3 day | Milebuilding & Night Passages | Channel crossing / West Country

PLEASE NOTE: Signup for our events must be made through the London Sailing Club website, and not via Meetup - click here to register. If you are not already a member of the club you will need to become a full or social member which you can do by clicking here.

Come and stretch your sea legs with some longer passages, experience night sailing, and maybe even cross the Channel... This mile-builder trip intends to sail well beyond the Solent, and is best-suited to people who've already done some sailing. This is a non-commercial trip run on a shared-cost basis. Skipper for this trip is confirmed!... Keri Hammond will be skippering her first trip on behalf of LSC.


Plan
Our plan will be to arrive at Port Hamble Marina on Thursday by 4pm latest. After a safety briefing and a tour of the yacht, we’ll most likely want to set sail that evening. Our cruising itinerary will be tailored to the weather, tides, and the group’s wishes, but the idea is to undertake some longer passages across to Cherbourg or Alderney, or down the South West Coast towards Weymouth. These will be 60M+ passages suitable as ‘qualifying passages’ but also a great weekend out on the water. There'll be time to swim and relax, but there'll also be times when we're at sea for c.15 hours, including sailing at night and running a watch system. We'll return to Port Hamble Marina on Sunday afternoon after lunch.

Yacht
We’ve chartered a modern 37ft Beneteau Oceanis that’s licensed to carry 8 people, but we’ll be a maximum of 6 plus skipper to ensure everyone has enough space and a proper chance to be involved in the sailing. Accommodation will be aboard the yacht in shared double cabins. The boat will have hot and cold water, a loo, heating, and when on shore plenty of electricity for charging phones. Note that during offshore passages some cabins may be uncomfortable for sleeping in, and therefore some 'hot bunking' may be required as part of the watch system.

Skipper
The Skipper will be Keri Hammond who is a recently qualified Yachtmaster, multi-watersports instructor and volunteer 2nd mate on the 100ft sail training vessel Prolific. She is familiar with the Solent, South West Coast and East Coast as well as having sailed further afield including trips across the Channel, the Med and Barents Sea. You can see Keri taking Prolific off the quay at Poole here:
Keri says: “I have joined previous club events including socials, the LSC Easter Egg Hunts and Boat Handling days and they’ve been great trips. I have been sailing for nearly 10 years now and this will be my first trip skippering for the club and my first trip where my mum (Anna Ryten) crews for me so I am looking forward to it!”

Kit
No special or expensive sailing kit required. Just bring practical footwear and clothing to suit the weather forecast. It gets cold offshore at night, so bring warm layers plus a warm hat and gloves. Lifejackets are provided. Foul weather gear can be hired locally if needed. Towels and bedding aren’t provided, so please bring a towel, pillow and sleeping bag. Don't forget to pack sunglasses, sunscreen, passport, swimming kit and, if you have one, a headtorch with a red bulb. You can read more about suitable kit by clicking here

Cost
This is a non-commercial trip run on a shared-cost basis. The cost is £375 per person, which covers the yacht charter, fuel, marina/harbour fees, breakfasts, lunches, snacks and soft drinks, as well as a £5 contribution to the club's Muck Up Fund which allows us to help skippers on club trips manage the risk of accidental damage caused by trip participants. It doesn’t cover evening meals ashore or getting yourself to/from the trip. A deposit of £100 on booking is required to secure your place, with the balance payable two months before the event. Note that, because this trip is being advertised via the London Sailing Club’s platforms, any participant who is not already a full member of the Club (which costs £24 per year) will need to join prior to the start of the trip.

Visas / Immigration
This trip may involve crossing an international border. For UK and EU passport holders any visa process is likely to be straightforward. However if you have an overseas passport, or a particular visa situation, it is your responsibility to ensure you have whatever paperwork you need in place to travel to France and/or the Channel Islands. Every sailor on the trip will almost certainly need a valid passport with plenty of time left before it expires.

London Sailing Club Terms and Conditions apply.