Over the Channel

[PaulGooch]

Hi Paul
Have you actually crossed the channel in your 805?

As per the last paragraph in post #22, i have not. That does not make the boat unsuitable for a channel crossing though.

 

[Kawasaki]

Now that's cruel.


If I asked the question. How far Plymouth to Cherbourg. I've not got me map here.


I'd get the answer back instantly. No prob's.

I would not dream of asking, how much fuel does my boat use. No one else knows.

Kcrane.

I saw your reply as I was posting. It's nothing to do with trying to intimidate folk. It's to do with saving folks lives. Or not doing stupid things.

"Newcomers post questions to which they largely know the answer".

How the hell do we know. Is there another way of treating information, other than on face value??

Kwackers is me mate. But I still think he was wrong to quote 4 GPH, he can not possibly know about this boat, especially as another owner quoted 5 Gph

Only based on trollin about on a few with same lump like, but just a gestimate as yer say!

No the owner has to make his own mind up

Swat I said


To me, we have to be very carefull, not to say. Yep you'll use 50 gallons, it's dead easy in your boat, carry on mate, especially when we are not to sure who we are talking to.

Thats why I asked for a bit more info!

hlb, I kinda get back to our (and others on here) questions about no one going anywhere.
These peeps wanna go somewhere
We see lots of vessels staying put as we have commented before on lots of occasions
We have had a new Forumite asking about going somewhere!
Blimey, that is so refreshing.
kareheat, taint like we are throwing spanners in the mix.
hlb, Me, some tothers are just making sure that you are aware of whats up.
Since you asked.

This Forum is full of experience as you know.
Yer just have to 'filter' through the replies.

The best ones will be mine

A couple of others are OK, not too bad

Ops, gotta go
swmbo is ready wiv me hat and coat

 

[carlton]

Don't take everything so literally.

'Literally' is all we've got.

(Actually, I'd agree with the suggestions that some training may be in order, judging by the OPs comments. Taken literally, of course. )

 

[kcrane]

Seriously guys, you need to cut some of the new posters some slack, or there won't be any new posters.

With respect, some of your answers make me cringe a little. I get Haydn's point about safety, but the wording and tone of some of the posts is somewhat intimidating for new posters.

PaulGooch: agreed on the above, nicely put.

Kawaski: good point on helping people to use their boats if advice and encouragement is all they need.

 

[PaulGooch]

<snip>

The best ones will be mine

A couple of others are OK, not too bad

Ops, gotta go
swmbo is ready wiv me hat and coat

I think in this case, you'll find the best one was mine

Probably be the last time that happens though, i don't know much.

I'll get me own, swmbo has retired for the night.

 

[hlb]

One was presuming One's bum was clean.
Anyway, it's spelt 'Barnacles'



One does have to point One's spelling mistakes out.
Cos One could end up in the ****e
One spellin mistake and One could end up in the Zuider sea unless yer ends up in Zummerset with too much Cider see

Yep I know, we once set off from the Ci's for Weymouth, but MF took us to Poole. Not sure it was a spelling mistake. Just think M Farter fancied Poole. Anyway we had a nice trip round the Solent, then eventually got back to Weymouth.

With us, it's more like a Lib/Con/ Lab pact. We decide where we are going. Then MF goes where she likes. Lets face it, it's her few days out.
Last time she took us to Glasson dock of all places, but went via IOM. She has a button, say's auto. So I press that.

We'll have a bit of a get together, to see if she fancies Scotland and program it in. Mostly I think she liked Corrwalll. So god knows.

 

[Kawasaki]

I knew it!
MF decides the route/ destination
Henry is in charge of 'docking' (as our colonial bretheren say) an Debs controls 'dimplomatic' probs
Like
'hlb' --- 'No yer can't terwat the Harbermasterbater, cos his diesel is 6 quid a Gallon'!

 

[AHoy2]

Hi Paul
Have you actually crossed the channel in your 805?

I see Paul has already replied, but for the record I have made Channel crossings with my 805 from Poole to the CIs and Cherbourg in F4/5 conditions, buddy boat on one leg otherwise solo boat. No issues other than careful fuel management as the 230l of the 805 is a bit tight, the last crossing (Sept last year) was a bit boisterous and with a dirty prop we got through 35l per hour on a five hour crossing rather than the usual 25l per hour at our 15Kn cruise speed.

AHoy2

 

[kareheat]

Across the Channell

The old timers on the forum forget what an intimidating place it can be, with honourable exceptions (Kawasaki step forward amongst others).

Newcomers post questions to which they largely know the answer as a way to start to get involved, I know I did. Established posters can however read them at face value (and little empathy) and respond in a robust manner, which reinforces the feeling it is an interesting but intimidating forum.

If you are out there, lurking as I think it is called, please don't be put off. Come on in, the water's lovely (see what I did there, that's a clever play on words that is).

PS - I liked the idea of the trip east along the English coast, then jump to France at a narrow bit. Hadn't thought about it only being 20-30 miles longer than straight across.

Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel much better. When we posted our first question a few days ago, we got countless amounts of good advice which indeed helped us to get our fuel gauge fixed and our fridge. So we were really impressed by the whole forum bit, but the replies we had about the channel crossing really made us think that maybe we won't be back on here again for advice.

We didn't realise when we posted the question that we had to give precise details of a trip, because we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France, but in the future, if we come back on here, we will make sure we cover every angle.

Karen

 

[hlb]

#1 09-05-10, 21:28
kareheat
Registered User Join Date: May 2010
Posts: 17

Over the Channel

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hi

Can anyone please tell us how would we work out how much fuel we will need and how long will it take us to get across to France with a single engine 200hp 3 litre Nanni engine.

We have a Merry Fisher 805 and would be leaving from Portsmouth and probably travelling around 12 knots.

...........................................................................................................

Advice can only be offered on information given.

On the information supplied, many of us did not think you had the knowledge to go.

Would you prefer we lied just to make you feel good until you got into trouble.

This forum works quite fast. If you had updated your position and clarified your questions earlier, you may have had a different response.

I remain mystified. You asked. "How long will it take"? Now say. "we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France,"

Your having us for idiots.

 

[sailorman]

Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel much better. When we posted our first question a few days ago, we got countless amounts of good advice which indeed helped us to get our fuel gauge fixed and our fridge. So we were really impressed by the whole forum bit, but the replies we had about the channel crossing really made us think that maybe we won't be back on here again for advice.

We didn't realise when we posted the question that we had to give precise details of a trip, because we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France, but in the future, if we come back on here, we will make sure we cover every angle.

Karen

We didn't realise when we posted the question that we had to give precise details of a trip, because we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France, but in the future, if we come back on here, we will make sure we cover every angle.


Every Day a Leaning Day

 

[whisper]

Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel much better. When we posted our first question a few days ago, we got countless amounts of good advice which indeed helped us to get our fuel gauge fixed and our fridge. So we were really impressed by the whole forum bit, but the replies we had about the channel crossing really made us think that maybe we won't be back on here again for advice.

We didn't realise when we posted the question that we had to give precise details of a trip, because we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France, but in the future, if we come back on here, we will make sure we cover every angle.

Karen

Hi Karen.
If it's any consolation I've been motorboating for 20 odd years and have never discovered, for any of my boats, what their fuel consumption really was/is - WOOPS!!!!!

Currently, with a mixed type of boating - speed wise - we reckon we do about 3mpg. I suppose I should inspect Volvo's technical spec to see what consumption should be at various rev. settings.
To be honest I've never found that I needed to know this as most of our boating is coast-hopping. We just fill up when we need to and/or where "the price is right".
I would also agree with some others that an 805 is more than capable of crossing The Channel albeit it has a rather small fuel capacity.

Also like others above I did wonder about your boating experience, as hinted at by your first post. It is very difficult to make a correct judgement when someone asks such a basic question.
I hope you have an enjoyable future, both with the new boat and this forum.
John.

 

[kcrane]

Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel much better.
Karen

You are welcome.

 

[Jim@sea]

I once ran out of fuel on my way from Liverpool to Holyhead and it isn't funny.
The mistake I made was partly my fault, partly the fault of the marina who I had paid to fill it up, and my reliance on instrumentation.
Basically when I left Manchester in my Brand New Princess 33, it was supposed to be full of fuel. I left Eastam Locks (Ship Canal) and went out to sea. 5 hours later the engines stopped. I looked at the fuel gauge (half full) tried to bleed the engines, no fuel coming through. Put 10 gall in. Bled, engine started.
What had happened is that the fuel gauge had "stuck" in the half full position (or half empty if you are a pessimist) anyway this boat although "Brand New" was not of merchantable quality, wrongly described, and a rip-off as it was not the boat I had ordered and indeed was a boat I had seen and previously rejected.
And if you dont mind I will elaborate on a separate forum listing as this one is about fuel

 

[RogerRat]

Bloody Shame

This thread has the best and worst of the forum.

What appeared to be a simple question, obviously wasn't to most of us and the new comer has been made to feel unecessarily stupid. Haydn your first reply could have been, 'Tell us more please!'

I happen to agree with your first comment, if you need to ask these questions may be you shouldn't go. Remember last year 'Arnie' went round the UK in an even smaller Merryfisher... Most of us thought that was a bit daft at the time but he was only coastal jumping and not crossing any distance.

The simple fact to consider here is that if the fuel tank is too small to allow the passage to be made easily, the chances are that the boat is too. One of the specs required for MBM cruise is a 120 mile range.

The 805, while a lovely little boat is NOT an 'Offshore' cruiser, in fairness to Jenneau, they didn't design it to be. Yes, you could do it and yes it would probably be fine, I have a couple of friends that were badly beaten up in the Alderney race in one, but it's not good seamanship!

You only need a poor weather forecast (they make mistakes you know) or the smallest mechanical issue and you can put yourselves and others at risk. Remember Si & Shelley that tried to follow 'AdrianB' back from Cherbourg in weather that killed their fuel consumption. They ran out off St. Catheines point and had a very bad experience.

My tuppence worth Karen, is enjoy your boat this side of the channel and as your experience and your boat grows cruise with others and get your other half to update his quals on 'small' boats.

The channel can look awful on small boats in a gale... Believe me!!

 

[fireball]

Thanks for your reply. It has made me feel much better. When we posted our first question a few days ago, we got countless amounts of good advice which indeed helped us to get our fuel gauge fixed and our fridge. So we were really impressed by the whole forum bit, but the replies we had about the channel crossing really made us think that maybe we won't be back on here again for advice.

We didn't realise when we posted the question that we had to give precise details of a trip, because we hadn't really decided on when or where to go in France, but in the future, if we come back on here, we will make sure we cover every angle.

Karen

Sometimes you just don't know the right question to ask ... which is fair enough - and you need to ask the question at some point. If you can take a few peeps jumping up and down then you will usually get a sensible answer - after a few clarifications!

A bit like a post on what the purple pipes being buried along side the major roads was for - if you don't know what to google you won't get the right answer ... post on here and someone will know where to look or ask though ...

 

[adrianb]

Just to put the record straight Roger -


The trip with Si and Shelley - we stayed put in harbour as the forecast was "iffy".

Back to the OP - as others suggest, I'd recommend a MBM cruise.......

 

[iangrant]

Be careful

For my pennies worth, I've sailed across the channel leaving Chichester in a lovely force 3 flat sea, then the haze/mist rolled in about lunchtime about the time we were between the west and east going ships, that cleared as we approached Cherbourg in the evening as the wind turned 18 knots blowing off the coast of France.

By all means consider the fuel for the crossing but maybe think about the elements; as they are out of your control.

It's difficult to get a decent weather forecast for a channel crossing and sods law dictates it's too late to turn around by the time the weather goes horrid.

Try and go out of sight of land a couple of times and see if you are OK with that because you'll be out of sight for a very long time!

Ian

 

[PaulGooch]

Well if you cant work it out, I'd stay where you are. France is a big place, just where are you going?? Is the boat petrol or diesel?? How big is the tank??

I guess that if speed is 12 knots, you'll have gone 12 miles in an hour, but maybe not.

Your lack of info tells me, your just not experienced enough to try.

There might be those that would argue that you were unqualified to attempt an answer to this post Haydn. The OP stated what her boat was and her point of departure/country of destination. If you don't know that a MF805 is diesel, holds 230 litres of fuel, cruises at 15 knots and you don't have charts at hand to work out the distance to a French port or two, you clearly did not have enough information to provide an answer.

Your lack of info tells me, your just not informed enough to try.

It seems that it was possible for those with suitable knowledge of the OP's boat and a chart to hand to supply some figures to enable passage planning for such a trip. Not knowing the OP's boating skills, it did seem fair and appropriate to urge some caution on the part of the OP, just in case this was their first boat, as opposed to the latest in a long line of vessels.

Of course, being such a newbie here myself, i would never take it upon myself to make such suggestions

 

[gjgm]

For my pennies worth, I've sailed across the channel leaving Chichester in a lovely force 3 flat sea, then the haze/mist rolled in about lunchtime about the time we were between the west and east going ships, that cleared as we approached Cherbourg in the evening as the wind turned 18 knots blowing off the coast of France.

By all means consider the fuel for the crossing but maybe think about the elements; as they are out of your control.

It's difficult to get a decent weather forecast for a channel crossing and sods law dictates it's too late to turn around by the time the weather goes horrid.

Try and go out of sight of land a couple of times and see if you are OK with that because you'll be out of sight for a very long time!

Ian

Seems hubby has sailed the channel on a number of occasions, and I would guess that was even slower !