Ladies of the Lake On Tour: Dover to Boulogne-sur-Mer September 2026
SailLink – A Sustainable Channel Crossing
Our Ladies of the Lake have officially gone international!
Earlier this month a crew of 12 from NHEBSC completed our much-talked-about Channel crossing from Dover to Boulogne-sur-Mer aboard Echoes a 17 meter Catamaran run by SailLink – the sustainable sailing catamaran.
The Build-Up
As many of you know, this tour has been months in the planning. The crew met the evening before in Dover, with a final update from Dominic Burns confirming skipper Andrew was ready and waiting to meet us.
Andrew was due to be joined by two extra female crew – more women on the water! Andrew was delighted to discover he would be joined by a few honouary men, David our Vice Commodre, Dominic and Delyan. (He thought he was going to be the only man).
The night before was classic tour prep: Travelodge check-in, team meeting at Nando’s, custom tour t-shirts & hoodies handed out [navy with our burgee, French tricolour and the Dover ⇄ Boulogne 2026 logo], foul weather & off shore kit checked and divid up. Stugeron tablets at the ready, and one last look at the weather.
The forecast was showing stronger winds for crossing day. Decision – we go.
Casting Off
The Morning in Dover Marina. The SailLink catamaran looked fantastic against the White Cliffs. After selfies on the pontoon, lifejackets on, and a thorough safety brief from Andrew, we slipped the lines.
You could feel the excitement on the pontoon walk – and a few nerves.
At Sea
Once clear of the harbour wall and past the Varne lightvessel, we were in the Strait of Dover proper. Conditions were lumpy with a good breeze and spray over the bows, the wind was up, exactly as forecast, giving us a proper Channel crossing, the swell was big, the wind was great, the spray, even bigger deploying a few life jackets, a proper “puffa fish moment”- perfect for showing what our lake sailors can do at sea.
Everyone mucked in, handling lines, grinding winches, helm time, and holding on tight. Our skipper Andrew was brilliant, calm and encouraging throughout. There was plenty of laughter, a lot of waterproofs, and some very windswept selfies that prove we were really there.
The catamaran with her distinctive SailLink branding, a Lagoon 57 x racing yacht is called “Echoes” – handled it beautifully, and we made good progress towards France, leaving the Kent coast behind us.
We crossed in 3 hours 20 mins, the wind was 28kn with gusts even more, we were all in off shore gear and still managed to get soaked to the undies. The sea spray was huge, a few life jackets even deployed, a real “puffa fish moment”.
Once in France we had a brief pit stop. A quick lunch, a trip to the Boulangerie before we had to do it all again for the return journey to Dover.
Coming back was just as exciting, 4 hours, the wave height was 2.5 metres but seriously felt about 5 with the swell.
Why SailLink?
We chose SailLink because the company offers a truly sustainable way to cross the channel – wind power, and we the ladies of the lake were up for a new challenge to celebrate our one year anniversary and we loved it.
Huge thanks to Andrew and the SailLink team, to Dominic for organising, and to every single person who came along, supported, and wore the t-shirt with pride.
The Ladies of the Lake have shown once again that sailing skills learned on our little lake transfer brilliantly to big water.
Boulogne, you were worth the crossing. Where next?
Interested in the next tour? Keep an eye on the club WhatsApp and noticeboard – the 2026 t-shirt might just become a collector’s item.
Fair winds,
The Ladies of the Lake Team