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We've Arrived! Sailing from Brest, France to Falmouth, England - Part 5 | DrakeParagon Sailing
28 March 2026 · 23 min · 5K views · Falmouth, England
What this video covers
A Westsail 42 completes a roughly 25-hour passage from Brest, France to Falmouth, England, arriving in mid-June with Drake and Monique aboard.▶ 11:05 Wind dies to under two knots with 34 miles remaining, forcing a decision between motoring to make a pre-sunset ETA or waiting under flogging sails; Drake shakes out a double reef to full main and jib, which lifts speed enough to push the ETA to 8:13 p.m., about an hour before the 9:32 sunset.▶ 1:00 The wind vane steers well through the night but hands off to the CPT 1407 autopilot as wind drops.▶ 2:30 Shipping traffic is heavy approaching the south of England, with container ships tracked by AIS at closest points of approach of 0.7–0.8 nautical miles.▶ 7:19 UK Border Force boards Paragon at sea from a RIB launched off a navy-style vessel — three officers come aboard, one goes below, and all ask detailed questions tracing the boat's history back roughly a year, including a request for the original bill of sale.▶ 16:04 Drake heaves to to ease boarding but is ordered back on course.▶ 14:41 After anchoring in the Helford River, Drake calls the yacht reporting line to check in; the agent instructs them to lower the Q flag but remain aboard until Border Force calls back to confirm clearance.▶ 22:24 Tidal range at Falmouth is approximately eight feet; depths in the approach run 18–41 feet.▶ 19:27
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