south coast England to Kiel canal

[petedg]

Anyone got any recommendations for the best route ie. where to cross the channel? The main plan would be to sail along the coast of England then to cross the channel and hug the coast again. Any thoughts on how long it might take in a 10M yacht? Your comments appreciated...

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Did this the other way last December, pretty much as you described. No particular difficulty. Crossing the Maas estruary needs care - talk to the port control to let them know your intentions. Stay inside the TSS along the Dutch/German coast. Some shallows to avoid but not difficult. Outside the Freezing Islands. We stopped in Borkum and Schevingen to wait for bad weather to pass.

It's about 3-4 days continuous sailing if the weather is appropriate.

An alternative to part of it is the standing mast route through Holland. 1.8m draft will get through, and it's a pleasant trip. It takes longer than a good weather trip round the outside, but is an alternative if the weather at sea is pants. You go in at the Dutch/German border, and there are a variety of places to come out, the easiest being along the Nordzee Canal which meets the sea at....erm...forgotten. Someone will know.

 

[Blue Fox]

the easiest being along the Nordzee Canal which meets the sea at....erm...forgotten. Someone will know.

IJmuiden.
If you do the route within the TSS north of the Friesian Islands, beware. You are not allowed within 1 mile of the traffic zone, the German coastguard monitors it. Helgoland is an option if you arrive at the wrong time at the mouth of the Elbe (or the wind turns against you).

 

[vyv_cox]

Anyone got any recommendations for the best route ie. where to cross the channel? The main plan would be to sail along the coast of England then to cross the channel and hug the coast again. Any thoughts on how long it might take in a 10M yacht? Your comments appreciated...

For more-or-less coast hopping we have usually left either Dover or Ramsgate to somewhere east of the Goodwin Sands, then cross the TSS to pass close to Sandettie Light. This is a relatively narrow point in the TSS where there is no confusion about where ships are heading. Once across you are in relatively shallow water, although it kicks up in a blow, then follow the buoyed channel to Dunkerque and beyond.

Out of Oostende or Zeebrugge crossing the Westerschelde is again at a fairly narrow point, after which you can follow the many buoys in shallow water all the way to the Maas entrance. As has been said, call the port control for permission to cross, there is a great deal of shipping movement.

North of the Freisians there is plenty of space for small craft without encroaching on the TSS but it all gets rather confusing at the end, where all the rivers (Elbe, Weser, etc.) reach the sea. Put in plenty of waypoints here. Take notice of the pilot about wind in the Elbe - foce four maximum. Tides are very strong and you have 29 miles to the next shelter.

We reckoned 20 hours Dover or Ramsgate to Scheveningen, probably three days from there to Cuxhaven but weather is variable and it is far slower if you take the inside route.

 

[geoid96]

We recently did the reverse trip, stopping at Rensburg, Cuxhaven, Norderney, Vlieland, Den Helder, Shevinegen, and Nieuwpoort. We then crossed the channel from near Ruytingen SW buoy and then via SW Goodwin to Dover.

Watch out for the shallow bits between Dunkerque and Oostende. As AngusMcDoon mentioned, crossing the Maas TSS needs care. In less than fantastic visibility, the AIS earned it's keep.

From Vlieland to Den Helder, due to strong WSWesterlies, we took the inside Wadenzee route. This is very well marked, but needs to be done near the top of the tide, both to have sufficient water (we never saw less than 3.2m) and to have tide with you the whole way.

 

[Joker]

To be different, I went Ramsgate>Den Helder, keeping parallel to but about 5 miles off the shipping lane. Worked very well. AIS very useful.

Then Den Helder to Nordeney. Borkum a good alternative.

 

[PeterGibbs]

Anyone got any recommendations for the best route ie. where to cross the channel? The main plan would be to sail along the coast of England then to cross the channel and hug the coast again. Any thoughts on how long it might take in a 10M yacht? Your comments appreciated...

Just bashing up without stoipping is to miss some of the delights of that stretch of coast.

Dover to Ostende, keeping an eye on the banks that run parallel to the French and Belgian coast.

Zeebrugge then up the coast on a multi tide hop to Ijmuiden (putting N of Vlissingen requires miles of running in, locking and running out again!) Den Helder/ Oudeschildt on Texel for a break. Then a long run parallel to the coast to Norderney for another break: Borkum is a fallback & of less interest in itself.

Norderney can take you to Cuxhaven on one tide if you keep up the pace. If you want cheap diesel (there's no other reason for going there) divert to Helgoland but watch out for the German coastguard cutter - they start their fines at 750 Euros for whatever imagined infraction they can assert (well evidenced, I assure readers!) Helgoland aslo fines you for spilling diesel in the sea, so why do you want to go there?

Cuxhaven to Brunsbuttel for the canal is just over 2 hours up the Elbe. The Elbe is a serious waterway with ocean going ships at full bore: beware! Wait to lock in and keep your fenders low to protect against the hacked-up floats at water level. Prepare to go in with a freighter if there's space.

The Kiel canal is a great experience - do stop at Rendsburg and eat in the marina bar - serious German cuisine at a reasonable price. Pay for the canal at the Holtenberg end (north) up the stairs to the office on the RHS.

Allow 10 days from Dover for a pretty strenuous schedule and no hold ups from the weather.

Gute Reise!

PWG

 

[Ex-SolentBoy]

Anyone got any recommendations for the best route ie. where to cross the channel? The main plan would be to sail along the coast of England then to cross the channel and hug the coast again. Any thoughts on how long it might take in a 10M yacht? Your comments appreciated...

Sorry to disagree with the majority of respondents, but I disagree. In my view the delights of the Kiel canal and the Baltic far outweigh anything enroute so I would do the passage to the canal in one go ( as we have done in 4 days or so from the south coast) and the spend more time in the Baltic.

Assuming you are sailing, where you cross the shipping lanes is a wind issue. Crops to the other side as soon weather permits and then follow the buoyage just outside the shipping lanes until Cuxhaven.

Read the blog of www.kissen.co.UK for some great tips. Albeit from a few years ago, still good advice.

 

[snowleopard]

An alternative to part of it is the standing mast route through Holland. 1.8m draft will get through, and it's a pleasant trip. It takes longer than a good weather trip round the outside, but is an alternative if the weather at sea is pants. You go in at the Dutch/German border, and there are a variety of places to come out, the easiest being along the Nordzee Canal which meets the sea at....erm...forgotten. Someone will know.

I crewed the trip in the spring and we took the canal route to avoid NE winds from Ijmuiden to Amsterdam, across the Ijsselmeer then through the canals towards the German border. Our friends also came back that way for the fun of it and said the bit South from Amsterdam to Flushing was even nicer, esp. old towns like Haarlem. Recommended if you have the time.

No charges for the canals but the odd couple of euros for lifting bridges (paid into a clog dangled from the bank!)

 

[petedg]

Inland Route

Thanks to everyone who's replied your ideas suggestions are interesting, particularly the inland routes that have been mentioned. I never really thought of that as an option, maybe someone could describe a route in more detail, the ultimate aim is to get up to the Rostock area and beyond.

 

[AngusMcDoon]

Thanks to everyone who's replied your ideas suggestions are interesting, particularly the inland routes that have been mentioned. I never really thought of that as an option, maybe someone could describe a route in more detail, the ultimate aim is to get up to the Rostock area and beyond.

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