CRUISING CROSSING THE CHANNEL TO EXPLORE BRITTANY

Nick Quirke crosses the English Channel for the first time to explore the intriguing coast of Brittany, welcoming many crew and sometimes sailing solo

- Nick Quirke

Like many British sailors, I had been put off going to our close neighbour Cherbourg by the thought of crossing the Channel with its shipping lanes, fast tides and bad weather. Ensemble, my Etap 37s, is berthed in the Berthon marina, in Lymington, which is handy both for the harbour and shops and for the Salterns - the old medieval salt workings, but now a migration hotspot for birds.

Gathering my courage, before leaving for Cherbourg, I first needed to sort out the new rules for leaving the UK in a private sailing boat. A little internet searching brought me to the web page of Border Force and a form C1331 which has to be filled out and submitted before you leave. Having done this, I was free to go.

CHERBOURG BOUND

I was crossing with Steve, a fellow member of the Royal Lymington YC who had a few days free; I would pick up other friends by arrangement along the way. We sailed from Lymington to Studland, leaving at around 1700 to catch the ebb tide through the north passage and pick up an eco-buoy on arrival. These have been installed to prevent damage to the seagrass from anchoring and to preserve a habitat for seahorses. We spent a peaceful evening at anchor watching the sun set. Leaving for France from Studland has the advantage that the tides at the Hurst Narrows, the tidal gate that controls entry and exit from the Solent, don't matter and one can leave whenever is convenient.

We left the next morning at 0645, to take account, once clear of the bay, of the flow of the tide overall for our passage. I wanted to arrive east of Cherbourg to minimise the risk of being swept along towards Alderney. We motored for 40 miles as the wind was feeble, before it strengthened and allowed us to sail the last 20 miles on a broad reach. We arrived at 1845 in Cherbourg, in time for supper.