How to Cross the English Channel

Making an English Channel cross is on my short list of things I want to have done in my sailing years.



The main considerations are weather, currents and shipping.

The trick is to cross at either the Isle of Wight or Dover, where you have 2 advantages.

One, the distances are the shortest, making it possible to make the cross in the daylight.

Second at those two places there are shipping separation zones, where there the ships are constrained to defined narrow lanes, causing them to go through single file (in a straight line). Crossing at a right angle (required) allows you to slip between two ships, enter a safe zone in the middle and then repeat the maneuver on the next lane.

While you will cross a ship's bow it will only occur twice (once in each lane) and you know the ship will not turn.

Once through you only encounter ships that are en route to local ports.

The last advantage is that the trip takes about 12 hours, which means that you don't have to take into consideration the tidal current change...just point at a compass heading and let the ebb take you one way and flow the other.

To sum up, start at the right place, start at the crack of dawn cross at a right angle, it's a tough cross even then but you've made it as easy as possible.