Crew: Lynda, John & Wendy Trundle
Friday
The passage plan was to set off for Cherbourg at around midnight when the tide was just turning westwards so we could go via the Needles, arriving in Cherbourg soon after lunchtime. This would allow us to spend the afternoon and most of the next day there. We would leave at about 7pm on the Sunday for another night sail back arriving just as the tide was turning eastwards enabling us to go through Hurst, have breakfast in Keyhaven and lunch on the Beaulieu River. The weather forecast was supportive of this plan with a prediction of a Northerly force 1-2 to get us there and a westerly force 1-2 to get us back; not exciting but promising a relaxing weekend. There was a high-pressure ridge over the UK that was expected to provide cloudy, showery conditions and very little wind anywhere. So much for forecasts, so much for plans.
To start off things went remarkably well, the traffic was quite light and we were able to get down to Alize in good time for Roy, the Boatman, to take us to our mooring. Unusually the pontoon was also relatively free so we were able to moor up whilst we got prepared and waited for John & Wendy, quite a luxury. It was a perfect evening, sunny and warm, with time in hand after sorting everything out. We relaxed, read and watched the sunset with a glass of wine. John and Wendy arrived a little later on in good time for the now traditional preparation for an overnight sail, a dinner of Ocean Pie with sliced beans.
We left at 11:30pm with bright moonlight to help us follow
the line of moored yachts down the river. The green light on the pile just
before the river turns sharply east was clearly visible from some way off, on
completing the turn we could then make out the cluster of channel markers around
the river entrance with ease and had an clear sense of direction past the
silent yachts at anchor. The entrance needed a bit of care to ensure we
followed the channel inland around an unlit marker before turning to starboard and
heading out into the Solent.
We then found it a bit disconcerting, there did not appear to be a light at the entrance. This turned out to be the
case, as on leaving, we left we saw the light flickering on and off quite
ineffectually. The new millennium light then came into its own guiding us
straight down the middle of the channel with its white sector. Leaving the
River was not that difficult at high tide and in good moonlight but would need
real care in more marginal conditions. Once clear in deep water at the end of the
channel by the racing mark, we headed south west down the Solent to the first
waypoint at Sconce point. The off watch (John and Lynda) then headed down
below.
Saturday
There wasn't a lot of
wind but enough to get the sails and the hull moving so with both the
Yankee and staysail up we switched the engine off and glided down past Newtown River to
Yarmouth and Hurst. The tide made up for our somewhat
pedestrian pace, however when we got close to Yarmouth the wind strengthened
allowing us to have a wonderful sail for at least part of the trip. The bright
light from the full moon meant spring tides, just about at their maximum,
which has, as always, mixed blessings; it helped at this time but not
always. The tide flushed us down to the
Needles channel quickly so we had to follow the markers taking care especially when we went
past the west cardinal marking the Needles. This was just as well as the we
were set westward quite strongly by the tide and had difficulty making the last
red channel marker and the end of the Shingles Bank. Once clear, we headed cross
channel on 185 degrees, our calculated course for Cherbourg.
By
bearing off the wind our boat speed dropped to 2kn and with 56 miles to go we
accepted the inevitable and put the engine on. Much sooner than expected the
3am watch change was upon us which proved to be quite uneventful, very little
shipping but a splendid sunrise. Another watch change at 6am took us to the
separation zone which was a little more exciting as we had to track several
ships that were close to a collision course but fortunately we didn’t have to
make any course changes in the end. The electronic bearing line facility on the
radar proved really useful, allowing very accurate tracking of targets and
hence a clear understanding of what they were doing. With the 9am watch change
we had breakfast – bacon and tomato sandwiches, just the job.
With the
brightest sunshine at midday we were off Cherbourg with the fort and Outer
Rade clearly visible beneath the hills and cliffs. As usual the last few miles
seemed to take and age, but we made it a bit easier by having lunch. After an
hour and a half we were in the Port de
Plaisance searching for a mooring amongst the crowded pontoons with several other
yachts competing for spaces. Seeing a French yacht leaving the Q visitors
pontoon we took out chance and headed down between the rows of yachts. At the
last minute we saw the space that had just been vacated and with a burst of
activity on the bow thruster we made it into the berth at the first attempt.
This wonderful device had revolutionised tight manoeuvring with such a long
keel, we couldn’t have contemplated such a move without it.
The weather was perfect, brilliant blue skys and bright
sunshine and a refreshing breeze; we congratulated ourselves on choosing to go
south assuming that the weather was better away from the UK where rain had been
forecast. We wanted to spend the afternoon in the town and celebrate being in
France so after paying for the berth at the Capitainarie we headed to the town
centre. We took the route past the statue of Napoleon on his horse and through
the Place de la Republique with its modern but poignant memorial to the
resistance fighters. After getting a few essential and some non-essential
supplies we stopped off in the Place de Theatre to watch the world go by. The
market was just about finished with only a few maroquiniers left selling their
cheap leather goods but the Theatre and its rather grand café makes it a smart
place to be. Sitting out on the pavement under the blinds in the bright
Sunday
The day started, as it should, with a trip to the excellent
traditional patisserie in Rue. Fr. Lavielle for fresh croissants and a
newspaper. At the Presse the proprietor assured me that the walk to the Musuem
de la Liberation at Fort du Roule was
not that difficult and well worth the pain. The croissants are delicious and
complemented by lots of fine coffee sitting out on deck in another day of
perfect, bright sunny weather.
After a few chores were completed we set out for the town
once more stopping off for a quick drink at the bar overlooking the harbour
where we could not resist sharing a little moules frites; this was to be where
we would meet up later for a late lunch. Our destination lay at the top of a
cliff overlooking the harbour, which is reached by crossing the Pont Tiurnet
and following the Bassin du commerce before passing the Jardin Public which
leads to the entrance to the “Montee des Ressistance” a winding path up the
hill. The proprietor was right, it was not difficult and the views well worth
the climb. From the edge of the fort one could see across the town, over the
whole port area, and right out to the Channel where the deep blue sea was
dotted with the sails of the yachts coming and going or just meandering around.
The museum was equally interesting – showing how Cherbourg was forced to
capitulate, what it was like in the occupation, how the Germans systematically
destroyed the port facilities, and how the Americans liberated it. High spots
were the propaganda from the Vichy government “Women of France, it is your duty
to encourage your husbands to work in Germany” and the ways the engineers got
the port operational again very quickly and shipped in incredible amounts of
material.
We returned via the Jardin Public, which was very municipal – smart flowerbeds, lots of shrubs, neat grass with winding paths and yes, a bandstand. This was no ordinary park there was an aviary, a pen with a goat, a duck pond and even a sea lion. The children seemed delighted with it all and the older residents seemed to take great pleasure in watching them. At the brassiere we had a light lunch at 4pm, just in time before they stopped serving which was a little annoying, as we had asked them if they stayed open and they said until 6pm – Typical! We then went back to the boat for a quiet hour before preparing to depart. Earlier the forecast had changed from a westerly 1-2 to a north-westerly 3-4 so we took the trouble to check it again. By the evening it had changed yet again to a Northerly 3-4 by night rising to force 5 on Monday. All a bit perturbing but in discussion with a neighbouring skipper we assumed it was the Met office adding a bit on to be cautious as it was a Bank Holiday.
At 7:30pm we started the engine, rather reluctantly left the
marina, and headed out to sea. As soon as we had stowed the warps and
fenders away, we were through the outer harbour and heading north through the
eastern entrance. The wind was about 15kn as forecast but fortunately it was
from the northeast allowing us to make our chosen course on one tack. The sails
we soon up, trimmed and the engine off which was so pleasing compared with the
noisy crossing we had earlier. In a moderate sea we were making good progress
so the off watch went down below. A potentially troublesome ship, closing fast,
caused a rather premature end to the off watch. By this time the wind had risen
to a good force 5 and the sea state became quite rough, not surprisingly the
off watch were not keen to go down below again. By 2pm the wind was a solid force 6,
pretty constant at around 25kn so we were down to a main with a double reef
and the staysail. In strict accordance with sods law the wind had not only
strengthened but had backed and was quite close to North. The starboard
tack was still favoured but with leeway, we were nowhere near the direct course
we had made earlier. Of greater concern was the sea state, which had become
quite rough, making movement around the boat difficult; fortunately the waves
were reasonably long and quite regular which suits Alize. The long keel has
great directional stability and the weight combined with the V shaped hull
sections sliced through the waves rather than slammed on them as a flatter,
more modern design such as Meltem would. She speeded up strongly down the backs
of the larger waves then cut deeply into the following one with a gentle
deceleration sending up great sheets of spray either side of the bow. The deep
cockpit and smooth, deliberate motion gave a great sense of security.
The tide had taken us well to the east and was just turning
when we started to encounter
significant amounts of shipping. Our course took us close to a
90-degree angle crossing the separation zones, first the east going then the
west going one. Establishing the bearing of the many ships was not as easy as the earlier crossing. We didn't have a light on the binoculars to illuminate the compass;
the radar was fine but a long way from the helm. Mental note: get a light
before another night crossing! Once clear of the separation zones we were pleasantly surprised by several ships making small changes of course to avoid us. This emphasised the need to maintain an accurate note of the way the bearing changed
(or didn’t). Perhaps they took pity on us being thrown about in the middle of
the Channel. Amongst all this admirable and courteous behaviour there is always
an exception and after being forced to make a major change of course for a car
transporter we watched, aghast, as it made a 180 degree turn and came back at
us from the other direction! Fortunately during this time the automatic helm
really came into its own; it held the boat on a very steady course without
being disturbed by the largest of waves, better than the average person could
manage. As there was not wind input it was limited in terms of its ability to
make progress to windward but still gave welcome relief from long periods of
helming. Mental note – get the wind input set up!
With the dawn and another bright sunny day spirits started
to lift with the gloom, it’s amazing what an effect some bright sunshine has.
With the daylight came the first views of land – England! Unfortunately as the
trip was taking much longer and we had not been able to make a northerly course so were taken a long way west by the tide, which was just as well. By 8am we
had hoped to be anchored in Keyhaven having breakfast; in the event we ended up
10 miles south of St Albans Head with a long way to go to get home. Despite
this with a strong east going tide we were able to make Poole bay where the sea
state started to moderate at long last and eventually the North Channel and
Hurst by Midday. With the moderating seas appetites returned and mugs of hot
chocolate revived sagging spirits.
Once back in the Solent it was difficult to remember what it
had been like the night before, certainly there was still a brisk wind but with
only the Solent chop and bright sunshine it was such a contrast to the
conditions we had experienced during the night. Only our stinging eyes and salt
encrusted faces reminded us of the sea that repeatedly threw great clouds of spray
over the hood every time we struck a wave.
By mid afternoon we had
recovered, had tidied things up and were having lunch securely tied up at the
mooring off Ginns Farm once more. Although things had not gone according to
plan as is often the case with sailing it had been quite an experience and
reinforced confidence in the sea keeping qualities of Alize.
The passage to Cherbourg took 14 hours to cover 68 mile on
the log, the return took 19 hours and we logged 90 miles. On returning home and
downloading the current synoptic chart it was clear why our weather had differed from that predicted. A small low pressure system over the Baltic had become
unexpectedly deeper and formed a front that had pushed up against the high
pressure ridge over the UK causing the much stronger than forecast northerly
airflow. Although the forecasts are getting much more accurate this was a
reminder that the weather is still capable of springing a few surprises if you
venture out of home waters.
