Blog 02: 17-24 June – Across the Channel – at last!
So at last we’re off! The weather on Saturday was lovely and sunny and the forecast good. Not much wind for sailing, but perfect for a pleasant and easy Channel crossing under engine. As we leave, Poole Quay looks very attractive with a brilliant blue sky and sunshine … The sea is pretty calm as we go past Old Harry and his wife – what a contrast to when we arrived in Poole! In fact the English Channel was like a millpond – how often, I wonder, is it as calm and blue as this? We headed for the Channel Islands and anchored off Sark for the night. The Channel Islands are notorious for strong tides and you have to time it right to make sure the tide is with you, not against you. Going through the Alderney Race, the tide got up to nearly 5 knots – the boat is doing 7.8 knots, but our overall speed is 12.5 knots with the tide. It’s not often we do that sort of speed – but here’s the proof!! It was calm enough to ...