Boulogne - 25/26 May 2006 (day 5/6)

Yacht Gothik

Boulogne-sur-Mer Marina

Nord-Pas-de-Calais

France

25 May 2006

Click here to see a map.

Logged distance: 54M

Chart distance: 40M

Time under way: 10h50m

Well - a most interesting day today. Not wanting to be holed up in Ramsgate it was an early rise and a quick shower at 0500. The intention was to catch the shipping forecast at 0536 but spent too long prettying ourselves for the day ahead and promptly missed the shipping forecast. It looked calm outside, it felt calm. Eventually obtained a forecast; the forecast was 5 to 7 possibly gale 8 later. Not brilliant but we could at least make a dash to Dover. It seemed many others in the marina had a similar idea. Suddenly boats were sprouting people and people were shouting orders to cast off. The tide was favourable (just) for a quick run down the coast.

The Admiralty chart I had intended to use for the Goodwin Sands area (off the SE coast near Dover) did not show any buoys or soundings. I had other information on the boat to enable us to find a safe line through this area of shifting sands but after yesterdays episode with touching bottom it made me feel pretty amateur - which of course I am. The winds were light and the seas were getting lumpy with a good swell of around 2 to 3m. Despite this and the ominous clouds to the west the going was reasonable and Dover seemed well within our grasp. It seemed too easy in fact. So easy that I extended the passage plan for Boulogne, obtained an up-to-date weather forecast from Dover coastguard, reported our intentions to them and then set a course to cross the shipping lanes.

The shipping lanes were fine. They were a lot less busy than I was expecting - can't complain at this. Only a couple of near misses. It was a pleasure to be in water 40 plus metres in depth for a change. One gets so used to the east coast with deep water being around 5 or 10 metres. The sea colour was a bluey greyey greeney kind of colour but the lumpyness was more than enough to knock the air out of our sails in the light wind. Where was this force 5 to 7? Engine on, headsail dropped and 2 hours later we were on the French side of the Straits of Dover. It now felt like we were going somewhere, on a journey, something other than just a weekend sail.

We passed the headlands of Cap Blanc Nez and Cap Gris Nez and the weather conditions began to stiffen. This was a good thing to a certain degree as it was nice to finally switch the engine off and start sailing. The French courtesy flag came out, so did George (the autopilot). He managed magnificently. With a little more wind and a large swell on the starboard quarter it was not the easiest of helming for poor old George.

Shortly after passing Cap Gris Nez the clouds descended and suddenly the lee shore disappeared from view. Visibility would waiver from 50 to 500 metres. I'm not experienced with fog and found relying on GPS and dead reckoning a little unnerving. I was quite conscious of the fact that we were right on the edge of the ferry channel. We had already encountered a high speed catamaran ferry and didn't feel like being run down by one.

Eventually the Boulogne harbour breakwater loomed out of the mist and we called the port authority for permission to enter the harbour. Permission was refused! A ferry was about to depart. We had to hang around just outside the harbour entrance in a tide and a swell while the fog would momentarily obscure everything.

When the ferry did eventually come out of the harbour it gave us a blast of its enormous foghorn - I thought I'd return the gesture although I seriously doubt it would have stopped him had we been in his way! Port control gave us permission to enter and enter we did. Once inside we could not see anything at all and so proceeded along a compass bearing. The swell had dropped so there was no longer a sense of urgency. A boat appeared ahead in the gloom and was coming straight for us, followed by another and another and another... It was the Boulogne fishing fleet! Like us they must have been waiting for the ferry to depart. Their course confirmed the bearing line of our approach and eventually we were able to locate the inner harbour.

26 May 2006

Heavy rain and unfavourable winds again. This has to be the worst late May weather I can ever recall.