ZC2 Buoy 8

A major bogy to hit in the Channel is the ZC2 buoy, below, which is 5.5km off Cap Gris-Nez (the closest point in France from Dover). The buoy marks the division between the Northeast shipping lane and the French inshore waters.

Ideally I pass inside the buoy (to the East) by the time the second flood tide begins (more on tides later).  When this happens, the ebb may be working for me and the chances of making the shore improve considerably.  Missing the tide here means swimming in place for six-hours until the tide turns again. Or bailing.

As for strategy, I will aim to hold a strong or even fast pace for the first stages of the crossing to a) avoid being swept out after the separation zone (mid-way thru) or stuck at ZC2 and b) establish a time buffer so when the tides inevitably change I have more options to reach France.. I will not actually know where I am during all of this and it is the pilot's job to navigate the best route. 

A reasonable question : do the pilots actually care if I make it ? I am assured they do as, along with the fee, they seek bragging rights, so happily we are alined.

My boat, the Viking Princess II, otherwise a fishing boat the rest of the year, is skippered by a father-son team that has taken the men and women's record holders across the Channel (7h 17m for men in 1994 and 7hr 40min for women in 1978). 

The below image from Red Top Swim and the CSPF tracker showing the different zones marked by grey lines :