Crossing the Channel in a Wayfarer in aid of RYA Sailability
by Alastair Beeton 19 Jul 2013 14:43 BST
13 July 2013
Two Wayfarer sailors from Lymington Town Sailing Club crossed the channel last Saturday in their 5 metre sailing dinghy. David Smethurst, from Brockenhurst, and Sandy Reid-Peters, from Lymington, joined five other Wayfarers in an event organised by the Wayfarer Association. The aim of the crossing was to complete the challenge and raise some funds for Sailability.
The trip was threatened with cancellation as the co-helms woke to poor visibility and no wind on the Saturday morning. After checking with the Coast Guard it was confirmed that there was 1.5 miles of visibility mid channel and clear visibility on the French side. With fog clearing and the aid of outboard power to get out to the shipping lanes, the breeze eventually arrived and flotilla landed on the beach at Calais to be welcomed by members of the Calais Sailing Centre.
David commented, "We let the tide take us down to the Varne Lightship in mid-channel and when it turned we enjoyed a great sail into the beach avoiding ferries. There was plenty of time and room to avoid the channel traffic. It's great to show what these boats can do. With the right preparation some great journeys are possible".
During the crossing they saw about a dozen ships in the distance. Apart from completing the challenge a highlight of the crossing was an encounter with a creature thought to be a Basking Shark or Whale. David reported "we saw the side of a large creature break the surface and a pectoral fin, conservatively 2ft 6ins long flopped down the water about 20 yards away".
Donations to go to Sailability can still be made by contacting Alastair at Lymington Town Sailing Club on 01590 674514.