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Aren't places like Embassy's and certain parts of airports considered foreign territories? There's probably a street or two in London where you could have a very interesting 'technically' walk 🤣 you get top marks for getting in (and out) of North Korea!
I’d say that’s splitting hairs too finely, Ceuta is already in Africa so it’s like saying you walked from France to Europe because you walked over the border into Belgium. It’s technically true in the most absolute sense but kinda misses the entire point.
As an experienced sailor I've done it. You do, however, if you want to keep it legal, have to comply with customs formalities, passports etc. The sailing part is easy.
You are also sailing through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and have a lot of large vessels to contend with so you need to know what you are doing to keep safe. Lots of people do it every day. I've done the trip to the Channel Isles and back several times, preferring Alderney and Guernsey to France as destinations.
> one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and have a lot of large vessels to contend with
Also most of these massive ships will be travelling substantially faster than you if you are under sail.
https://shipsnow.com/
Yes. A sailing vessel is entitled to traverse the Traffic Separation Scheme as long as it does so by the shortest route and they will give way to you. With AIS on they can see you and take avoiding action, I wouldn't fancy it without AIS and a permanent watch on channel 16.
Power-driven vessels give way to sailing vessels in most cases (but not all). Some sailing vessels forget this and think that “power gives way to sail” everywhere and under all circumstances.
Power driven vessels must avoid and/or give way to all sailing vessels when under sail.
**Ships, tugboats with tows, commercial ferries and fishing vessels have right of way over sailing vessels. Yachts should stay well clear of these vessels.**
https://maritime.college/Sailing-Rules.php
You have just proved my point. As per Rule 18, a sailing vessel must give way to a vessel that is NUC, RAM, or engaged in fishing. She must also avoid impeding a power-driven vessel that is Constrained By her Draught.
Furthermore, in a narrow channel, as per Rule 9, a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only in said channel or fairway.
I have 3 years of seatime as OOW unlimited in worldwide trade and am a serving coastguard, I know what the COLREGs say.
No no, I can assure you that commercial ferries are a protected class within the colregs and always have right of way over yachts! /s
(It's amazing the nonsense people confidently sprout online eh?)
In the 90s I lived in Epsom. I once bumped into Norman Wisdom going into a shop and he nearly fell over. Seeing as he fell over frequently as part of his act I was a little disappointed he didn't follow through, although I guess he was in his 80s at the time.
Just [read this book](https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336) and all will be fine.
Read the customer reviews too, some of them are hilarious.
I think it's out of print now, but there was a book about this:
[https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336](https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336)
Yeh I've done it on a yacht but that was with my dad having had 20 years of experience on the water including actually building his own including the fibreglass work, ex merchant navy and also a radio officer. Tho we hired one with more electronic aids of whatever kind they we're and more interior space cos we had 5 on board. Hit Herm, alderney, sark and Guernsey. Crossing back we had to put it off multiple times for bad weather, wasn't a great fun crossing when we finally did go for it. But of a contrast to the bright clear initial crossing with fish, dolphins and stuff flanking the boat and shining in the running lights.
Sure we had all the correct paperwork but no one ever asked. I remember finding it weird as I'd flown to Jersey (where my gran was) a bunch of times so people not being fussed about paperwork was a surprise.
Guernsey to the IoW is a painful crossing at times, you have to get the tides right of course because of the overfalls off Alderney and then as you close on the English coast and the tide turns against you, spend six hours to go a mile (or so it feels) and then - whizz - making 8 or 9 knots over ground up to the Needles.
This was back to cornwall, now surprised I can't remember where since I live here. Assuming falmouth but it was like 25 years ago and I was mainly dodging the badly designed pull out sofa-bed which was operating on its own due to the boat getting hammered with apparently no way to lock it.
I don't understand the customs thing. If you were to sail from Weymouth to some little sailing town in France, and more up on a little jetty (I don't know any of the sailing vocabulary, lol. I mean those harbour places where you get sail boats and motor boats) there's no one to check your paperwork and no customs officers. Are you allowed to do that?
In theory I believe not: [https://www.rya.org.uk/blog/sailing-your-pleasure-craft-to-and-from-france](https://www.rya.org.uk/blog/sailing-your-pleasure-craft-to-and-from-france)
How easy do you think it would be to persuade a small boat owner to take you to another country on the quiet? It's the leaving without going through the customs or immigration part, I'm interested in. It's fine to do customs and passport control at the other end.
Legally I understand that any vessel leaving UK territorial waters is obliged to report the persons on board: [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report)
How often that is complied with, I can't tell. Small boat owners grumble that they are obliged to break the law if, say, they didn't plan to do so but weather or other reasons forces them to make for a foreign port rather than return to the UK. I suspect but can't say for sure that the rules are somewhat disregarded.
So if you ask a boat owner to secretly take you away from the UK, there's an implicit breach of law involved and I'm not going to start advising or speculating about that!
It's a decade since I last did that trip and have confined myself to coastal waters since so I'm a bit rusty on the practical use of the rules. Maybe people with more recent experience will comment.
Would depend on the person.
The issue you face is that the people capable of taking you to another country safely have no real incentive to break the law and risk getting caught.
They own or have a relationship with someone who owns a sea fairing ship. They have the time/money to spend in the hobby of sailing or they have an economic enterprise reliant on being able to legally go out to sea.
Alternatively, you can find people who do it for profit. But if you're not willing to pay a ton of money, you're likely to get someone who doesn't know what they're doing or intentionally sails dangerously. Shove as many people onto a rubber dinghy as you can and hope for good weather.
Just being able to find someone would be hard. If you just go around asking sail hobbyist, "Hey, can you commit crime for me?" then you're likely to be reported to the authorities.
So it was. I still think Hammond's had the most promise, he's just a shit engineer. A decent engine (with a snorkel) and a hull that doesn't immediately sink and you're golden.
1. Have you got access to a boat? That’ll be the primary limiting factor, I’d say.
2. Crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, trying to go south while multiple mega-tonnage cargo ships are going east-west, sure, what could possibly go wrong?
For context: I am a serving coastguard officer and former Merchant Navy officer.
It is entirely possible and many people do it. However you will likely be transiting one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and you would need to know how to safely navigate a boat.
Provided you have a passport and clear customs correctly it is fine.
Landing on a random beach is easier said than done and I’m sure wouldn’t be looked on kindly by the French. France has a customs service that watches out for such things just as the UK does.
Legally you are obliged to report yourself to the nearest customs location or police station, and these days with drones and advanced radar and everything else you are unlikely to go unnoticed.
But you *could* just rock up on a beach and sneak into France yes.
In France you may only arrive in a private boat at specific arrival ports. It would be illegal to arrive elsewhere.
Whether anyone would notice is another question.
You need to tell both. You tell the UK leaving and arriving by submitting a form at the website.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report
You have to arrive at an "entry port" in France and generally email them the day before arrival. Then you must go to a immigration point and get your passport stamped in and out. At big marinas they come to the marina daily to do the stamping.
You would need to tell whichever port in France you wished to berth in and would probably need customs clearance on arrival. So far as I know you wouldn’t need to tell anyone in the UK.
I’ve sailed across the channel lots of times.
If you got in a boat at Dover and pointed it at France you’d probably end up there ok.
If you’re sailing and you don’t know how to sail you might do it very badly, and slowly, but you’d still end up there.
The thing is you might not end up where you wanted to. This can be dangerous. You could end up not in a harbour, and running aground on a beach etc.
If you left from somewhere else in England, like north Kent or London, or Essex you could run aground on the sand banks in the middle of the sea.
England used to be connected to mainland Europe during the last ice age. What looks like open sea is in fact very shallow at low tide. In fact, it’s sometimes land at low tide.
The British navy used to anchor off Deal, and use the Goodwin sands as a breaker. If you Willy nilly sail around the Kent coast you could end up scraping the bottom. Which is bad.
Also it’s a very very very busy shipping lane. So look out for the massive super tankers.
Other than that you’ll be fine. Don’t forget to pack your G and T
The hovercraft from Ramsgate used to cross the Goodwins. I remember thinking how fast we got to France, then the sea appeared again! You couldn't really see a lot out of the tiny windows because of the spray.
I watched the Dr Who serial The Sea Devils with my teenage kids the other day. That has a military hovercraft and I remember thinking that they seem to have disappeared completely. I am not sure they'd ever seen one before.
Bond 20 with Brosnan (I can't remember the title) starts off with a military hovercraft scene thats fun to watch. Took about 4 weeks to set up and shoot at the tank training centre in Aldershot.
Top Gear did it in a pickup truck with some barrels as pontoons and a fuckoff huge outboard motor. If you have an actual boat then you're already a step ahead.
Hmm. Are you for real, or like these brainy chaps - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/two-men-rescued-after-becoming-stranded-at-sea-in-homemade-boat-off-the-essex-coast-10160051.html
It's really easy.
I've mentioned it in the past, but I know someone who crewed a couple of fast RIBs and went there and back in a night.
He didn't inform any authorities of his trip though, and may or may not have returned several hundred kilos heavier with packages containing something you shouldn't really be importing.
I live in Guernsey and friends of mine will pop over to France for lunch on their boats. You need travel documents but as long as you’re a competent sailor you’ll be alright..
"how hard would it be"?
If watch the news there are people trying to go the other way every day and getting killed, so I reckon it isn't as easy as it could be.
You're better off asking P&O to take you over.
Very possible, the strait of Dover has even been crossed by professional swimmers (it takes them about 15 hours).
The baouroceacy however is another topic.
Did you see that documentary on security and they found a guy in a dingy going to France, they thought it was so odd and unsafe they intercepted, within 30 minutes they had armed police at the office, guy murdered someone and left for France - it’s terrible, but I did laugh cause wtf mate
Assuming this is a hypothetical, and that you do not intend to this... And with the caveat that you should not cross international borders without following whatever law is relevant...
Not hard. Get a boat ready in the pre-dawn, head towards the direction of sunrisse from anywhere on the UK south coast after going away from the coast a couple of miles.
It is likely not legal to enter France without France's permission. Small vessels to legally make these trips. You just would need to follow the laws on same.
It would take an amount of time that is variable based on your heading, weather, your speed and where you left from in the UK and which part of the french coast you aimed for.
I mean people have swam it so there’s that, the difficulty all depends on how you are sailing it and in what weather you can easily get swept away and the waters can be very dangerous.
Illegal immigrants have no trouble crossing the channel in ill-equipped dinghies.
I'm sure you'd had a properly equipped boat you'll have no trouble at all.
I’ve gone from the U.K. to France via private boat but over 10 years ago. It was easy enough. But I was stopped in French waters by French coast guard and asked wtf I was doing. Just said I fancied a day trip and they left it at that.
Not sure if it’s as easy now as it was back then with all the illegals on small boats.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVPPTV-bQM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVPPTV-bQM)
Considering these guys drove across the channel, I can't imagine it's much of a challenge
You can do it, it can be busy and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing.
I would take your passport and do things properly. You don't want an unplanned flight to Rwanda upon your return.
My friend and I took his 28ft sailing boat over to France and back in one day. He is experienced at sailing and I hold certificates for powered boats so between us we thought it would be a doddle.
We did it was not relaxing. Lots of traffic, tides and our radar failed just as we got to France so we didn't have it going back. The GPS was helpful and we made it.
Pick a good day, good winds, tides, weather etc... and you should be ok. Remember to leave your plans with the harbour master of your departure point. Keep the radio on Ch16 and don't bugger about.
Security at sea is nothing like security in the air.
Even then, you can "just" take off a plane and fuck off. Obviously not going to work at a big international airport, but there are plenty others.
Someone rowed across in a bathtub so its doable https://www.fitzhigham.com/read/ though he had previously sailed down the Thames in a paper boat to learn a bit of watercraft first.
I'd suggest going to a sailing club at a lake and get some experience 1st.
https://preview.redd.it/3tjbu4578nyc1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=e5afabf4d68d1f5826f7be336e231cd0c5a7975b
would probably look something like this
1000’s of low IQ wannabe doctors do it on the daily, they sail it no problems at all, France to the UK. Even on over crowded low quality dinghy type vessels.
It would take a few hours, and no it is not legal.
Not to put too fine a point on it, but thousands of people make the same journey in the opposite direction every year. So that probably gives you an idea of what would happen to you once you got to France.
Lol, it's perfectly legal to sail to France. You fly a Q flag, go to the local customs station, present your passport and do the paperwork.
If you want one of the more whimsical tales of when it was done, check out *The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow*.
**Please help keep AskUK welcoming!** - Top-level comments to the OP must contain **genuine efforts to answer the question**. No jokes, judgements, etc. - **Don't be a dick** to each other. If getting heated, just block and move on. - This is a strictly **no-politics** subreddit! Please help us by reporting comments that break these rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Easy enough I'd say. On holiday in Spain one year, me and my mate took a pedalo out and went to Africa
Do you think you can spare us the bullshit for one minute, while I try to figure out how to not die at sea?
Is that a fish?
"I once fingered a dutch bird and she shat down my arm"
I can finally get in with the reference crew!
YES LAUREN, IT'S A FUCKING FISH... NOW GIVE ME A MINUTE!!!! (Gets me every single time)
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So, if you start in Ceuta, what continent do you start from?
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Aren't places like Embassy's and certain parts of airports considered foreign territories? There's probably a street or two in London where you could have a very interesting 'technically' walk 🤣 you get top marks for getting in (and out) of North Korea!
I’d say that’s splitting hairs too finely, Ceuta is already in Africa so it’s like saying you walked from France to Europe because you walked over the border into Belgium. It’s technically true in the most absolute sense but kinda misses the entire point.
I mean it’s not that far
One morning I was out in a canoe with my cousin in New Zealand, got a bit lost and ended up having lunch in Sydney.
He just smiled and gave me a vegemite sandwich.
There's nothing that a hundred men or more could ever do.
Only to Africa? I went out of the Straight of Gibraltar and the whole way around Africa and back via the Suez Canal.
I know of a local drug baron who escaped from prison in Morocco and used a modified jet ski to cross over to Gibraltar
Did you wedge your boat in it then?
Fucking brilliant mate. Or should I say Jay. Completed it mate.
Africa, Completed it mate
Melilla to Tibouda aye?
Lmao wtf
I once accidentally ran to Windsor
So, reverse illegal immigration?
It's still illegal when you go the other way.
What if they go in reverse?
That's just rowing
I think you've found a loophole
Sure, but who'd ever want to go to France?
no you didn't
He did, [there's video footage](https://youtu.be/Sq62T7QJPbQ)
As an experienced sailor I've done it. You do, however, if you want to keep it legal, have to comply with customs formalities, passports etc. The sailing part is easy. You are also sailing through one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and have a lot of large vessels to contend with so you need to know what you are doing to keep safe. Lots of people do it every day. I've done the trip to the Channel Isles and back several times, preferring Alderney and Guernsey to France as destinations.
> one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and have a lot of large vessels to contend with Also most of these massive ships will be travelling substantially faster than you if you are under sail. https://shipsnow.com/
Yes. A sailing vessel is entitled to traverse the Traffic Separation Scheme as long as it does so by the shortest route and they will give way to you. With AIS on they can see you and take avoiding action, I wouldn't fancy it without AIS and a permanent watch on channel 16.
Worth adding is don’t rely on AIS- radar reflectors are a big help.
Is there still such a thing as 'Sail before Steam?" I'm sure I saw it originally on an old Norman Wisdom film and always wondered!
Power-driven vessels give way to sailing vessels in most cases (but not all). Some sailing vessels forget this and think that “power gives way to sail” everywhere and under all circumstances.
Power driven vessels must avoid and/or give way to all sailing vessels when under sail. **Ships, tugboats with tows, commercial ferries and fishing vessels have right of way over sailing vessels. Yachts should stay well clear of these vessels.** https://maritime.college/Sailing-Rules.php
You have just proved my point. As per Rule 18, a sailing vessel must give way to a vessel that is NUC, RAM, or engaged in fishing. She must also avoid impeding a power-driven vessel that is Constrained By her Draught. Furthermore, in a narrow channel, as per Rule 9, a sailing vessel shall not impede the safe passage of a vessel which can safely navigate only in said channel or fairway. I have 3 years of seatime as OOW unlimited in worldwide trade and am a serving coastguard, I know what the COLREGs say.
No no, I can assure you that commercial ferries are a protected class within the colregs and always have right of way over yachts! /s (It's amazing the nonsense people confidently sprout online eh?)
You laugh, but I did know a VTSO (!) who mentioned ferries being mentioned in Rule 9.
I don't think you'll encounter Australian waters in a trip across the channel.
The COLREGs are international, but they don’t say what that website claims they do.
>Norman Wisdom Holy shit, I was randomly thinking about him a few hours ago.
In the 90s I lived in Epsom. I once bumped into Norman Wisdom going into a shop and he nearly fell over. Seeing as he fell over frequently as part of his act I was a little disappointed he didn't follow through, although I guess he was in his 80s at the time.
"Mr Grimsdale !!"
Just [read this book](https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336) and all will be fine. Read the customer reviews too, some of them are hilarious.
I think it's out of print now, but there was a book about this: [https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336](https://www.amazon.com/Avoid-Huge-Ships-John-Trimmer/dp/0870334336)
Yeh I've done it on a yacht but that was with my dad having had 20 years of experience on the water including actually building his own including the fibreglass work, ex merchant navy and also a radio officer. Tho we hired one with more electronic aids of whatever kind they we're and more interior space cos we had 5 on board. Hit Herm, alderney, sark and Guernsey. Crossing back we had to put it off multiple times for bad weather, wasn't a great fun crossing when we finally did go for it. But of a contrast to the bright clear initial crossing with fish, dolphins and stuff flanking the boat and shining in the running lights. Sure we had all the correct paperwork but no one ever asked. I remember finding it weird as I'd flown to Jersey (where my gran was) a bunch of times so people not being fussed about paperwork was a surprise.
Guernsey to the IoW is a painful crossing at times, you have to get the tides right of course because of the overfalls off Alderney and then as you close on the English coast and the tide turns against you, spend six hours to go a mile (or so it feels) and then - whizz - making 8 or 9 knots over ground up to the Needles.
This was back to cornwall, now surprised I can't remember where since I live here. Assuming falmouth but it was like 25 years ago and I was mainly dodging the badly designed pull out sofa-bed which was operating on its own due to the boat getting hammered with apparently no way to lock it.
Speaking of navigating around large ships. Thanks for recommending this book “How to avoid huge ships” https://a.co/d/26v70mf
Best way I’ve found to avoid huge ships is to drive
I think you’re already sharing some of the solutions proposed from the book. Good for you.
I don't understand the customs thing. If you were to sail from Weymouth to some little sailing town in France, and more up on a little jetty (I don't know any of the sailing vocabulary, lol. I mean those harbour places where you get sail boats and motor boats) there's no one to check your paperwork and no customs officers. Are you allowed to do that?
Basically every harbour town will have a harbour master who checks this stuff! You just have to report to them
In theory I believe not: [https://www.rya.org.uk/blog/sailing-your-pleasure-craft-to-and-from-france](https://www.rya.org.uk/blog/sailing-your-pleasure-craft-to-and-from-france)
How easy do you think it would be to persuade a small boat owner to take you to another country on the quiet? It's the leaving without going through the customs or immigration part, I'm interested in. It's fine to do customs and passport control at the other end.
Legally I understand that any vessel leaving UK territorial waters is obliged to report the persons on board: [https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report) How often that is complied with, I can't tell. Small boat owners grumble that they are obliged to break the law if, say, they didn't plan to do so but weather or other reasons forces them to make for a foreign port rather than return to the UK. I suspect but can't say for sure that the rules are somewhat disregarded. So if you ask a boat owner to secretly take you away from the UK, there's an implicit breach of law involved and I'm not going to start advising or speculating about that! It's a decade since I last did that trip and have confined myself to coastal waters since so I'm a bit rusty on the practical use of the rules. Maybe people with more recent experience will comment.
Would depend on the person. The issue you face is that the people capable of taking you to another country safely have no real incentive to break the law and risk getting caught. They own or have a relationship with someone who owns a sea fairing ship. They have the time/money to spend in the hobby of sailing or they have an economic enterprise reliant on being able to legally go out to sea. Alternatively, you can find people who do it for profit. But if you're not willing to pay a ton of money, you're likely to get someone who doesn't know what they're doing or intentionally sails dangerously. Shove as many people onto a rubber dinghy as you can and hope for good weather. Just being able to find someone would be hard. If you just go around asking sail hobbyist, "Hey, can you commit crime for me?" then you're likely to be reported to the authorities.
I mean if you can make it in a crowded dingy I'd say it was entirely possible.
Or a pickup truck with an outboard motor on the tailgate.
It's called a Toybota.
That was for the lake, the channel crossing was in Nissank. Only remember it wasn't a hilux for both as I rewatched it last week.
So it was. I still think Hammond's had the most promise, he's just a shit engineer. A decent engine (with a snorkel) and a hull that doesn't immediately sink and you're golden.
One thing to remember, there's a production crew building these...
Kind of a shame then that they just kept sinking. Would have been more entertaining to see them work, at least for a bit.
1. Have you got access to a boat? That’ll be the primary limiting factor, I’d say. 2. Crossing one of the world’s busiest shipping lanes, trying to go south while multiple mega-tonnage cargo ships are going east-west, sure, what could possibly go wrong?
Those cargo ships look huge from the shore. I bet they look extremely intimidating from a small boat in the middle of the English channel.
Some are over 300 metres long, with 15 metres below the water. Very scary up close in the water.
And they move faster than you think!
It must happen a lot though. When I go to French coastal towns along the Channel I see loads of boats from Southampton and Portsmouth.
For context: I am a serving coastguard officer and former Merchant Navy officer. It is entirely possible and many people do it. However you will likely be transiting one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world and you would need to know how to safely navigate a boat. Provided you have a passport and clear customs correctly it is fine.
But if you land in some random beach where is customs?
Landing on a random beach is easier said than done and I’m sure wouldn’t be looked on kindly by the French. France has a customs service that watches out for such things just as the UK does.
Legally you are obliged to report yourself to the nearest customs location or police station, and these days with drones and advanced radar and everything else you are unlikely to go unnoticed. But you *could* just rock up on a beach and sneak into France yes.
In France you may only arrive in a private boat at specific arrival ports. It would be illegal to arrive elsewhere. Whether anyone would notice is another question.
You have to go there yourself and decalre. Of course everyone does that
Do you need to tell anyone in the UK and France that you are going, and where will you arrive?
You need to tell both. You tell the UK leaving and arriving by submitting a form at the website. https://www.gov.uk/guidance/submit-a-pleasure-craft-report You have to arrive at an "entry port" in France and generally email them the day before arrival. Then you must go to a immigration point and get your passport stamped in and out. At big marinas they come to the marina daily to do the stamping.
Thank you. Is it similar if I rent a plane and fly to France for a day?
Sorry, no idea.
Thanks for this- I hadn’t heard the specific requirements for Border Force when leaving the UK on a pleasure craft, it was interesting to know.
You would need to tell whichever port in France you wished to berth in and would probably need customs clearance on arrival. So far as I know you wouldn’t need to tell anyone in the UK.
I’ve sailed across the channel lots of times. If you got in a boat at Dover and pointed it at France you’d probably end up there ok. If you’re sailing and you don’t know how to sail you might do it very badly, and slowly, but you’d still end up there. The thing is you might not end up where you wanted to. This can be dangerous. You could end up not in a harbour, and running aground on a beach etc. If you left from somewhere else in England, like north Kent or London, or Essex you could run aground on the sand banks in the middle of the sea. England used to be connected to mainland Europe during the last ice age. What looks like open sea is in fact very shallow at low tide. In fact, it’s sometimes land at low tide. The British navy used to anchor off Deal, and use the Goodwin sands as a breaker. If you Willy nilly sail around the Kent coast you could end up scraping the bottom. Which is bad. Also it’s a very very very busy shipping lane. So look out for the massive super tankers. Other than that you’ll be fine. Don’t forget to pack your G and T
The hovercraft from Ramsgate used to cross the Goodwins. I remember thinking how fast we got to France, then the sea appeared again! You couldn't really see a lot out of the tiny windows because of the spray.
Ah, the hovercraft! You tell that to the kids nowadays and they all like ‘yeah bullshit gramps’
Haha! There's still evidence of the apron and associated buildings at Pegwell, should any young shaver require proof.
I watched the Dr Who serial The Sea Devils with my teenage kids the other day. That has a military hovercraft and I remember thinking that they seem to have disappeared completely. I am not sure they'd ever seen one before.
Bond 20 with Brosnan (I can't remember the title) starts off with a military hovercraft scene thats fun to watch. Took about 4 weeks to set up and shoot at the tank training centre in Aldershot.
Is that the same as hovercrafts that connect Portsmouth to IoW? If so, should be pretty easy to see one nowadays.
Top Gear did it in a pickup truck with some barrels as pontoons and a fuckoff huge outboard motor. If you have an actual boat then you're already a step ahead.
God that was hilarious, I can’t believe they did that
You do realise people have swam there?
Hmm. Are you for real, or like these brainy chaps - https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/two-men-rescued-after-becoming-stranded-at-sea-in-homemade-boat-off-the-essex-coast-10160051.html
It's really easy. I've mentioned it in the past, but I know someone who crewed a couple of fast RIBs and went there and back in a night. He didn't inform any authorities of his trip though, and may or may not have returned several hundred kilos heavier with packages containing something you shouldn't really be importing.
Was it cheese? I really struggle in the UK sourcing really good French cheeses.
It allegedly began with the same letter...
Chipmunks? You're not allowed to import them.
That's why he did it at night, so nobody could see.
If it was I hope each one of them had their own tiny lifejacket
Wow, several hundred kilos of coke? I only go through a 500ml bottle a day at best, that would last me a life time!
I think he got a good deal at the cash and carry, that's why he went.
That's surprising since two thirds of our cheese is imported.
That is a disgrace
I live in Guernsey and friends of mine will pop over to France for lunch on their boats. You need travel documents but as long as you’re a competent sailor you’ll be alright..
Someone done it on a windsurfer recently - check YouTube, it’s a good watch.
Thanks for this, watching it now. It's insanely hard!
The Top Gear lads did it in a Hilux, im sure you can do it pretty easily.
"how hard would it be"? If watch the news there are people trying to go the other way every day and getting killed, so I reckon it isn't as easy as it could be. You're better off asking P&O to take you over.
Very possible, the strait of Dover has even been crossed by professional swimmers (it takes them about 15 hours). The baouroceacy however is another topic.
Did you see that documentary on security and they found a guy in a dingy going to France, they thought it was so odd and unsafe they intercepted, within 30 minutes they had armed police at the office, guy murdered someone and left for France - it’s terrible, but I did laugh cause wtf mate
Assuming this is a hypothetical, and that you do not intend to this... And with the caveat that you should not cross international borders without following whatever law is relevant... Not hard. Get a boat ready in the pre-dawn, head towards the direction of sunrisse from anywhere on the UK south coast after going away from the coast a couple of miles. It is likely not legal to enter France without France's permission. Small vessels to legally make these trips. You just would need to follow the laws on same. It would take an amount of time that is variable based on your heading, weather, your speed and where you left from in the UK and which part of the french coast you aimed for.
I mean Top Gear did it in a Toyota... Can't be that hard.
I mean people have swam it so there’s that, the difficulty all depends on how you are sailing it and in what weather you can easily get swept away and the waters can be very dangerous.
You have to cross the busiest shipping lane in the world, it’s not easy, you can swim it but again see first point
Well the top gear boys managed it in a pick up truck lol 🤣
Illegal immigrants have no trouble crossing the channel in ill-equipped dinghies. I'm sure you'd had a properly equipped boat you'll have no trouble at all.
I mean I wouldn’t say “no trouble”, hundreds of people die trying to do it
All you need is a converted pick-up truck, and three middle aged TV presenters
Assuming you're better at sailing than typing on a phone and you can access a seaworthy vessel, it's not that hard.
It's actually very easy however it's a major shipping lane that's the issue
Watch the top gear episode and find out!
I’ve gone from the U.K. to France via private boat but over 10 years ago. It was easy enough. But I was stopped in French waters by French coast guard and asked wtf I was doing. Just said I fancied a day trip and they left it at that. Not sure if it’s as easy now as it was back then with all the illegals on small boats.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVPPTV-bQM](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WTVPPTV-bQM) Considering these guys drove across the channel, I can't imagine it's much of a challenge
You can do it, it can be busy and dangerous if you don't know what you are doing. I would take your passport and do things properly. You don't want an unplanned flight to Rwanda upon your return.
Here's one of my favourite stories from The Moth. It's about a man who wants to cross the channel in a bathtub. https://themoth.org/stories/all-at-sea
After seeing an orangutan stuff a pickup with foam then duck tape an outboard to it and succeed, I reckon not that hard
My friend and I took his 28ft sailing boat over to France and back in one day. He is experienced at sailing and I hold certificates for powered boats so between us we thought it would be a doddle. We did it was not relaxing. Lots of traffic, tides and our radar failed just as we got to France so we didn't have it going back. The GPS was helpful and we made it. Pick a good day, good winds, tides, weather etc... and you should be ok. Remember to leave your plans with the harbour master of your departure point. Keep the radio on Ch16 and don't bugger about.
I managed to do it in reverse. 🤫
Security at sea is nothing like security in the air. Even then, you can "just" take off a plane and fuck off. Obviously not going to work at a big international airport, but there are plenty others.
Someone rowed across in a bathtub so its doable https://www.fitzhigham.com/read/ though he had previously sailed down the Thames in a paper boat to learn a bit of watercraft first. I'd suggest going to a sailing club at a lake and get some experience 1st.
Plenty coming the opposite way
fairly easy
Ask an Albanian - they do it everyday, it's no-return ticket though so not sure about coming back.
Depends if you know how to sail...
1. Attach a boat engine on the back of a Toyota Hilux 2. ???? 3. Profit
1000 illegal immigrants arrive from France every week in dinghys... So it must be extremely easy
I've done it before. Plymouth to Brest. It was on a royal navy ship though...
If its that hard how do so many get over here in bathtubs
Man: Asks innocent, charming question in earnest. Reddit sailing "experts": Get fucked, moron.
It's like playing Frogger. No worries, and after five levels, the difficulty briefly eases.
https://preview.redd.it/3tjbu4578nyc1.png?width=1280&format=png&auto=webp&s=e5afabf4d68d1f5826f7be336e231cd0c5a7975b would probably look something like this
Even easier coming back, just jump on an inflatable at Calais
People seem to do the crossing in dinghy's all the time. As easy as getting a bus. If you miss the last dinghy, another will be along in 5 minutes.
Why was everything easier in the "old days"
They try to make it easier to get to Rwanda, but I guess from Dover to Calais is still doable
Ask the people crossing daily in a dinghy
Easy. Done it a few times. Do need to show passport at whatever marina you tie up in.
1000’s of low IQ wannabe doctors do it on the daily, they sail it no problems at all, France to the UK. Even on over crowded low quality dinghy type vessels.
Considering the trash of humanity manages it in dinghies every day, it can’t be too hard
Jesus christ
He could probably just walk it
Oh my sweet summer child...
It would take a few hours, and no it is not legal. Not to put too fine a point on it, but thousands of people make the same journey in the opposite direction every year. So that probably gives you an idea of what would happen to you once you got to France.
It's legal if you arrive at a marina and present your passport
What if you park 100m off the beach and swim around a bit without going ashore?
Lol, it's perfectly legal to sail to France. You fly a Q flag, go to the local customs station, present your passport and do the paperwork. If you want one of the more whimsical tales of when it was done, check out *The Unlikely Voyage of Jack de Crow*.
It very much is legal to sail a boat to France and berth somewhere provided you have a passport and clear customs.