21. Cherbourg to Portland
73,30M
49° 38’ 45”N, 001° 37’ 16”W - 50° 34’ 23”N, 002° 27’ 10”W
Keen to begin the Channel crossing, the crew got up 05:00 and cast off at 06:00. Weeki Wachee motored out of the huge Cherbourg harbour on a flat sea and was quickly on course for England.
The day was fine and Weeki Wachee crossed the Eastbound shipping lane comfortably behind a long line of ships.
Then she entered a fog bank. With the crew keeping an alert lookout, but neither seeing nor hearing any ship, Norbert skilfully used the AISS information displayed on the navigation laptop in place of radar to safely cross between the shipping in the Westbound lane, by timely adjustment of course and speed.
It was a relief to emerge from the fog bank into sunshine. The chalk cliffs of Dorset were first spotted at 13:30 and England slowly grew nearer until Portland harbour was reached at 18:00.
The successful crossing was celebrated with dinner on board.
17 July
