Departed our anchorage outside Lymmington, passed the needles, bound for Cherbourg.  We had a cracking sail on a beam reach doing 7 knots over the ground in a force 4 – 5.  Cherbourg was a nice easy harbour, and we actually saw people sailing into their berth which has always been a dream of ours … a little more practice needed.     We enjoyed Cherbourg, reasonable price, about 22 euros a night with electric included and welcoming staff.

Leaving Cherbourg via West Entrance

Departed Cherbourg 24th June, with some angst about the Alderney Race, originally we had planned to go to Alderney but the wind was forecast to be in the North which is apparently uncomfortable in Braye Harbour – and the skipper on the boat next us warned us off.  Our contingency was to to anchor in Long Bay but ‘Reeds’ advised strongly against using the anchorages without pilot books and large scale charts.  We had the necessary charts but not a recent pilot book so we decided to go to St. Peters Port.  So on the day there was no wind and we had to motor all the way to Gurnsey and the tides lived up to their reputation – we as it was turning.   We took a berth outside of the marina, with no electricity for £25 per night. In June if you pay for three nights you get the fourth free which is what we have done as the wind is forecast to be in the SW for the next couple of days. We have had chance to have a look around, and Cornet Castle in St. Peters Port is shown below. Of course the first purchase was some decent pilot books of the Channel Islands in case we come back this way.

  Having negotiated the rocks in the approach to St. Peters Port you have then to watch out for the ferries which appear out of no where.

We will probably move to Havelet bay (shown in picture below) if the wind does not change, the pilot book suggested it would be busy in the summer but we only saw one boat at anchor with empty local mooring buoys.