Sailing West in the English Channel Isn’t Easy Ep 49

Sailing West in the English Channel Isn’t Easy Ep 49

Sailing west along the English Channel looks simple on a map… but wind, tides, and traffic quickly tell a different story.

In this episode of Sailing Northern Brees, we push west from the Netherlands along England’s south coast — through Dover, Brighton, Poole, and Portland — facing strong currents, heavy shipping traffic, a mayday call, and a close encounter with a dredger.

With only a few hours of favourable tide each day, progress is slow and frustrating. As conditions build and the realities of Channel sailing set in, we’re forced to ask an important question:

Do we keep pushing west… or change course?

Along the way, we explore iconic locations, meet fellow sailors, and experience just how quickly things can change at sea.

If you enjoy real sailing, honest decisions, and exploring Europe by boat, subscribe and follow along as we continue south toward France.

00:00 The Plan to Push West
00:30 Leaving the Netherlands
01:45 Crossing Traffic in the Channel
03:30 Arrival in Dover
05:30 Exploring Dover & Marina Life
07:30 The Reality of Channel Tides
09:30 Squall Near Beachy Head
10:45 Entering Brighton
11:30 Mayday Call at Sea
13:30 Close Call with Dredger
15:00 Waiting Out Weather in Gosport
17:00 Trip to London
19:30 Back on the Water – The Solent
21:00 Poole and Coastal Sailing
23:00 Portland and the Tidal Race
24:30 Rethinking the Plan
26:00 Turning South Toward France
27:00 What’s Next

#Sailing #SailingLife #EnglishChannel #BoatLife #SailEurope #CruisingLife #Liveaboard #SailingAdventure #OffshoreSailing #sailingvlog

**LINKS**

⛵ Watch the full journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPbJ7lVOnTM&list=PLHDMp7bh5XpXpqjGAEVVqVLUZmgNSSFYG

🎬 Previous episode: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xPbJ7lVOnTM&list=PLHDMp7bh5XpXpqjGAEVVqVLUZmgNSSFYG&index=1&t=8s&pp=iAQB

➡️ Next episode:

🔧 Rigging work before this trip: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8SmkRfn-zvU&list=PLHDMp7bh5XpXpqjGAEVVqVLUZmgNSSFYG&index=2&t=251s&pp=iAQB

🌊 Our earlier crossing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzTlKQmVD2I&list=PLHDMp7bh5XpXqrChCdooiEW4LucxucdWY

📸 Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/sailingnorthernbrees/

RNLI: https://rnli.org/

⚓ Our boat: Baltic 42 DP
🧭 Navigation tools we use: Garmin: https://www.garmin.com/en-CA/
Navionics: https://www.navionics.com/?srsltid=AfmBOorbEZT7PqWUYT282FpyUGPCnI9-yHIt2nRR2Uo-Y5qavx3BX7hi