Ostende

[Wunja]

The 2010 Dutch almanac still implies there is fuel available in the inner harbour.

We thought we would be short of fuel for the return, and checked out the nearest service station - Its a Shell one about 7 km from Montgomery - Bike hire or taxi might be needed. In the end decided that 30 litres would be enough.

 

[PaulGooch]

Lastly, the planning of fuel. A valuable lesson to be had is to know your fual burn in adverse conditions. Much higher than you might think. We could have got the fuel from the local garage, which is why I carry the folding sack barrow and 25litre can. It is a pain in Ostend, but can be done.

Again, not a dig at Lisa, or anyone else, but this case does seem to highlight some er.... shall we say "flaws" in the passage planning for some yachts. A 30+ nm shortfall in fuel on an 80 nm trip is quiet substantial. As a motor boat owner, i'm obviously vastly more fuel conscious than perhaps the average small yacht owner would be, or indeed would need to be much of the time. So perhaps i have a slightly different perspective than most here. Certainly, such a shortfall on the mobo forum would be greatly frowned upon. Probably in the same way that forgetting most of your sails would be on here

I'd plan to have at least enough fuel to use 1/3rd for the outward leg, 1/3rd for the return leg and 1/3 reserve for bad weather etc. I also discount 10 gallons of the 55 gallons the tank holds, as i wouldn't fancy relying on being able to pump that from the tank in a rough sea, without getting air into the system. So i'd make passage plans based on 15 galls outward, 15 galls inward and 15 galls spare. Of course, if i could refuel at the destination port, i'd have 30 galls to get there, with 15 galls spare. With the only means of propulsion being the engine, i obviously have to plan fuel carefully.

With yachts tending to consider the engine as an almost auxiliary method of propulsion, it does look like there isn't enough consideration being made to fuel consumption. It's all well and good making the trip to somewhere under sail, only using a pint of diesel to navigate the ports at each end, but as Lisa has demonstrated, given the right (or wrong) chain of events you could be left woefully short of fuel. I'm not sure what recommendations exist for yachts, but it would make sense to me to know how much fuel your boat uses whilst under way by the engine only, in poor conditions and carry enough fuel to complete the planned journey under engine power alone.

That's just my personal thoughts as a mobo owner who is used to carrying lots of diesel.

 

[Phoenix of Hamble]

I hear you Paul, but its a different mindset and need for a sailing boat.... when that engine finally splutters to a stop, there is still the sails.

Not that people should be complacent... fuel DOES still need carefully managing... but with yachts undertaking ocean crossings, fuel is inevitably secondary... you are right the engine is treated as an auxilliary... but its no accident that the correct name for the engine in a yacht is the 'auxilliary'!

Lisa's problem was a combination of factors leading up to her situation... with low fuel being just one factor... she could have chosen to run off downwind a little towards a different destination, and then not have run out of fuel... she could have also hove too for a while... none of them great options, but all possibilities.. and perhaps more realistic with an experienced crew though.

I'd still be prepared to set off on a longer passage with insufficient fuel to motor the whole way BUT only if other factors were also in my favour (such as wind direction, forecast speed, no pressure on arrival time etc)

 

[CliveG]

Well done to Lisa for getting out of the situation that any of us could find ourselves in.

We had a great week although it did not go as planned.
Set of for Oostende mid-afternoon on Thursday and motor sailed most of the way.
Arrived 04:00 Friday and bagged an empty slot.
We had intended to leave on Sunday evening for the Thames and London.
The weather dictated otherwise and we stayed until Tuesday morning.
Really enjoyed the Forum outing to the Greek Restaurant. Well done ans thank you to Jim for sorting that out.
On Sunday we caught a train to Bruges for a look round including a boat trip on the waterways. (We had not been on a boat for at least 3 hours!)
For our evening meal we bought a chicken and roasted it on our Cobb BBQ along with roast potatoes cooked on the Cobb's moat.
Very tasty.

Tuesday we headed along the coast to Dunkerque in the company of the Full Circle Crew.
On the way we were intercepted by a Belgium police boat who instructed us to head 4 miles off shore to avoid some naval exercises between us and Niewpoort.
We complied to a point but we where only about 5 miles short of Niewpoort and we saw no evidence of any naval maneuvers.
Once off Niewpoort we headed back inshore.

This was the 1st visit to Dunkerque for some of my crew and for the Full Circles.
Some interesting war damage still in evidence.

We stopped in the YC Mer de Nord marina.
The toilet and shower block there is having a big make-over and is / will look very nice.
Not so happy with the charging system for the showers.
You have to get a card from the office at 1 euro per shower plus 10 euro deposit for the card.
When you try to use it the the electronic control system is very flaky.
We all managed to get a shower in the end.
One of the crew used the disabled shower that started as soon as you waved the card at the control box.
That shower did not get taken from the credit.
We got 11 euros back when we returned the card.
I think that 1 euro (85p) is a bit steep for a shower when you have paid nearly 20 euros for a nights mooring.

The following day we had an afternoon sail along to Gravelines.
The was some crew swooping between boats to the education of those folk.
1st Visit to that port for me.
I was intrigued at the Reeds description of the marina with its "glorious" mud.
The old town is a lovely place and is on my list of places to re-visit.

Thursday afternoon evening found us on a great broad reach sail to that Chav capital of Kent, Ramsgate.
We had intended to head back to home waters on Friday afternoon but a invite for an evening meal on Full Circle persuaded us to wait for the following morning.
Thanks to Lyn for the lovely meal.

Motored back home on Saturday with a lunch halt at Stone Point.
On Sunday we packed up early and headed back to Cambridge as the weather was looking a bit damp.

All in all a good sailing holiday.

 

[Koeketiene]

On the way we were intercepted by a Belgium police boat who instructed us to head 4 miles off shore to avoid some naval exercises between us and Niewpoort.
We complied to a point but we where only about 5 miles short of Niewpoort and we saw no evidence of any naval maneuvers.
Once off Niewpoort we headed back inshore.

It's not naval exercises you need to look out for.
There's a firing range at Lombardsijde (just NE of Nieuwpoort).
From Sep-Jun the range is/can be in use on Tuesday and Thursday.
Live fire exercises are usually also announced on Oostende Radio.

 

[sailorman]

It's not naval exercises you need to look out for.
There's a firing range at Lombardsijde (just NE of Nieuwpoort).
From Sep-Jun the range is/can be in use on Tuesday and Thursday.
Live fire exercises are usually also announced on Oostende Radio.

well advertised on Navtex

 

[FullCircle]

well advertised on Navtex

Were they selling tickets then?

 

[sailorman]

Were they selling tickets then?

CliveG nearly Comme T Vue it