27th – 29th May 2015
Our alarms went off at 04:30 and we managed to leave Ramsgate at 05:00. First course was to clear the Goodwin Sands, then head SSE towards the Sandettie Light Vessel. The wind was light but enough to get the sails up, but soon we had to put the engine on to make enough progress to cross the shipping lanes. Before too long, the sails went away and engine stayed on for the rest of the journey.
We have AIS fitted which displays information from other vessel in the area. This makes our life easier and safer when crossing the main shipping lanes. Our system also transmits our position so they know we are here!
We arrived at our waypoint to turn towards Dunkirk, where we could see one of the ferries arriving. The ferries operate from the Dunkirk Ouest Port (West) but we were heading for the East port some 8 miles further on. This became a bit of a chore, as we had begun to push tide. Eventually we motored in to Dunkirk harbour and with a now lighter wind, Carole got the fenders out ready to enter the marina.
We arrived at the visitors’ pontoon at the YCMN Marina, where we were quickly approached by a very friendly member of staff who offered us a berth inside the marina at G4. We had a quick look to check and after paying a visit to the office to confirm, we moved to our new berth and got settled for a few days’ stay, as the weather forecast was not looking good for the coming days.
We decided to have supper on board and after clearing up and a game of cards we headed to our beds for a well-deserved night’s sleep with no alarm for Thursday. Our clocks are now on European Time, which is of course one hour ahead of London Time.