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Ep2 – Crossing to the UK

Thu 30/05 Dunkirk – Calais

Distance: 25 nautical miles

Sailing from Dunkirk to Calais, about 20 nautical miles, seems ideal. Long tacks are avoided by short-hopping southward with favorable current and wind, making for a swift journe

Calais Marina is accessible only three hours before and after high tide. We wait on mooring buoys in the outer harbor for the bridge to open. The marina and visitor pontoon aren’t busy and a friendly harbour master welcomes us.

Fri 31/05 – Sa 01/06 Calais

Like in Dunkirk, there are efforts to rejuvenate the area. At the corner of the beach and harbour entrance, a large skate park and outdoor fitness area for youth have been created. We watch, not participating 🙂

Staying a day, we explore Calais. The “Musée des Beaux Arts” is known for its Rodin works, including the famous “Les Bourgeois” statue in front of the town hall. We can’t resist visiting the Belfort tower next to the town hall.

The next day turns into a rest day due to high winds and cold weather.

Sun 02/06 Calais – Eastbourne

Distance: 65 nautical miles

The ideal departure time is 4 hours before high water on Sunday morning, meaning an overnight stay on the waiting buoys outside the marina. Leaving the outer harbor at 6:30 am ensures timely arrival in Eastbourne.

The weather forecast is favorable, but we encounter strong morning winds with gusts up to 30 knots. The initial part of the journey is downwind. Around “Cap Blanc Nez” and “Cap Griz Nez,” strong currents and wind gusts create large waves. Turadh handles it well, thriving in such conditions.
Near Boulogne sur Mer, the wind decreases, and we turn right to cross the VTS (the shipping lane for freighters) at a right angle, as strictly regulated. Once past the VTS, we turn left again, on a broad reach. The last 25 miles to Eastbourne are calm, and we arrive at 18:30 UTC+1. Border Control calls just before arrival for clearance.

Mon 03/06 Eastbourne

Monday means Spanish online class. After the “Spanish during lunch” course, we take the “Dotto” to Eastbourne town and the pier. Eastbourne, a town of faded Victorian glory, has a massive shopping mall in its center, used by us only for its sanitary facilities.

Tue 04/06 Eastbourne – Brighton

Distance: 32 nautical miles

Early departure at 6:45 am. Around Beachy Head, which is covered in the morning mist, there is almost no wind initially, but it picks up later, bringing us quickly to Brighton. The harbour master in this modern marina provides a quiet spot at the end of the jetty, allowing easy departure even at low water.

We experience Brighton’s Pier to be less sympathetic than the one in Eastbourne.

Wed 05/06 Brighton – Chichester

Distance: 42 nautical miles

Departure at 7:15 am. The weather has a pattern: calm northerly winds in the morning, shifting westward and increasing in strength later. By Selsey Bill, the wind is strong. We decide to go around the rock banks rather than inside, which turns out to be a wise decision.
Once past Selsey Bill, a single tack leads us to Chichester Bay, entering against the current. Chichester, a beautiful natural harbor with multiple arms and drying mudflats, allows us to finally anchor for the first time next to Pilsey Island.

Thu 06/06 – Fri 07/06 Chichester Bay

Thursday is a lazy day for reading and tinkering.
On Friday, we move to the visitor jetty in Itchenor. The visitor jetty has no direct shore access, so we inflate the dinghy for the first time. Itchenor, a small fishing village, had once been home to the renowned boat builder Discovery. The main street features the “Ship’s Inn,” a cozy pub with good food.

Sat 08/06 Chichester – Portsmouth

Distance: 8 nautical miles

The plan to sail to the small harbour of Bembridge at the eastern tip of the Isle of Wight falls through due to a lack of available berths, leading us to Portsmouth instead.

We take some time for showers and the laundry, leaving out a visit to the old town. This does leave time to take some nice pictures of the Spinnaker Tower.

Sun 09/06 Portsmouth – Beaulieu

Distance: 12 nautical miles

Portsmouth isn’t particularly scenic, but the Beaulieu River is. The river lies at the heart of the Newforest national park and is privately owned and recognized by the National Trust. It features numerous visitor buoys from its beginning to Bucklers Hard, albeit at a high price. Buckler’s Hard, a hamlet on the river’s banks with Georgian workers’ cottages stretching to the river, is part of the 9,000-acre Beaulieu Estate.

We inflate the SUP (stand-up paddleboard) for the first time, and everything goes well.

Mon 10/06 Beaulieu River

A lazy day is spent on the river. By midday, the weather clears, and we take the dinghy upriver to the village of Beaulieu. Oddly, there are no mooring facilities, necessitating a return to Bucklers Hard for a good shower at the marina and a snack at Bucklers Hard Pub.