Saturday 26 August 2017

Back in Blighty!!

As predicted in the previous post, we did very little at Boulogne-Sur-Mer other than visit the local Carrefour Market a couple of times and read our books.

Boulogne harbour. It's not the prettiest place!

I did, however, take a few photos to illustrate tides for our Baltic readers! Boulogne-Sur-Mer had an 8.1m range on the day the photos were taken: 

High water. Note "B" post on corner of pontoon...

... There it is again. At low water

Exit ramp at high water...

... and at low water

Exit ramp once more at high water. Pretty much horizontal...

... and at low water. It was steeper than it looks. Almost like climbing a ladder!

The Liane river flows into the sea via a lock in Boulogne-Sur-Mer harbour. Every now and again the sluices are opened to keep the level of the river within prescribed limits. This is something to look for when berthing in Boulogne-Sur-Mer as the marina is just downstream from the sluices and the water really rattles through. I think someone must have thrown some soap suds in when the sluices were opened during our visit!

Boats taking a bath. Does anyone else remember Matey? Such fun!

Eastbourne is just under 55 miles from Boulogne-Sur-Mer, so it's an easy day sail. However, we're now back in the land of tides which, like time "wait for no man". As a consequence we had to leave at 0500 French summer time, 0400 British summer time, to make the best progress.

It was very dark at 0330 BST when the alarm went off but, undaunted, we slipped out of the marina just before 0400 and were on our way.

For some time now we seem to have had strong winds against us or very little wind at all. This trip fell into the latter category so once again we ended up motor sailing the whole way...

Sunrise over the English Channel

Huge waves, huh?

That's England! 

Hastings, I think

Just before we reached Eastbourne we passed something of a milestone. When we set off on 1st April our log (the ships odometer) read 1690. As can be seen in the photo below, it has now passed 4690! For the mathematically challenged, that means we've covered 3000 nautical miles (3450 land miles) in 147 days, an average of 20.4 nautical miles per day.

Now 20 miles per day might not sound much, but bear in mind that we plan our trips on the basis of a speed of 5 knots (nautical miles per hour). That means that we've averaged just over 4 hours sailing every day for nearly 5 months! No wonder we feel like we need a rest!

3000 miles completed since April! Woo hoo!!

Our return trip to England was otherwise uneventful and we were actually hot whilst sailing for the first time in a long while. Shorts and T shirt for me. Jo even dispensed with her thermals!

The entry to Sovereign harbour, Eastbourne. It's not really at an angle.

The lock into Sovereign Harbour

Inside Sovereign Harbour. Perhaps it is at an angle! Is that Jo in the middle?

'Nuff said!

We have a forecast of pretty much zero wind for Sunday and Monday, after which the breeze will set in from the west (i.e. against us). We've therefore booked a berth for Cyclone at Chichester Marina from Monday 28th August. On Thursday 7th September we'll take her around to Thornham marina where she'll be lifted ashore for the winter and a well earned rest.

And yes, Cyclone is a "she" and not an "it". Boats have characters and Cyclone's a good 'un. She's been reliable and kept us safe for thousands of miles over the years. She's earned our affection.

Well that's our penultimate post for this year (was that a chorus of "thank goodness"?!).

Thanks for reading.

1 comment:

T C & A said...

Hi R & J.
I read of a round the world motorcyclist who didnt want his journey to end. When he reached the hill overlooking his house he camped for the night rather than go home. Is that how you feel?
You just had to have one last pop at Jo didnt you? I think I'll start a Jo support group to help her cope.
Im glad you are appreciative of your boat. Thats how I felt about my old car so I can empathise.
Anyway, welcome back and thanks for bringing the good weather.
T C & A