Saving Old Seagulls

If we could remain awake after midnight Graham, you would know that the M25 is quite a quick bit of tarmac, where all lanes are overtaking lanes.

I met a gent who sailed a Mirror Dinghy across, and then I saw this ...
http://www.shipais.com/currentmap.php?map=folkstone

Every time I have sailed over the straights of Dover there has been a large vessel passing through in each lane every 10 minutes or so, doing 10-15 knots. Even when winds are good I'll generally have the engine running and motor sail when crossing, not a place to hang around..

We came out of Calais one night in a northeasterly F7 and tacked just short of the southern lane the supertanker passing through a cable or so to the north on a parallel course seemed to be about a mile long, waited to pass and then tacked under his stern. Crew of youngsters from Essex did exactly as they were told after that They were bricking it!

Brilliant, but not in an open boat with a Seagull thanks Barges do the passage, but wait for the weather.

That said, I wonder what the cross channel swimmers do, I wonder if this is arranged specially, so a load of them can do the swim at once?

I was wondering what the big deal was about crossing the channel as its not very far across. Then i saw the shiping & it looks a little crowded!!!

Don't fancy the Dover Straits crossing - much better for pootling along under Seagull power is the longer run from the Solent across to Cherbourg, St Vaast or the Channel Islands. Have crossed that route many times under Seagull power some of the way when the wind flopped on me. My Silver Century Plus on "Catherine Grace" (beloved Hurley 22) easily attained hull speed and pushed her just as well as the inboard 9hp diesel if it wasn't rough - and when rough the sails did the work! About 21 hours from Chi to Braye - which was ok at fuel prices back then - would be a hefty blow to the wallet buying enough seagull fuel for that trip nowadays!


Robin

Robin Anderson wrote:Don't fancy the Dover Straits crossing - much better St Vaast or the Channel Islands.

Channel Islands now that is a thought.

How far is Jersey? any chance of a bed for the night

H-A

We could bed down at Rene's, however all his spare rooms (he has 32 of them) are full of all the remaining seagulls in the channel islands

A trip to the Isle of white sound about it then. Milford to Yarmouth abut 5k would be far for me and my rubber duckiee! Am i missing the sence of adventure then?

woodbutchergraham wrote:A trip to the Isle of white sound about it then. Milford to Yarmouth abut 5k would be far for me and my rubber duckiee! Am i missing the sence of adventure then?

Round the Island sounds a little better.

H-A

round the isle of wight----60 miles or alderney 60 miles but with a big scary can t see any land bit in the middle-----regards blue

Bed for the night, no problem, when I run out of rooms there's always the campervan in the yard, I'll just have to move the Seagulls out.

First one here gets a free Silver Century to take home


..........I'm not kidding!!!

LOL!!
Can't see you being knocked down in the rush!!!

AAA, watched a doco, 'Coast' with Neil Oliver, covered the Channel Islands a week or so back. Fascinating place. Envy. Envy.

WIWL will come for a visit.

Reckon the 'free Seagull' might still be up for grabs, even by then!