How much fun crossing the Channel

Nigeldownes

Nigeldownes

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As some of you may be aware, I have recently become chronically addicted to sailing and all things related, I have done my introduction to sailing and am finalising my competent crew by organising a 4 day trip to Cherbourg and the Channel Islands. Yeeeeeeeeeeee haaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa. Huba huba huba.

As you can imagine I an as excited as a schoolboy about the trip, and would like to ask any one who knows, to tell me what its like, how long does it take to cross the Channel from Gosport. I have never been out of sight of land before however I am used to rough seas (rougher the better) and finaly because my addiction/obsession/infatuation is at such a level where can I go to read and therefore drool over yachting bloggs. Is it normal to drool whilst reading detailed logs of Atlantic crossings.

Coming to sailing late in life means (45 in may) I am desperate to cram as much sailing in before I pop my sea boots.

Last question, on returning to Gosport from france are you supposed to report to some form of passport control?.
 
Depends on your boats and conditions or course, but having done East Solent to Cherbourg many times in a selection of Moodys over the years, avaerage time is around 12 hours. Have done it in less, but also have taken up to 14 hours in difficult conditions.

When you come back there is no need to present yourself anywhere - just slip back into your berth and go to sleep. Customs used to come round and have a chat occasionally, but I haven't seen them on a pontoon for years - last time we were boarded coming back was about 1993.
 
Take your passport with you. England is not a Schengen country and so its borders are not open. People arriving in the UK can be required to present a document proving their identity and nationality. With the current illegal entry to the UK aboard dubious boats you could be stopped, not by HMRC but by Immigration.
Beware.
 
How much fun. That depends.

If you're racing, lots. Usually.

If you're not racing, boring, unless:

a) you have good company aboard
b) you have yee-haa weather
c) you have really tricky weather
d) you turn off the gizmos, and do the nav on DR

My most enjoyable trip, back from Alderney in a Sigma 38, F7 from the west, double figures quite a lot of the time.

My most interesting, a RORC race on a Swan 411, a leg back from some mark off Le Havre, light westerly, just far enough aft to fly a shy kite, bags of boats all around, dusk falling and it stayed like that all night, still very close when we got to the Nab.

My worst, flat calm, overnight, heavy rain, Hustler 25.5, 8hp Yanmar, no autohelm.
 
All you could possibly want to know IS HERE

Note for the day that you go onto the Channel Islands that they are outside the EU so you will need to notify Customs of your intended departure and fill in the required form etc
 
To me crossing the channel is like all sailing you never really know what is going to happen, best trip in my 29ft yacht was just less than 12 hours from Portsmouth beam reach all the way over steady F4. My worst for the same crossing was 18 hours all 4 crew were sea sick and we had a lumpy cross sea all the way over then to end it all because off the seasickness I miscalculated the tide off Cherbourg and we lost a good couple of hours pumping a foul tide to get in.

After that I swore never again, of course I went 3 months later. To me raising the French courtesy flag and arriving in foreign harbour is just a great experience

Enjoy
 
HI

YOu are yet but a yougster,,,,,I am 75 this month and the actuarial tables indicate that you should live to at least my age. Therefore you have another 30 years of boating ahead of you. QED.
Make the most of it as I still do. I did many trips to the Channel Islands and France form the Isle of Man and Liverpool in the late 50s and 60s without any nav aids except DR, running bearings etc.. so if I can/ could do it. you should have no trouble.
Drew.
 
Definitely take passports. A friend on a mates weekend was waiting for clearance to enter Calais and a customs launch turned up. Because they didn't all have passports they had to turn round and sail back again!

My son shares a Contessa with a 75year old ex Destroyer Commander. This guy and his wife of same age regularly sail to France from Milford Haven. Nothing would faze him. Having started sailing 10 years later than you I can empathise with the lack of experience that only time will give us.

I sailed to Ireland with my son leaving Milford at 2300, having never sailed at night or out of sight of land. I was nervous until the off when excitement took over. It was brilliant.


Have a great trip.
 
Yours questions suggest your enthusism is running ahead of your overall preparations. eg France is part of the EU and no reporting is required on returning to the UK.

You should not venture out in any strong winds forecast, should have a strong crew in case conditions get up, should be aware that very strong tides sweep past Cherbourg across your approaching path and can put you in danger. Arriving there after dark presents you with a forest of lights that confuse the uninitiated, and ferries have to be considered. Entering by the eastern gate watch out for the port hand lights to keep you off the rocks, and do not approach the western wall closer than 50m. Inside Cherbourg's outer wall you have 2 miles to Chantereyne marina - be sure of your course. Inside the marina the first two pontoons on your port side are for visitors.

Not to discourage you, just to help you tone down the gungho!

Good sailing!

PWG
 
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
England is not a Schengen country and so its borders are not open.

[/ QUOTE ]

Pity the current Government don't know. /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

I travel to and from England regularly and I'm hardly ever asked for my passport. Border controls are so lax in fact that I rarely carry it. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
 
it's about 60 miles or so. 5knots means 12 hours, a full tidal cycle. Weather, boat, company and preparation will determine how wonderful a time you will have, or not. With reasonable attention to all of these i have invariably had a memorable time. Especially when the engine overheated and i fixed it using some cheese. yes, really.
 
Take:

Passport,
Ship's papers including insurance certs
SSR registration document
(originals, not photocopies - leave the photocopies at home)
Stugeron


Avoid out of date flares (French have been known to be awkward about these, although they have no valid right to challenge them).

Aim uptide of Cherbourg.

Bottle of champagne, beer of whatever to celebrate first crossing.

Remember they're an hour ahead of us but restaurants do tend to stay open later. Le Vauban is nice, Le Grandgousier (if you can find it) is very nice. Numerous others.

Fastest trip ever was 10 hours in an unforecast F7 and confused seas. (SWMBO never went to the head between Bembridge & Cherbourg outer harbour it was so rough!)
 
Peter.

re
Not to discourage you, just to help you tone down the gungho.

dont worry we are going with a qualified ocean yachtmaster its part of a sailing excercise. The boats 44 feet 22 tons and the skipper is very experienced, and yes your are quite correct if the conditions are to bad he wouldnt take us.
 
It's been done in a canal boat (see "Narrow Dog to Carcassone" - also on the telly as part of Waterworld series) and in an amphibious jeep (see "Half Safe") and in an open sailing whaler with a crew of boy scouts (see Uffa Fox's life story". Loads have swum it, hang-glided, rubber dinghies, windsurfers etc etc. It's no big deal, but you should consider potential risks & work to minimise them.

You will enjoy it whatever happens and will have a great sense of acheivement.
 
Re: cheese as an engine repair material

It was a charter boat, years ago, and the reason we got it was that the same hire company had rented us a boat for a week, but it was a bit manky. So, bizarrely,we agreed to have free loan of another boat latr in the season as compensation, thursday to sunday midday. With someone else renting the boat from midday sunday so NO being late please said the charter co.

So self and some guys from work decided to go x-channel. Have you any x-channel experience asks the charter man. Ooh yes lots (tho erm on mobos and ferries and aeroplanes mostly, ahem.)

Sailing went fine altho the vhf didn't work and no radar. But nice and clear, 45ish foot boat, up early, arrived cherbrg 9pm just in time for late dinner at the cafe de paris altho i had to wham the engine the last couple of miles which buzzed the overheat alarm just a touch as result, just as arrived. But turned it on again it seemed fine.

Saturday midnight set off back, no wind, looked like it wd be motoring all the way, and less than 1 mile out the flippin overheat buzzer goes. Arg. If it had gottenworse i wd've turned back, tho that wd mean the boat wouldn't be back as we promised.

Still in mobile phone range of french coast I rang Seastart since i saw the boat had the sticker, and the guy a bit non-plussed at being called so late, and us in france! I reassured him that i just wanted a talkthrough, and he calmed down, explained i was looking at a perkins, and we both agreed the charter boat tools rather rubbish. Main target was to get some primary water into engine of course.

The primary filter on this partic engine was screw-on, about three ish inclhes diameter - and the design was unusual in that screwing down the top caused two o-rings to make a seal. Except that looking at the assembly once it was apart ...there was only one o-ring! Whoever looked at it last time presumably assumed just one o-ring.

For the first time on boat, with situation a bit dire namely 3knots of tide taking us to Alderney...i decided *in advance* of finding the fix that i was going to fix the thing. I made jokes at crew, esp the worried one "the Warp Drives have completely had it Mr Spock!!" which made the others titter and feel less worried. I was ultra-positive - for no real reason other than have been in doo-doo numerous times and then - phew- not being in doo-doo that this would be the same - i wd fix it, somehow, and -as usual - not die nastily.

I was particularly pleased with the cheese idea.

I stole swmbo's Emmental i think it was, and made nice longish bits to slot into into the o-ring groove, filled up the recess all round quite tightly and er also put on some butter which somehow seemed logical since i usually have butter in a cheese sandwich....then reassembled top of the filter cover with the other oring to make the seal...and it all worked!

We motored home. The seastart guy couldn't believe it when i called from needles, and latr he came up the Hamble to have a look and put in another o-ring. My crew mate was a bit serious and explained to the charter co that this wasn't the only fault with the boat and not only was there the engine problem but..."-don't tell us - you ran out of food?!!!" laughed the guys in the office....

another memorable trip.
 
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