ALL THE WINNERS REVEALED THE BRITISH YACHTING AWARDS 2024
SWAN OF A KIND?
ENDEAVOUR TROPHY
ClubSwan 43 on test
● Electric propulsion
How to win the ultimate Corinthian challenge
TIME AND TIDE Passage planning in the Channel Islands
● Upcycling used boats
● Eco-friendly chartering
ANOTHER GREEN WORLD
FJORD FIESTA
In search of solitude in Norway
50 Shades of Grey
As we move into the winter months the mood inevitably changes. Yet for all that winter can be gloomy it also dishes up moments of exquisite beauty - particularly out at sea where the contrast of light and dark is always a joy to behold
Photo: Maxi Yacht Rolex Swan Cup/Carlo Borlenghi
FAST ESCAPE
Clive Loughlin and friends Keith and Jess put a passage plan to the test
BOTTOM LEFT
Channel Islands route
In a previous article ‘Channel Island Tidal Tactics’ (ST May 2024) I worked through a possible passage plan for a sailing boat leaving Swanage on 20 July and heading off for an adventurous holiday in the Channel Islands. For this article I set off with my friend Keith and his daughter Jess, in a Sigma 362 Fast Escape, to find out how the passage plan would work in practice. We aimed to stick to the plan as much as possible, but were prepared to deviate if better ideas presented themselves.
This is a story about what worked and what didn’t, improvements made, and lessons learned for next time.
All times are in BST, and tides are referenced to Dover.
Swanage to Braye
A key part of the original passage plan was to start on a mooring buoy in Swanage. Partly because this gives one of the shortest crossings on offer at ‘just’ 54nm, and also because setting off from a mooring buoy is so much quicker and easier than from a marina pontoon.
Fast Escape is berthed in Ocean Village Marina in Southampton, and our plan was to get to the boat early in the day on Friday 19 July, and catch the first of the ebb tide to speed our passage west, with a brief stop in Yarmouth to top up with fuel.
Swanage is a delightful town with a restored Victorian pier and a water taxi/harbourmaster on duty to advise us which buoy to pick up (Swanage Sailing Club) and a phone number to call for payment details.
The passage plan called for an early morning departure from Swanage, to hopefully ensure arrival at local slack-water Braye.
At this time the tide in the Channel had just started to flood and we headed due south with an expected passage time of 10 hours.
We were just about to enter the west-going shipping lane when we had my best-ever sighting of a pod of 20-30 dolphins, some of which were huge. They showed little interest in us, and were soon out of sight and heading for Dover.
An intrinsic part of the passage plan was to deliberately head a few miles east of Alderney and use the then west-going tidal stream to carry us towards Braye Harbour. The alternative of aiming directly for Braye would
MAIN PIC
La Coupée joins Sark to Little Sark – the railings are a relatively recent addition!
RIGHT Moon rising over Swanage Pier
BOTTOM RIGHT Dolphins play in our bow wave as we pass Les Dirouilles.
SAILING’S
THE BRITISH YACHTING AWARDS
2024
You voted in your thousands for the best boats, sailors and kit of the past year. Here are the winners of the British Yachting Awards
Presented by with
The British Yachting Awards is an annual celebration of all things sailing; from the finest bits of kit, to the most extraordinary feats of endurance or skill out on the water. The shortlists for each category were published in our November 2024 issue and nominations included some of the
biggest brands and most famous names in sailing, as well as burgeoning marine companies, along with seasoned pro sailors, amateur yachtsmen and young tyros. What makes the awards so unique is that the winner in each category is decided exclusively by you, the reader – no outside
influences or ‘expert’ panels, it’s all down to you. As ever, there was a healthy turnout, with over 17,000 casting a vote. We therefore thank you all for participating and for making a difference – categories can be decided by a handful of votes, so your vote truly counted!
FINEST
FJORD FOCUS
The Norwegian Fjords are high on many a sailor’s ‘bucket list’ trips but remain sufficiently distant to retain the magic of isolation as Leo Kenny narrates
Photos: Per Wahlberg
