We decided to test the two boats travelling in convoy, and on Monday 25th July the ConTTentment crew of Anthony, Georgi and daughter Adelaide, aged 14, set off from Southampton Dry Stack to Weymouth to rendez-vous with "Teal" and her crew of Simon James and his son Paddy, aged 12. Stopping in at Lulworth Cove and taking a break from the wind which had been head on all the way, who should we encounter but "Teal" who had come on from Weymouth to meet us, having left from Plymouth earlier that day. It was the first time that both boats had met, so there was a lot of comparing and "boat talk" before we all set off to Portland Harbour to refuel in preparation for the next day's crossing to Alderney. Here we encountered a small glitch, the fuel barge having been moved and not yet recommissioned in its new position, we had to go alongside and carry fuel down to the boats in jerry cans. What should have been a 10 minute stop ended up taking best part of 45 minutes, but gave us a taste of what we will encounter on Around Great Britain when fuel is not readily available.
It was then a short trip into Weymouth Marina, where we were berthing overnight, and we planned to be away by 8.30am for our first cross channel journey.
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| Departing Weymouth under the lifting bridge |
After a quick lesson from Simon on how to save routes planned on the laptop to the Garmin card the night before, Georgi was delighted to see her routes appear on the Garmin screen in the morning, and both boats set out for Alderney on time. A light north-westerly was forecast and the going was good, if a little choppy at times. The skies were clearing all the time and by the time we entered Braye Harbour the sun was breaking through. Braye Harbour was well protected with an outer and inner harbour.
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| Braye Harbour in the late afternoon sun |
The only moorings available were in the fairly exposed part of the outer harbour, but as the forecast remained good this wouldn't be a problem. Having checked in at the Customs office and found our hotel, we explored the island, and ended up on Saye Beach, where Si and Paddy joined us on "Teal" for a swim. A fine sand beach and crystal clear waters in a little bay protected by a rocks made Saye a very special spot. We all boarded "Teal" for a little more exploring other bays nearby, very respectful of the notorious reputation of the Alderney coastline which was obvious with many protruding rocks. The weather continued to brighten and we were treated to a glorious evening with the sun setting over the very pretty harbour.
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| Adelaide at the wheel of ConTTentment |
The next morning conditions were flat calm if a little murky for our departure just after breakfast. We had decided to travel in convoy to a mid-channel waypoint, before parting for our respective home ports of Southampton and Plymouth.
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| Simon and Paddy on board "Teal" making good progress in ideal conditions |
The water was uncannily calm, which made keeping on course much easier without the constant correction required in rougher seas. On board ConTTentment we all took 1/2 hour turns at the wheel, and made good progress, averaging 25 kts most of the way.
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The TT Tents crew at Cowes
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We called into Cowes on the way home for a sandwich lunch, and to check on progress of the TT Tents crew building tents on the island for Cowes Week, and then cruised up the Solent and home.
VERDICT:
Alderney:
The island was the perfect destination to use as a test run. It was wonderful to see land appearing in the distance after two hours of only sea and sky, and the harbour with the castles above it was charming. Saye was an unexpected bonus - a delightful bay, and I am sure there are many more gems on the island if only we had more time. The town of St Anne's was sweet with its cobbled streets. We would love to return to the Channel Islands for a longer stay.
Crew:
Great having the junior crew members on board who were a great asset with the driving. Our getaway times were much improved, helped enormously by having the navigation saved to the Garmin card the night before. We are becoming much more accustomed to stowing our kit and getting on and off the boat more efficiently.
Navigation:
The combination of laptop, Homeport and Garmin works really well. Whilst pleased to have tackled a cross channel crossing, staying close in to land will be the preferred option on the Around Great Britain trip as endless sea and sky can become quite monotonous!
Boats:
Both boats are running fantastically well and worked well together. It was decided 25 kts or thereabouts was the preferred maximum cruising speed which could be maintained very comfortably by both boats keeping the rpm below 4,000.
I like the pictures!
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