How much shipping can I expect on my crossing?

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dralex

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We are exploring further this summer and venturing around the corner to Western France, leaving on the 2nd June. Having looked at the charts and the TSS's involved, it looks like most of the crossing from Torbay to Brest may involve contact with merchant shipping. How bad is it in reality? I've previously only played with the traffic in the TSS off the Channel Islands.

Thanks
 
Have a look at the AIS Live web site.
This will give you a up to date over view of the traffic in the channel.

You will have to sign up for it.

Free for the next 25 days then that want silly money (£650 per year!!!)

CliveG
 
in a typical crossing of the TSS you will have to alter course/speed for ships at least once in each lane.

we generally go round the ends of the TSSs. there are still plenty of ships around but we aren't compelled to cross them at right angles.

you also find lines of ships just outside the TSS going in the opposite direction to the adjacent lane.
 
Just as many ships crossing in the waters between Devon and Brittany but they're running in at least four lanes (two each way) rather than just two (one each way) as further east. So the shipping covers a much bigger area, with fishing boats between the lanes too, yet is much less dense so it's easier to nip across. It's all quite do-able and requires constant attention but is not scary. The worst moment was just south of the Eddystone heading north, when we had a ship coming at us from the east and two from the west and they met right at our position. Very hard to know what to do! Fortunately it was flat calm and we were under power.
 
When you come to the south shipping lane you will find that they are lined up two abreast to round Ushant, they are usually very predictable (and noisey) coming down two abreast about ten minutes apart, same as on the English side. In a sailing boat timing is important, but if you`re slow there`s plenty of water to go up between the ships and round the stern of the second ship.
Don`t be put off going across at night as the ships masthead lights give a very clear indication of their direction, and with a bit of moon it can be easier than in the day.

.......
Have a good trip
 
Try to avoid fog. The last time I did it was in thick fog. When you can hear the ships and not see them......

In clear visibility I would reckon on seeing 10 to 20 ships at a given moment.

John
 
Had a lovely Channel crossing when we hit fog last year in May going to St Peter Port- the radar was a godsend- I'd have been bricking it without. The reassurance it gave was massive. Thanks for the advice so far.
 
no, the free bit will now be restricted to vessel name and call sign and all data will be at least one hour old. You need to pay to maintain the current level of data.


Surely their can't be enough companies willing to pay £700pa.
 
I only realised the other day, if you go to the bottom of the AIS page you can call up a photograph of the ship, quite interesting I thought...
 
Here, here. That happened to me.I did'nt see a single ship but heard 3 or 4 and spoke to a couple re position ,course and speed. Theirs and mine. Scary with no radar on my last boat.
 
If you are an existing user, you will have recieved an email from them addressing these issuses, and I thought their points were valid. They have been asked to address the issues of live information on boats etc, and have in some way addressed these in line with many other free information providers
 
Hi Alex

Just to add/confirm what others have said:-

The traffic volumes are similar to what you will have seen crossing to the Channel Islands, you will not cross or even pass close to the Ushant TSS but the lines of ships will be pretty well defined as they take the straightest route from this Ushant TSS to the one off Casquets up channel.

The lanes have changed significantly on the French side in the last 2 years so a new chart will be a good idea, the mods didn't appear on reprints until last year 2004. The changes I think have made it a lot easier as they have tilted the Ushant TSS a bit and moved the eastern inner end farther north, which improves the crossing angle for your route (and ours every summer!) and keeps the nasty tankers farther off the French coast. The previous 2 inner lanes (one up one down channel))have been replaced by a single 2 way traffic lane BUT only open to passenger vessels of which there are thankfully very few, so really there are just the 2 concentrations of traffic, one up and one down channel. I find it helpful to stick a ruler between the TSSs and pencil in the 'lanes' between them on the chart for visual confirmation, one of the very few times when the paper chart is better than the plotter.

The French side lanes are at a bit of a shallow angle for the crossing from Dartmouth/Plymouth which makes you think you are in them much longer than in fact is the case (you will see what I mean), in practice you are running like a ferry glide towards them and when you do 'cross' it will be with them coming either from your port quarter or from the starboard bow, seemimgly either intent on running you down from astern or head on! Hold your nerve and take bearings, visual and/or radar because the bearings will not change much until they get closer, then will change rapidly. In clear visibility it isn't a problem and if anything it is easier at night, but in fog even with radar it isn't nice because each 'incident' seems to last so long and requires careful concentration over a longer period.

There is a French fishing vessel that regularly fishes in the middle of the lanes that shows a flashing yellow beacon at night a la AA recovery truck, we have seen him every year so his light must work....

There are also traffic lanes on the UK side of the Channel mostly running between the Scilly TSS and Casquets TSS but ships will branch off to local ports or to pick up pilots perhaps in Torbay. Traffic volume on the UK side is much less we have found.

One caveat is that the Navy like to play in these waters and we have twice been in their paddling pool when they have been doing live missile firing, quite disconcerting! On the one occasion we didn't see the navy ship broadcasting the warning (though we could just see 2 others) but he gave a circle radius 8mls I think from a centre point which when we plotted it was on our track and we were already in his circle. We called on VHF and when they finally answered gave our course and position, we were asked to detour 5mls due west but when I said that was directly into the wind and would take some time they agreed we could carry on. Nice of them that since we were in mid Channel not in a private play area and actually quite close to the northern shipping lanes. We were very glad to finally get clear, especially as every 20 minutes or so they re-broadcast their warning but often giving a different centre position for their circle to avoid, all in all several hours of stress! We saw 3 navy vessels but never heard a missile fired nor heard/saw a splash.

Beware also fishing boats! We hear many talking and singing and swearing on Ch16, many of which seem Spanish and often very drunk. They have a habit of taking off to a new fishing spot full chat on autopilot with nobody on deck or the bridge.

It isn't half as bad as it sounds though, enjoy it!

Robin
 
We did Lands End to Chanel du Four last year, just missing the TTS.

What surprised me was that when ships were spotted, they were in groups of five or six.

We saw three or four of these groups near Ushant.

No problems if you keep and eye out and the weather is clear.

Radar is very helpful. Would dread to do the passage in fog without the R.
 
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