Poole to Alderney

From Poole the route leaves through the harbour entrance at Sandbanks and the Swash Channel, the principal marked approach, then heads south-south-west across the Channel to Alderney. Braye Harbour is about 61 nautical miles from Poole in a straight line, and lies on the north side of the island, sheltered by a long breakwater.

Poole Harbour has commercial and ferry traffic and a chain ferry across the entrance, which other craft give way to. Poole VTS works on VHF Channel 14 and broadcasts commercial movements; it is a traffic service, and Poole Quay Boat Haven works separately on Channel 80.

The ADMIRALTY Channel Islands folio publishes two tidal diamonds on or near the Poole–Alderney line, both referred to high water at Dover. At diamond D (50°28.3’N 1°59.8’W), about 15 miles south of Poole, the stream runs east from about five hours before HW Dover until one hour before, at up to 2.8 knots at springs. Around HW Dover it is weak, and from one hour after until five hours after it runs west at up to 3.4 knots at springs and 1.7 at neaps.

At diamond C (50°15.0’N 2°10.1’W), in mid-Channel, the pattern is the same and slightly stronger: east-going at up to 3.2 knots at springs from about five hours before HW Dover, and west-going at up to 3.6 knots at springs from one hour after. The stream sets a boat east and then west across the track, and the net offset over the crossing depends on how long is spent in each.

Closer to Alderney the streams become much stronger. The ADMIRALTY tidal stream diagrams for the island show the stream running north-east from about five hours before HW Dover until about two hours before, weak and rotating around one hour before, and south-west from HW Dover until about four hours after.

In the Swinge, the channel between Alderney and Burhou to the west of Braye, the diagrams give 2.2 knots at neaps and 5.4 knots at springs five hours before HW Dover, and 2.7 knots at neaps and 6.8 knots at springs on the south-west-going stream two hours after HW Dover. The Alderney Race, between Alderney and Cap de la Hague, is stronger still: the French government’s environmental authority records that the Raz Blanchard can approach 12 knots on equinoctial spring tides. The ADMIRALTY folio states that the Race is not recommended for ships other than those proceeding to and from ports in the Channel Islands.

Both the Race and the Swinge raise overfalls, which are worst with the wind against the tide. Braye Harbour itself is open to the north-east.

The route crosses the main Channel traffic flows between the Off Casquets Traffic Separation Scheme, to the west of Alderney, and the Greenwich meridian. The ADMIRALTY folio shows recommended directions of traffic flow in this area and states that ships crossing them should do so on a heading as nearly as practicable at right angles.

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.

Solent Coastguard broadcasts maritime safety information for the waters off Dorset, with full broadcasts at 07:30 and 19:30 local time, from aerials including Portland (Channel 63). The Channel Islands inshore waters forecast covers Alderney, and Jersey Coastguard broadcasts on Channel 82. On the French side, CROSS Jobourg covers the Cotentin, and Jobourg Trafic broadcasts bulletins for the Casquets area in English every half hour at 20 and 50 minutes past the hour.

Alderney Coastguard keeps watch on Channel 16 and works on Channel 67, during daylight hours. In Braye Harbour, the Harbour Office and the Harbour Launch listen on Channel 74, and the water taxi works on Channel 73.

There are no pontoon berths for visiting yachts at Braye. The Harbour Office keeps 70 yellow visitor buoys, and moorings cannot be reserved; all other buoys are private. The States of Alderney publishes fees of £25 a night on a mooring, £10 a night at anchor and £40 a night for vessels over 14 metres, collected at the boat by the Harbour Launch.

Crews come ashore by tender to the dinghy pontoon or by water taxi. Mainbrayce, in Little Crabby Harbour, supplies water, diesel and mechanical help, and is reached about two hours either side of high water depending on draught, with a tide gauge at the entrance.

The Channel Islands are outside the UK for customs purposes, so a voyage from Poole to Alderney is reported in the same way as one to France. 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.

Braye is an approved port of entry for the Bailiwick of Guernsey. Arriving boats fly the Q flag and, before anyone goes ashore, complete Guernsey customs form GC27; copies are at the top of the dinghy pontoon walkway, and the white copy goes in the yellow Customs box there.

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.