We really have sailed a few miles in our lives. But so far only on „classic“ sailing boats, i.e. monohulls. As a catamaran is a little different to maneuver, especially in the harbour, and the time of year is not yet ideal for a transfer, we brought support on board. The yacht transport experts from Halcyon were recommended to us by the previous owner Steve and broker Lee, and skipper Andy already knows the catamaran from several transfers. As an RYA Yachtmaster Ocean and Cruising Instructor, he can certainly teach us a thing or two. We hope to learn a few more tips and tricks from him, especially when it comes to the challenging navigation in British tidal waters and the busy English Channel.
So that we have „La Ola“ (ex Aliseo) ready to go, we fly to England two days before the crew is due to arrive. As always, we fly with Ryanair from Bremen to Stansted and then take a rental car to Falmouth. Compared to the last few trips, however, the journey is a little longer this time. There is a traffic jam on the way to the airport, which we „cleverly“ avoid, but which probably takes just as long or even longer. As we have planned a lot of extra time, we still arrive at Bremen Airport on time. Two suitcases and two travel bags are quickly unloaded and while I go to check-in, Axel parks the car in the parking garage. By the time Axel is back, the queue at check-in has disappeared and we don’t have to wait much longer.
Everything runs smoothly, except for the fact that our two supertanker bags (still from New Zealand!) should be checked in in the bulky baggage area. Not a problem in itself, but bag no. 2 contains a spare CO² cartridge for our life jackets. And it stands out! We are told quite strictly that we must register and obtain permission to take it with us beforehand. The information that, according to the Ryan Air website, it is permitted does not count at first. Quite annoyed, we go back to the check-in counter with our bag and point out that we not only have the spare cartridge, but also two life jackets, also with cartridges, in the suitcases we have already checked in. Fortunately, the friendly lady at the check-in desk takes care of the matter quite calmly and after 5 minutes everything is done. Everything registered and approved! Now the last travel bag can be checked in without any problems and we can go to the departure area.
The next queue awaits us at the security area. Queues are not Axel’s thing per se and the situation is exacerbated by a screaming toddler who actually manages to shout for over 45 minutes. Phew! Once we’ve got through security – Axel’s bag of jelly babies also has to be checked for drugs – and passport control, our time reserve has melted away and we arrive at the departure gate more or less on time for boarding. Fortunately, the plane is quite empty and Axel and I have a row of seats to ourselves. The weather also plays along so I can take a few nice photos during the flight.
Once we arrive in Standsted, the journey continues quite quickly. Our luggage is already waiting for us and we take the shuttle bus to the rental car terminal. But then there’s another hitch. We wait and wait and wait. In the end, it takes over an hour before we can finally load our rental car and drive off. This time we are in a Europcar MG and it feels like an eternity before we get to grips with the sat nav, air conditioning and radio. It’s just as well that we already know the way and that we’ve learned to drive on the left again. The route to Falmouth is once again quite long and due to a traffic jam at Stonehenge, we can admire the ancient stones even better this time. After more than 6 hours of driving and almost 12 hours of travel time, we finally reach Falmouth.
Before we go to the marina, however, we first go shopping. Apart from water, there is nothing on board and of course we need a few ingredients for breakfast. Fortunately, there’s a Lidl supermarket on the way and we can stock up on the basics. We arrive on board at around 6:30 p.m. and start unpacking. We have brought almost 80 kg of luggage with us. In addition to comforters, pillows, crockery and cutlery, luckily there is also a small fan heater in the bags so that we can heat up „La Ola“ a little first. With an outside temperature of less than 10° C, it is quite chilly on board.
We go ashore for dinner, as we don’t feel like cooking on board at the moment. We decide on „The Shed“ at Discovery Quay near the Maritime Museum and are well satisfied with fish & chips and nachos. Add a local Korev lager and we are happy. Afterwards, we fall more or less immediately into our bunk and sleep soundly for the first night on board.
Cleaning and provisioning day
The next day begins with more clearing up. At 9:30 a.m. we go back to „The Shed“ for breakfast, where we meet with broker Lee and receive the documents from „La Ola“. This completes the very last step of the boat purchase! Plus Egg Benedict – a great start to the day.
Back on board, we start with a little cleaning orgy. Even though Steve has done a good job of „clearing out“ the catamaran, you can still tell that the boat has been in the water during the winter. In this respect, the first thing to do is to remove the winter dirt. The pantry cupboards, fridge and freezer are given a good wipe down and the last leftovers from the previous owner are disposed of. Then it’s time to go shopping. We have our rental car for a few more days and want to stock up for the upcoming transfer.
But first we head to Macsalvors Boat Chandlery in the neighboring village of Penryn, where we buy lifebelts and a few small items for the boat. A quaint yacht chandlery where you can still buy the „good old“ yellow oilskins. We continue to the B&Q DIY store where we try to buy a few more things we need. For example, a small cleaning bucket is missing on board, but cleaning buckets seem to be completely unknown in Cornwall. We certainly don’t find one! We continue on to the neighboring Asda supermarket, which doesn’t have a cleaning bucket either, but a huge amount of food and drinks that end up in our shopping cart. Back at the marina, everything is unloaded and brought on board. There, one item after another ends up in one cupboard after another and we hope that we will somehow find it again when we need it. „La Ola has a considerable number of cupboards and lockers and it will certainly take a while to get everything organized the way we want it.
After an exhausting day, we decide to eat ashore again today and this time we end up at „The Ranch“, also near the Maritime Museum. We get a seat without any problems and, much to my delight, an orange steak knife is waiting for me as cutlery. Anyone who knows me knows about my color obsession and somehow orange things always end up with me. When I realize that the knives can also be bought in the restaurant, the evening is almost perfect. However, our friendly waiter tells us that the knives are only sold in a mixed pack. Now purple and green are not really our colors and so we tick off the subject of buying knives for the time being. Our waiter apparently recognizes my disappointment and comes back a little later with the suggestion that we could mix something matching in colour from different packs. No sooner said than done and we are happy again. Unfortunately, the waitress comes back a few minutes later and tells us that the quality of the knives seems to have changed significantly compared to the ones on the table. Instead of a smooth handle surface, there is a sharp ridge on the top edge, which stings the thumb very unpleasantly when cutting. Mmmh, so much effort made for us, but unfortunately we don’t want to buy the knives like this. Bummer! In the meantime, our food is delivered and we enjoy perfect fillet of beef for Axel and spare ribs and chicken wings for me. Then something happens that has never actually happened to us in a restaurant before! Our waiter comes to our table again and tells us that we can just take two of the knives from the table at the end. Whow!!! We are thrilled and thank her profusely. Of course, the tip at the end is correspondingly high and this time we leave not only well-fed, but also with two orange steak knives in a doggy bag. Back on board, we have a little nightcap and then it’s off to bed again.
Capricious weather and change of plans
The day starts with the first breakfast on board. Of course, how could it be otherwise with us, with a perfect breakfast egg! The plan for the day actually includes another shopping trip, returning the rental car and the arrival of our crew. However, as we know, plans are all well and good, but rarely kept to on board. Our skipper Andy got stuck in Amsterdam due to the weather and the weather forecast for the next few days predicts strong winds from the east. We can therefore cancel tomorrow’s departure for the time being. Unfortunately, the easterly winds will stay like this for a few more days, so skipper Andy is now planning our departure for next week. Well, what can you do… We first try to extend our rental car, but in view of the additional price of over € 300 per day, we decide against the idea. So part 1 of the plan is realized first. We set off on another shopping spree, starting with a trip to the yacht chandlery in Mylor Harbour. In addition to a boat hook, we also buy a beautiful bucket there! Originally intended for children to collect crabs, it will hopefully help us with our cleaning tasks. And later I can use it to collect mussels. We continue on to Macsalvors, where we buy a large fire extinguisher. We then visit Lidl and Asda and stock up on as much fresh food as possible. Heavily laden, we head back on board and it takes a few hours to stow everything on board. Shortly before closing time, we pay a visit to the local department store Trago Mills, following a tip from broker Lee. At first glance it looks a bit of a dump, but on closer inspection it’s a real treasure trove! As we only have a quarter of an hour before closing time, we only have a few small items in our shopping basket, but we definitely need to spend more time browsing here. On the way back to the boat today, we stop off at Pizza Express, as you might expect, also located on Discovery Quay. With a view of the marina and „La Ola“, we are served two excellent pizzas and finally return on board well-fed once again.
Cleaning, cleaning, cleaning
While Axel devotes himself to the technology and programs our MMSI and the new callsign into the equipment, I use the day I’ve gained to clean the boat some more. All the cupboards, drawers and compartments in the owner’s hull are wiped down and cleared of forgotten items. In the meantime, I start to feel like a gold digger, because I find money in almost every compartment! Well, not large bundles of bills, but at least the odd coin. Plus an E, an O and an F, probably escaped from a game of Scrabble, and a domino. At the same time, we carry out small repairs and improvements to the boat. As we are still short of materials, we go to Trago Mills at lunchtime, where we check every aisle on every floor once and end up going home heavily laden with baskets, bowls, a toast attachment for the gas stove, clothespins, but also curtain hooks, extension cables and ship’s rope. Back on board, we tidy up and continue cleaning. In the afternoon, we get our dinghy ready and I set off on a long voyage. Well, only as far as the bow of „La Ola“, but still. The aim is to remove the old name sticker, but unfortunately we can’t put the new sticker on yet because it was too big for transportation and is still in the mill in Germany. I laboriously piddle off letter after letter, first on the port side, then on the starboard side. I continue at the stern, where the boat’s name and home port are removed. Now our catamaran is nameless for the time being! Well chilled, I’ve had enough work for today and Axel gets us a huge portion of fish & chips from Harbor Lights. As usual in England, with a nice dash of vinegar. We eat on board and have a beer in the saloon while we think about how we want to spend the next few days.
Falmouth Pride
Now that the owner’s hull is spotlessly clean, we continue with the saloon today. Here, too, every drawer, every compartment and every corner is cleaned and things still lying around are gradually stowed away. We are slowly approaching the point where we can actually cast off without anything flying around at sea. From midday today we are treated to a fine selection of live music as the annual Pride Parade takes place in Falmouth. The parade finishes at Discovery Quay and, in addition to numerous stalls selling food, drink and information, a stage has also been set up overnight. Fortunately, the weather is mostly fine and only the occasional shower passes through. Otherwise, the temperatures are still quite cool. While the forecast for Germany is 20°+ for the weekend, it’s still frosty April weather here. Brrr!!! In the afternoon, we head to our new favorite store, Trago Mills, where we are greeted personally by the manager. It’s really amazing how big the range is and even more amazing that every employee you ask about anything always knows immediately in which department, in which aisle and in which shelf section something can be found. In view of the crowds at Discovery Quay, we decide on an Indian ready meal from the local Tesco Express supermarket for tonight’s dinner. The on-board microwave is also inaugurated and declared functional. In the evening, as usual, we read, plan and watch the weather forecast in the heated saloon before going to bed again.
Renaming and christening
The predicted sunny weather is still a long way off in the morning, as gray skies and rain showers greet us first. Bummer, because we had actually planned the naming and christening procedure for today. So we sit for a long time at breakfast and take a relaxed approach to today’s Sunday. Then we decide to try out our on-board washing machine because our stay on board has been much longer than planned. After studying the operating instructions, we select a wash-dry program and hope that we will end up with clean and dry laundry in our hands. While the machine is humming away, I’m going to clean the port hull today. Here, too, we wipe and clean and, thanks to the new cordless vacuum cleaner from Trago Mills, we also vacuum. The washing machine is finished after almost 2.5 hours and starts drying. This makes the port hull a little warmer and after another 3.5 hours we are not only holding clean laundry in our hands, but also completely dry laundry. Perfect, although we would probably rather dry the laundry on the line in future. In the afternoon, the promised sun comes out and we start with the de-naming procedure. I then put the new name „La Ola“ and the new home port of Bremen on the port stern. Now it’s time for the christening and we not only celebrate „La Ola“ and the gods of the sea with a little champagne, but also have a drink ourselves. You can find out exactly what the procedure is all about here. Hopefully nothing stands in the way of our departure under the new boat name. In the evening we have burgers at Hubbox, the normal version for Axel and the veggie version with a bean patty for me. Again, very tasty, even if the ambience is a little uncharming. Back on board, we use our on-board TV for the first time. The huge screen hangs in the saloon and is controlled via Amazon Fire TV. All we have to do is enter our access data from home and we can watch the new Tatort from Cologne in the evening.
We are ready!
During the night it starts to blow hard and the morning greets us with pattering rain on deck. Shitty weather! And it’s still cold too! According to information from skipper Andy, it is supposed to get better tomorrow and we hope that we can finally make our way to Cuxhaven. We’ve now been on board for a week and are basically ready to leave. When we manage to have Billie, a friendly employee from BT Marine, program our MMSI number into the AIS transceiver in the morning, the last detail is also taken care of. Everything is clean, everything is stowed seaworthy and we are ready to go! All that’s missing is the right weather window. We bought a 14-day trial version of PredictWind for the crossing, which gives you very detailed weather data and allows you to calculate a weather routing for the route from Falmouth to Cuxhaven. It looks like it might actually work out with tomorrow’s departure. It’s about time, because our future on-board cat Lucky has of course not traveled to Cornwall with us and is probably eagerly awaiting our return. Of course, he is well looked after without us and is fed every day, but he will probably miss the evening scratching sessions on the sofa (me too, by the way!). What’s more, I have to get back to work on Monday. Of course, I can also work on board. But unfortunately not on the high seas at the moment, as we still don’t have the necessary equipment on board.
The stormy, rainy weather makes today a lazy day. We sit in the lounge and surf the internet and I use the time to write a blog post. We do a bit of work on the side and continue to make plans. If we could get away tomorrow, we could make it to Cuxhaven by the weekend. If not, we might have to think about an alternative for me. I could take a bus or cab to Newquay, fly from there with Ryanair to Stansted and on to Bremen. So I could theoretically be back home on May 2nd. However, Axel would then have to sail „alone“ with a crew and I wouldn’t be able to sail at all. Somehow not what we had in mind. Second alternative: we sail off together and I get kicked out in Ijmuiden. From there I could take a plane or bus and train back to Bremen. Sailing time to Ijmuiden? Well, as always, depending on the weather. But we would probably be in Ijmuiden on May 2 and I could be in Langwedel on May 3 at the latest. Alternative 3: Come what may, I’ll stay on board and sail to Cuxhaven. We should sail there tomorrow afternoon or the morning after tomorrow and – weather permitting – arrive on May 4 or 5. Sitting in the office again on Monday would be feasible and possible. Yes, if only the weather plays along…
Rain, rain and more rain
The weather remains bad and the rain is now joined by wind. No, we really don’t need to go sailing today. But our crew should finally arrive today! Skipper Andy is on his way from Southampton to Falmouth by train and crew member Niall lives around the corner in Mylor. As their arrival is planned for the afternoon, we use the time to continue cleaning. Today I take on the cockpit and clean all the surfaces, including the ceilings. A lot of spack has built up here over the winter months. In the afternoon, we go shopping again to stock up on fresh food for the trip. Fortunately, there is a small Tesco Express just around the corner, which stocks a wide range of products. Niall turns up at around 3 p.m. and we are delighted that we can finally move on. Niall used to work as an air ambulance crewman and gives us a correspondingly high sense of security. Unfortunately, Niall has the bad news for us that Andy is stuck with his train and can’t get any further. The British railroads don’t really seem to be any better than DB… As it later transpires that Andy won’t be arriving until around 7pm and we therefore probably won’t be going out today, Niall drives home again without further ado and promises to be back the next morning in time for our departure. At around 7:30 p.m., after more than 10 hours of travel, Skipper Andy actually arrives and we head to our favorite steakhouse, The Ranch, for dinner. Back on board, we have a quick chat and draw up a plan for the next few days before heading to bed quite early.
Here we go at last!
Although today is actually a May Day holiday, we get out of bed early. The boat has to be cleared up, filled with water and everything stowed away seaworthy. Axel receives instructions on how to cast off the catamaran from the mooring and we set off at 10:40 am. We untie the lines and Axel manages to steer out of the marina without any problems. Our next stop should actually be just around the corner, where we want to fill up with diesel at the gas station. However, a long queue of boats has already formed there, so we decide to refuel in Mylor Harbor without further ado. We motored a few miles around the corner and were able to dock directly at the jetty and fill up with around 800 liters of diesel without having to wait. We now have a total of 1,000 liters on board and are therefore sure that we can motor all the way to Cuxhaven (which we hope will not happen!). At 12 noon we finally untie the lines and make our way to Cuxhaven. Unfortunately, the wind has dropped considerably, so we actually continue under engine for the time being. We pass the beautiful St. Anthony lighthouse and head out of Falmouth Bay towards the English Channel. Axel and I take over the first watch and sit comfortably in the cockpit in the sun. This allows us to familiarize ourselves with everything and slowly but surely get used to life on board again. As the wind continues to drop, we try to hoist our mainsail in the afternoon, but unfortunately we don’t succeed. Last winter, the mast had been lowered and the sails checked, but it seems that the mainsail had not been correctly hoisted again. So while we try to figure out how to run the lines properly, we carry on motoring for the time being. In the evening, I prepare a delicious Mediterranean tortellini salad for us and we can all start our first night at sea feeling refreshed. As skipper Andy has assigned Axel and me to the „dog watch“ from midnight to 3 a.m., we go to bed after dinner.
Is that necessary?
We start our first night watch at 12 o’clock on the dot. While we have been trying to get a bit of a blow, the wind has shifted and is now blowing against us from the front. It is pouring with rain and visibility is extremely poor. The air temperature is a fresh 6° C and feels like zero degrees. In addition, there is a whole fleet of fishermen cheerfully crossing our route. Perfect conditions for the first night at sea in over 8 years! Sailing or motoring is something to get used to and you wonder why you would actually do something like this to yourself. At least the fishermen keep us awake and we manage to complete our watch without any critical approaches and move the boat on towards Cuxhaven. After our watch, we fall into our bunks, flattened and freezing cold, and try to get warm again.
The next morning brings more rain and choppy conditions. We continue to motor bravely to the east and set a piece of genoa as support. Unfortunately, the weather forecast has changed completely once again and moderate conditions turn into strong winds for the afternoon and evening. Unfortunately, the weather forecast is right and we decide to call at Brighton for the night. Even if it is „only“ 20-25 knots of wind, which would certainly not be a problem in other areas, continuing in the English Channel is out of the question for us. Firstly, we don’t yet know the cat well enough, secondly, the mainsail and wind indicator don’t work 100% and thirdly, the topography in the English Channel means that waves and wind are subject to a funnel effect and are therefore significantly amplified. Not perfect conditions for a night trip through one of the busiest sea regions in the world.
So we change course and head for Brighton. On the way, I prepare a delicious chicken fricassee so that we can head for the harbor well fortified. Brighton has one of the largest marinas in the UK and can almost always be called at. However, with onshore winds and 1.5 to 2 m waves, we feel a little uneasy when approaching. However, Axel – with skipper Andy at his side – masters the entrance brilliantly and we sail to the berth previously advised by radio. While Niall and I get the fenders and lines ready, Axel maneuvers us through the rows of berths and whizzes through the harbour at 4 knots, mind you without having engaged the engine! Our Lagoon simply has too much windage and therefore „sails“ pretty fast even without sails. To slow down, we put the boat into reverse and slow down. A marina employee is already waiting for us at the mooring and takes our lines. However, the maneuver is not easy due to the wind. The lines don’t fly well against the wind and so it takes several attempts before we are secure. Phew, mooring and difficult conditions are something we would have preferred after a bit more practice. Unexpectedly in the harbor, we seize the opportunity and make our way to the nearest pub after clearing up. We slowly warm up with a beer or two and the howling wind on the way back to the ship confirms that we made the right decision to stop in Brighton.
Across the English Channel
After a quiet night in the harbor, we continue the next morning. The wind has died down as predicted and we are hopeful that we can now continue to Cuxhaven without any further interruptions. In the harbor exit, things get a little choppy again as there is an old wave that builds up in the shallows. In the deeper water it calmed down again and we motored briskly towards Dover. The weather improves more and more and the wind picks up. However, once again it is not enough to sail. So we carry on motoring and turn on the fan heater below deck. It is still bitterly cold. We sail along the coast and the chalk cliffs with the Seven Sisters, around Beachy Head and further north-east. We initially set the genoa to assist the engine, but later decide to take it away again as it doesn’t provide enough power. We discover that the furling line has become jammed in the pulley, turning a simple maneuver into another half-hour repair job. In the late afternoon, we pass the Strait of Dover and are able to sail past the many ferries without any problems. Fortunately, we don’t see any refugee boats, which now seem to be a real problem when passing through the narrows. Skipper Andy nevertheless explains the standard procedure in the event that a refugee boat is spotted and we hope that we won’t have to use it on the way back along the French coast in the summer. After Dover, we head north past Goodwin Knoll and the current pushes us hard through the smooth water. In the evening, I prepare salmon with tagliatelle in a cream sauce and once again receive high praise from the crew. Axel and I are allowed to go to bed after dinner this morning and are not on watch again until 3am.
Final sprint
Personally, I like the 3 a.m. to 6 a.m. watch best. You start out in pitch darkness and at some point the first daylight appears on the horizon. The sun gets higher and higher and the temperature rises by the minute. And that’s exactly what happens on our watch today. In the darkness, we maneuver our way through various freighters and tankers, calling one or the other by radio and clarifying how they want us to pass. Then it gets quieter and, in addition to the first soft pink on the horizon, the rising moon appears as a thin crescent. Finally, the sun moves right in front of us and we let it warm us up nicely. After we are relieved, we have a proper breakfast and show Skipper Andy not only the good German tradition of breakfast ice cream, but also how to use an eggshell cracker. The day continues calmly. The sea has calmed down and we use the time to rework our mainsail. After brainstorming together and studying the ship’s manual, we finally manage to attach the mainsail to the square-top main properly. Now we would finally be able to sail in windy conditions. However, there isn’t really any wind and so we just keep on motoring. It’s just as well that we filled up the tanks at the start! Axel prepares a delicious avocado and tuna salad for lunch and we have chili con carne in the evening. Skipper Andy and Neill slowly but surely want to award us a few stars for the galley and claim that they have never been cooked as well as here. As our watches rotate, Axel and I are on the „early shift“ from 9 p.m. to midnight today. As always, there is a lot to see. In the meantime, we sail along the Dutch coast and make our way past the islands of Texel and Vlieland.
Choppy sea and high speed
While we were able to sleep for a whole 6 hours, we sailed further along the coast past Terschelling and could actually see Ameland and Schiermonnikoog now. Could, if it hadn’t started raining again. And in torrents. Visibility is poor and we are glad that we can sit in the sheltered steering cockpit. It’s raining so hard that the water has now found its way through the cockpit tent and is pouring in at many corners. This means we have to shuttle between the helm cockpit and the saloon and once again have to dodge the odd tall ship, which unfortunately doesn’t always respond to our radio call and seems to think that the bigger one has right of way. The weather forecast does not bode well and unfortunately it proves to be true today. The wind continues to pick up and we once again use the genoa to support the engine. However, we quickly have to furl it again, because the wind picks up to 4-5 forces at Juist and the current against it causes an extremely choppy sea. At the same time, the rain was pelting down on the deck. From Norderney onwards, it becomes really uncomfortable. The wind gusts to over 30 knots and the sea rocks violently. Our plan to reach Cuxhaven today seems a long way off. To get to our berth in the city marina, we have to cross a bridge, which, according to the telephone, will only be open until 10 p.m. today. That could be tight! Axel and I take over our watch again in the afternoon and pass Wangerooge and the Jade-Weser estuary. Fortunately, we planned our route well and got the timing perfect. From the Alte Weser roadstead, the current turns and we slowly but surely pick up speed again. We reach 10 knots in the surf and arrival at our berth in Cuxhaven seems possible again. In addition to the perfect timing, the rain eases off and finally there are even patches of blue sky to be seen. As we enter the Elbe, „La Ola“ really picks up speed. The log shows 10, 11 and even 12.5 knots with a moving current and a moving wave. Perfect! To make sure we are well prepared for the mooring maneuvers today, I cook chicken breast on herb tomatoes with rice and at 8:45 p.m. on the dot we turn into the old port of Cuxhaven. The bridge opens for us at 9 p.m. and a few minutes later we are moored at our berth. What a ride to finish! Exhausted but happy to have arrived, we end the evening with beer and wine in the cockpit.
We made it
Skipper Andy and Niall leave us early in the morning to catch their plane back to England. In glorious sunshine and warm temperatures, we clear the boat and chat with harbor master Heiko Horch before our friend Luer picks us up at 10 a.m. and takes us to Bremen airport. Around midday we are back at the Daverdener Mühle and are eagerly awaited by Lucky the cat. Now it’s time to move our things from the mill to the boat and get everything equipped before we can set sail in the summer.
You can find more photos of the crossing here!