Littlehampton to Anstruther

[dylanwinter]

At the end of May I am planning to take the Centaur straight from Littlehampton to Anstruther without stopping

there will be three of us aboard -

The plan is to sail hard during the day and then reduce sail at night.

I want to keep the route planning as simple as possible and am prepared to sail a fair way offshore

I obviously want to stay away from the shipping as much as possible

Any hints or suggestions or URLs about planning the journey

the idea is to take food for six days and only come ashore of the weather turns horrible

I know most of the hidey holes up the coast and obviously will try to avoid crossing the entrances for Thames, Harwich, Humber, Tees/Tyne at night

D

 

[Uricanejack]

No idea where Little Hampton is, presumably somewhere near Little Whinging.

So if I were you I wouldn't start from there at all.

Solent to Anstruther all in a one non stop.You better be really good chum's. A very rough guestimate Using my thumb on a globe. you have about 130 miles to Ramsgate another 130 to about the Wash 130 to about Sunderland and about a 100 more from there to Anstruther, So just blond one under 500 miles.

5 Knots 120 miles per day.

Seriously. Pick a couple of watering holes. (I'm sure there must be a few nice spots) A chance for the three of you to have a shower and clean your socks and wont add to much time and you might still be on speaking terms when you get there.

4 or 5 days non stop or a week with a couple of stops.

I would have offered to help but unfortunately I live a bit far away.

Good luck with the trip

 

[Iliade]

At the end of May I am planning to take the Centaur straight from Littlehampton to Anstruther without stopping
<snip...>

Any hints or suggestions or URLs about planning the journey

D

Wait for a SW gale then poled out twin headsails all the way to Deal. Drop the port one at Deal and turn to port. Give the crew Dramamine & strong coffee.

On the first leg stay fairly close inshore; You know all about following the tidal gates when sailing the channel; The issue with a Centaur (or any other small boat!) is that you want a parcel of wind in order to keep up with the tide.
(Is one allowed two semi-colons in succession?)

Once you turn left you're on your own into the land of the splatchers, but you'll have an offshore wind...

 

[Iliade]

There are (used to be?) a lot of north easterlies in May. Try to leave sooner!

http://www.windfinder.com/windstats/windstatistic_broadstairs.htm

 

[DJE]

On the first leg stay fairly close inshore; You know all about following the tidal gates when sailing the channel; The issue with a Centaur (or any other small boat!) is that you want a parcel of wind in order to keep up with the tide. (Is one allowed two semi-colons in succession?)

Possibly. But you don't need a capital letter after each one!

 

[Twister_Ken]

I want to keep the route planning as simple as possible and am prepared to sail a fair way offshore


D

Don't go too far offshore (esp Dover straits) or you might get nicked for mucking about in the TSSs.

 

[dylanwinter]

Don't go too far offshore (esp Dover straits) or you might get nicked for mucking about in the TSSs.

aha

good point TK

Are there any TSS's in the north sea apart from the entrances to the main harbours?

D

 

[Dave-Shafa]

I had to Google Littlehampton - I know Anster (local name) well.
519 miles by road 1000 by sea?
Was going to say Dont do it.
Just noticed there will be 3 of you.
Film title ?

 

[DJE]

Don't go too far offshore (esp Dover straits) or you might get nicked for mucking about in the TSSs.

And don't go too close to Dover harbour walls or you'll get nicked by Port Control. I seem to remember that they want you at least one mile off unless you are going in.

 

[prv]

Are there any TSS's in the north sea apart from the entrances to the main harbours?

Just a few - they even have a roundabout out there nowadays. Look to thy charts.

Pete

 

[dylanwinter]

I had to Google Littlehampton - I know Anster (local name) well.
519 miles by road 1000 by sea?
Was going to say Dont do it.
Just noticed there will be 3 of you.
Film title ?

rather a dull film.... I hope

three ugly old men read some books, eat and sleep while tiller pilot steers

however we will be doing it for real as opposed to pretending to do something

as for Ainster - I tried using the name but no-one had a clue what I was talking about

so gone back to what it says on the tin (road signs).

D

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

If there is any east in the wind to Dover; or north west/north/north east from Dover, you'll be knackered and in a Centaur will take for ever! It took SWMBO and I 2 weeks from Lowestoft in a 32ft. keel boat that was close winded; and with a NE wind was absolutely freezing in mid May. We had a Bengco heater going constantly and denuded the whole of the east coast of charcoal (well it seemed like it). We just had to go into ports to warm up in the pub/club!

 

[KenMcCulloch]

I think this is perfectly feasible Dylan but only if you have suitable weather. Anything N of W through to not much N of E will make the major part of the passage impractical under sail, I think you will really only be able to do it with winds S of W. As has been said there are a lot of E winds in the early summer in the North Sea. You are very likely to spend some time motoring, if there's no wind for most of the trip, perfectly possible. You would need to have I would think something like 150L of diesel aboard doing it nonstop, so I would be inclined to schedule at least one stop to to take on fuel. I would be inclined to make at least a couple of stops on the way. I would ask a friend for advice about good places to stop, up the east coast of England, his name is Dylan.

Oh and do everything in your power to ensure that your diesel supply (tank, lines, filters) is as clean as your ingenuity can make it. There's nowhere like the North Sea for stirring up the crud in your tank.

 

[greggron]

I'm really looking forward to the film of that trip! We've got to be thinking about titles...

To kick off:
'Carry on up the Coast'
'KTL Scotland Express'
'Centaur Forward'
'I'm a sailor, get me out of here!'
'Big Brother's All at Sea'

I'm sure far better suggestions will be along shortly...

 

[Vara]

The longest trip I've done in a Centaur non stop was Plymouth to Brighton, 4 crew, and that was quite enough for one trip, the motion in any sort of sea is not conducive to easy sleep or food preparation.

I would break the trip up into at least three legs or it will become pretty unpleasant.

 

[2nd_apprentice]

as for Ainster - I tried using the name but no-one had a clue what I was talking about
so gone back to what it says on the tin (road signs).

That confused me as well. In spite of what I've heard before nobody, including Aberdeen CG seemed to know "Ainster".

 

[PhillM]

I'm really looking forward to the film of that trip! We've got to be thinking about titles...

To kick off:
'Carry on up the Coast'
'KTL Scotland Express'
'Centaur Forward'
'I'm a sailor, get me out of here!'
'Big Brother's All at Sea'

I'm sure far better suggestions will be along shortly...

Not sure they are better ...


"Turning left again"

"Three Gentlemen go left"

"Left" without a care in the world"

or if it goes wrong

"Left for dead"

 

[dylanwinter]

You guys!

I think you guys underestimate the fortitude enforcing benefits of a boarding school education

ard as nails us

the crew is a bloke I was at school with

so he comes from the school of hard nocks

and our own Roger Ball

he of the dreadlocks and the long term renovation project

http://www.agentlemansyacht.com/

if there is anyone on here who has demonstrated determination in the face of adversity then he is the man



On this trip there will be no retreating to dull old marinas

unless

1/the wind is too strong for safe sailing

2/the inside of the boat gets so wet that we need 18 hours with a fan heater going to dry it out


there ill be no wussing out on my boat because it is a bit cold or the wind is blowing in the wrong direction

I have an Origo heater - thanks to a KTLer/forumite - and I have many litres of excellent French fuel smuggled back into the UK by a forumite

along with what I hope will be several gallons of cheap french wine

I do not know who many litres the tank holds - I poured 24 in yesterday and it looks about half full

so let us call it a 50 litre tank, another 24 in the plastic jerry cans - plus a few others here and there

No idea how many miles to the litre the boat will do

there will also be 12 litres of petrol for the outboard

if we can do it without stopping then I hope I can nail the persistent rumours that I am not ard enough for proper sailing.

D

 

[Kurrawong_Kid]

From Lowestoft to Anstruther is a bit short on marinas anyway if you don't go up the Humber or Tyne! It will be character building; as my crew said to me beating from Wick to Stromness in force 6, "I'm not sure how much character I have left! I trust you boarding school boys have plenty!

 

[JumbleDuck]

That confused me as well. In spite of what I've heard before nobody, including Aberdeen CG seemed to know "Ainster".

I believe that Ainster is the Scots name and Anstruther is the English name. Scots hung on a long time in Fife, particularly in rural Fife, but it's on its way out now. The purest Scots I have ever heard spoken was by Hamish Wotherspoon (it's a Fife name) who was the winch driver, and former CFI, at Portmoak Gliding Club when I was learning to fly.