Itenerary for Chanel Islands

russab

russab

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Brighton, England
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Dear ...people...

I am planning on doing my first Channel Island "cruise" this summer probably mid July. This is my next challenge in terms of sailing complexity, passage planning and so on...my experience so far is plenty of Solent sailing and 6 Channel crossings...I sail a 32ft sloop.

I was wondering if you could recommend a suitable 10 day itenerary - sailing from and back to Brighton.

I have been told to give Aldernay a miss and go straight for St Peter Port and then possibly St Helier - but I am worried that there wont be enough time - especially if the weather turns against me....

What would you kind folks suggest?
 
I think my mate was saying that 10 days is not enough to take in Guernsey and Jersey and get back to Brighton while still resting and allowing for weather....

what do you think?
 
Cherbourg is the most popular first destination coming from your direction or the Solent. It's convenient, easy to find and enter at any state of the tide and lots to do ashore. Then it's a matter of tidal planning. I have been looking at doing the same starting out from Portsmouth on 28th June and the tides favour Alderney as the trip down through the Swinge to St PP will be an easy late morning passage followed by a plod down to Paimpol (one of my favourites) arriving at HW. From there I will probably potter down to St Malo and back up to St Helier. Don't miss Sark though as its fun... no cars, so hire a bike! If the weather is good there are many anchorages but make sure your ground tackle is up to it. Remember the tides down there are pretty fierce so tidal planning is of prime importance and you also need to factor in the times of gates etc to tidal ports. Ensure you have an up to date Reeds or similar... Have fun!
 
alderney is great ! but not in a NE /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

for a CI cruise I would depart from yarmouth IOW hour before HW and take the tide towards alderney on a spring tide you can take some serious tidal avantage to push you in the correct direction towards Braye. if you work it out right nearlly 7-8 hours of decent tidal vectors.
 
Cherbourg, St Peter Port, St Helier, St Peter Port, Braye. (I like St Peter Port) Or the other way round. Fill in with trips ashore/ visits to anchorages - en route perhaps (?) - whatever suits.

In fact I'd miss out Cherbourg in favour of Alderney both ways by preference. The trip down the Swinge towards Guernsey is not to be missed!
 
Depending on your crew you could go from Brighton to Cherbourg. Or you could go to Portsmouth then across to Cherbourg in daylight either way Cherbourg is a good first stop

From Cherbourg, look at the weather and if it's looking good, aim to get to North of Cap DLH for around high water Dover, avoid the charted overfalls between CDLH and Alderney then you'll be going south, either all the way to Jersey or to Guernsey. If you loose vis, go down the big Russell to St Peter Port - Nice and wide, if you have good vis go for the Little Russell...it's not as scary as the chart makes it out to be

Fly your Q flag on arrival /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

That will get you to the channel islands and I'm sure there will be lots of recommendations of places to visit, though the tourist info do a very good guide for yachtsmen.

On the way back Alderney is a good kicking off point, get the tide up there and pick up a buoy (not no.14 or the two closest to it, we were woken up at 4:30 last weekend by a French boat drifting into us) You can leave there at all states of the tide, and do a trip in daylight all the way across to Lymington/Portsmouth depending on how good you feel. Fly your Q flag coming back in to the UK and phone up Customs Yachtline at the 12 miles point. If you go back to France, you don't have to worry about the customs of going in and out of the EU the same way you have to with the UK

If you don't have AIS/Radar, they are good to spot the fast ferries/commercial shipping around. We came back on Saturday, 15 miles out of Alderney we hit fog, 9 hours later the first land we saw was when we were in the needles channel. I don't have radar fitted, all I had was a NASA AIS radar (on the boat when we bought her), which I learnt to use very quickly!!! The forecast said fog patches, I wasn't expecting one 50 miles across!
 
Is it your 1st x channel?

Guernsey can be almost as quick as Cherbourg from the Solent if you time it right going through the race - can about 10kts of tide - but if any question over the weather or strong wind over tide i would definately want to break the journey at either Cherbourg or Alderney.
 
If winds in SW get along to Swanage/Studland Bay, better wind angle for crossing 2 days

Cross to Braye from Swanage 3 days

Sail Guernsey and spend a day - pop over to Herm 5days

Check weather for next few days if settled Sail Jersey and spend a day 7 days

back to Braye leaving as soon as sill opens yes you will be bucking the tide to Corbiere but then its up your chuff all the way - you should get to Race/Swinge as tide slackens in time to pop into Braye spend a day 9 days

Braye straight back to Brighton with hopefully SW behind you.

If weather iffy then cut the Jersey leg out and do day sails to Sark anchorages ( or take ferry)

Watch the tides and work with them - a good tide atlas is vital

I tend to try to go through Swinge/Race at begining or end of ebb/flood unless wind is with tide. Last week we managed over 10 knots for 3 hours coming up from Jersey to Cherbourg in one tide . If going east on last of the flood past top end of the Race make sure you get at least 3 miles north of Cap du Hague or the west bound inshore eddy will stop you in your tracks. Going north a bit you will then be heading east at a lick whilst looking at others from Cherbourg going west inshore at an equally fast rate of knots.

Enjoy

Brian
 
Was that you on the radio re fog in the shipping lanes ?

Also came back Saturday from Cherbourg, found couple of half mile fog banks but vis most of the way was 5 miles plus Cleared right off towards the end of the day apart from the smog chucked out by the blocks of hotels leaving Southampton around Nab.
 
[ QUOTE ]
Was that you on the radio re fog in the shipping lanes ?


[/ QUOTE ]

I was near the casquettes TSS, but not in it, I didn't radio any ships, as I didn't know who else was around, before the fog there were 3 yachts in sight, I didn't radio because I didn't want to cause confusion. (I did radio another yacht who was also on the RYA cruise and left ahead, just to see what they were getting) The forecast said fog patches, I didn't expect a patch the width of the channel...Radar is going on as soon as I can find time to fit it. In all I guess we saw 20 odd ships on the AIS, only two gave sound signals. Closest was .5 of a mile, and we had Condor Express up my chuff at 35kn, while I was looking at the AIS display he changed course at a mile away, big sigh on that one

Started off like this:

_P3P2664.jpg


Then I saw this:

_P3P2672.jpg


Most of the way it was like this

_P3P2691.jpg


_P3P2695.jpg


Then it cleared a little, and motored into this

_P3P2712.jpg


9 hours of fog...I hate fog /forums/images/graemlins/mad.gif
 
Depends whether you want sailing or sight seeing.
Sailing:
Home - Cherbourg - St PP - St Malo - Jersey - Cherbourg - Home
Sight seeing:
Home - Cherbourg - St PP - Herm - Sark - Cherbourg - Home
Why Cherbourg 'cos it is easy 24hr entry
Timing start at Cherbourg on or just before full or new moon to get the timing right.
Note: if you are going on neaps, the timings are all wrong for going down the Alderney race, but just right for coming back. /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif
 
Bet the wind screws up any plan you make in advance.

Just get to Cherbourg, or better still Alderney, and see what the wind is up to. Both Alderney and St. PP are horrid if a reasonable easterly picks up. Get the tides right and there are places to go on the west side of the Cotentin if you like the froggies otherwise crack on down to Jersey in an easterly. What ever you plan the weather will do it's best to trip you up. Don't forget that getting back is rather tidal!
 
We used to do a regular Spring holiday week circuit from Friday night to the next weekend Sunday, so 9 or 10 days. Our route was Poole to Cherbourg for a quick stock up, then Cherbourg to Jersey which is easily done on one tide going south using the inshore tide eddy from Cherbourg to Alderney Race to arrive there at slack, you then have I think 6 hours to reach Jersey SW to take the tide along to St Helier. Next from St Helier to Sark, unmissable im my view, choose where depending on wind and neap tides are preferred (less swell in the anchorages). Then in to St Peter Port Guernsey. Next if weather permits (never in a NE!) St Peter Port to Alderney then Alderney home of if it suits better via Cherbourg again which also avoids any need to fill out forms and clear UK customs (I know most don't bother these days but..) as you re-entered the EU in Cherbourg.

This circuit avoids double visits as far as possible and simplifies timing of the Race after a long crossing. From Poole we have done it direct to St Helier (or St Peter Port) missing Cherbourg on the way out and saved shopping for the return leg, but that way doesn't allow a 'leave anytime you like approach' for the first leg and means you have to buy food and stuff at inflated Channel Island prices.
 
I’ve don Brighton to the Channel islands many times over the years. (During the 80’s I kept my boat in Brighton for many years before I went off cruising).

IMO 10 days is plenty depending on your crew. Do you mind sailing at night? If not then I would plan to leave Brighton sail to Alderney as long as the wind is not NE. If you do then Brighton - Cherbourg is not too bad a trip.

Spend a day there then take the tide to St. Peter Port perhaps take in SARK on the way to Jersey then take the tide to Cherbourg on the way back. The tidal steams are big here and you can carry time the Jersey to Cherbourg bit to have favourable tide most of the way although you will probably have to push a bit when leaving Jersey. From Cherbourg it a simple hop back to Brighton.

Whatever you do the wind will muck you about but 10 days is plenty to visit the Islands – if you are pushed for time then IMO I would skip Jersey.

/forums/images/graemlins/smirk.gif
 
Cripes

Always amazing how weather is so different just a few miles apart.

Ships appeared to be in bunches on Saturday , we missed em in the East bound but got clobbered avoiding a lot in the West.

Although we had much better vis than you the radar stlll gave confidence, I find it most useful on 6 miles range.

B
 
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