Wanted - A Route from Lands End to Le Havre

[airborne1]

I am starting to sketch out a trip for next year from the Clyde down to Paris (Samois-sur-Seine) and would like some information if any south coasters has experience in crossing the Channel.
I would like a good route recommedation from Lands End to Le Havre. Does anyone have any waypoints for a safe/best passage, especially across the Traffic Separation Lanes. Also any recommended marinas for a 25 Footer .
This will be my first long distance cruise and still learning.

 

[Anonymous]

In a 25 footer I'd be inclined to follow the coast along to the Solent and cross from there. If you do it that way you can route to avoid TSSs altogether but more importantly you'd experience some of the most lovely sailing the UK has to offer. Stops like Penzance, Falmouth/Helford, Fowey, Plymouth, Newton Ferrers, Salcombe, Dartmouth, Torquay, Weymouth...unmissable! The Solent is a bit of a dump, though (he says, ducking /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif).

As for waypoints to cross the channel, put your ruler on Nab and Le Harvre and I think you'll find that you just miss the TSS, just graze it, so you need to watch the GPS. It is a busy waterway and Le Harvre itself is very busy and a bit tricky to approach at night the first time if you don't have a radar. Lots of vessels at anchor lit up like Christmas trees make it hard to see nav lights so you are really best off with a radar or do that bit in daylight.

It's a heck of a lot of sailing though. Enjoy!

 

[chamac]

Just came the opposite direction last week en route to Ireland from Athens via the French canals. You will have to cross the western end of the seperation zone. We kept well out in the channel to avoid headlands and worst of the tidal streams. Get Navicarte No 1. If you are going to Paris its easier to use Honfleur on the southern side of the Seine estuary instead of Le Havre. You can park up free for 24 hours on the wall outside the marina if there is room. Avoid the Tancarville canal. You have to wait for a convoy as far as we could gather. Its not worth the hassel. Just go up the Seine under the Normandie suspension bridge. You have to work the tides going up river to Rouen. We left Rouen three hours before high water and had a good run down. You will have to work the tide the other way. There are villages where you could stop but I would recommend mooring to the inside if the pontoons if possible as the wash from ships can be severe. They go full tilt up and down the river so the trip is better done in one go. You can dismast at Rouen or Le Havre. This avoids carrying the mast on the boat up to Rouen. We used the Harbour Authority in Rouen. You go into St Gervais harbour to dismast. The harbour office is up river on the left bank near the new bridge thats under construction. They charged us €150 for the crane. You must pay first and then they get a driver for the crane. They are very helpful and even sent a car for me to bring me to the office from the harbour. Its about a kilometer away. There is a visitors pontoon opposite the cranes in the harbour (no facilities). The marina in Rouen is good. There are shops just over the bridge and theres a good chandlery beside it. The Seine is tidal up to the first lock. Hope this helps. Give me a shout if you need any more info.

 

[Sea Devil]

Night sailing - single handed - in the Channel is quite demanding - so much traffic...

Poole or the Solent to Le Havre is around 100 miles ----

You can cross Poole or Yarmouth IOW to Cherbourg in around 11 hours in a 25ft boat. From anywhere else it involves some night sailing. Then Cherbourg to Le Havre is again about 60 miles - Possibly need to work the tides outside Cherbourg and Cap Barfleur as they run quite strongly but until you get to Le Havre - Caen area there is not too much traffic.

Another Alternative is to go along the South Coast as far as say Brighton and cross to Fecamp spend the night and then round to Le Havre 40 miles ??? ish I think..

I normally just put a straight line in across the channel and stick in a waypoint on the edge of the traffic lane. Turn the track into a right angle and stick another waypoint in on the other side then my destination.. If its an areas where the separation zone is wide I would put in a couple more to shorten the trip....

Nothing wrong with crossing the channel at night except you do need to keep a good lookout. With several crew so you can get your head down its no problem but short handed it can be quite tiring..

Michael

 

[alant]

Another Alternative is to go along the South Coast as far as say Brighton
___________________________________________________

Very 'tacky' place, horrible!

Also since prevailing winds are mostly SW, why go so far east & then struggle back? I'd suggest stopping in Weymouth or Poole, unless of course you want to visit the Solent fleshpots.

Don't forget, you will have commercial traffic & fishing boats to contend with all along the south coast. The only TSS apart from each end, is the one NW of Channel islands & the up/down channel commercial traffic doesn't simply vanish outside these areas. Night-time crossings can often make it easier to spot ships & allows landfall at daybreak.