North Brittany safe havens...are there any?

[fergie_mac66]

In the early 1940s the Air Sea Rescue service regularly popped into L'Aberach at night with no moon. With no buoys or beacons.......amazing. If they could do that our generation should man up and realise that just about everywhere in N Brittany is safe once you are in. Just don't get caught arriving just too late for the tide, on a lee shore!!!

the numbers that are scared to go anywhere except in flat calm is amazing now, even as opposed to 20 years ago, its H&S, and so much alarmist meja , so many finkeelers that are too nervous to and dont know how to dry out safely in harbours

 

[Greenheart]

Thank you gents. I'm neither disproportionately emboldened, nor scared-off by your descriptions...but I'd like to hope I'm not one of this age's needlessly-wary scaredy-cats!

Perhaps even dreaming of a dinghy channel-crossing isn't typically gutless...then again, I could be like Walter Mitty. But I used to sail a Topper, Chichester to Seaview...

...so once I'm comfortable singlehanding my present, much bigger boat, I reckon the call of the open sea won't be diminished by the sometimes unnerving absence of ballast!

I recall emerging from a thick mid-August haze, and the first thing I saw after several misty hours was the tide-gauge at St Helens near Seaview. I'd steered from Bosham Quay and Chichester Bar, without a compass. It was far more luck than skill, and it wouldn't be much to shout about even if it had all been skill...but numerous subsequent similar trips showed me that it wasn't something I had to do once, just to prove I could. I like taking a dinghy offshore. Even if I've spent most of the 20 years since, on dry land.

I won't pretend Brittany's rocky bits look specially inviting, but when I've covered sixty or seventy miles, I daresay I'll be keen enough to come ashore regardless.

Of course, none of this may ever happen. I haven't even begun getting the boat ready for this season, and it's May in two hours.

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Thank you gents. I'm neither disproportionately emboldened, nor scared-off by your descriptions...but I'd like to hope I'm not one of this age's needlessly-wary scaredy-cats!

Perhaps even dreaming of a dinghy channel-crossing isn't typically gutless...then again, I could be like Walter Mitty. But I used to sail a Topper, Chichester to Seaview...

...so once I'm comfortable singlehanding my present, much bigger boat, I reckon the call of the open sea won't be diminished by the sometimes unnerving absence of ballast!

I recall emerging from a thick mid-August haze, and the first thing I saw after several misty hours was the tide-gauge at St Helens near Seaview. I'd steered from Bosham Quay and Chichester Bar, without a compass. It was far more luck than skill, and it wouldn't be much to shout about even if it had all been skill...but numerous subsequent similar trips showed me that it wasn't something I had to do once, just to prove I could. I like taking a dinghy offshore. Even if I've spent most of the 20 years since, on dry land.



I won't pretend Brittany's rocky bits look specially inviting, but when I've covered sixty or seventy miles, I daresay I'll be keen enough to come ashore regardless.

Of course, none of this may ever happen. I haven't even begun getting the boat ready for this season, and it's May in two hours.

Buy a Wayfarer Dan, the Nord Zee was a regular commute for W's in the 80's & 90s, and it wasn't just Frank Dye
It's a 126 or 7 nm sail from Southwold to Den Helder naval base marina- how do I know
We all filed Logs of our cruises with the assn too- almost mandatory. Lots of good tips in them.
Do think about extra halliards on the mast though, check ALL your rigging thoroughly, and a h/h gps + a wprf chart marked up in grease proof pencil with all the last & longs, arcs and ranges of lights nice and clear, good prep, physical, mental, kit and boat are essential. Keep your toolkit where you can get to it if the mast comes down, and a leather man on your person- how do I know:biggrin-new::biggrin-new:

 

[LittleSister]

T I reckon the call of the open sea won't be diminished by the sometimes unnerving absence of ballast!

Oh, you'll have plenty of ballast! - Food, clothing, tools, nav kit..... If you tie it down it might even do some good when it gets a bit bouncy.

Your big challenge, I think, will be tiredness. Bouncing over the waves and heeling are great fun for an hour or so, but bracing yourself against continuous movement for so many hours on end can really take it out of you. Add a bit of anxiety. . .

 

[James_Calvert]

Your big challenge, I think, will be tiredness.

Wouldn't want to further delay dancrane's sailing season, but would it be possible to get his Osprey to self steer?

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Wouldn't want to further delay dancrane's sailing season, but would it be possible to get his Osprey to self steer?

String and bungee with cleats on sides and tiller a la Tillermate, but less technical!

 

[Greenheart]

...think about extra halliards on the mast, check ALL your rigging thoroughly, and a h/h gps + a wprf chart marked up in grease proof pencil with all the lats & longs, arcs and ranges of lights nice and clear, good prep, physical, mental, kit and boat are essential. Keep your toolkit where you can get to it if the mast comes down, and a Leatherman on your person...

The thought of Frank Dye will forever be in my mind. I hope the mast doesn't come down though! A basic point would be to go when the weather is not very extreme.

Your big challenge will be tiredness...bracing yourself against continuous movement for so many hours on end can really take it out of you. Add a bit of anxiety. . .

A bit...? Hmm. I can well remember the feeling of losing sight of the shore; but in those days, the other shore towards which I was going, was only just out of sight. Leaving Ventnor an hour before dawn on a nice July day, aiming for Cherbourg, and knowing that by mid-morning I'm still not halfway, still getting further from the nearest land...yeah, a bit nervous!

Just realised, the ideal date for this would probably be just two months away. But the boat is far from ready, even for a quiet afternoon sail. I ought to say again that I started this thread out of general interest in the Brittany coast, not for advice regarding my imminent departure. It's all welcome, but such a crossing isn't definite on my calendar!

 

[Tidewaiter2]

The thought of Frank Dye will forever be in my mind. I hope the mast doesn't come down though! A basic point would be to go when the weather is not very extreme.



A bit...? Hmm. I can well remember the feeling of losing sight of the shore; but in those days, the other shore towards which I was going, was only just out of sight. Leaving Ventnor an hour before dawn on a nice July day, aiming for Cherbourg, and knowing that by mid-morning I'm still not halfway, still getting further from the nearest land...yeah, a bit nervous!

Just realised, the ideal date for this would probably be just two months away. But the boat is far from ready, even for a quiet afternoon sail. I ought to say again that I started this thread out of general interest in the Brittany coast, not for advice regarding my imminent departure. It's all welcome, but such a crossing isn't definite on my calendar!

+1 to the above,
Tie every last thing to something, and remember;
chafe/work hardening is you biggest enemy- chafe of halliards at the sheave, forestay and shrouds, their links to boat, and of your body- neck, armpits, groin, knees for starters.
Don't think of doing a long trip in a wet or dry suit, think mountaineering gear like Trax, Montana and similar-light, warm, drys from your body heat, drains as you haul yourself back in after launch/capsize, plenty of zips in the right places for a long trip.
Oh, and take a cutoff one end 5l petrol can on a lanyard- as big bailer and loo(make sure smooth and no swarf on the rim)

 

[LittleSister]

knowing that by mid-morning I'm still not halfway,

By mid-afternoon you might be!

By the way, there's a little known island about half-way across I can give you directions for. Lovely white sand beach you can rest on. Ask one of the dusky maidens in grass skirts to pick you a coconut to quench your thirst. . .

 

[Greenheart]

Thanks Tidewaiter...I'll take a chance and infer that at least some of your advice is sincere!

Actually I always used to wear my wetsuit on crossings...often with a complete set of shore-clothes on top. I usually look a bit like a gamekeeper, teleported into a sailing dinghy...

...when I left my dinghy at Seaview in 1994, I walked with my pal to Ryde, we rode the foot ferry back to Gunwarf Quay, took the train to Chichester, a taxi back to West Wittering where I'd left my car, then I drove 40 miles, we ate dinner at a restaurant, I went home and finally realised I still had the wetsuit on. I must've had a bigger bladder then.

...there's a little known island half-way across I can give you directions for. Lovely white sand beach you can rest on. Ask one of the dusky maidens to pick you a coconut to quench your thirst...

If there isn't one, there ought to be. Wasn't there a rocky, floating fake-island, constructed for Jaws 2? If such a thing was built and anchored mid-Channel, I bet most parched yachtsmen would pull-in alongside for a pina colada.

 

[Dill et Bound]

My father sailed a Wayfarer across to Cherbourg in 1968.
The authorities refused to let him leave to sail back unless accompanied by another boat.
He tapped up the skipper of a chartered Iroquois cat, who was heading to Barfleur.
Sailed with them to please the authorities, and departed from there.
I think it was 16 hours out and 30 back..
Nav lights, Aldis lamp, radar reflector,Charts, compass, flares.
All pre GPS Mobile Phone, Marinas, Solas Regulations..
As regards Brittany Marinas.
Check out. Digimap Marinas, on the internet.
Huge amount of info on gate opening , navigation, Restaurants.

The French use really small boats for everything. Even scull quite large yachts.
Off the Iles Chausey, Force 4, Raining, 15 miles off coast, came across a 16 ft open boat, with outboard.
2 Frenchmen, drinking beer and fishing..
So the Osprey won t be out of place.

So loads to dream about.. Good Luck..

 

[Greenheart]

My father sailed a Wayfarer across to Cherbourg in 1968. The authorities refused to let him leave to sail back unless accompanied by another boat.

Sounds inconvenient. P'raps best to arrive somewhere that's not bustling with officials...like Omonville-la-Rogue. And if asked, I could say I'd just sailed along from Cherbourg?

I'd be sure to take the basic waterproof GPS & VHF devices, which I believe can reduce most of the dangers from bad luck; that way, a tragic end would be more likely attributable to lousy decision-making. That sounds pessimistic, but I meant it to be logical.

Looking again at the map, if the wind blows fairly predictably from the SW, I might be smart to aim for Cherbourg from Swanage - less probability of sailing hard on the wind.

 

[Neil_Y]

Oops I thought it had been done many times in F18 cats, and I've sailed along the north brittany coast in a cat stopping at different slips every night (easy if you have a set of wheels) drag to the top of the beach and camp.

This course shows the stopping places we used Dan, lovely places great coastline. We navigated with a waterproof phone and Navionics at 20+knts, sometimes lifting dagger boards and rudders to cross shallow bits, sounds like a fun trip. I plan to do the costarmoricaine again some day, best event ever.

http://www.cvberquy.org/costa/etapes/

 

[Tidewaiter2]

Thanks Tidewaiter...I'll take a chance and infer that at least some of your advice is sincere!

Actually I always used to wear my wetsuit on crossings...often with a complete set of shore-clothes on top. I usually look a bit like a gamekeeper, teleported into a sailing dinghy...

...when I left my dinghy at Seaview in 1994, I walked with my pal to Ryde, we rode the foot ferry back to Gunwarf Quay, took the train to Chichester, a taxi back to West Wittering where I'd left my car, then I drove 40 miles, we ate dinner at a restaurant, I went home and finally realised I still had the wetsuit on. I must've had a bigger bladder then.



If there isn't one, there ought to be. Wasn't there a rocky, floating fake-island, constructed for Jaws 2? If such a thing was built and anchored mid-Channel, I bet most parched yachtsmen would pull-in alongside for a pina colada.

It's all hardwon personal knowledge for successful open dinghy cruising, Dan, even the bailer edges
I do have Nord & Irish Sea crossings under my belt, and the 98 Nord Xing was followed by a cruise up the Dutch Friesians, their canals then Svendborg in the Belt to Hamburgsund on the Swedish Vastkusten with SWMBO.
You carefully refine your cruising kit for a trip like that

I remember doing 14hour shifts in wet and dry suits too, pre goretex and pee zips too(you never could reach it-the woolley bear got in the way!) thats why mountaineeering kit is sooo good-lotsazips

I'm afraid the bladder is an age thing, that island had better have good loos-good idea- put all the wind farms on it too, bang in the mid -channel seperation zone:encouragement:

 

[Greenheart]

Oops I thought it had been done many times in F18 cats...and I've sailed along the north Brittany coast in a cat stopping at different slips every night, drag to the top of the beach and camp.

I hadn't imagined there'd be anything new or ground-breaking about sailing a dinghy across the Channel...but I don't deny thinking it'd be a very big deal for me personally.

Thanks for the hints on good safe landing places. I guess it would have been an exciting ride in an F18 cat - and you were able to rely on pace to cover distance quickly and work effectively against adverse tides. The flip-side of that must be the Wayfarer, whose sturdy stability is anything but fast, but isn't likely to dunk an inattentive crew...

...the Osprey is an improbable middle-way - rather long & slender (I turned her over to fit a new keelband today, and SWMBO remarked how little the hull looks, upside down)...

...the rig is pretty big and the boat is famous for well-mannered, old-fashioned high performance...but she'd go over if a singlehander was caught out during any unexpected gust.

After extended inspection under today's high bright sun, I know she's a week or more of solid work away from launching...and then, I need to learn to cope alone in varied conditions...and see how well my deep-reefed main and roller genoa work. Can't wait.

 

[Seajet]

Dan,

did you read Uffa Fox's account of taking his then revolutionary Int 14 ' Avenger ' across the Channel, duffing up the French is a race series, then sailing back across - caught in fog in the Eastern Solent and had to tie to a bell buoy all night...

Then I particularly liked the way Uffa dealt with a chap who insisted on cycling along a public footpath across his field - walking was fine but cycling incensed Uffa.

Obvious answer as he was a huntin' shootin ' type, take one pre-shot rabbit, place on other side of path and lie in wait; then blow the guys' front wheel out, ' I was going for the rabbit and didn't imagine anything so fast as a bike on a footpath would appear, officer '...

You're right about setting off from Swanage; I usually get to Studland and cross toSt Peter Port Guernsey ( Alderney gives me the creeps ) then St Helier Jersey, then St Malo.

The chart and pilots of St Malo look horrifying but in fact the channels are wide and as mentioned the French marks are excellent.

 

[Slow_boat]

Lighthouses, beacons, bouys, local knowledge, compass, and the occasional chart I suppose.

We used to sail south from the Needles, aim to landfall up-tide of Cherbourg. Never had a problem.

I was a sailing instructor in lake Solent when Moody 33 was selling like hotcakes. New owners used to ask what course to cross the channel and that's what we told them.

At one time we use to advise hanging around by the Needles and waiting for a big orange ferry to follow, omitting to add that it would be doing 25 knots. We stopped that when we realised some people were actually doing it.

 

[Greenheart]

...did you read Uffa Fox's account of taking his then revolutionary Int 14 ' Avenger ' across the Channel...then back across - caught in fog, he had to tie to a bell buoy all night...

Thanks Andy, I haven't found the account online, if anyone knows a link I'll read with interest. Uffa Fox seems to have been one of those much larger than life characters who brushed off petty laws and rules and did whatever his imagination dictated...hence a British hero in our typically obedient, middle-class outlook.

Glad you agree, thinking it's worth starting from 20 miles or so further west. Starting from Swanage might turn a long exhausting beat into a nice close reach all the way.

...we used to advise hanging around by the Needles and waiting for a big orange ferry to follow, omitting to add that it would be doing 25 knots...

Hmm, that is a question I hadn't considered particularly...but whether I started from Studland or Ventnor, there'd be ferries from Poole or Portsmouth sharing most of my route.

Is there an established, exact, GPS-defined route that the ferries prefer and use to save distance and fuel, which yachts are advised to steer a few degrees clear of?

That awakens a brief, scary-but-thrilling wave memory from one of my Solent dinghy-crossings. Without enough wind even to change my course, I suddenly realised that a ship passing ahead had carved up a substantial wake. It looked pretty damned frightening at 200m distance. But I'd left enough distance before we met the wake, for its curling tops to be reduced to a delightfully smooth, silent 4 or 5-foot unbroken swell, which was as exciting as any part of the day. But...how bad does it get, mid-channel?

 

[LadyInBed]

Dan, have you read this?
It should get the imagination going.

 

[mrming]

Dan - another good one (if you haven't already read it) is The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow by AJ MacKinnon.

He crossed the channel in a Mirror and eventually ended up at the Black Sea. What's more he actually slept in the boat most of the time.

He wasn't big on sailing or navigation skills, and it's safe to say that whatever you've got planned will seem eminently sensible once you've read his hilarious and sometimes terrifying account.