Planning a North Sea crossing

[ChrisJ]

I am trying to plan my first overseas trip. Harwich to Flushing.
Leaving Harwich 2 weeks time at 09:30 ish, with an expected passage time of 22 hours.

Should I plan to travel buoy to buoy?
- Always know where I am (within about 5 miles anyway).
- Numerous compass / sailing course changes.
- But always into the tide to make the next buoy.
- Closer to my previous "eye-ball" navigation experience of coastal hopping for 10 years.

Should I plan a single mid-point (12 hour sailing) waypoint, set a compass course and sail on it?
- Allow the tide to take me North then South of the direct line.
- Single compass and sailing direction.
- Never exactly certain of where I am.
- More chance of practising navigation and locating where I am.


Then, a second question for those who have done the trip before, what is the best route?
Do I plan a southerly route?
- Cork, West Hinder, Flushing.
- More bolt holes along the way (Ramsgate, Ostend, Zeebrugge).
- Longer distance.
- A long period along side the main ship channel from West Hinder.
- A long period hitting the tide from West Hinder.

Or a more Northerly route?
- Cork, North Galloper, Birkenfels, SW Thornton, Goote Bank, Flushing.
- Fewer bolt holes.
- More direct and less distance.
- More at direct right angles across the Traffic Separation Zone.


Thanks, Chris
Bungay Girl
Westerly Konsort

 

[andrewhopkins]

2nd option

Dont follow buoys, you'll take far too long and it will take upteen calculations to get the tide right.

Splitting into 12 hour sections sounds good, work out the total net tide effect and stick to the course no matter what. dont forget leeway.

I'm assuming you have no GPS, so it will make you happier to head to a bouy midway on the journey to ensure you are on track.

If you have GPS then you can just check where you are after 12 hours.

 

[Guest]

Re: 2nd option

On the whole, fine advice, Andrew, but what does our friend do if after 12 hours he cannot find the buoy (and no GPS)?

 

[Mirelle]

Just keep going - bound to hit something!

I agree with Andrew's advice. If nothing shows up in the middle, no need to worry, you will be closing the Dutch coast in darkness and are bound to see a light.

I belong to the lazy school who don't bother with tide calculations on this trip for the first 12 and a half hours, there is nothing in the middle to hit even when you are (as you will be) 15-20 miles off course after six hours or so, and the tide takes your ight back again.

 

[Mirelle]

Suggestion

Q1. There is no need to travel buoy to buoy; this passage is actually easier than buoy hopping in the Estuary (which we all do!) because you have that rare commodity, deep water all around you, for most of the passage.

I would not bother with a mid-passage waypoint, and yes I would allow the tide to take you up and down the North Sea; you are extremely unlikely to hit anything hard.

The point is that you will almost certainly sight one or more of the lights on the Dutch coast whilst it is still dark, even at this time of year, and that will give you a position check.

Q2. Fighting the tide all the way up from the West Hinder is pure misery, and you don't have to do it, take the shorter route.

You should not expect to see all of the Cork, the N Galloper, the Birkenfels the SW Thornton and the Groote Bank, I have done this route and only seen the SW Thornton, then the Westkappelle, then the leading lights, but it does not really matter.

The bolt hole argument is a bit of a fallacy, as the time taken to get into any one of them will be considerable, so why not just make Flushing the bolt hole?

Hope this helps

 

[andrewhopkins]

Re: 2nd option

He keeps going, using Dead Reckoning (he should have been keeping a log and plotting his position every hour anyway). He'll get there eventually but without GPS, he can do any of the following to make himself happier:

1. Using Sextant

2. Using dipping distances for any lighthouses he spies

3. Call up a ship on Ch13 if he sees one and ask their position

 

[ChrisJ]

Re: 2nd option

I do have a GPS, but I like to plan my trips based on not being able to use it.
On my normal coastal hopping, I find it very useful for the young kids as they can answer their own "how long till we get there" questions!

To answer the question of what happens if I can't find the buoy after 12 hours: It seems like if I keep heading SE there will be plenty of lights to choose from before I get too close to anything solid!
(I liked the idea of "Just head East. There is bound to be some land somewhere").

I like the idea of longer distances on a compass course (Thanks, Andrew and others), and let the in and outs of the tide sort itself out.

Thanks Mirelle for "permission" not to have to punch the tide from the West Hinder - it looked like a long way!
I don't think the bolt-hole idea would have worked anyway... If the weather looks poor, I will delay the trip by a week. If the weather suddenly turns nasty, then anywhere will be a miserable passage - either for 4 hours into a bolt-hole, or 6 hours to Flushing.


Now to work out how much food, drink, chocolate and (hopefully) sun-tan cream I need to take....

Cheers, Chris

 

[owendo]

Must say all this is very interesting, I have never mde the trip mainly because 22 hours seems a very long time and I always wonder what reception one will get on the other side. What documentation will you be asked for and will all the effort be spoilt by some jobsworth.

Someone please set my fears to rest

Mike Woodhouse
Vertue V17

 

[peterb]

Do it in stages.

I don't know where you're starting from, but it shouldn't be difficult to get to the Harwich area. Then go for Oostende, about 75 miles. The course is roughly SE, so with a SW wind you'll have a beam reach, and if you can average 5 knots it will take about 15 hours. An early start will see you there in time for dinner.

I've never been asked for any documentation in Oostende. The people are friendly, and it makes a good jumping-off point for a cruise up the Belgian Coast, then in to the Dutch inland waters at Vlissingen. Come back via the Roompotsluis, and the return long leg is a little longer at 100 miles. If you don't want a trip that long, then come back via Blankenberge and get another 75 mile beam reach back home. Although you have to cross TSSs, in my experience it's not difficult and the route is well marked.

 

[DavidofMersea]

How do you get to 22 hours? If you leave at 09.30 and you do take 22 hours you will arrive in daylight, which is good.

I think that I would wait until the day of departure and see which way the wind blows and at what strength, and try to arrange a daylight landfall

 

[ChrisJ]

An update, now that the first foreign trip has been completed.

Planning: GPS says 93 miles, allow for 100. At 4 knots = 25 hours, at 5 knots = 20 hours. Expect somewhere in the middle.
Left Harwich at 09:00. Motoring.
Sails up around the Sunk light ship. Still motoring - although soon sailing on a broad reach in a 3 to 4 - which blew SW, W or NW all the way across.
Out to the Inner Gabbard or so involved buoy to buoy sailing. After that it was 120 degrees and see where we get to.
Midnight saw us heading towards Zeebrugge - which was easy to see for 20 miles or so: lights, fireworks, ships etc.
We kept going on 120 until the edge of the shipping channel, when we turned to 90 and headed due East to Vlissingen (Flushing) - keeping just to the North of the channel. By this time the wind was cold, from the South, and still a very nice force 3 to 4.
Arrived and moored up in Flushing by 06:30 - so a 21 hour passage.

Tricky bits?
Crossing the shipping lanes - go behind anything you can see, even if it means altering course by 30 degrees for 2 or 3 minutes.
Heading East to Vlissingen - keep outside the channel, not in it.
Getting waterproofs on quick enough when a heavy shower hit us.
Keeping warm at night - wooly hats in July are a must.
Not taking enough biscuits and Mars bars - as these are what the crew relied on most of the way.

Cheers, Chris
Bungay Girl
Westerly Konsort
Now in Holland, awaiting the family holiday in 2 weeks time