Next season planning

[mattonthesea]

If you are able to transport back, or leave wherever, then my suggestion would be to go where the wind takes you. In 2021 we left Bristol with a destination of the Swale by mid September. We did a bit of zigzag along the channel using good winds west to allow a bit of backtracking when easterlies blew. Apart from in and out of marinas, the only time we really used the engine was tactically like Ramsgate to Harwich because we knew we would have NE for a fortnight after that.

The next year we sailed (yes sailed 70%) through Dutch waterways and on to Nordeney.

Not to everyone's taste but cruising with marginal deadlines is my favourite.

I think I've cruised to ask the suggestions mentioned here (except W Ireland) and I've enjoyed every one - all lovely in their different ways.

Whatever you do, let us know and have fun

 

[Mudisox]

Swanage to Alderney, Guernsey, Jersy, St Malo, come back by ferry.; St Malo, La Rance and through the canal, slowly, back round the outside, leaving France from Lezardrieux, Guernsey and back, any way you can.

 

[Daydream believer]

Swanage to Alderney, Guernsey, Jersy, St Malo, come back by ferry.; St Malo, La Rance and through the canal, slowly, back round the outside, leaving France from Lezardrieux, Guernsey and back, any way you can.

Lezardrieux is not a port of entry/departure for the schengan rules
Coming that way round involves very strong tides on the last section from the Raz du Sein onwards & the last port of exit is Roscoff, Not lezardrieux.
Weather can get difficult later in the year. The Op is talking about August but a trip that far may be too much. If he extends to September/October things will be difficult with a lot of "no sail" days. Just look what we have had this year
One year I cruised the C Is & Camaret from Bradwell in Essex SH for 2 months. I had just 14 hours full on sailing without engine. The following year I had totally the reverse with only 14 hours of engine use apart from docking.

 

[PhillM]

So, my current thinking is to start unambitious and do stuff I know how to do, but in this slightly smaller boat. I have a partner who likes sailing (came with me for a few passages last year), so keeping to the UK side to begin with gives her opportunities to join me when it suits her. Hopefully, as her confidence grows our cruising ground will grow too (and so might the boat).

Potter around the Solent in May. Partner around at weekends and me s/h in the week.

Solent to Falmouth/Helford with lots of stops on the way in for 1 week in June and 2 in July. Partner is likely to join for some (hopefully most) of this.

August, S/h a couple of longer passages back - perhaps Falmouth to Dartmouth, then Dartmouth to Yarmouth - just to get a feel for Swift on longer passages but in familiar territory.

I can then use what I learn about how she handles a range of weather to make judgements for next year. I intend to put my Seafeather on her, but may not have the time to get it serviced, fitted and practice with it this year due to work commitments and a charity marathon run I've signed up for (London 24 for 'Against Breast Cancer'). I suspect more battery power and solar may be needed, too. So lots to learn before taking the next steps.

I guess this sounds quite tame compared to what I might be thinking about. And plans might change. But at least I have a rough plan and can check it out from a work perspective and then do some tidal planning.

Thanks everyone, especially those who have added a dash of reality to the planning. It's great to dream but the old adage old and bold sailors did come to mind this afternoon.

 

[srm]

Sounds like a very good plan. It's far too easy to get carried away with too much enthusiasm.

Just an illustration. Way back in the 80's I ran a skippered charter yacht out of Shetland, and made fairly regular crossings to Norway. I would tell charterers a passage duration of 48hrs. We usually anchored in the outer islands about 36 hrs after departure. This was on a 42ft classic cruiser/racer, then a day sail inside the islands to Bergen and check in.
A local man with a 26ft family boat planned a summer in Norway, sail across with a crew then have a wife and child join them. He told his wife it would take him 36 hours across. Two days after he left I got a call from the CG, they had a very worried wife wondering why her husband had not called home. I pointed out that there was no way that boat could make the passage in that time. Talking to the crew afterwards it had taken them around 4 days to reach shelter, then recover for a day before sailing on to Bergen. In fact about 30 years later I met up with the crew when we both anchored in Dunvegan. Reminiscing, he still remembered that trip.

 

[MontyMariner]

Chbg to St Peter Port 45 Miles. . . At 4 kts one is going to struggle to get to the Little Russel before the tide changes.

He may only do 4 knots through the water but around that area only planing MoBo's plan a trip against the current.
If you sail daylight hours, you head down around springs and back up around neaps, (see NP264 Channel Isles : Monty Mariner ) so your 4 knots becomes around 8-10.
The trip down can be shortened by going to Alderney first and if necessary going into St Samson.
I used to go to the CI's often in my 22ft tub with a Yanmar 1GM (7.5 HP).

 

[Seven Spades]

Don't laugh but I would go to Finland, I did it a few years ago and i am desperate to go back. You can go from Dover to Cuxhaven and stop at any of a number of the Friesian Islands, from there you can transit the canal stopping at Rensburg. Once yu exit the canal go to Laboe and then to Bornholm(fab stay at least a week). That will take about 10 days. From there you can go to Sweden, Gotland, Talin and from Tallinn to Helsinki. The Finish archipelligo is simply brilliant. Most marinas are about €20 a night it is amazing. You need to join the CA as they have an app called "Captains Mate" it is very similar to Navily but is better than Navily in Finland. The app give a chart full of anchorages with commentary from members. We swum many times ofther after a wood fired sauna.

Once you head back it will take 2-3 weeks to get to the UK depending upon the weather in the North Sea. We had the most wonderful holiday and I commend it to you.

We left in June and were back at the begining of September. It is easy to leave the boat and get flights home from almost anywhere.

PS Complementary reading "To the Baltic with Bob"