See the sea with Ella

You probably know that the White Cliffs is the characteristic (and beautiful!) view you’re indulged with when approaching Dover from the seaside – if you can see it through the fog, that is. And that Fish & Chips with a pint of beer or English Breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausages, hash browns and baked beans in a traditional pub (with carpets on the floor of course) is typically British. And that Britain offers medieval castles and stone churches pretty much everywhere (including Dover).

The White Cliffs of Dover, captured from Ella

You might not know that the port of Dover is so busy that you need permission from Dover Port Control before entering as a sailing yacht in order not to interfere with the heavy cross-English Channel ferry traffic (and even then, you can be surprised by a ferry sudddenly leaving the port and sailing straight towards you, giving you five blasts, meaning “I do not undertand your intentions” – which the ferry should know by now given that we have used the last half hour at very low speed on approaching the harbour in the rather lively swells close to its entrance…).

That the difference between high and low tide is several meters in the surroundings of the English Channel, which might result in your boat standing on the keel when moored in the marina at low tide (which doesn’t matter as long as the bottom of the harbour basin is soft!), and which you should take into consideration when planning your journey, as this also triggers currents, which make your life easier if they are in a favorable direction (although this lasts only for 6 hours before reversing).

High tide…

… and low tide

That Dover is a pleasant little town and not a dull industrial city.

That a cocktail pitcher with 15 cl of liquor costs an overwhelming 8 pounds at “The Eight Bells”, in which old chaps start their Sunday morning with pints and whiskey long before noon, even though they have reached the age where they need a cane in order to make it back and forth to the bar.

That Matias joined the crew in Dunkerque on three days notice! He is planning to apply for a job on luxury yachts in Florida this fall, and what better way than to gain sailing experience on the hippie boat Ella 😉

Lakridspibe, part 4: H & B with Matias