays. Portelet, St Brelades, Bonne Nuit, Bouley Bay, Rozel, St Catherines, Gorey to name a few.

I would suggest the RCC Channel Islands book by Peter Carnegie. Very good info with good photos of transits etc and quite up to date.

:D thanks for the advice re Rob and weather! i'll make sure we get all the canvas on before he comes over for a beer!!

The little one has just turned 1, and has a fixation with the plotter buttons - i'll be watching that!!!!

What you suggest is what I also had in mind to do - potter around the island visiting different bays etc - what I was unsure of is far I can go round before running out of time to get back for sill etc...... not much point getting to a bay that you can only stay 1 hour in!

Carteret is definitely on the list - the marina at St Cast look great too.... that's a strange setup with the arrive am leave pm deal ?
 
If you want good weather in August I would ensure that Rob is working anywhere other than in the CI.
The weather is always rubbish when he is here, usually clouds over an hour before he arrives and sun comes out when his plane is back in UK airspace !!!

I suspect their may be fog tomorrow morning if Rob flying in.


hey, steady tiger, i have feelings you know :D
 
What you suggest is what I also had in mind to do - potter around the island visiting different bays etc - what I was unsure of is far I can go round before running out of time to get back for sill etc...... not much point getting to a bay that you can only stay 1 hour in!

You get about 6 hours per tide, varies slightly between springs and neaps. You could have longer with a spring as HW would be early morning/evening so go out on one tide and back in on the next. Down side to that is the tide will be out all day restricting your access to a lot of places.
 
I would suggest the RCC Channel Islands book by Peter Carnegie. Very good info with good photos of transits etc and quite up to date.

Quite up to date? Not as printed, it seems! I bought it last week, and it took me two evenings to apply the dozen or so pages of corrections from the Imray site!

I would strongly recommend doing that, BTW - a lot of the corrections were not recording changes in the real world, but rather correcting mistakes in the original text. The author seems to have a particular habit of transposing "east" and "west", together with occasionally pasting in nonsensical lat/long positions or completely erroneous tidal figures. Could be very confusing!

Hopefully seven years is enough for all the really serious mistakes to have been found :)

also, you can wait in la collette

Is that the case now? Both Carnegie (above) and the Shell Channel Pilot say that waiting in La Collette is no longer allowed for visiting boats. Obviously you're the "man on the ground", though...

Pete
 
La Colette still has a waiting pontoon which although really intended for local boats does take visitors without too much trouble. Visitors waiting for St Helier marina are really meant to use No5 pontoon alongside Albert Pier/lifeboat station.
 
There are waiting buoys outside Elizabeth marina which mean you either stay on board to wait or dinghy ashore to Elizabeth Castle for a stroll around. It is actually quite a nice area to moor up for few hours and watch the world go by. Just check depth if staying on big spring lows as poss only a metre on some of the buoys???
 
La Colette still has a waiting pontoon which although really intended for local boats does take visitors without too much trouble. Visitors waiting for St Helier marina are really meant to use No5 pontoon alongside Albert Pier/lifeboat station.

Keith, presumably La Collette waiting pontoon and the No. 5 pontoon for visitors are both ok at all tide states? (unlike the Elizabeth waiting boys mentioned by Jerseydiver)
 
Quite up to date? Not as printed, it seems! I bought it last week, and it took me two evenings to apply the dozen or so pages of corrections from the Imray site!

I would strongly recommend doing that, BTW - a lot of the corrections were not recording changes in the real world, but rather correcting mistakes in the original text. The author seems to have a particular habit of transposing "east" and "west", together with occasionally pasting in nonsensical lat/long positions or completely erroneous tidal figures. Could be very confusing!

Hopefully seven years is enough for all the really serious mistakes to have been found :)



Is that the case now? Both Carnegie (above) and the Shell Channel Pilot say that waiting in La Collette is no longer allowed for visiting boats. Obviously you're the "man on the ground", though...

Pete

Pete, that sounds dangerous as well as confusing - i'm sure they'll be peoples who won't think of updating!
I ordered the Admirality folio charts (rather than my preferred Imray) as the latest edition (7th i think) was only released in Feb 2013 - i think i have 3 pages of corrections to apply even for these!!! :confused:
 
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