Solo Channel crossing in convoy? First solo passage

ronsurf said:
I'm a channel virgin too and I'd be up for sailing across in company. Very small boat though and sailing from Plymouth, I'd prefer to wait til next year... Any opinions on how many days make a good trip? I'm guessing it's not worth doing in a weekend
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Having a night stopover would be good, or at least enough time to eat, drink, sleep and buy some cheap booze from the hypermarket :)

Let's do it!
 
I would wait till we get a nice steady easterly.
This time of year some of the trip will be in the dark so if you can arrange for a nice big moon you will find it comforting.
How much time do you have for the adventure?
and what made you pick this time of year?
 
horatio_nelson said:
I want to sail to France single-handed :) I've done many crossings but always with company, and having finally bought my own boat I want to do it alone - boat and me both plenty able, but it's daunting nonetheless, and it occurred to me that sailing across in convoy could be good, just for complete peace of mind, the first time. So if anyone's doing a crossing before Christmas and doesn't mind me tagging along, please let me know :encouragement:

Any advice or stories about a first solo passage appreciated :) Thanks
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Do please check with your insurer as many will not cover single handed at night especially crossing the channel.
 
I've done several solo x-channel trips, the longest Plymouth to Aberwrach. But I would refuse to do one in a convoy.

Being in a convoy would be building in a close-quarters boat situation that I would have to keep constant watch on. I mean minute by minute. There'd be a requirement to keep station with the other boat, that's an extra task right there. It would be very wearing on both skippers, and interfere with other things like navigation, eating and loo visits. If the convoy boat was near enough to help out with problems then it would be too close for (my) comfort.

Give me a sea vista with nothing visible in it! I use the gaps between shipping lanes to relax in the cockpit under autopilot, even go below for several minutes, always setting the kitchen timer and my phone to make sure it is absolutely limited to sensible number of mins. Before going below scan horizon, check weather and AIS, etc. Stay on watch in cockpit if any threats, bad vis etc. So I really don't want to see a convoy boat nearby. Just my point of view though.

On solo trips, you need to guard against fatigue. Being fresh when you arrive is key requirement. I find the most effective tactic for avoiding tiredness is to give my eyes a short break from the bright light outside as often as possible. So I go down below, and get my eyes closed. Sometimes stay in cockpit and use hat and coat covering my head to get my eyes into darkness. Can't do any of that if I'm stuck in a convoy.
 
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prv said:
I guess that's true, but I really do think you'd have to work at it to screw up Cherbourg.

Anyway, the OP's been there before :)

Pete
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Ask the met police sailing club. As I heard some years ago they were too Far East of the east entrance in a westerly boat and tracked the stern of a ferry in. Unfortunately being too Far East instead of behind the ferry they put it on the rocks and wrote the boat off.

To the OP

1. If a new boat are you familiar with its motion and confident of not being sea sick. On my boat I have been caught out in a F5-6 on the quarter and the resultant corkscrew motion and glad I had crew with a sturdier stomach.

2. If sailing in company you need to consider relative cruising speeds. While I have a 43 I suspect a 34 Arcona would keep up with me!

3. As new boat (I assume secondhand) are you confident of its reliability. Lot to recommend getting to know the boat.

4. In case of fog good if one of the boats has radar.

5. If you leave it to spring 2015 I suspect you will get lots of takers.

6. If you want to also go in September you may want to consider the Cherbourg scuttlebutt cruise. Colhel has now got another boat and was talking about arranging another one for earlier in the year.

Happy sailing
 
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parsifal said:
My first single-handed Channel crossing was from Guernsey to the Solent.

Shortly after passing Alderney I ran into thick fog. I could not see to go back and I didn't want to continue into the shipping. I couldn't think of anything to do except to heave-to until the fog cleared, so that's what I did. It took a few hours for the fog to clear and then I decided to abandon the Channel crossing for that day and sailed to Cherbourg. After a good dinner and an early night I left early next day and had a fast sail home with a strong westerly and perfect visibility.

I was very glad I had no-one with me in the fog because they might have been a bit worried (as I was!). I only had myself to think about and sometimes that's an advantage.

If you pick a day with a good forecast and get everything ready you will be fine, and very pleased with yourself afterwards. After all, you are only doing what many other yachtsmen have done before you.
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My first solo crossing was also guernsey to the Solent. I remember hitting a very large pot marker (like mooring bouy sized) in the Alderney races which had been pulled under by the strong steam. I must have been doing about 10 or 12 kts over the ground. It hit the rudder very hard as I swerved to try to avoid it, which was an exciting moment. Thank goodness for a skeg.

The rest of the crossing was very enjoyable, with a nice SW breeze. I can hardly believe this but I got the spinnaker up mid way across.

I would definitely do it again if I had more time....
 
horatio_nelson said:
Having a night stopover would be good, or at least enough time to eat, drink, sleep and buy some cheap booze from the hypermarket :)

Let's do it!
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Im up for it too.

I can leave from thursday night but have to be back by Monday morning before 5am.

anyone else up for that? one of the best times to go is when the clocks go back, weather permitting. You get one hour extra....

who's up for winding the clocks back to Cherbourg? (I'm based in Haslar - not far from the OP)
 
LadyInBed said:
I would wait till we get a nice steady easterly.
This time of year some of the trip will be in the dark so if you can arrange for a nice big moon you will find it comforting.
How much time do you have for the adventure?
and what made you pick this time of year?
Click to expand...
I just bought a boat :)

Night sailing isn't a concern really. I did a few crossings last winter - time of year isn't a worry for me.
 
richardm47 said:
I've done several solo x-channel trips, the longest Plymouth to Aberwrach. But I would refuse to do one in a convoy.

Being in a convoy would be building in a close-quarters boat situation that I would have to keep constant watch on. I mean minute by minute. There'd be a requirement to keep station with the other boat, that's an extra task right there. It would be very wearing on both skippers, and interfere with other things like navigation, eating and loo visits. If the convoy boat was near enough to help out with problems then it would be too close for (my) comfort.

Give me a sea vista with nothing visible in it! I use the gaps between shipping lanes to relax in the cockpit under autopilot, even go below for several minutes, always setting the kitchen timer and my phone to make sure it is absolutely limited to sensible number of mins. Before going below scan horizon, check weather and AIS, etc. Stay on watch in cockpit if any threats, bad vis etc. So I really don't want to see a convoy boat nearby. Just my point of view though.

On solo trips, you need to guard against fatigue. Being fresh when you arrive is key requirement. I find the most effective tactic for avoiding tiredness is to give my eyes a short break from the bright light outside as often as possible. So I go down below, and get my eyes closed. Sometimes stay in cockpit and use hat and coat covering my head to get my eyes into darkness. Can't do any of that if I'm stuck in a convoy.
Click to expand...

I wasn't thinking of close-quartered convoying particularly - within a mile, perhaps?
 
NDG said:
My first solo crossing was also guernsey to the Solent. I remember hitting a very large pot marker (like mooring bouy sized) in the Alderney races which had been pulled under by the strong steam. I must have been doing about 10 or 12 kts over the ground. It hit the rudder very hard as I swerved to try to avoid it, which was an exciting moment. Thank goodness for a skeg.
Click to expand...

We had a similar occurence in the Alderney Race too, although we ended up tethered to the sea bed with rope wrapped solidly around the prop and sail drive leg, and the tiller broken. Thank goodness for the Alderney lifeboat..... :encouragement:
 
horatio_nelson said:
I just bought a boat :)
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Congratulations.
Have you managed to sail it much since you got it? They look to be quite fast boats.
Night sailing isn't a concern really. I did a few crossings last winter - time of year isn't a worry for me.
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I wasn't really thinking that it migh be a concern, it's just that a moon makes it easier to see things (sheets, sails and the like) on the boat, especially a new one.
You didn't actually say how long you had available for the trip.
Time for a pie and a pint or just to sleep?
 
ronsurf said:
I'm a channel virgin too and I'd be up for sailing across in company. Very small boat though and sailing from Plymouth, I'd prefer to wait til next year... Any opinions on how many days make a good trip? I'm guessing it's not worth doing in a weekend
Click to expand...


Salcombe to Guernsey is a good trip, only about 60 miles, so set off first thing on a summer's morn and get into St Peter Port before the pubs open for the evening.

In my view it is hard work for a long weekend and too dammed hard for 2 and a bit days. I would suggest getting to Salcombe on Friday night, set off early doors Sat and come back Tuesday. Even then you will feel cheated as you see the Islands and France laid out before you.
 
Ive been wanting to do a solo crossing for a couple of years too, but would prefer there to be people at the other end to talk/drink/eat with, so your plan would be good for me too. I wouldn't want to go to Chi first, and you probably wouldn't want to come to Lymington but if we could agree to meet in Portsmouth the day before, it would be sensible.

Due to Sunday racing commitments between now and the end of November, I would want to go mid week.
 
Slight thread drift.
I changed insurers. New insurers cover up to 18 hours single handed.
It was only when the old broker was trying to persuade me to stay that he said the current insurer did not cover single handed during the hours of darkness.
Now in the Winter if I was single handed that would have severely restricted my options. As it was I didn't know about the limitation and would not have been covered should something have happened. So check your insurance to see if there are any limitations in doing a night crossing to Cherbourg singlehanded.
 
I might be up for this if the timings work - doing first single handed cross channel seems a better ratio of the easy bit in the middle v. the scary bits either end. I still reserve the right to bottle it though if the conditions aren't great. It's the parking that worries me most - centre cockpit so should be fun with anything pushing is off.
 
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