Over the Channel

How rude are some people? Someone asks a question hoping for help and a certain person on here decides to be unbelievably sarcastic and arrogant. Surely that's not the type of attitude to portray on here! I suppose he'll be sarcastic to me now.
 
Karen,

Don't be discouraged by some of the replies you have received to your original post. Whilst many could have certainly been worded better and more sympathetically, I believe most of it was to discourage you from putting yourselves in danger rather than to discourage you from boating altogether.

My boat is similar to yours and I would be very careful about planning a trip such as a channel crossing in anything other than very settled, calm weather conditions. I wouldn't worry too much about fuel consumption either, just take loads of extra containers full as many other forumites do.

I see you have only made 17 posts, so you're even more of a newbie than I am, carry on posting and give as good as you get.
 
Philiz said:
Karen,

Don't be discouraged by some of the replies you have received to your original post. Whilst many could have certainly been worded better and more sympathetically, I believe most of it was to discourage you from putting yourselves in danger rather than to discourage you from boating altogether.

My boat is similar to yours and I would be very careful about planning a trip such as a channel crossing in anything other than very settled, calm weather conditions. I wouldn't worry too much about fuel consumption either, just take loads of extra containers full as many other forumites do.

I see you have only made 17 posts, so you're even more of a newbie than I am, carry on posting and give as good as you get.
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Newby with over a 1000 posts! Crikey, how many do you need to be an old hand :rolleyes:

I agree with your sentiments, stick to it Karen, the truth is out there somewhere ;)
 
Philiz said:
I wouldn't worry too much about fuel consumption either, just take loads of extra containers full as many other forumites do.
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Just to pick up on this point. DO NOT take any red diesel over to France, Belgium or Holland in any other container other than the boats fuel tank. You may be liable to a big fine if caught.

Even the stuff in the tank should be accounted for by way of engine hours log and receipts.
 
neale said:
Just to pick up on this point. DO NOT take any red diesel over to France, Belgium or Holland in any other container other than the boats fuel tank. You may be liable to a big fine if caught.

Even the stuff in the tank should be accounted for by way of engine hours log and receipts.
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Good point, forgot about that as we don't have much of a problem French customs in Wales :o
 
neale said:
Just to pick up on this point. DO NOT take any red diesel over to France, Belgium or Holland in any other container other than the boats fuel tank. You may be liable to a big fine if caught.

Even the stuff in the tank should be accounted for by way of engine hours log and receipts.
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Which is one of the reasons i mentioned in my post for pumping the cans of spare fuel into the tank en route. Arriving in foreign port with empty cans and plenty in the tank. You'd need to fill the cans with French diesel before departure though.

You might have fell asleep reading my long post though and missed that point lol
 
PaulGooch said:
Which is one of the reasons i mentioned in my post for pumping the cans of spare fuel into the tank en route. Arriving in foreign port with empty cans and plenty in the tank. You'd need to fill the cans with French diesel before departure though.

You might have fell asleep reading my long post though and missed that point lol
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The problem with this approach is:

What happens if the weather is too bad to allow you to stop and empty your cans?

What happens when you arrive in a French port with full tanks but your last receipt shows you filled up in the UK? Frenchie will guess that you must have topped up since you arrived and maybe think you have illegally bought Red over there.
 
What happens if the weather is too bad to allow you to stop and empty your cans?
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We usually deal with this by slinging them in the sea with the tops loosed off and then fire out of date flares at them.
 
Sorry all. Just slightly losing the will to live today, so thought it would help to post something so ridiculous no-one could possibly take it seriously. Hope no-one did.
 
benjenbav said:
Sorry all. Just slightly losing the will to live today, so thought it would help to post something so ridiculous no-one could possibly take it seriously. Hope no-one did.
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'You Cannot Be Serious':D

As the man said.

Made me :) an thats what its all about.
Oh and it helped the will to live.
An its a coming up to 'Beer O Clock':D
 
neale said:
The problem with this approach is:

What happens if the weather is too bad to allow you to stop and empty your cans?

What happens when you arrive in a French port with full tanks but your last receipt shows you filled up in the UK? Frenchie will guess that you must have topped up since you arrived and maybe think you have illegally bought Red over there.
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Ah yes, far better to take no cans and run out of fuel. :)
 
RogerRat said:
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!! :eek:
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thanks Roger. Your advice is much appreciated and makes good sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain things to us. Put that way it does sound a bit risky. We were not really sure what an 805 was capable of, but now we know, we will probably stick to the coast line.

thanks Karen
 
kareheat said:
thanks Roger. Your advice is much appreciated and makes good sense. Thank you for taking the time to explain things to us. Put that way it does sound a bit risky. We were not really sure what an 805 was capable of, but now we know, we will probably stick to the coast line.

thanks Karen
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Phew, we've gone a long way round the houses, to end up in the same place.

I've been denigrated into the ogre of the deep.:eek: Even though most folk agreed with me.:confused:

Anyway Karen. All I was saying, is try to keep as safe as you can, within reason of course.

I've sunk loads of times, well nearly. So things can go wrong.

You need a big safety margin for fuel, as you might use far more than you think, or maybe have to go some where else.

Weather forecasts are seldom right, so you may have to cope with twice what it says, especially if going a long way.

I'm not commenting on what your boat is capable of, I've no idea.

Hope my spelling is up to standard, I used my spell chequer.
 
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