Solent to Channel Is

[Reality61]

Digimap has been suggested in the thread, always worth a look as good information. You will need you passport for thr CI they do sometimes check!
Fuel is always cheaper in Guernsey than Jersey the state charges less to land it, ALLWAYS fill up on arrival never on departure! you miss the tidal slot home.
We prefer Guernsey Victoria marina, however you can as the post above states stay outside, the harbour master will greet you in a dory on arrival to give you instructions. We prefer the trip down the Alderney race arriving at HW Dover at the top (north), yachts tend to hang around at the top till the tide turns. However when you arrive the tide is falling so you have to wait to make entry going on a holding pontoon. The digimap site has a grid that you can enter your draught to help around departure times, the HM will take you in, after the other boats have departed to create space. If you are an MDL legacy customer (Old Freedom Berthing) you can use passport escalles which you must pre register for with your home marina, you get one night free for paying for 2 !! in both Guernsey and Jersey (MDL just pick up the bill for that night for you) Travelling from Poole to Guernsey is 4hrs at 22knots and 5 hours to Jersey, you may see loads of boats in the channel or none, never seen a boat reverse into anyone crossing the shipping lanes yet!!
Bus service on Guernsey is a good way to get arround the station is about 2 minutes walk from victoria marina, various ways to pay but a puffin pass is worth getting. Jersey has more war stuff if you like that but for me Guernsey is like going back in time, Sunday few shops open unless there is a cruise ship in so its how we used to live!!
Make sure you have all the correct paperwork for France should you go and do all the forms online both for UK and France. St Caast and St Quay poreteaux are available 24/7 so only one sill to work around for marina entry if you choose to go inside the marina, which can make planning a little easier. St Samson is always cheaper for fuel, but convience of fuel at Boatworks or Elizabeth marina in the amonts I take outways the trip there and back to be honest unless I am outside.

 

[dj43]

A little misleading about Alderney. It can be busy at times but running out of buoys happens only a few times a year. Nothing to stop you calling Alderney Port Control to check availability as you approach and carry on to St Peter Port, (not St Peters Port) if it's chocka block. Rubis have a minimum order of, I think, 300 litres for a tanker delivery

As the boat in question is over 14m as are we, then they would definitely be advised to check availability for a buoy , our fuel burn is around 7 ltrs a n/m so we have always taken on 1000 plus ltrs, as we are registered with Rubis fuel we are not restricted to set volume,

 

[East Cardinal]

@Thanks all. Some really useful information here.

 

[Piers]

We kept Play d'eau, our Fleming 55, in Beaucette for many years. You ask about the seal? he's from the large Atlantic seal colony that lives to the north of Herm - The Beaucette seal, Mr Snore, returns | Play d'eau

We entered the marina this way: There’s a small 15 degree dogleg to the right in the final 250m before the entrance, and this is how we handle it on our Fleming 55, Play d’eau. (Beaucette Marina, Guernsey | Play d'eau)

• Call Beaucette Marina on Ch80 for clearance to enter. Like many marinas, there’s not room for two to pass.
• Keep just south of the middle of the approach channel.
• Aim to pass quite close to the last port hand marker.
• Having just passed it, straighten up for the entrance.

Two more points we bear in mind,

• Although Play d’eau can enter at HW+/-3hrs (she has a 1.5m draft) we like to deduct 30 minutes either side to allow the tide to have its initial rush over the sill, first.
• After the fun of the entrance and the immediate wonderment of being in such a lovely marina, don’t forget to turn to port into Beaucette Marina’s large marina pool to avoid meeting the small breakwater in front of you!

If the wind is NE or E, the swell can be a challenge in the entrance, we'd motor down to St PP and stay there a night.

Beaucette's restaurant (Saltwater) is really excellent.

There's more on our website Play d'eau Fleming 55 owned by Piers and Lin du Pré

As has been said, Rubis sells the least expensive fuel in the Channel Islands. Duty-free and no VAT!