Solo Channel crossing in convoy? First solo passage

[doris]

Was curious so have just looked at the weather.
Would be horrid to go this weekend but over on Monday and back Wed looks lovely.
When you fix a date be sure to post it up here. If I can get away and it looks good I will join in.

 

[Fox Morgan]

Im restricted to thursday evenings through to late sunday early mondays at the moment as I lecture in a university and my lectures are booked until end of the first semester in early December. after that Im much more flexible and can go almost at a moments notice until early Jan.

Im booked up the next two weekends but ready to rock n roll after that.

c'mon all you thermal wearing, be-foulweather-suited, hard core sailors!

anyone still harping on about whether your life line has 2 or 3 hooks and whether its suitable for a pigmy or a hippo, are you coming along for a sail or just hijacking the thread?
I think that's called talking the talk but not walking the walk.

Horatio is calling the shots as he is the OP on this and it's his gig. But I'm in assuming this goes off during a time I can make it. I'll happily provide arrival cakes.

 

[LadyInBed]

I was only teasing -but if your line is 4ft & doubled up that means it reaches 2 ft down from your chest. ( lines up with the end of other body parts)

That's ok
I'm on the boat at the moment, and measured tether - 55". Which fron harness doubles just below crutch.

I also feel that a situation where you have to uncouple to transfer it to the mast is not good either.

Can't disagree with that, but I've got used to it.

I have fixed points low down in the cockpit on the seat fronts & if anyone wanted to stand on the seats to handle the boom they could not stand up.

Same here.

In fact if you have a chest fixing point on your harness ( It needs to be high up) a 4 ft line is just too short to slide along the jackstay & let you stand on the cabin roof ( if the jackstay is on the deck)

I wouldn't dream of trying that (centre cockpit, pilot house)!

jackstays on the centre of the cabin are not usually much good as they will not go to the bow on most boat set ups & will not go back into the cockpit due to the hatch being in the way. so a person on the cabin by the mast needs 6 ft min to reach the jackstay on the deck

That sound about right, it wouldn't work on my boat.
I think we've drifted this thread more than we should have

 

[Birdseye]

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

The problem with singlehanding a short crossing like the channel is not your competence so much as your confidence. If you go in a group you are using the group as a mental crutch to replace the crutch of a crew. I understand why - I've sailed all over but I still never single hand. But I still know that the only answer to your nerves / confidence is to go out and do it truly alone.

 

[Daydream believer]

The problem with singlehanding a short crossing like the channel is not your competence so much as your confidence. If you go in a group you are using the group as a mental crutch to replace the crutch of a crew. I understand why - I've sailed all over but I still never single hand. But I still know that the only answer to your nerves / confidence is to go out and do it truly alone.

If you can sail the boat OK single handed then that advice is probably correct.
I had done a few Harwich & back (from Bradwell) trips of about 25 miles along the coast but that is easy as I could always see land.

My first decent single hander was Bradwell to Ostende.(88 miles) The thrill of actually doing it was fantastic. I then spent the next few days in Ostend worrying about how I would get home. I was not only worried about the weather but how I was going to get through the sand banks in the Thames estuary at night without GPS.

I timed it to depart about 04-30 which meant I arrived no later than 22-00. This was mainly a day sail so i knew that provided I could stay awake I would be OK. I made sure I had loads of food to hand, - sandwiches, drinks & nibbles- so I did not have the hassle of trying to prepare anything. I suffer quite bad sea sickness & this was (& still is) something i feared so I needed to avoid having to go below

I had a plan for entering harbour, tying up etc, & a fairly extended passage plan with details of Ostend so I knew what to look for if my navigation was a bit out. Because of sea sickness I could not be sure that I could go below to navigate so I plotted 3 courses based on 4kts, 5kts & 6 kts of boat speed. In practice I mixed the 3 together & went Longsand head, West Hinder Then Ostend so the points broke my course into shorter bits (longest leg being 40 miles) so I could correct my course without checking charts below.

Actually it was a doddle & my last trip to ostend this year was my 61st. Over half have been SH. I have now explored the top half of Bay of Biscay once, cruised the channel Island 6 times, Across to Amsterdam once & twice round England all SH. But it was that first trip that gave me the confidence.

But it does help to have a wife that is mad on golf so does not mind me clearing off for 3 months at a time.

Another important point is not to have time restraints. Do not depart in bad weather just because you have to get home. Ignore why you have to get back & sail when you feel it is safe to do so. I phone my wife almost every day when away & I really hate it when she starts lecturing me about about the weather & safety etc before I leave a particular place.

I always tell her "I go when i feel it is right to go - not when someone else tells me!!"

I think that is a philosophy worth applying to all sailing trips

 

[westhinder]

Wise words, especially about the weather.
Your first real solo trip is a real boost to your confidence.
I have found that sailing solo makes you a better sailor too, as you have to think through all your maneuvres and prepare for the unexpected.

 

[horatio_nelson]

*bump*

OK, who's in?

 

[colhel]

Yes I'm interested. We've got a week booked off for Easter but won't make any plans until we know what the weathers up too. Of course if we do get something organised with you, I'll be singlehanded with swmbo...