Circumnavigation of UK advice and guidance notes

If you are thinking about a long cruise, then this page is a great summary of all the things to consider and think about, including preparing well and avoiding potential problems.

These notes are kindly provided by club members who sailed around the UK in Grace Note (a Beneteau Oceanus 331 Clipper)

The circumnavigation voyage around the UK involved 4 sailing seasons over the years 2021 to 2024

Living on board for longer period

• Not the same as long term cruising it is our home so no where else to go back to Great experience . Simple lifestyle, made us realise how little we need . But did have lows such as when weather not as forecast.ie West Ireland, Sound of Mull
• When at Ramsgate we asked ourselves why we were hurrying? Pressure to get away and still being in work mode.
• Important not to plan to far ahead - Having to miss Boston in the wash after detail planning due to poor weather on the day stopped us planning ahead so much

Generally Days based on

• Exploring - walked lots
• provisions ?
• Passage plans / tidal gates
• Weather / sea state - inshore forecast was invaluable esp. when little signal. Sent cards to coastguards as we moved through Scotland as thanks

Evenings

• Always perception of "moving on", thinking ahead
• lots of passage planning look at area
• Maybe a TV signal + listen to music
• Knitted large shawl with wool from all parts of British Isles
• Reading Kindle - download books when have signal
• Very Good to chat to others onboard hear their adventures . many we are still in contact with

Provisions

• Food supplies - good availability far better than feared
• Community shops in Scotland ie isle of Eday 2 x a week out of season if ferry came in
• Tin meat, tin beans, wide selection of herbs, cheese biscuits when no bread
• Longer life milk ie pure but only used long life milk several times a year
• Longer lasting veg / pots
• Cheese, cooked cold meats + eggs
• Snack box
• Early starts required 4 meals in a day (bit like hobbits 2 breakfasts!)
• Hot pasties great for lunch on the move
• Thermos (stainless steel) coffee pot and Haypot very effective
• Water lasted 3 weeks with care and gas as on average lasted a month (at one point an issue so i was careful for a while)
• Ate out only or 2 x month . fish and chip supper in-between
• Fresh caught and cooked fish very good - caught haddock in Scottish isles that kept us fed for 3 days!

Clothing

• 3 weeks until we had to go ashore to laundry etc
• Laundry sometimes marina or a village or a bus ride away.average £6 for wash and £6 for dry. Wondered at one point if I should write a book about the amusing conversation I had in the laundrettes!
• Clothing stock: 3 trousers; 2 jumpers; 5 t-shirts; 1 pair shorts; 1 dress; 3 thermal vests /long johns - needed no more!
• Walking boots and crocs only shoes + sailing boots

Accessing health service

• Doctors wasn't easy - English system based on computer and Scottish on paper.
• Would not give me my prescribed medicine as we had moved out of area, so I order 6 months worth at a time online.
• Newcastle - covid vaccination jab on the basis of our NHS number; Ardfern they said we needed to register to get a covid jab, so we did using GN winter mooring number (which thankfully the receptionist thought was amusing and accepted)

Catching up with family and friends

• In the secret water where we caught up with our grandchildren
• Fortunate and grateful to meet friends along way
• Came back to Weymouth to see our parents several times
• Missed friends and found it hard when several died or were ill
• Missed family get togethers and spending time with our children/grandchildren (biggest issue).
• Canal boat worked well and would definitely recommend it as a winter activity, although can get iced in, but warm inside the boat.
• Also met up with family who came to help out on locks on one occasion
• Did blog just primarily for family, but app says it has had over 1,700 visitors which found v surprising..

Lessons and recommendations

• If you have the opportunity - Take it while you can!
• Take as much time as you practically can to give flexibility to:
  • sit out bad/unhelpful weather - Kindles, e-magazine subscriptions and DVDs all help
  • explore shore as much as possible
  • allow for the wobblies that life throws at you
• If moving out (becoming 'without fixed bode'), choose a family or friends address (with there permission!) and use this as your address throughout for everything - don't try to be too honest - it confuses peopleand makes it difficult to prove identity
• Relish and promote spending time with like minded sailors along the way and enjoy meeting the locals - although some might take a bit of warming up to!
• Don't over plan the route and stops - see what each day is likely to bring and be flexible - also avoids disappointment!
• Ensure you have up-to-date contact info and passage/port entry guidance for all likely destinations
• Carry enough stores/water/fuel/gas for at least 3 or 4 days 'in the wild', with reserve of 7 days food (and water)
• Some form of collapsible trolley to take fuel cans/heavy items is very useful to avoid doing gorilla impressions
• Have at least two mobiles phones with good data allowances and on different networks
• Hauling a mobile phone (with hotspot turned on) to the mast head often got us a connection where the signal was weak (don't forget a line to pull it down again!)
• Have an agreed approach to planning, goals, workshare etc worked out rather than rigid rules
• During the winter lay up - consider buying an older cheap car (and selling it again in the spring) - much more convenient and cheaper than relying on the trains - particularly if they are on strike

Some observations

• Food, water and fuel proved to be relatively easy to come by, especially in the islands, apart from Calor Gas when the manufacturer pulled the plug and (white) fuel in Ireland
• Since the pandemic, many eateries have had limited opening and always seem short of staff + a lot more expensive now
• Leaving the boat for the winter was surprisingly straight forward - but get personal recommendations for places if possible
• Apart from the South Coast (both England and Ireland) there was usually plenty of space and solitude available (if that's your thing!)
• Domestics - always set aside at least a whole day in marina for shopping, laundry, refuelling etc
• Late April and May are the best weather and quietest in the Western Isles - and lots of daylight

Navigation, Apps and Gadgets

• Navigation - Navionics supported by 'Memory Map for All' with Admiralty charts and Antres high resolution anchorage chartlets for W and NW Scotland (invaluable, particularly in the islands)
• Traditional backup using largely Imray passage charts
• Samsung S5e Tb with GPS/Glonas/Beidou/Galileo Chipset with backup from mobile phones and built in Raymarine S70C plotters
• Tried Savvy Navvy, but didn't get on with it and needed too much internet connectivity
• Destination info - Everything we could lay our hands on!
• CA Captains Mate, Navilly, Pilot books, magazine articles, Visit My Harbour website, harbour websites, for Scotland "anchorages" annual magazine
• Tides and streams: Imray tide planner (Admiralty tide times and animated streams)

Safety - approach and kit

• Personal beacons
• Initially GPS only, later GNSS via GPS/Galileo, with AIS and Return Link (PLB3)
• AIS - Tx and Rx
• Radar - Raymarine and high level reflector
• Cabin top life raft
• Conservative approach to passage planning - avoid having to depart in marginal conditions/poor forecasts and arrive in unknown destination with adverse weather/visibility
• Note - most destinations are unfamiliar on this kind of trip
• Reliable and tested anchor ground tackle, backed up with hook and warp where possible
• Use multiple anchor lights
• Hook on at night - particularly if alone
• We always wore life jackets when on the move (with beacons)