Comments on: Vlissingen, Holland to Cherbourg, France

By: Jack

Jack — Mon, 15 Oct 2007 06:17:45 +0000

Hoi Nick,

great to read of your progress and to have the ability to track you. I’d suggest “little buddy”, as an apt name for the auto-pilot. It’s what the Skipper says in Gilligans Island.

Look after yourself.

Jack

By: miles

miles — Sun, 14 Oct 2007 20:03:46 +0000

nick,

these are great updates. I hope the rest of the trip goes well for you.

if you need to come to boston ever, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have contacted you on cs.

I will keep reading your posts and keep up on your journey closely.

good on ye,
miles

By: cindy and andy blair

cindy and andy blair — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 22:13:44 +0000

Thanks for the link in the CS sailing group. We’ll be following your journey closely.

Safe travels.

By: Lombers

Lombers — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 21:37:57 +0000

Keep up the good work Nick, this is going to make a great novel when you are finished

Hope your spanish is better than your french Make sure you have a churros or two for me if you can find them (spanish equivalent of a donut).

By: David W

David W — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 19:44:59 +0000

Nick, great work so far, glad it’s going so well for you. As you say, Constellation is a slow boat so any impact you did have with something substantial like a container (which is very unlikely) will do no probable harm – those Co26′s are built strongly. The thing to watch out for across Biscay though is discarded fishing nets – hard to see but often bright orange or yellow nylon. They won’t do you harm but will slow you down and will need cutting away if tangled round the keel or prop. The other major hazard in Biscay and right down the Portuguese coast is unlit fishing vessels – I’ve heard stories of people sailing merrily along in the darkness, suddenly spotting a boat ahead then seeing the rest of the fleet switch their lights on around them. They fish with nets strung between, so you have to go right round the outermost one. The VHF will be full of their noisy chatter too!
Best sailing
David

By: Roger

Roger — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:15:34 +0000

Dude,

Now is that the long distance begins!

Don’t get paranoid, I done 1600 nm up and down the channel (mostly at night) and yet to see any dangerous debris, there is too much traffic who spot and pick up the dangerous bits, however on the south side of the channel (the part well WSW after Casquets and the channel islands), keeping 30 nm offshore there is hardly any traffic, is actually the most lonely bit of sailing that I have ever done.

Next leg I would suggest to go down to Camaret (as opposed as to Brest), nicer, closer (even that the nautical almanac says other wise), getting to Brest is Annoying, in particular since the wind funnels through the channel and on the way out (westerly’s) you will be knackered after tacking for 6 hrs before getting out into open water.

When I do it again, I would leave La’Aver Wrack with the fair tide, motor all the way to the end of the channel du four and if weather allows it, strait out to sea…………

Fair winds!

Roger

By: Nick

Nick — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:33:37 +0000

Thanks Tudor! Here is a poor video of what I took a photo of:

By: Tudor

Tudor — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 14:06:02 +0000

Well done Nick! It looks like there may be a window soon to do Biscay. All the best if you go for it.

I think what you saw was a tidal stream information buoy. Seen the same on the East Coast.