After the fabulous (but windy!) 100th anniversary rally to Cherbourg last year there was enthusiasm at the annual meeting for more passage cruising/racing. The committee duly obliged with the first trip, to Cherbourg, scheduled for the weekend of 20th to 22nd June. Despite all good intentions to the contrary our organisation was a last minute affair but, the boat eventually filled with diesel and enough provisions to feed an army, we assembled aboard 'Nutcracker' on Thursday evening.
Steve was a veteran of last year’s mission, when we both earned our newbie Channel crossers' wings (a beer mat); Michelle was new to the proceedings – but an experienced sailor and keen to log miles towards an RYA qualification. Given the glorious weather I proposed to my crew we anchor off the beach and retire to bunks nice and early ready for a 6am start. Come midnight we were being bounced around by the only strong easterly wind of the weekend - I didn’t check the forecast. Admitting defeat we rafted up at the Cove pontoons instead.
Bleary eyed the next morning, but still enthusiastic, we made our 6am start. Only light wind meant motor sailing to start with but half way across the wind picked up from the east and we romped along under full sail logging 5.5 knots in glorious sunshine in an only slightly lumpy sea. Following last year’s heaving over the side extravaganza Steve and I were taking no chances and were fully dosed up on Stugeron – which worked a treat.
I had carefully worked out and plotted all the tidal vectors (following Simon Kershaw’s excellent tuition session last year) only to find, what with neap tides and our 12 hour passage estimate from the Shambles, that it all cancelled out and I might as well have steered the rhumb line! Still, all good practice. The newly installed wind vane self-steering (courtesy of our esteemed cruiser captain who had a spare one!) was like magic and was christened ‘Heath’ (after Robinson). We logged 69 nm in 14 hours to Cherbourg and arrived feeling fresh and chirpy ready for the festivities. The track on Navionics on my tablet (highly recommended) inscribed a beautiful S shape straight into the eastern entrance proving all the tidal plotting did actually work.
An action packed day followed with Steve and Michelle paying an early visit to the market, for yet more provisions, followed by the customary wine tasting at Normandy Wine emporium. 10 bottles tasted later I decided I rather liked the first one the best after all, and bought 2 cases - I must be learning from my wife.
Next on the agenda we chose the Chateau trip rather than the motor boat trip round the harbour fortifications – which also sounded pretty good. Boarding a local bus under guidance from Steve F we arrived, somewhat disconcertingly, at the terminus in a housing estate. But...round the corner was the most amazingly well-restored Chateau Ravalet replete with fabulous gardens and a salon de the – NB number 3 bus to Eglantine and well worth a visit on your next trip!
By now feeling pretty tired we only had the evening festivities to go, which turned out to be awesome. Apparently the whole of France celebrates solstice with music festivals and boy, had Cherbourg gone to town! The whole centre was thick with crowds, food stalls, and bands of all descriptions every few yards. Amazing. The most surreal thing was coming across a French punk band doing their stuff compete with head banging groupies with mohicans, ...next door to a folk singer! We dined on the traditional street fare (merguez sausages in a roll and beer) and retired to our bunks, late.
We had intended to return early on the Sunday but an enthusiastic Steve Dadd (you only live once) had persuaded us we really had to go to the barbeque put on by Cherbourg YC in our honour. So, after getting our various clearances from home (some a bit tricky..), our revised plan was a late afternoon return sailing overnight (my first) to arrive Weymouth early Monday morning. Not being quite clear on the arrangements we set off, we thought, late, but following a beautiful motorsail west in bright sunshine with a following tide, ended up the first boat to arrive at St Martin’s bay - closely followed by the whole YCC fleet – we counted about 30 boats! I had a strong feeling of hoping they didn’t follow me through the rocks and strong tide assuming I knew what I was doing..
St Martins Bay is a wonderful anchorage, just before Cap de la Hague, completely sheltered from the prevailing SW winds and well worth a visit. The French really do have it sorted, RIBs scuttled around conveying us all to the old harbour walls where the sausages were already on the go and the wine was flowing freely. And – as we were guests – no charge! What a friendly chatty crowd.
Finally, after coffee and cake, we dragged ourselves away. We had variable sea breezes to start with but it settled down to a lovely light easterly breeze, which Nutcracker just loves. Tweaking everything I managed to coax about 4 knots on a (more or less) flat calm sea in glorious bright afternoon sunshine – pretty near perfect sailing, so calm that we were able to dine on pepper steak on the cockpit table whilst on the move. We cleared the ships lining up for the TSS before nightfall (as per the plan!), established watches, and didn’t see another soul until Weymouth bay. Arriving 4am Monday after logging 62 nm from St Martin’s Bay in 13 hours – and then I caught the train back to Brussels (but that’s another story).
If all crossings were like that I would go as often as Steve! A really fabulous and memorable weekend cruising - many thanks to the club for organising it and to YCC for hosting us – roll on next year!
Dave Lees
Nutcracker
