Crossing the Southern North Sea & Sailing the Thames Estuary Single-Handed
I first crossed the Southern North Sea in 2006.
Southern North Sea Crossing. Suffolk UK to Oostende Belgium
Since then I must have crossed to the Continent in excess of 30 times. A Southern North Sea Gale is something to remember. So too was sailing inbound to Harwich from Oostende with ice on the deck in December 2010.
A Thames Estuary Crossing. Ramsgate to the River Orwell
Like a hand … the sandbanks extend out to sea from the mouth of the Thames Estuary
A sail from Ramsgate, UK to Oostende
The busy Dover Straits. A passage from Dunkerque, France to Ramsgate
A Southern North Sea Crossing. The island of Vlieland, Holland to Lowestoft, UK
June 2012 Cannes, France to Argentario, Italy as Crew
The famous Mistral blew hard on this delivery trip. Wind, off our starboard quarter, blew a consistent 25 – 35 knots over the deck. Some of the seas were pretty spectacular. ‘Argyll’ is a classic 58′ S&S Marconi Yawl built in 1948. We were four on board.
Alexis Bordesoulle, full time professional skipper of ‘Argyll’ at the helm. We did half hour shifts at the wheel on our watches.
The Skippers iPhone with the weather
In the lea of Corsica things were much easier.
June 2015 Plymouth, UK to Crouesty, France as Crew
A delivery of a Nicholson 35 with the hugely experienced Ocean YM and examiner Graham Bush. Just the two of us. Winds were predicted to be NE 4-5’s. The winds were significantly stronger.
Graham briefly at the helm. The skipper navigated the Chenal du Four while I steered. The following seas were too much for the self steering.
Despite then being in the lea of the land the seas were still big and the wind very strong.
Graham wrote on the 14th June 2015:-
“We had 41 kts of wind across the deck and we were going downwind in 4 metre cresting waves”
June, July and August 2016 Single-Handed
A sail to Scotland, Orkney, Fair Isle, Shetland, Norway, Denmark, Germany, Holland … and Home
Landfall Norway 2016. Entering the Korsf Jorden and the gateway to Bergen
Hidra Island, Southern Norway 2016
Orford SC Pontoon at the end of that voyage.
April 2017 Ipswich to Palma, Mallorca as Crew
A professional delivery crew of 4 taking a brand new Oyster 625 to her new owner
With stops in Cascais and Lagos
Biscay
June, July and August 2017 Single-Handed
Scotland, Orkney, Fair Isle, Shetland, Norway, Scotland & Home
60 degrees north & a memorable passage from Lerwick to Bergen
Entering the Korsf Jorden in heavier weather than 2016 …
… & enjoying Bergen
June and July 2018 4,000 Nautical Miles in Two Months Single-Handed
4,000 Nautical Miles in Two Months
Portuguese Trades on passage NW Spain to Madeira
Porto Santo, Madeira
Sunset in the Atlantic 2018
31st August 2018 returning to the the River Ore & my home port of Orford
March 2019 An Atlantic Crossing with Kris & David on their Kaufman 49 SV ‘Taipan’ as Crew
Our track from Lanzarote to Gran Canaria & then to Martinique, St Lucia, Bequia & Granada
Leaving Lanzarote Me, Kris, David & James Robinson
The Atlantic Ocean
Martinique … Safe Arrivals