Introduction
This is partly an overview page with links to more detailed advice either to relevant blog posts or pages (which may also listed under "Tips").
First published 29 Jan 21, Major updates November / December 2021 and a few more late 2022.
Charts and Guides). She did most of the trip two handed with some legs more fully crewed so I will expand a little to cover single handed / smaller boat issues, and add a few thoughts based on my 2020 clockwise and 2021 anticlockwise circumnavigations.My preferred time to start is early in the season, typically April or May 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. Although I skipped many stops because the weather was just too miserable to make it worth while, 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):
- Single handed specific issues to consider:
- Use of canals.
- General tips.
- Berthing on high & rough walls.
- Fuel, Gas, Water & Porterage.
- Which way round?
- Pre planning.
- Passage Planning
- Dover Straits - The Solent (to follow).
- The Solent - Land's End (Link).
- Which side through the Irish Sea & North Channel? (Link)
- Navigating the Pentland Firth (link)
- Passage making along the East Coast (link).
- Anchorages and marinas for a Round GB trip (links), being updated as more found.
- The Solent to Lands End.
- Lands End to Browns Bay NI.
- Browns Bay to Loch Ewe.
- Loch Ewe to Orkney and on to The Solent.
- Charts and Guides (link)
- Anchors, drogues and emergency steering (Link).
- Anchorages and Passages of Note. (wip)
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 so you would be relying on the good will of others to take your lines and to operate the locks. 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 "private pilot" is mandatory through the Crinan canal if:
- you are shorthanded with crew (fewer than three aboard)
- you are in a rush to transit
- you have never transited the canal before.
[Note: 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 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.
A single long plank with ropes attached will serve as a fender board, 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, plan well ahead, I outline 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 will be little to do for a planned trip to 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.
![]() |
Part of a route planned from Wick in SeaPro, this one to the Long Hope anchorage. Red = tide race / over falls / Roost. |
![]() |
And out through the sound of Hoy and on. |
When dates are known or can reasonably be estimated I fill in the blanks or update from the navigation software.
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 |
|
|
No comments:
Post a Comment