Being in Eastbourne we have not had too many distractions from the long list of boat jobs we wanted to get done before heading to the Baltic. Here are some of the jobs we got done.
We secured some storage boxes in the cavernous unused spaces under the floor.
Installed an retractable clothes line in the tech room.
Modified the bimini cover so it can be put away without detaching the front frame which simplifies set up and put away.
After
Organised the sail locker with some boat hook holders, shelves for paddle boards, storage boxes, and electric outboard mount point.
Installed a gas strut under the bed so we can get to the storage without holding up 753kg with one hand whilst accessing storage with the other.
Crocheted an orchid hanger (first indoor plant…its a slippery slope)
Installed an offshore safe fruit bowl
Improved the bike storage (yes it was worse before)
Found a good spot for Bernie’s folded carriage
Fixed some issues and learnt lots about our distributed power system. You CAN read the stories here.
There are always more boat jobs to be done, but for now this represents for us a good start and it means we can head off. Its sometimes hard to break the inertia, especially when boat jobs are always there, but we are committed to continuing our journey. The last big job is to haul out and hose off the bottom of the boat from a winter of sitting still (its looking pretty green), plus check our anodes, however the Sovereign Harbour boat lift is fully booked for months, so we have to find another port in which to do this – so off we will go!
We expect many owners first experience of distributed CAN based electrical systems will be when they pick up their Garcia. In our last boat, a wire ran from the switch panel to the light/fan/etc and back. In the Garcia power goes to distribution ‘blocs’ to which the light/fan/etc is connected, and the power is turned on/off by a message over the CAN network. After about hull 24 the Scheiber CAN based power distribution was used not just for lights, but for almost all power distribution.
There is lots of discussion about whether this more complex system is ideal for an exploration style boat, but for us the important thing is been learning the skills to fix the system when it fails (its on a boat). We are no experts, but we thought we would collect together some stories and learnings that might help other owners.
Here are a few things that were not immediately obvious to us:
Most of the lights and fans are on lighting blocs. Your light switches talk wirelessly to these lighting blocs and you can have fun reconfiguring them to switch on the things you expect them to switch on.
The navigation lights are on a lighting bloc. If the bloc fails, your nav lights fail. You need to have a plan. Ours did fail when we were in port and we wrote about it here.
Bloc 9s are used for most of the power distribution. These have some configuration options that can have unforeseen and expensive consequences. You can read about one such experience here.
One of the options you can configure on a Bloc 9 is to automatically power on when the system restarts. This might be set for a Fridge/Freezer so that they come on after a power outage. Perhaps somewhat less obvious is when you leave the boat for a few weeks, turn off the fridge on the Navicolor, and leave it propped open. If there is a power out event whilst your are away, the fridge will restart and run flat out as it is open, and therefore using the same amount of power as a small town.
Here’s some things we would have told ourselves to do when we picked up the boat, based on our current 6 months of experience:
Get the Scheiber English documentation. There is not much, but its worth having.
Make sure you have the Schieber schematics from Garcia. These will tell you which bloc runs the ‘chart table light’ and where that bloc is physically located.
To do any configuration on the Navicolor you will need a 4 digit code. Get this before you leave.
Reconfigure a light switch. This will practice using the schematics to find a bloc. Also we like that the switches now make sense to us!
Check the options on the Navicolor for the autopilot. Try to bypass the CAN switching using the fuse on the Bloc 9 for the autopilot. If the Navicolor fails you might need to do this.
Write down a plan for navigation light failure and Navicolor display failure
After we returned from our canal boat trip we noticed some lights in the boat were not working.
In this brave new CAN bus world we need first to find the Scheiber lighting bloc:
Look at the Scheiber schematics and work out which lighting bloc is responsible for the failed lights
Look up the location of the the lighting bloc in Scheiber schematics boat layout page
The lighting bloc for the failed lights was behind the chart table and a quick inspection showed it was flashing red, but not green which indicate the bloc number in the network. When we looked at the Navicolor display the bloc was missing from the display.
Blocs 2 & 3 are disappointingly absent.
We noticed that a second bloc was missing from the Navicolor display. Reviewing the schematics we discovered the second failed bloc managed our navigation lights. The icons to turn on the navigation lights had also disappeared from the Navicolor display. This bloc was also flashing red with no green lights.
Two failed Blocs together in the chart table. Co-incidence? Both have power an no visible damage to the boards.
Garcia asked us to check the power and to bypass each failed Bloc in turn on the CAN bus. As the voltage was good and neither Bloc came alive when the other was bypassed, Garcia determined that the blocs had failed and needed to be replaced. Garcia noted that they had been using the blocs for 7 years and 98% never failed.
We got 2 new replacement blocs and transferred the wires from the old blocs to the new bloc. One of the wires tells the bloc what number it is in the network, but the configuration, and light switches need to be configured. We understand the configuration can be recovered from the last backup, but we chose to do it manually. The Scheiber schematics show the function of each slot and the relevant icon can be configured on the Navicolor screen.
Light switches can be assigned to functions on the lighing bloc by (surprisingly you can find English documentation on this on the Schieber web site):
Long press (1.5sec) the left switch on the lighting bloc – this will make slot 1 turn on and off (ie if its a light it will flash)
If you want to assign a new switch:
Press the light switch that will turn on that light/fan/other
Then press the light switch that will turn off that light/fan/other
Press the left switch on the lighting bloc again to move to the next light/fan/other on the bloc and repeat
Our observations from this experience are:
As the Scheiber lighting blocs are used for our navigation lights, a failure is a safety issue.
It would be possible to substitute another bloc to get the navigation lights going again – this is likely the quickest option
With some fiddling and some spare wire we could bypass the bloc and turn on the navigation lights (even if the Navicolor was dead)
It took Garcia about 6 weeks to get us a replacement bloc
Knowing how to reprogram the blocs and light switches is a necessary skill
We now carry a spare lighting bloc and could install it. In hindsight we think it would have been very useful to have reprogrammed a few light switches when we got the boat as this process uses most of the steps we need to replace a bloc.
When we are on autopilot, and the waves get over 1.5m and are not directly on the beam, the following happens:
1. An autopilot alarm goes off accompanied by a ‘No Rudder Response’ message
2. The dog rises from his slumber, barks and starts running madly around the boat trying to find the cause of the beeping
3. The autopilot switches off
4. Panicked people start diving around the cockpit trying to regain control boat control
What is that beeping thing?!!??!!
We have a single NAC-3 autopilot running a Jefa steering arm with an RF25 rudder sensor. The problem, however, turned out to be none of these, but was a configuration issue on the Scheiber electrical system.
Our diagnosis of the autopilot issue took several months:
1. We did the dock based calibration of the autopilot. No change
2. Garcia ‘fixed’ the problem. Based on the boats track we suspect they ran the dock and sea calibration of the autopilot. No change.
3. Garcia contacted French Navico (B&G provider) who suggested changing some autopilot configuration parameters. No Change.
4. We contacted Navico UK (brilliant service & knowledgeable people). Over the phone analysis suggested a slipping clutch on the Jefa steering unit could be the culprit. Jefa confirmed it was not slipping.
5. We finally worked out that the voltage getting to the NAC-3 autopilot dropped as soon as it attempted to move the Jefa steering arm. The NAC-3 didn’t have enough power to move the Jefa arm, detected that the rudder hadn’t moved when instructed, and chose to give up and go home.
Steering components require smaller agile person access.
The power to the NAC-3 comes from a Scheiber Bloc 9. Its not hard to open these things and with a multimeter we could confirm there were lots of volts (14) coming in to the Bloc. We measured the output voltage which was an okish 12.5V. But when the autopilot was engaged and attempting to engage the Jefa arm we could see the voltage drop from 12.5V to 3-5V.
The Bloc 9 for our autopilot was in the tech room near the inverter/chargers.
We moved the NAC-3 to another port on theBloc-9 and it worked fine with no voltage issues. It seemed like the output slot was fault.
We later discovered that the ‘faulty’ slot had the ‘Soft Start’ option turned on and this was causing the drop in voltage. This option can be selected on the Navicolor display. Once reconfigured, the original port worked with the autopilot.
We learnt that:
Always check the Scheiber configuration if there is a hint of an electrical issue (or not)
Its simple to open the Bloc 9 and test voltages with a multimeter
Now past the canal closure we took a slower pace. We found a great pub (The Malt) at Aston-on-Trent and stayed for a few days. Bernie enjoyed the walks and chasing squirrels. After enjoying this idyllic spot, we meandered a few miles east to a town called Shardlow.
Historic Shardlow was once a thriving canal port and many of the original buildings are still there. Most are Grade 2 listed and the town has an other worldly feel about it, They still cover it in mist to give it that genuine industrial age feel (think Peaky Blinders without all the gangsters).
We stayed one evening in Shardlow as we had some plans to meet up with friends in a few days.
Large lively lock
After a few large locks (the locks in this part of the country are designed for 2 narrowboats or 1 wide narrowboat), the canal soon turned into the River Trent and we were rushing along at 15 knots (?) propelled by a vigorous current and pondering the return trip against the current. Just before Nottingham a barrier across the river appeared out of the mist. Its designed to catch stray canal boats that miss the ‘All routes turn left’ sign, before they plunge headlong over the weir. We pulled hard on the handbrake and spun to the left just in time.
Nottingham was our first big city for a while and we planned to meet friends and have a quick look around. A friendly local boater said it was safe enough in the city center if you didn’t mind people banging on the boat or jumping aboard at night. He was heading to the River Trent where there was a more peaceful mooring and better pubs. A quick discussion together ensued, and we agreed to awkwardly stalk the nice old mate with the good advice. The Trent turned out to be an enjoyable stop for us too.
We parked outside the council chambers, and again, pub life called, as well as some provisioning, and some bike riding. After a couple of quiet evenings, we retraced our steps through Nottingham stopping in the city centre to visit the limestone caves that are under much of the city. They have been used for everything from shelter, fresh water, cellars, toilets, tanneries and secret meeting places, although not usually at the same time.
The return trip up the river was somewhat slower, but we made way against the rushing torrent and avoided being sucked back over the weir. The countryside changed from industrial megaliths to impossibly charming country manors in the time it takes to fill a lock.
Swans visited the boat looking for handouts. Bernie soon realized these big hissing beasts were not scared by his big dog bark. One in particular notified us of his presence by tapping on the boat, to which Fi responded with the requisite amount of swan treats out the window.
As we headed south the days turned colder. The fields took on a white morning tinge, the canals iced over and knots in the ropes barely unraveled. Its surprisingly hard to open the lock doors even with a thin sheet of ice on the water.
But by now we had acclimatised and the cold still conditions often led to beautiful sunsets on the sun deck. When people warned us about English winters, we knew it would be like this.
We found a few tunnels, which, not as exciting as the Harecastle experience still made interesting navigation. These are apparently big enough for two vessels to pass , although we didn’t have the opportunity to prove this rather optimistic proposition.
At Foxton the canal headed up a hill in a series of locks all joined to each other. They even have friendly volunteers to ensure you empty and fill the locks in the right order…red first and then white, or was it white then red? Next to the locks are the remains of a hill side lift that reduced the lock time of 45 minutes to 8 minutes in an effort to compete with the pressures from the developing rail network. There are plans, but not funds, to restore it to its former glory.
Unexpectedly we ran out of canal. The locks ahead were closed for maintenance so we took to the road for a quick jump to another canal. There are no tides, currents, shipping lanes or channel markers, but perhaps canal navigation was more complex than we had given it credit for.
We were soon safely landed in a new and more open canal. A few miles further on we reached our final destination and after two enjoyable months we left The Earl for new adventures.
What did we learn?
Bernie loves loves loves canal boating.
Locks are hard work and lightweight coats would have been better than offshore gear.
The user interface on the canal app could use some work to make stoppages clearer – oops.
Mud is okay.
Winter is okay.
We think we prefer a “reverse layout” style of canal boat with the bedroom at the front. The Earl was traditional layout.
We need to go further north for snow.
That the people that treat lock goings on as a spectator sport are called “Gongoozlers”.
That Bernie is the best behaved Springer Spaniel in the land. He got just so many compliments on his nature.
South of the Harecastle tunnel was industrial Stoke-on-Trent, but to the north we turned on to the Macclesfield Canal and the buildings gave way to fields and little towns and eventually the Peak District hills. Our first climb was the Bosley Locks, a series of 12 locks. There were so few boats travelling at this time of year that we found a boat stopped for lunch in one of the locks which saves the need to tie up.
With Christmas approaching we decided stock up with plenty of coal and Christmas goodies for a quiet Christmas on the boat.
Alas there was no snow on Christmas day. On boxing day we enjoyed a quick walk up to the Lyme estate, the 1300 acre estate and deer park that is Pemberley in Pride and Prejudice. It didn’t snow but felt like it could have done.
At Marple we made a sharp right hand turn and headed into the Peaks and for the first time ran out of canal at historic Bugsworth Basin. Much of the infrastructure where lime and gritstone were loaded onto canal boats can still be seen.
With no more canal, we continued on foot into the hills, although many of the tracks were wet enough to take a canal boat. We came across old mine workings in the side of the hill and even the remains of the crane for lowering material to the valley floor.
New Year was fast approaching so we climbed another hill. We decided to stay in Bugsworth and share the midnight revelry with other boaters. Although we misjudged the profile of your average canal boater most of whom were off to bed at 8pm with a cuppa.
Now half way through our trip we reluctantly turned south and retraced our steps toward the Harecastle tunnel, considering whether to turn right and go through Birmingham or left and head towards Nottingham.
We booked to go through the tunnel at 8am, shortly after dawn, although this still required a pre dawn departure from our overnight stop. We were, perhaps unsurprisingly, the only boat going through the tunnel at this time of day. Maybe we would be visited by the tunnel ghost!
We entered the tunnel in drizzle and half light, but came out to bright sunshine. It amazing how the climate changes from one end to the other. To our amusement there was only one boat waiting to head north through the tunnel and they were a Tasmanian crew. Its mostly mad aussies on the canals this time of year.
With the worsening covid resurgence we decided to head towards Nottingham and the more rural route south, leaving Birmingham for another trip. A planned closure on the canal meant we needed to ‘rush’ as much as one can on a canal. We disappeared into deep locks and passed the old pottery kilns in Stoke, fed the swans in Rugely, and braved the snow in Stone.
Bernie going flat out!
After a week of rushing we made it passed the railway bridge that was being worked on, with only hours to spare.
After a month we think we have settled into canal boat life, drinking stout and reading the Tillergraph at the end of a hard day on the cut.
We awoke one morning ready for a big travel day north on the canal, but as Fi surveyed the days route she discovered we had to book to go through a tunnel that was only an hour away. So far it had been a turn-up-and-go system.
We quickly got on the phone and tried to book a passage, but soon discovered the boat was too deep to fit through the tunnel. Surely an administrative oversight in the boats registration as it didn’t seem any bigger than any other boats. A quick cycle to the tunnel entrance and we were assured that if we turned up at 8:30am in two days time the tunnel master would sort us out (or send us back). Boats go through the tunnel in convoy in one direction at a prescribed time and when they all emerge a convey enters from the opposite direction.
The tunnel entrance looked sort of small, but doable.
With a day to kill in the Stoke-on-Trent we went in search of a booster. We walked for four hours but were rewarded with sore shoulders and the knowledge that we were once again as safe as we could be from the raging pandemic. We celebrated with one of the finest stouts we’ve tasted made at the local Titanic brewery.
A little research revealed that the tunnel entrance was indeed the largest part of the tunnel and as you progress it keeps getting smaller and smaller until you can only just peer over the top of the deck. How are you supposed to steer if you can’t see forward we wondered? And was the boat really too big and might it get stuck in the narrow section miles underground in an unlit tunnel?
But before we could answer these questions we discovered some poor chap a few years ago had not seen one of the tunnel narrowings and was knocked off the back of the boat. There were others on the boat but they didn’t notice. Was his helming so bad that no-one noticed that he had gone? Should we tie ourselves on? The poor fellow was found eight hours later and unfortunately did not survive the experience.
These days safety has improved and they check the number of people on each boat that goes into the tunnel and then count the boats and people that come out the other end. One might wonder if you had fallen into the almost freezing water, been run over by all the boats behind you, and then waited 20 minutes for your boat to emerge and another 20 for the rescue boat to come searching, that perhaps this was merely a measure to avoid the build up lost souls in the tunnel.
At 8:30am after a sleepless night pondering how a claustrophobic helmsman would manage 40 minutes 1600m under ground in an ever narrowing unlit tunnel, we arrived for our safety briefing. Horn, check, headlight, check, 2.5 people onboard, check. We lined up the second vessel to enter, but exuded such a quiet confidence that we were soon promoted to tunnel leader with some excuse about the other boat having a smelly engine.
The vessel coming south squeezed out of the tunnel entrance and we were on! The tunnel master counted both boats as we entered the tunnel. Trying hard to appear semi competent to onlookers we managed to negotiate the entrance without hitting the wall. As the boat behind us entered, they shut the door behind us and started the large and noisy exhaust fans. Here we go.
The black and white arch shows the tunnel dimensions at its smallest…looks like we will fit!
The tunnel is brick lined with the occasional drip of water dribbling onto the boat. There is no tow path so there is no where to escape the water if you were unfortunate enough to take a dip. They say the air is cold inside, but at this time of year it actually warms up as you progress deeper into the tunnel.
After about 10 minutes the roof gets a little lower. And then a little lower again. This keeps going until you don’t think it can get any lower, and then it gets lower again. The boat does self steer to some extent with the wake reflecting off the tunnel wall and keeping it straight. There are some big chips out of the top and lower edges of the tunnel where it narrows, confirming that it is possible to miss the tunnel. We imagine that hitting the tunnel wall would be followed by a period of quiet consideration of the older parallel tunnel that was closed due to subsidence.
Lower and lower
After about 30 minutes the tunnel expands and the light of the exit door comes into view. Its still 10 minutes away but its presence is somewhat reassuring. The exit is quite difficult to negotiate as you are blinded by the semi daylight of an overcast English winters day and need to avoid a strategically placed work boat right in the tunnel entrance. But the overwhelming pressure to exude calm confidence to tunnel master busy doing his addition, helped us negotiate the tight entrance with a jolly wave and all infrastructure intact.
The final test. Water in this area is orange due to iron rich springs in the area.
All in all it was a unique and fascinating experience. Would we do it again? Well as it happens its our only route south so we will be in for a repeat experience which, we are rather looking forward to…
After a big night at the Anchor Inn at Hartshill the canal served up the Atherstone locks as a welcome distraction. Bernie was getting the hang of the locks by now. He’s working up to opening and closing gates, but he’s feeling part of the team. Eleven locks lowered us back to level water and we headed for Tamworth.
Tamworth was where some of Fi’s family had lived in the castle. It was nice spot overlooking the river so we dropped by for a cuppa, but alas the relos had left sometime earlier.
Tamworth Castle where we went to visit the family
The canal veered west tantalizingly close to Litchfield which had a cathedral and a Waitrose. We meandered into the city center paying appropriate homage to the cathedral where we brought a magnet and headed for Waitrose in search of chestnuts. A long walk only for our Christmas dreams to be cruelly dashed with the discovery Waitrose had run out of Chestnuts.
We left Litchfield and completed the last couple of locks before joining the mighty Trent and Mersey canal. A short distance along the canal is the place called one of two names: ‘Alrewas’ or ‘The hardest place name to pronounce in England’. We never did work out the correct pronunciation and suspect no-one really knows. Cute town and we found a friendly pub to meet with some potential Garcia buyers who had made contact with us.
Its a beautiful place even if you can’t tell anyone you have been there
Next day we ventured out to the memorial arboretum a short walk away. For once the English foot path system failed us and we had and exciting dash across a 6 lane road. I suspect not many people make it by foot as they tried to charge us for car parking and seemed quite surprised that we had arrived by canal and foot. Plenty of memorials and stories here as you meander through the woodlands.
After a U turn we were heading North again on the Trent and Mersey. The locks at Fradley junction have lowest bridges at the end of each lock. Canal boating is not a tall persons activity…
Lots of canals are closed for maintenance at this time of year and indeed one of these closures at Great Harwood would stop us going north until December 17th. Close to the closure was Shrugborough Estate and an area of outstanding national beauty.
Nice cottage mum, can we live here?Lets not be here after dark when these trees come alive.English sense of humour?All this walking is soo tiring
With the canal works completed the path north was open and Stoke-on-Trent was beckoning.
Could it be anywhere else?The English sure know how to dress up a garden. There are some fantastic examples all along the canal. This one had an unusual twist on the Christmas theme.
Whilst we filled up with water in Stone, Fi and Bernie discovered a shop selling the best meat pies, scones, quiches and vegies in the UK. We stayed the night in a quiet field and awoke to a misty morning.
MorningBeautiful iron bridges in this areaBernie opens another lock
At last the countryside subsided and Stoke-on-Trent revealed itself.
Lets find another spot to stay the night
Next time we try to fit the boat through a tunnel that’s too small for it…
We had various ideas for what to do in the winter. Firstly we were planning very seriously to be in Scotland on Away, enjoying some highland winter walking and the occasional sail around, but that has been postponed until next year for a number of reasons (visas, timing etc).
A frosty and slippery Away – winter is here.
Once we realised that our dreams of finding Bernie the perfect snow covered Scottish peak were on hold for this winter, we decided that perhaps the best thing we could do would be to go and find snow in England via the beautiful British canal system – so we have hired a 60ft narrowboat for 2 months, and we have put Away to bed in Eastbourne.
Away all packed up for a few weeks.
We started in Fenny Compton, northwest of London, southeast of Birmingham, on a chilly afternoon on the 1st of December. Sufficiently introduced to “The Earl” (our new floating home) by late afternoon, we put our things away, prepared to leave and naturally went to the pub. A friend told us that canal boating is just travelling from pub to pub – so we figured, when in Rome, and began our new adventure with a pint.
We are in this general area in England.Our temporary home – 60ft, 7ft wide.
Our first day, we awoke to the most beautiful dusting of snow. It seems a good omen that our little trip will hopefully be fruitful in our quest to get Bernie neck deep in some powder.
The lines were frozen solid when we went to take them off to get going, but we had plenty of coal for the fire
We had previously been on the canals and so we had a fair idea of what to expect. Walking pace travelling, interspersed with lock loading/unloading exercise, and chasing the dog back on the boat (this was new…).
We meandered north over the coming days, stopping next to fields with cows for company in the evenings. Sitting next to the fire at night listening to the rain, working on some crochet, cosy and warm with an exhausted spaniel at my feet and a glass of French Bordeaux in my hand, is my current idea of heaven.
Yes its cold, and its so beautiful.Coal fireAbsolutely INSISTED that he needed to come up…Clearly has no concept of his size.I thought this was hilarious, which naturally has encouraged this behaviour.I don’t care.
We took the opportunity to catch up with some ex workmates at – you guessed it – a pub on the Saturday (namely the Admiral Nelson at Braunston). They were lovely enough to share some wonderful photos – please give @red72mini a follow on Instagram if you are keen to see some amazing car pictures.
Go check out @red72mini on insta!Adrian being ever the strong serious type, and me being a dufuss. A happy one though!I snapped this pic as we turned right into Braunston. Absolutely gorgeous.
Bernie is taking to canal life like a duck to water. He’s desperately wanting to understand swans, but they just hiss in his face and confuse him more, and he’s loving running around in the mud – not so much the inevitable wash off afterwards.
Trying to talk sense to a spaniel…
And I am finally fulfilling my desire to put cute jackets on him, as standing still in the cold and damp while we motor along is very cold and he is getting cold. The top temperatures don’t go over 5 degrees C, and are mostly around 1-3 degrees C. Combine that with some drizzle, and we’re all very grateful for the heating on the boat!
These are his pyjamas…This is his waterproof and warm jumpsuit raincoat.This is his dry-za-bone.And this is his “puffy jacket”.
As its winter, the canals have many closures for maintenance, and we have only 1 route north open to the Peak district where we hope to find some really great walking. We have already woken to ice on the canal and a cold snap will make progress difficult. Will we get iced in or will Bernie reach the snow covered peaks before Christmas?
A beautiful winters morningI took the opportunity for a good dog walk in the sun while Adrian drove the boat. Pretty convenient.
Pubs Bernie visited in our first week:
The Wharf Inn – Fenny Compton (dogs met: 2 chihuahua cross malteze wrapped in blankets)
The Admiral Nelson – Braunston (dogs met: another chihuahua wrapped in a blanket)
The Rose Inn – Willoughby (dogs met: Maltese, also wrapped in a blanket)
The Raven – Brinklow (dogs met: none)
The Anchor Inn – Hartshill (dogs met: 2 full size poodles and Bentley – the fluffiest puppy there ever was – Bernie was told he was so calm and relaxed – very proud)
As we moved east from the Solent the anchorages became more spread out and many of the smaller ones require you to sink into the lovely soft mud at low tide. We were done with mud. At Brighton, however, there is no mud, and promising only a dose of nostalgia as we had both worked there in former lives. The forecast predicted a single day of sturdy sailing weather to make the passage before a week of rambunctious conditions.
We didn’t have enough information to conclude if the Chichester harbour entrance bar would be too dangerous after several days of strong onshore winds and an ebbing tide. So leaving our mooring at first light we surveyed the entrance and decided it was safe to head out as there were no big breaking waves to be seen. It was bouncy and we took it slow to avoid any crockery cracking airborne moments.
Soon the sails were raised with some appropriate reefs and we were zipping along the coast albeit against a knot of tide. Rounding Selsey Bill and entering The Looe (why did Cook give us ‘One Tree Island’ in Australia when he came from a land of such interesting place names – even ‘The New Looe’ would have been preferable) required navigating between a port and starboard marker only a few hundred meters apart. The crab pot marker set right in middle of this tiny channel could hardly have been more maliciously placed.
This looks like a good spot for a crab pot
Fi enjoyed some downstairs time out of the wind. The view from here is surprisingly good under the sails and the added safety of being warm, dry and relatively fresh cannot be understated. Its tiring being on deck in the chilling wind and sea spray but some of the crew find a perverse enjoyment in the elements.
Apparently you can sail through this wind mine which must be an interesting experience. We spied a small yacht on the AIS doing just that. As conditions were getting more rolly we took a direct route to the marina at Brighton.
The marina wall has been designed to reflect the waves back out to amplify the incoming waves. The resulting turmoil with some good tidal flow can make entry quite entertaining. I snapped the photo below of the entrance channel just after we entered (left) and the same channel when we departed (on the right).
The marina is a healthy dog walk from the main pier. Bernie the well travelled dog prefers his beaches with white sand, turquoise water and shallows to chase the fishies. At least we don’t end up with a boat full of pebbles after a walk on the beach here.
Whilst the sea boiled outside the marina we set about revisiting Brighton. It remained much as we remembered it, although the new doughnut on stick was difficult to miss. The touristy pier and beach front look a little tired during the colder months so we spent our time in the little lane ways and cosy pubs.
Brighton turned out to be the place to test mooring lines and our fender configuration. We added to our fender collection and then watched as the wind and wave surges tested them out. After a day watching over the boat as the wind gusted over 40 knots in the marina, we were pleased to return to land and catch up with some former work colleagues for dinner.
More settled weather returned and a gentle drift along the coast was in order. We learned more about tides. Our plan was to have a small amount of tide with us for the whole trip. But a late start meant the tide was already against us and we kept getting further and further behind the changing tide and ended up fighting it all the way. Still, white cliffs, gentle seas and a short distance meant we could meander along and watch the world go past. This butterfly joined us for some sunshine.
The entrance to Eastbourne can be a little shallow and indeed a local yacht following us ran aground. Did we say we appreciate our lifting centre board almost every day? The Eastbourne harbour RIB could not free them but, fortunately it was almost low tide and so they did not have too long to wait to float off. These photos show low tide with the unfortunate grounded yacht and high tide in the same channel.
The harbour is inside a lock to keep the water level fairly constant. We are getting used to these locks although they are all slightly different. In this one the pontoons on each side are floating so you can tie up to them while the water fills/empties the lock. Its a lot easier than adjusting lines as you rise or fall.
The weather in Eastbourne is much more settled than Brighton with long periods of still conditions. A local told us it has the highest solar index in the UK the met office confirms its 2nd and holds the record for most sun in a month since 1911. One might ponder if this is like claiming the highest mountain in Australia or best surf spot in Switzerland, however, as the available daylight hours dwindle our vitamin D levels need all the help they can get.
No fender testing here
We reached our first pole during the trip. Not quite as well known as the north and south poles but significant all the same…
Eastbourne is one of the more sheltered harbours we have visited, with good dog walking close by, plus a supply of food and beer. We might stay here a while.
