Royal Air Force Yacht Club

 by Cathy Martin - Bellini  

Since joining the RAFYC a few months ago, Derek and I have been eagerly planning to take Bellini, our Jeanneau Sun Odyssey 39 DS across the channel for the first time; cruising in company with the club's rally to France.  First time for the three of us together anyway because Bellini had originally come across the channel on a freighter at the end of 2006.

Our entire winter's prep was timetabled around making sure Bellini was ship shape and in tip-top condition for the voyage. Part of that prep also included our own passage planning.  We dusted off our day skipper notes, bought the relevant charts and started to study the tides to work out an initial plan. 

To boost confidence in our planning we consulted a few old salty sea dogs from the club and were over-the moon when Chris Glanton organised a planning session for anyone who could come along the weekend before we set off. It was really useful to have our own planning verified, learn a few tips about required paperwork and meet other prospective maiden voyagers.

Thursday 27th May. 

Derek spent the day at Bellini stowing food and clothes, filling the water tanks and fitting the jack stays.  I had it easy and just went off to work as usual.  I managed to get away early though and went straight down to the Hamble, nervous and excited about the journey ahead.  We met Alex Rosie at the boat as he had agreed to join us as an experienced hand for our first channel crossing. 

By 15.45 we slipped our mooring and Derek and Alex sailed Bellini to Yarmouth whilst I did some last minute work setting up the chart plotter with my planned waypoints.  We picked up a mooring buoy outside the harbour at Yarmouth and had found our way to the Kings Head by 7pm.  We enjoyed drinks, food and company from the crews of Whistler, Oyster Moon and Calsara before heading back to Bellini for an early (but restless) night.

Friday 28th May. 

The alarm didn't even go off, we'd had little sleep and were making coffee by 03.30, peacefully slipping from the mooring buoy by 03.55.  This was the moment passing from planning to execution.  I had my course to steer calculated from Bridge Buoy to the eastern entrance of Cherbourg Harbour at 183'T and at 04.45 we had raised Bellini's sails and set our southerly course across the channel.  Day break came spectacularly and with a fine reach most of the way we averaged more than 6 knots in beautiful sunshine.  The journey was interspersed with some very witty VHF Ch 77 transmissions, not just between the RAF YC boats but also from the RBYC Rally to Cherbourg; whose crews were eating sausages and marmalade for breakfast mid-channel!

As we entered the harbour we learnt that Blue Lightning had beaten us in by a few minutes(but we think they left Yarmouth a bit earlier) but more importantly that Firefly were on hand to guide us into a mooring space and assist my crew with the mooring lines. At 15.05, a total journey time of 11 hours and ten minutes we were safely secured in Chantereyne Marina. 

All in all, a fantastic day and although we should have been tired enough to just eat and go to bed we managed a lovely meal out with the crews of Calsara, Oyster Moon and Seachord.

Saturday 29th May. 

A lazy morning, but not great weather; rainy and pretty windy.  We mooched around the town and tried to track the progress of Bald Eagle who had left Lymington at 04.00, but by early afternoon it was clear they had turned around and gone back to the Hamble.  All in all it seems that up to ten boats didn't make it over on the Saturday as they had planned. But the famous pontoon party was still to go ahead, albeit some shelter of sorts was needed.

 The first ever pontoon party around the back of 'les toilettes'! We managed a 'virgin channel crossers' photo and heard amazing tales of propellers falling off just outside the harbour (I think that was Son Risa). The evening was rounded off by having supper with the crews of Stargazer, Whistler and Blue Lightning.

Sunday 30th May. 

Yet another lazy morning for the crew of Bellini, but ready in time for a very good lunch at the Yacht Club.  The organisation, the menu (food and drink) and the company was stunning. After lunch Bellini hosted some photo slide shows of the rally so far and most crews quietly went to bed after reviewing the weather forecasts and discussing the passage plans for the return journey.  On Bellini, that was Derek, he would be in command on our return leg (well planned by me I think, I was ready to relinquish responsibility and sleep!).  Not everyone went early to bed though, Stargazer decided to leave before nightfall and they set off during the evening.

Monday 31st May. 

This time we did need the alarm clock and it woke us up at 03:15.  By 03.40 we slipped the pontoon and waved goodbye to Cherbourg.  Other boats that left just before Bellini were Whistler, Blue Lightning and Calsara.  Sails were raised at 0422 and we managed to keep sailing for the first couple of hours, before the wind gave up on and we motor-sailed towards Bembridge, completing our journey back to the Hamble via Bembridge in just over fourteen hours. 

Shattered? Yes.

Elated? Definitely.

Would we do it again? Try and stop us!