THE BEST...
You don’t need a big boat to cross the Channel, just the right boat. Duncan Kent recommends some suitable 20-to 40-footers
The English Channel, as with all relatively narrow channels, can be challenging, especially when the predominant sou’westerlies are blowing hard. And even if the weather and sea conditions happen to be favourable, there’s always the constant commercial shipping to worry about.
Of course, weather can be forecast relatively accurately ahead of your intended passage, but the movements of the prolific marine traffic can’t be calculated until you’re out there among it.
That said, hundreds of small boats cross the Channel safely every day, winter and summer. All it takes is a sound vessel, careful planning, a good VHF radio, a radar reflector, and a decent pair of binoculars. Nowadays, most will back up this basic inventory with a chart plotter, AIS and radar to be sure of seeing and being seen by the many large ships that steam up and down, day and night.
By sound vessel, I mean one capable of handling short, choppy seas if necessary, without making life unbearable or unsafe for its crew. Sea sickness can be dangerous when making such a crossing as the watchkeeper needs to stay fully alert at all times, particularly when crossing the main traffic lanes.
20-25ft LOA
The original ‘Nordic’ Folkboat was the result of a Swedish design competition with the brief to create a competitive racing yacht that was also roomy enough below for a small family to go cruising.
Often described as ‘one for the purists’, it had a clinker-planked wooden hull with a full-length keel, raked transom and a simple Bermudan sloop rig. Asubstantial 54% ballast ratio resulted in her being very stiff under sail and well able to stand up to her canvas in strong winds.
Affectionately known as ‘Folkies’, the Folkboat soon began to attract the attention of long-distance racers and adventurers for its seaworthiness. Probably the most famous Folkie was Blondie Hasler’s junk-rigged Jester, which came second in the 1960 OSTAR, and went on to cross the Atlantic a further 14 times. The timeless Folkboat became a very popular cruiser/racer worldwide and was produced in numerous UK boatyards. The British version was mostly carvel-planked, giving her a smoother and more watertight hull, and featured a longer coachroof that was raised at the aft end for better headroom.
In 1967 aGRP version, the International Folkboat, was introduced. Almost identical to the original, it boasted a self-draining cockpit with an outboard well, a 7/8ths fractional rig and more in the way of home comforts below. The design spawned a variety of lookalikes, including the Folksong, Contessa 26, Invicta 26, Marieholm 26 and the Varne 27.
