English Channel Crossing

[DazShand]

Hi,

I am a student from the University of Portsmouth, and president of the kitesurfing club here. I want to try and cross the channel with a few guys from the club, in order to raise awareness of what it is we do here at the Uni, and to try and raise a bit of money for charity!

I have no idea where to start though, so if anyone out there could point me in the right direction, or has any contacts it would be great to hear from you!

[Feng]

I want to try and cross the channel with a few guys from the club,
so if anyone out there could point me in the right direction

go South

[Robsw6]

Aim for August ideally, launch from Dungeness go to Cap Griz Nez, arrange support boats from Rye (hopefully the ex-camel trophy boats if they are still about)..... better to keep numbers down to two riders per support boat for safety reasons.... better to involve UK & French coastguards & expect grief off the french

Be prepared for false starts if conditions dont go to plan & make sure everyone has decent kit that wont break

[AIR-TASTIC]

Hi,

I am a student from the University of Portsmouth, and president of the kitesurfing club here. I want to try and cross the channel with a few guys from the club, in order to raise awareness of what it is we do here at the Uni, and to try and raise a bit of money for charity!

I have no idea where to start though, so if anyone out there could point me in the right direction, or has any contacts it would be great to hear from you!

Contact me on kiteboarder1@msn.com. I have much info and background I can help with on this

[doggy]

We did it about 2 months ago. There were 4 of us and two RIBs, we went from Dungeness to Boulogne.
Here is the write up: Kitesurf Channel Crossing

If you are interested I can get you in contact with our friend who has the boats, he has supported crossings quite a few times and kitesurfed it so knows all about it.

[AIR-TASTIC]

I would be extremely cautious of doing a cross-channel trip in the Dover <>Folkestone area.

It is indeed true, as above, that it has been done two or three times over the past few years. However, whilst much security and planning may have gone into the journeys, they did not have the consent of both sides of the channel

It is never a good idea, but us kiters are clearly not of the DNA to do sensible things!!! However, even though HM Coastguard UK are more open to discussion in general, and legally, there is nothing they can do to stop you, they have clear requirements on what is necessary. They even employ a guy called Kaimes Beasley, who is also a kiter, to officiate over what they call "unorthodox crossings". I even have a pdf sheet from HMCG that they have written on the subject. BUT the main issue is the french side, where it is not excluded from the law books, but actively included as being forbidden. If you go, you could be emprisoned or fined heavily. These guys arent to be fucked with! I have a file just on correspondence with the various authorities in the Cap Gris Nez area. At best, you will bring kitesurfing's name into worse repute. At worst, having had this warning, if all went wrong, you may not even be covered by the BKSA insurance.

Christ knows how Top Gear managed their topic - I guess it had something to do with an open cheque book. I even employed the services of the guy who officiated their cross-channel attempt, and he was quick to dismiss my request after a few days as impossible.

Further down the coast, it is far simpler and I have managed to get authority for Poole < > Cherbourg. Yes, this is 68 miles, not 22, so its a far more serious issue. That means you need to present both HMCG Weymouth (who deal with Poole area) and the authorities at Cherbourg (Prefecture AND C-G) with a detailed itinerary, AIS and VHF Call-Sign of the mothership, details of all accompanying vessels, and a full H&S Risk Assessment (I have one that you may copy)

With a partner, we managed 24 miles earlier in September this year, but time got the better of us and an ETA of after-dark, prevented us from continuing. We learned loads from this journey, but mostly that it CAN be done, its not insurmountable.

The beauty of Cherbourg and the work I have done to befriend a few of them there (using some french natives I have as workmates too) si that they will now also allow trips leaving their shores (which has never been allowed as you dont have offshore status with a kiteboard, so after three miles they are seen to be shunning responsibility). I have a waiver of this, which allows a S>N crossing, the benefit being that if you get lifted or knocked by tide or wind or fatigue, Weymouth is as good as Christchurch is as good as Poole as a final landing point. I can help with this if needs be. But you would then need a comfortable means of transport to get to France to start off, having made the call to switch from N>S to S>N

I worry about several of you doing it. Our mothership and tender were hard pressed to cover both kitesurfers - it is amazing how different speeds and wind angles gave for two differing results. Just saying "we'll stick close to each other" is not good enough - it doesnt work like that out there. Doing a multi-kite crossing would be a nightmare, unless you had one RIB per boat PLUS a mothership, who would carry radar, AIS, VHF and first aid kit, as well as photographers, supporters etc. Each of you should carry flares and a camelpck. And work out good comms skills, as in heavy winds it is hard to hear what a kitesrfer is saying over the sounds of engines, wind & waves

I am an ex-Portsmouth Student (Poly 1982-1986) and started the Portsmouth Offshore Racing Club in 1983 (flip - 26 years ago)! For this reason, I'd love to help, and if I can can find time to provide mothership services, I will indeed

Our own trip is on a wrap until May 2010, but we will be back!

[Robsw6]

BUT the main issue is the french side, where it is not excluded from the law books, but actively included as being forbidden. If you go, you could be emprisoned or fined heavily. These guys arent to be fucked with! I have a file just on correspondence with the various authorities in the Cap Gris Nez area. At best, you will bring kitesurfing's name into worse repute. At worst, having had this warning, if all went wrong, you may not even be covered by the BKSA insurance.

Seems a bit harsh..... when we did our return crossing, it looks like we worked off incomplete information - albeit the french just stonewalled us

[AIR-TASTIC]

Trust me. I'v done a lot of work on this. Including some work for the BKSA who has been approached to co-run a Professional Rider race event cross-channel. It stalled purely on this issue. You will never get authority to do this in the Dover Strait shipping lanes, and as such, not only run the risk of being a bad name to kitesurfing, succeed or fail, but having been explained that it is not authorised, and having not received authority, you could be on a sticky wicket if anything did go wrong, insurance-wise, as would the Uni's Student's Union. It is pointless to be wreckless in such cases, it does no-one any benefit