Newhaven and Brighton to Dieppe

From Newhaven the route heads south-east across the Channel to Dieppe, roughly following the line of the ferry. From Brighton Marina it is about 6 nautical miles longer. Newhaven’s position is about 50°47’N 0°04’E and Dieppe’s about 49°56’N 1°05’E.

The western limit of the Dover Strait mandatory reporting area runs from the Royal Sovereign light tower, off Eastbourne, through the Bassurelle buoy to the French coast. The Newhaven–Dieppe line runs to the west of it, outside the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme, but across the main east- and west-bound flows of Channel shipping.

At ADMIRALTY diamond D (50°30’N 0°26’E), on the route roughly a third of the way from Newhaven, the stream is referred to high water at Dover. It runs east from about four hours before HW Dover until one hour before, at up to 2.1 knots at springs and 1.2 at neaps. Around HW Dover and the hour after it is weak, and from two hours after HW Dover it runs west, reaching 1.6 knots at springs and 0.9 at neaps five hours after.

These rates are about half those met in mid-Channel south of the Isle of Wight. They still set a boat several miles east or west over a crossing of ten hours or more.

Newhaven is a working port with the ferry to Dieppe. Before entering or leaving the harbour, boats call Newhaven Radio on Channel 12 for clearance; the marina itself works on Channel 80. Traffic signals are shown from the West Pier signal station, and when red lights show on the marina’s signal mast at its north end, no vessel may leave any part of Newhaven Marina. In strong onshore winds there is a difficult sea at the entrance.

Brighton Marina works on Channel 80 or 37. Its entrance channel can silt, and the operator’s notice advises boats drawing more than 1 metre to keep clear of the two hours either side of low water.

Rule 10 of the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea governs traffic separation schemes. A vessel shall, so far as practicable, avoid crossing traffic lanes, but if obliged to do so shall cross on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles to the general direction of traffic flow. The rule fixes the boat’s heading, not its track over the ground, so in a cross-tide the track will run at an angle while the bow points straight across the lane. A vessel of less than 20 metres in length or a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of a power-driven vessel following a traffic lane.

The ferry between Newhaven and Dieppe uses both harbours, so ferry movements are met at each end of the passage. At Newhaven they are controlled by Newhaven Radio; at Dieppe, by the harbour authority on Channel 12.

Newhaven sits on the boundary between two UK Coastguard areas: inshore waters area 6 runs from North Foreland to Selsey Bill and is covered by Dover and Solent Coastguards. Solent Coastguard broadcasts from its Newhaven aerial on Channel 62, with full broadcasts at 07:30 and 19:30 local time; Dover Coastguard’s Fairlight aerial is on Channel 62, with full broadcasts at 07:10 and 19:10. On the French side, CROSS Gris-Nez broadcasts weather in French on Channel 79 from the Saint-Valery-en-Caux aerial at 07:03, 13:03 and 19:03 French time.

Dieppe’s marina is in the Bassin Ango, in the heart of the town, with 410 pontoon berths including 50 for visitors, accessible at all states of the tide. The harbour works on VHF Channel 12, and ferries use the same approach. The marina office telephone number is +33 2 32 14 47 17.

French Customs lists Dieppe, together with Saint-Valery-en-Caux, among the marinas linked to the Douane border crossing point at Dieppe.

Leaving Great Britain for France, Belgium or the Channel Islands is a journey you must report. gov.uk asks for a pleasure craft report before you sail. Online, through the service 'Tell Border Force and HMRC you are sailing to or from the UK in a pleasure craft', the report goes in at least 2 hours and no more than 24 hours before departure, and it can be amended or cancelled if plans change. The report covers the boat, the skipper, passport details for everyone on board and the planned departure and arrival times. The emailed sPCR fallback template and the paper form C1331 remain available.

France is part of the Schengen area, so a yacht arriving from the UK crosses an external Schengen border. Under the current French procedure you either arrive at an official border crossing point (point de passage frontalier, PPF), where the skipper and crew report to the Police aux Frontières or the Douane with passports, boat papers and the entry form, or at one of the marinas on French Customs’ approved list, which forwards your form to its PPF. The French Customs form must reach the marina at least 24 hours before arrival, or at the latest when you leave the non-Schengen port if the voyage is shorter than 24 hours. The RYA’s understanding is that a Q flag is not required in France unless you have items to declare.

Coming back to Great Britain, gov.uk requires the yellow Q flag to be flown as soon as you enter UK waters (the 12-mile limit), and kept flying until you have finished reporting to the customs authorities. Anyone on board who is not a British or Irish citizen needs a Border Force officer’s permission to enter the UK before leaving the boat. Goods over the personal allowances, goods bought abroad worth more than £270 in total, animals and restricted foods must be declared, and gov.uk states that pets can only be brought into Great Britain on a private boat when travelling from Ireland or Northern Ireland.