"Len" wrote in message
news:1096871533.DnSMUe9HirvlrEDzq1/vpg@teranews...
On 3 Oct 2004 11:41:02 -0700, (jimmy
bittlestone) wrote:

---------------snip
The rest of the UK sailing
population obviously thinks differently, which has lead me to ask you
good fellows to share this knowledge. As we see it the east and west
coasts will be much the same or am I missing something?...
Do tell...

Just my 2 cents worth... have you looked into the almanacs to find
out if south current is as strong as north current on the west coast?
Luck,
Len
S/v Present


Go clockwise!! Here's why:-

Starting at Land's End (in the far SW):-

1 The tides in the Irish Sea are basically circular, going N nearer
Ireland, then S along Welsh coast, with N-going being best. (Sorry, I don't
know about the West coast of Ireland).

2 The Gulf Stream goes clockwise round Scotland and down the North Sea -
quite weak, but it's there.

3 In the West, the prevailing winds are SW at all times of year.
However, NW to NE winds are very frequent in the North Sea.

4 The South-flowing tide around North Foreland (in the far SE) flows much
longer than North-flowing tide.

5 The English Channel is likely to be pig, whatever, because the
prevailing wind is SW, but there are loads of places to go to, so you can
always wait for a wind. If you can do long passages, go South of the Isle
of Wight, as the W exit of the Solent is not easy, and it is horrendously
busy there.

Sailing anti-clockwise is for masochists!

Christine from England - who would love to do the trip one day!