North Sea crossing Harwich to Ostend

sailorman said:
An admirty tidal atlass is a great asset to have on a trip kike this. Get out to.on sand hd then check the atla hving msrked hwm dover oneach age.this will give you an ideaof tidasalto get to oostende pr hd.oset needed
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Adjust yohr coursw as you close the coast.i use a compa roe on admiralty xhsrt 146 as a w for east beari.ng distance plottig ava good one
 
Marmalade said:
The crossing is mostly across the tide so you don't have to time it - just leave when you want. At 5kts Languard Point to Ostend should take 15hrs so an 0500 start (daylight at this time of year) gets you to Ostend with some daylight left.

The tide on a particular day may dictate on the way out whether you go N or S of Cork Sand - then Roughs, Sunk, Long Sand Head and steer roughly 130.

Slack water Ostend is Dover -1h after which the tide runs North until Dover +5h - then it runs south along the coast. Depending on your expected time of arrival, vary your course (ie the 130 heading) to ensure you arrive N or S of Ostend as appropriate and have a fair tide to sweep you in - plugging against it at the end of a long journey is soul destroying.
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Good advise simon
 
Tomahawk said:
Remember Tomahawk’s law of TSS.
There will be no ships anywhere in sight whilst you approach the TSS but that they will arrive where you just as you are about start crossing and they will all disappear the moment you clear on the other side.
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That used to be part of navigation assistance. Do the trip at night .Seeing ships & noting direction told one how far along the track one might be. ( I only had a compass & echo sounder & no log) The old marks from LSH were-- GalloperLV to port, Kentish Knock LV to stbd Then between Garden City & Twin ( adjusting course as apropriate). Watch for the shipping. Then West HinderLV Then aim for the Centrum building as daylight came. Could see it from 20 miles out on a good day.
 
Neil Spooner said:
Hi Guys,
Doing the crossing in company, but first time for me & wife.
What is the fuel state at Oostende now?
Do you still have to go to the Petrol Station for diesel?
Is it far?
Will I need to take a trolley for the cans?
I have heard the Dutch (may be going that way after the rally) don't like fuel cans lashed on deck?
Thanks,
Neil
Hunter 356. 110L in diesel tank.
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No fuel in the hbr only option i as you stated so only othrr either niewpoort or blankenburg
 
sailorman said:
No fuel in the hbr only option i as you stated so only othrr either niewpoort or blankenburg
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By nipping down to the marina at the end ( Not recommended for staying though) you can just cross the road & get fuel from the garage. Alternatively the fuel station at Blankenburge is on the right as one goes into the entry. Very easy to approach & fill up with room to manouver. If you stop the night there are more attractions than Niewpoort which is just a retirement town full of art shops etc & little of interest. Best way to view it is a tram ride from Ostend.
 
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Marmalade said:
This year is the first year we've not been over to Ostende this century :-(
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When I went for my 75Th time the RNSYC gave me some commemorative mementoes. It is now 78 & I have not been for 2 years. It is driving me mad. I have missed the Paulusfeesten again & my wife would come over via train & spend a couple of weeks with me on the boat. Often follow it up with a trip up the standing mast route.
Oh, how I really miss sitting having a beer in the RNSYC. Steak & shrimps. Bike ride round the town.
Bike ride to Blankenburge. Sit on a bench in the park looking at the lake. Stroll up the high street or along the front with an ice cream in hand. Always some event or other going on.
I regularly email a friend there. I even got on friendly terms with one of the customs chaps who would come & have a coffee on board with me.
Brilliant place.
 
We were fond of Blankenberg, as well as finding it the easiest jumping-off place on our return from the east. Sadly, the Ibis bar is no longer. After a glass of draught Kasteel I never had the energy to go far and so would usually stay for a meal, which needed another glass of course. After this, the crazy golf was the nearest place to take my afternoon exercise. As well as the front, there are one or two attractions for passing the time, or a wet and windy few days. It is a long time since I visited the serpentarium but I believe it is still there, if you like creepie-crawlies. The museum of the Belle Epoque is an oddity and possibly the nearest thing to culture that the town has. I found it surprisingly interesting and there are some real oddities in the collection.
 
Non existent from my experience.

We've had immigration police board from time to time and if you're polite and respectful they're polite and respectful too. They check our passports and bid us good-day. No one has ever even asked us about where our fuel comes from or what colour it is. They've certainly never dipped our tanks.
I've long since given up trying to convince people that there's no risk! Folks form their own opinions and each of us has a different perception of the risk.
I just keep going to Belgium and enjoying the beer, the moules-frites, the maritime festival, the flat cycling country, did I mention the beer?

I have fond memories of ECF gatherings there - a night in a greek restaurant organised I think by Jim (Full Circle) stands out
A forumite rescuing me when I needed a sail-maker's needle for a repair (don't suppose Sailorman remembers that, but I do)
 
I have never been "dipped" . One customs lady was filling in a tick sheet got to "fuel" & said " We know you will have red so better skip that one". Actually I have had white now for years so it would not have mattered.
 
The last time we went to Blankenberg, maybe four years ago, was during one of the scares. There were no British boats around and few had visited, so we were made very welcome. They were more interested in the paperwork formalities in the harbour kiosk than anything, but we didn’t see officialdom in several days stay.
 
The last time I had an official visit was several years ago in Bresken. A mature and a junior officer appeared and I invited them aboard for coffee and "aperitif". We had a pleasant chat and I asked if he wanted to see the ship's papers?
"Not really, I'm just showing my trainee how it's done"
 
sailorman said:
No fuel in the hbr only option i as you stated so only othrr either niewpoort or blankenburg
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I‘m afraid the fuel pontoon in Blankenberge has been out of order this season and may be so for the rest of the year. That leaves Nieuwpoort and Zeebrugge for refuelling, unless you take Daydream Believer’s advice and go to the RYCO at the back of Oostende Harbour and cross the road with a jerrycan
 
sailorman said:
Just keep an eye on the X track (& an Admiralty Tidal Atlas is very useful with HW Dover & tidal flow each hr ) & tweek / adjust course if needed.
The Flemish Banks are no problem with normal wind strengths.
A good landmark is the Tr in Oostende ( it used to be called The Appletize Tr ) in good conditions visible at over 10 mls out.
Look out for the Int Signals on the Eastern Pr landward end
Sail in through Pr Hd & sort sails / fenders when inside


View attachment 71487i ride te tide on a mag cohrae but do use admiralty chart 1406 for plotting pozn .the chart has a wll placed conpass rose i use as a wp for fsst range n bearing plots
View attachment 71493
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STOL71 said:
Has someone got a template for a crossing from Harwich to Oostend? My boat (26ft) has a cruising speed of 5 knots. When do I leave in relation to HW Dover? Not being lazy, but all my charts, tidal stream atlas and almanac are on my boat which I can't get to this week. I wish to do some approximate planning to let my crew know possible dates.

Many thanks.s x tjde passagrso tided less relevent as long as yuo ont get fixated with waypoiny nav
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