Ramsgate and Dover to Dunkerque, Nieuwpoort and Ostend

From Ramsgate the route leaves the Royal Harbour by the Recommended Yacht Track, which runs parallel to the south side of the commercial channel, then heads east across the Strait. The northern Goodwin Sands are about four miles from the Ramsgate entrance. From Dover, boats leave with the permission of Dover VTS and head north-east along the Strait.

Dunkerque is about 40 nautical miles from either Ramsgate or Dover. Nieuwpoort, the first Belgian harbour east of the French border, is about 50 nautical miles from Ramsgate and 53 from Dover; Ostend is about 57 from Ramsgate and 61 from Dover. Gravelines, between Calais and Dunkerque, is about 30 nautical miles from Dover.

High water at Ramsgate is about 20 minutes after high water at Dover, and the ADMIRALTY folio for the area refers its tidal stream tables to HW Dover. Along these routes the streams run roughly along the Strait: south-west for the hours before HW Dover and north-east for the hours after.

At diamond D (51°09.5’N 1°44.0’E), north-east of Dover, the stream runs south-west from about six hours before HW Dover until two hours before, at up to 2.8 knots at springs (four hours before), then north-east from HW Dover until four hours after, at up to 2.3 knots. Further east at diamond E (51°07.7’N 2°04.3’E), off Dunkerque, the south-west-going stream runs from six to three hours before HW Dover at up to 1.6 knots, and the north-east-going stream from one hour before to four hours after at up to 1.8 knots. At diamond F (51°23.0’N 2°26.7’E), towards the Belgian coast, the figures are 1.8 and 1.9 knots.

These routes cross the Dover Strait Traffic Separation Scheme and its approaches, including the Sandettie deep-water route used by the largest ships. The Strait is monitored by Dover Coastguard and CROSS Gris-Nez, and the Channel Navigation Information Service broadcasts traffic and navigation warnings on VHF Channel 11 every 60 minutes, or every 30 minutes when visibility is below 2 miles.

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.

No craft may enter or leave Ramsgate without the prior permission of Ramsgate Port Control on VHF Channel 14. A flashing orange light on the Port Control building on the north breakwater means a ship is manoeuvring, and boats must not enter or leave. The marina works on Channel 80.

At Dover, permission to enter or leave is given by Dover VTS on Channel 74, and the marina works on Channel 80.

Port du Grand Large, Dunkerque’s marina, has about 250 berths, with a visitor pontoon for about 25 boats, and works on VHF Channel 9. The marina directs boats to use the eastern channel by the Saint-Pol light. Fuel is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

French Customs lists Dunkerque Marina and Gravelines among the marinas linked to the border crossing point run by the Police aux Frontières at Dunkerque. 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.

Nieuwpoort’s marina, VY Nieuwpoort, has more than 1,000 berths, accessible at all states of the tide, works on VHF Channel 8 and offers online check-in. In Ostend, the Royal North Sea Yacht Club has up to 280 moorings with access in all weathers.

Belgium is in the Schengen area too. According to the Belgian Federal Police, a pleasure boat arriving from outside Schengen must enter a port that is a border crossing point, during its opening hours, and present itself without delay to the Maritime and River Police with a document listing the boat’s details and everyone on board. The coastal crossing points are Ostend, Zeebrugge, Nieuwpoort (via Ostend) and Blankenberge (via Zeebrugge), and the declaration can be filed online through the Federal Police website. Departure for a non-Schengen country is reported in the same way.

The RYA reports that Belgium accepts the International Certificate of Competence, and that evidence of competence is required to helm a vessel over 15 metres or one capable of more than 20 km/h. Red diesel may not be used for propulsion in Belgian waters.

Dover Coastguard broadcasts maritime safety information at 07:10 and 19:10 local time, with shorter updates every three hours between. CROSS Gris-Nez broadcasts weather in French on Channel 79 from the Dunkerque aerial at 07:20, 13:20 and 19:20 French time. Belgium is one hour ahead of the UK all year, like 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.

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.