Tuesday 22 July 2014

Dover to Dunkerque

Sunday 20th July and time to get across the English Channel.

Another not quite to schedule start as, despite the recent thunderstorms, I awoke to the sound of fog signals and on looking out at the world, found I could not even see Dover Castle on the hill behind me. Dilemma, if I waited too long for the visibility to improve I would have adverse tide for the crossing as well as the haul from Calais to Dunkerque. Setting off into poor visibility is not a choice I make lightly, so having rechecked the boat and personal safety equipment I set about listening in on every radio report in respect of visibility. Dover Coastguard require all vessels in the channel to provide visibility reports under such conditions plus the port authority are constantly updating ships using the port.

I delay my departure from the planned 06:00 start to 09:00 when vis has improved slightly and is reported as 2 miles on the French side, plus it was now possible to see the harbour entrance from the marina, a bit of a bonus. I was a little surprised when leaving the marina that the crew of a French boat pointed out to me that I had my nav lights on - maybe they have different fog routines!

I was given the all clear by Dover Port Control to leave, however, my route to the NE that would normally have had me leave via the East Entrance was changed and they requested me to leave by the West Entrance and head straight out from Dover for two miles parallel to the ferry traffic before turning NE to the TSS traffic lanes. Relieved that I had completed the installation of the active radar reflector the previous day and re-assured by its flashing alarm signals I called Dover Coastguard when a mile off shore to file a passage notification and request a radar identification from them. To my initial concern they reported no target seen at my location, yet I am supposed to mimic a mega target. A second check gives the same response, which I put down to still being in their radar shadow area.

As I head on into the murk the visibility remains around 300m with a light F3 NE wind, on the nose again but it matters not as I am under power in these conditions. Visibility updates continue with vis ranging from a worst of 50m in heavy rain to half a mile on the English side but improving to 1 mile or more from mid-channel. I have my AIS receiver CPA distance alarm set to 300m and time alarm set to 12 minutes, tight but avoids handling continual alarms in busy traffic. On route to the TSS I note from their AIS indicated course changes that the ferries are seeing me on radar (relief), I also note as their ghostly high speed outlines pass parallel to me that their idea of a safe passing distance in these conditions is not much different to my 300m alarm range! There is also the occasional shape of a yacht passing in the murk.

By mid-channel visibility is much better other than during the torrential rain showers which seem to know when I plan on removing my wet weather gear. At 11:50 I clear the eastern TSS lane only 1NM south of my intended position, down to the reduced favourable tide.

By 12:40 I am N of the RCW cardinal bouy and on the run up to Dunkerque but fighting the tide.
At 16:15 I am off DW11 buoy with the tide now in my favour and back up to a heady 4.7 knots SOG. Around this time I get a VHF call from the boat "Alice Pellow" a Cornish Crabber Pilot Cutter which left Dover about an hour after me and is also heading for the Dutch OGA tour. Our courses converge and we arrive together at the waypoint of DW29 for the entrance to Dunkerque. We take it in turns to exercise our abysmal french language skills in contacting the Port du Grand Large marina office for berthing and conclude that we both have to raft out on the visitors pontoon, nicely located adjacent to the fish dock. Suffice to say that the overnight experience for both boats was such that neither of use would use that facility again, and not have Dunkerque as a first choice for a stop-over.

"Alice Pellow" in company on the run up to Dunkerque.


All said it was a challenging day but a rewarding one in terms of practicing skills and making a different landfall. On a personal note it also fulfilled a long term wish to repeat the route my father took when,as a 17 year old crew member on the MV Bee working out of Newport on the Isle of Wight, the vessel was requisitioned by the RN and became one of the Dunkirk Small Ships. The crew were given the option of manning the boat, which they all accepted. They took the Bee to Dover and across for the evacuation where they made three pick-up runs via the inshore route. They made one of the last trips picking up French troops, had to be pulled off the beach by a naval boat and fouled one prop on hawsers, having to make the last recovery and return trip to Dover and the IW on one engine. I only had to sail there with modern aids and find my way into the harbour but still put it in perspective for me.

A link to the story of the MV Bee at Dunkirk: http://www.iowtodunkirk.com/the-bee-goes-to-war/

I did have a couple of incidents on the crossing in that, due to the constant watch keeping, I had to default to the male helms pee facility, the standby 2l plastic milk bottle. Whilst keeping my eyes about me and letting the flow go I noticed that the bottle was not getting any heavier to match my relief. A quick check revealed a split in the bottom of the bottle and a cockpit with evidence of the equipment failure. Would have been easier to default to the lady method and just use the cockpit floor in the first place! The second issue was me ending up with soggy nuts, not related to the above problem I must add. During one of the torrential rain burst I must have left my nuts uncovered and they were decidedly soggy, but I enjoy ginger nuts in whatever condition, even cold dunked.




Eastbourne to Dover

Friday 18th and a decision on which of my route options to take.

I decided on the Dover rather than Boulogne route as it offered a shorter distance given the wind forecast did not favour either destination. I opted for the 08:00 lock out from Sovereign Harbour and was underway for Dover by 08:30 on a course of 080M, with yet another motor-sailing session ahead due to an easterly F4 wind, which was also raising a bit of choppy sea with the wind against tide for the first few hours. At least it was pleasantly warm although hazy. Through the haze I did spot what appeared to be a wind farm off Winchelsea but I could find no mention of it on the charts or in the pilot books, maybe me seeing mirages!

At 14:15 we rounded Dungeness on a slackish tide, with only minor tide rips/overfalls. I had been looking forward to the wind freeing off as forecast and also due to the change of heading. Once around the point onto the new course of 050M sure enough we had a SSW F3 wind to blow us along. Engine off, a cuppa and relax. By now it was decidedly hot in the sun and with no bimini I took to raising the golf umbrella as the helm's sunshade. By 15:30 the wind had shifted to dead astern so back to manual steering and not long after the wind dropped to around F2 and left us making only 2.5kts over the ground. Back on with the engine. The view of the coast along this route is very pleasant particularly on a sunny day and compensated for the lack of sailing..

By 17:00 we were approaching Dover so sails dropped and as required I called up Dover Port Control when 2 miles off requesting entry to the Marina via the west entrance. There were no restrictions on entry and I was requested to call in again when 200m from the entrance which I duly did and was given clearance to enter, no stooging around in the swell. There was still a fair tide running and, for those that can relate to it, passing through the entrance was a similar steering experience to going through Hurst Narrows on full flow. I had requested a berth in the tidal harbour as the other marinas have restricted tidal entry/exit times and was able to have one, so no issues with locking in/out. Moored up and tidied by 18:30.

Dover Castle seen from the tidal marina.


Later in the evening the sky darkened rapidly, visibility suddenly reduced drastically and a dust storm hit as the prelude to a massive thunderstorm. Winds increased violently and Harbour Control were reporting winds of 50 knots, pleased I managed to get in prior to that!

Shoreham to Eastbourne

Thursday 17th and the day starts with a bit of unplanned rescheduling, I had intended to leave Shoreham on the 09:00 lock opening, however, the lock operator notifies all skippers asking for clearance that there was insufficient water in the main channel and the first available lock out time will be 11:00. Ah well put the time to good use and connect up the GPS receiver to the new radio and the radio AIS output to the plotter.

We lock out at 11:00, paying the lock keeper the (unexpected) harbour dues and berthing fee for a berth of theirs I didn't use, £25 not budgeted for. We are under sail by 11:30, but motor-sailing again with the wind a F2 on the nose. By 13:30 we are off Newhaven and the wind has increased to F4+ with a short choppy sea running.

 A clear view of Seven Sisters


We reach Sovereign Harbour via another rolly-polly entrance channel in time to enter on the 17:00 lock, where a member of staff allocates a visitor berth and hands over a harbour plan. I find myself berthed next to a Dutch skipper taking his newly acquired Contessa 26 from Falmouth to the Netherlands so we exchange harbour information and discuss the ongoing tasks on each boat.

A shopping trip around the complex and an Italian meal at the waterside round off the day.

Lymington to Shoreham

Wednesday 16th so Day 1 of Stage 1, on the way!

A lovely morning to set off on, warm sunny and good visibility as I depart Lymington at 07:50.  Unfortunately only light winds so engine on and we motor-sail east. I have the western Solent to myself and very few other boats as I pass through the eastern Solent and clear No Man's Land fort at 10:35.

Western Solent on a beautiful morning. The views to come will need to be good to match this.


As I clear the east of the Isle of Wight the wind picks up to a SSE F4 so engine off and we manage 5Kts plus with the tide under us, reaching the entrance to the Looe Channel at 12:45 and clearing east of it at 14:00 and set a course for Shoreham.

Now the tide is against me so speed is down to 3.5Kts over the ground and in addition the wind is now F4 to 5 against the tide and right on my tail setting up an uncomfortable following sea. The auto-pilot cannot cope with these conditions so I have to helm for the rest of the sail. Shoreham entrance is noted in the pilot as being a bit on the rough side with strong SE winds, this proved to be correct and the sea state was akin to Poole Swash Channel on a bad day as I got the sails down and entered the harbour with Hyrst rolling from rail to rail in the now beam sea.

Once inside the shelter of the harbour I am able to catch the lock straight away. I raft alongside another yacht in the lock and the skipper invites me to use a berth and facilities at the Sussex Yacht Club (thanks Lawrence). Turns out that the berth I use is that of Moon River, another Yarmouth 23 which has already set off for the Dutch cruise! Moored up for 18:00, cleaned up and great meal at The Schooner pub. A long day but satisfying.

A Y23 visitor on a Y23 home berth (thanks for the space Barbara)



The Schooner's desserts were too good to miss!





Sunday 13 July 2014

This blog is a contact point and record for a trip with my Yarmouth 23 gaff cutter and our participation in the OGA (NL) 10th anniversary celebration.

 "Hyrst of Eremue" goes Dutch

Old Gaffers Association Netherlands
10th Anniversary Cross Country Cruise
  
 The Invite.
I had been considering a canal cruise in France at some time when this invitation was received



 Skippers Ahoy
Next year, in 2014, the Dutch OGA will celebrate her 10th anniversary. Of course we will celebrate this proud event of the youngest daughter of the international OGA family. And like any birthday party we hope that besides our direct family the relatives from abroad will take the effort to come and visit our party. So we are pleased to invite you all to come to the Netherlands next year.
 

What are the plans? Following the great success of the RBC this year and taking into account that we don’t live on an Island, we will organize a ‘Cross Country tour’ through the Netherlands. From Friday July 25th to Sunday August10th we will offer you a trip including nautical, cultural and social events. You are most welcome to join us at the opening event at Wemeldinge in our Zeeland delta on July 25th. From here we will guide you on a trip through the low lands. Through rivers and canals - which you can navigate with your stepped mast - we sail to visit ancient city’s, including a stopover in Amsterdam. Once we all survived this costly city you can have the experience of sailing on the biggest pond you have ever seen. The IJselmeer - without tides - gives you the opportunity to sail at any time. And you can taste the atmosphere of the ancient rich VOC period. Then we will bring you to the north, through the Frisian waters, to end in the Dutch historical naval city Den Helder on August 10th (don’t be afraid of Michiel the Ruyter, since he died ages ago).
Of course all plans are weather prevailing. The details, at this moment, ‘only the Dutchman knows’. But be sure we will do our best to make the trip worthwhile. We realize that the low lands are for many foreign sailors a bit out of reach to sail to. Therefore we intend to facilitate crew to sail on boats available in our fleet for those unable to bring their own boat. And when demand is high enough we can try to charter barges to sail with us on this tour. Enough reasons for you to change your holiday plans for next year and to head for the Netherlands. But as we are living in a crowded little country, especially on the waterfront, we have to settle with harbour authority’s etc. So please to let us know if you intend to come. Just to know how big our international OGA armada will be.


What a great way to combine a coastal cruise with a canal cruise and with the companionship of the OGA as a bonus.


The Preparation.

This was never going to go to plan, and just on the boating front we have had an unscheduled lift ashore to replace the rope-cutter, failure/replacement of the service (house) batteries and corroded VHF aerial cable requiring replacement throughout. An Echomax radar target enhancer has been added and a chartplotter installed. The VHF radio was not performing well (aside from the cable issue) so has been replaced with a Standard Horizon unit with integrated AIS and ATIS capability. Note: despite comments to the contrary both OFCOM and the RYA state that ATIS is required in the Dutch waterways, thus An OFCOM ship radio licence variation was necessary - hopefully this will come through by email before I get to the inland waterways.

Several (expensive) charts and pilotage books have been purchased and also electronic versions from ANWB for the inland routes, recommended for all the bridge and lock details.

Documents obtained/checked: ICC (with CEVNI endorsement),  VHF operator licence, ship radio licence, insurance docs, Schengen crew list forms, and so it goes on ....

AIS reporting has been set up using an Android phone app so that I can't hide away and pretend to be cruising. Hopefully it will re-assure my shore contacts a bit.

Treated myself to a new lifejacket for improved comfort (went for a Crewsaver Ergofit Offshore), the old one had seen umpteen years of regular use and needed a full service and re-arming kit.

Still lots to do with not much time left!
 

The Schedule.

As far as any plan holds the schedule starts out like this

Passage to the tour start
Wed 16th July:  Lymington to Shoreham (Lady Bee Marina) 51 Nm, passage time 13 hrs
Thur 17th July:  Shoreham to Eastbourne (Sovereign Harbour) 27 Nm, passage time 7 hrs
Fri 18th July:     Eastbourne to Dover (Marina) 44Nm, passage time 11 hrs
   alternative:     Eastbourne to Boulogne (weather alternative to Dover) 50Nm, passage 13 hrs 
Sat 19th July:    rest/contingency day
Sun 20th July:   Dover to Dunkerque 43Nm, passage time 11 hrs
   alternative:     Boulogne to Dunkerque 50 Nm, passage time 13 hrs
Mon 21st July:  rest/contingency day
Tue 22nd July:  Dunkerque to Blankenberge 33 Nm, passage time 8 hrs
Wed 23rd July: Blankeanberge to Vlissingen 23 Nm, passage time 6hrs
                          (may continue inland via "Kanal door Walcheren" to Middleberg if conditions suit)
Thur 24th July: rest/contingency day
Fri 25th July:    Vlissingen to Wemeldinge (Veerse Meer to Oosterschelde ) 23Nm, arrive 17:00 hrs.
                         Start of OGA (NL) Tour

The Cross Country Tour
Sat 26th July:  Wemeldinge events
Sun 27th July: Wemeldinge events
Mon 28th July:Wemeldinge to Dordrecht, 37 Nm, passage time - a long day!
Tue 29th July:  Dordrecht to Gouda, 17 Nm, passage time half day (pm) if timed properly, else overnight anchorage/harbour en-route
Wed 30th July: Gouda events
Thur 31st July: Gouda to Haarlem, passage time 2 days with overnight anchorage at Braassemermeer
Fri 1st Aug:      Haarlem visit/tour
Sat 2nd Aug:    Haarlem to Amsterdam (City Marina), evening event
Sun 3rd Aug:   Amsterdam visit then evening move to anchorage at Durgerdam (East of city)
Mon 4th Aug: Amsterdam (Durgerdam) to Edam, open water cruise/race
Tue 5th Aug:  Edam to Hoorn, open water cruise, local events
Wed 6th Aug: Hoorn to Enkhuizen, open water cruise, event - OGA (NL) Anniversary Dinner
Thur 7th Aug: Enkhuizen to Workum, open water cruise, informal evening
Fri 8th Aug:    Workum to Den Oever, open water cruise, informal evening
Sat 9th Aug:   Den Oever to Den Helder, open water cruise/race, informal evening
Sun 10th Aug: Den Helder, local events and end-of-tour gathering

Return Passage
Option 1, offshore route (tricky, subject to weather and tide constraints):
Mon 11th Aug: Den Helder to Ijmuiden, 30 Nm, passage time 8 hrs on favourable tide
Tue 12th Aug: Ijmuiden to Sheveningen, 25 Nm, passage time 6 hrs on favourable tide
Wed 13th Aug: Scheveningen to Stellendam (Haringvliet barrier South of Hoek of Holland), 28 Nm, passage time 7hrs on favourable tide or possibly make Roompotsluis (Oosterschelde barrier), 53 Nm and adverse tide ?
Thur 14th Aug: Stellendam to Blankenberge, 53 Nm, passage time ?? adverse tides
Option 2, inshore passage but by quickest route, subject to local advice

Option 2 most predictable and with options to leave boat parked up for later return passage.

For either option then further 7 days reverse of outbound route, or follow French coast and cross Channel further west.

The Reality.

Monday 14th July.  Updates received on two other single-handers from the Solent area also in 23' boats heading for the CC Tour, one has reached Dover and the other in Fecamp. Also two other crewed boats at Dover. The Raid is coming together, 30 UK boats (12 from the Solent) and 30 Dutch boats, it should be an evenly matched Naval event!