Introduction
This is partly an overview page with links to more detailed advice either to relevant blog posts or pages.
First published January 2021, Major updates November / December 2021 and a few more late 2022 & 2023.
Anchorages and Marinas visited as at July 2024 |
My preferred time to start is early in the season, typically April hoping for the best weather but because of covid-19 my 2020 trip started in July. With poor weather and restricted time it was rather rushed with "only" 32 days at sea. I skipped many planned stops because the weather was just too miserable to make it worth while, otherwise the legs sailed were surprisingly close to those planned except that I went up the east coast of Ireland rather than the west coast of England and Wales.
Planning for 2021 was undertaken in January and February due to general uncertainly about the 2021 season and in particular the Jester Baltimore Challenge. (See my post "Time to revise plans for 2021?")
Contents (Below if not a link), note that "Pages" do not show up in the list of labels:
- Single handed specific issues to consider:
- Use of canals.
- General tips.
- Berthing on high & rough walls.
- Fuel, Gas, Water & Porterage.
- Which way round? (Page)
- Pre planning.
- Stores and tools for extended cruising (page).
- Passage Planning
- Dover Straits - The Solent (to follow).
- The Solent - Land's End (Page).
- Land’s End to the North Channel and which side? (Page)
- Navigating the Pentland Firth (Page)
- Passage making along the East Coast (Page).
- Anchorages, marinas and harbours (Pages):
- The Solent.
- The Needles to Plymouth.
- Rame Head to Lands End.
- Lands End north to Anglesey
- The Isles of Scilly and SE Ireland from Baltimore to Carnsore Point
- The East Coast of Ireland from Carnsore Pt to Red Bay.
- Mull of Galloway to Ardnamurchan Point.
- Ardnamurchan Point to Loch Ewe.
- The Western Isles.
- Loch Ewe to Orkney.
- Duncansby Head to The Solent.
- Charts and Guides (Page)
- US MSI Sailing Directions, list of lights etc (includes UK) free to view or download (External link),
- Anchors, drogues and emergency steering (Page).
- Some thoughts on (diesel) fuel management. (Page).
- Anchorages and Passages of Note. (wip Page)
Single Handed Specific Issues
Canals
Many prefer to shorten their trip and to avoid Cape Wrath and the Pentland Firth by using the Caledonian Canal, others use the Crinan to avoid the Mull of Kintyre. Although not recommended by someone I know who has done it, the Caledonian can be done single handed but the Crinan can not as most of the locks are unmanned. For the relatively short route help is available to hire at sensible money. See my post on my passage through in 2021.
Update: As of January 2023: Use of a "pilot" was mandatory through the Crinan canal if you are shorthanded with fewer than three aboard and recommended if:
- you are in a rush to transit
- you have never transited the canal before.
Due to Covid single handed passages through the Caledonian Canal were banned in 2021, I understand that has changed but check with the authorities.
Certainly when I went through the Crinan, some of the walls were very rough (e.g. parts of Lock 14) so take a fender board (see below). You will also need a couple of long mooring lines (20 - 25 metres) - one of them will need to run from the top of the lock wall to the bow and back to a cockpit winch. Detailed guidance can be downloaded from the Scottish Canals web site.
General tips
Berthing on high & rough walls.
Many small harbours only have berthing available against rather high and rough walls, at low tide, assuming there is sufficient water, getting alongside and lines ashore singlehanded can be problematic. If planning to use these harbours (or a canal) take a fender board and be prepared for some gymnastics on arrival.
On a very rough wall fenders can disappear into cracks and bulges can hit the hull, the answer is a fender board between the wall and the fenders. A single long plank with ropes attached is the normal approach, but on a small boat it is difficult to store and will usually end up on the lifelines where it gets in the way and will be bashed by the sea. I made one in two shorter sections joined by rope top and bottom so that it can be folded, it also conforms better to the curved side of an Achilles.
Fuel, Gas, Water & Porterage.
Gas
Water
Diesel:
Pre-planning
On long trips in unfamiliar areas, plan well ahead, I outlined the trip in Excel, being retired I have plenty of time during the winter (and during Covid-19 lock downs 😒) so I planned all of the route legs and many options on the computer, generating waypoints and routes to transfer to the plotter as and when required. This helps identify potential issues, best routes, timings, start dates etc. I run the route at least twice once at springs and once at neaps and usually at several different speeds to get a feel for the issues. For my first trip round and with the extended Covid shut down, I produced two complete plans, one starting at springs one at neaps. I did not bother doing that the 2nd time around (except for going through the Pentland Firth). My SeaPro software will also, in one run, give approximate route timings for the selected start time and the following 12 hours which helps:
The route from St Margret's Bay (Just S of Rosslare) to Arklow. |
As well as being useful this level of planning is also a diverting and quite pleasurable exercise.
The plan will almost certainly change but forms a good basis and with some spare days built in you might catch up with the schedule. Having gone round twice there was little to do for my trip towards St Kilda in 2022.
I'll have the pilot to hand and will usually read the appropriate section several times before starting a leg but I put key points in the comments section of my excel summary for quick reference whilst sailing, this allows for quick re-planning and to have basic information to hand and organised if on route I decide to combine two legs or take an alternate - perhaps due to bad weather when getting the information together could be challenging. These examples are far more detailed than most - a tribute to some dangerous waters requiring accurate timing and pilotage.
Into Scapa Flow from the South East. I include a note of the route file(s) needed to be moved to the plotter (a simple job) from the iPad on which they are stored ready - the plotter will "only" handle 100 routes and a good number are used for my "normal" trips along the south coast. |
Part of a route planned from Wick in SeaPro, this one to the Long Hope anchorage. Red = tide race / over falls / Roost. In the event I went direct from Peterhead to Hunda Sound in the SE corner of the Flow. |
And out through the sound of Hoy and on. |
Outline of my plan for the 2021 Trip
From |
To |
NM |
Hamble |
Downs (2 days) |
122 |
Downs |
Lowestoft (or somewhere short) |
78 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Lowestoft |
Filey (or Bridlington, Scarborough or other) |
132 |
Filey |
Blyth (or anchor short or long?) |
72 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Blyth |
Lindisfarne |
38 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Lindisfarne |
St Andrews (or close to) |
57 |
St Andrews |
Peterhead |
76 |
2 days stopping off somewhere. |
||
Rest Day |
|
|
Spare day |
|
|
Peterhead |
Wick / Sinclair's Bay |
72 |
Direct? |
||
Spare day |
|
|
Wick (Sinclair's Bay) |
Stromness |
34 |
Rest Day |
Consider a week extra to go to Fair Isle and The Hebrides |
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Rest Day |
Or IF light wind / calm seas V early start to go
round to Bray of Skaill / Scarabray for the night. |
|
Stromness |
Eriboll |
49 |
Eriboll |
Loch Ned |
55 |
Loch Ned |
Stornoway |
42 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Stornaway |
Scalpay |
27 |
Scalpay |
Ensay (Sound of Harris) |
|
Ensay |
St Kilda (have to be lucky with the weather for this!) |
54 |
Rest day |
||
St Kilda |
Loch Boisdale via the sound of Barra or various anchorages around the
sound of Barra. |
76 |
Alternate: |
|
|
Scalpay |
Loch Maddy |
24 |
Loch
Maddy |
Loch Boisdale |
31 |
Rest Day |
|
|
End alternate |
|
|
Loch Boisdale |
Canna |
30 |
Canna |
Tobermory |
34 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Tobermory |
Ardalanish via Iona |
40 |
Cruise the area |
End in time to get to Pwllheli for the start of the JBC assuming its on. |
|
??? |
Port Ellen |
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Port Ellen |
Browns Bay |
50 |
Browns Bay |
Ardglass |
53 |
Rest Day |
|
|
Rest Day |
|
|
Ardglass |
Dundalk Bay or Carlingford. |
31 |
Dundalk |
Dublin |
44 |
Dublin |
Wiklow |
27 |
Wiklow |
Pwllheli |
70 |
Rest days |
|
|
Jester Baltimore |
|
|
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