2016 Summer Cruise

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philiphurst

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Perhaps a little early to be planning but there are plenty of very experienced people on this forum so I thought I'd ask for some advice whilst I'm at the preliminary planning stages.

I'm intending to do a two month cruise next summer, probably July/August, to the West Country and the Isles of Scilly. Also wish to visit Honfleur plus other ports in Normandy/Brittany that may be recommended or necessary as a part of passage-planning. Yeah, I realise that July/August is the busiest time but other sailing commitments eliminate late May and early June.

I sail a 28ft classic yacht, mostly single-handed. I'm based on the Blackwater, have plenty of experience of North Sea and Channel crossings, again predominately single-handed. I plan passages at 5.5 knots, am not afraid to use the engine in order to achieve this (albeit that I would prefer not to) and set myself a common-sense maximum of 18 hours at sea whilst alone. Draft is a little under 5ft and Cirrus prefers not to take the ground.

Places I would like to visit are ( in addition to the above, in no particular order and ignoring necessary stops en-route), Beaulieu, Poole, Studland (!) Torquay, Dartmouth, Salcombe, Plymouth, Fowey, Mevagissey, Helford, Newlyn and the Scillies.

Current thinking is Blackwater, Dover, Brighton, Honfleur, Ouistreham/Caen, Cherbourg, Dartmouth and onwards. Some places as mentioned to be visited on the return trip. Will use anchorages and marinas as appropriate/required.

So, is my plan realistic? What have I missed? Any advice will be greatly appreciated.
 
A lot there for 2 months - especially if you want to stop and take in any of the ports you visit - as opposed to grabbing 6 hrs kip and sailing on. Another consideration is wind direction. Beating into SouthWesterlies for a week or 10 days will be very tiring and will take its toll. You may not have any say on your leaving date so a flexible plan will serve you well.

I envy you the chance to go sailing for 2 months though - enjoy the planning and the trip!
 
Marmalade said:
A lot there for 2 months - especially if you want to stop and take in any of the ports you visit - as opposed to grabbing 6 hrs kip and sailing on. Another consideration is wind direction. Beating into SouthWesterlies for a week or 10 days will be very tiring and will take its toll. You may not have any say on your leaving date so a flexible plan will serve you well.

I envy you the chance to go sailing for 2 months though - enjoy the planning and the trip!
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Thank you. Thought it might be too much and dropping the Scillies is an option as it could free-up as much as two weeks and make the rest of the trip more leisurely. Leaving date is flexible, thankfully, so I have half a chance of picking the right time.
 
I often do the trip single handed down the Channel from the East Coast. I find it is very pleasant to go down the French side and stop at places like Boulogne, Fecamp and Cherbourg. If the tides will let me in I also like Le Treport and St Valerie en Caux. I usually cross back over the the English side between Cherbourg and Start Point avoiding the TSS off the Channel Islands. I think the food is better on the French side and in my humble opinion the French marinas are more welcoming than their English counterparts and cheaper.

If I go down the English side I have a series of anchorages that I have found to wait out the tide and have a sleep. This tends to give me more flexibility than going into marinas in my opinion. Good anchorages can be found off Deal, Dungeness, Eastbourne, Littlehampton, Bognor, the East side of the Isle of Wight, Swanage, Lyme Regis [one of my favourites], Start Bay and Plymouth Sound. The only viable anchorage I have found on the French side is in Cherbourg outer harbour.
 
We have done something like this trip a number of times. I think that setting the Isles of Scilly as a target makes good sense but since it is about 30 miles each way from Penzance in open water, the likelihood of getting there is in the lap of the gods.

We have done several approaches, and I would recommend that you are flexible about which way to go. One alternative we have used is Dover, Boulogne, Dieppe, Fecamp, St Vaast etc. another is Brighton-Cherbourg which is only 90 miles but even less with tidal help. On some occasions we have gone to Yarmouth, then Cherbourg/Alderney.

As for places to visit, I think you have the general idea. We often stop on the buoys or midstream pontoon in Lymington, which is useful for stocking up or chandlery. Beaulieu is nice enough but not a patch on the Deben. Fowey is lovely, but can get a bit crowded and some moorings are not comfortable in bad weather. A trip from here to the Eden Project is worth doing, or even Heligan. Those of us with bus passes find it even easier. Falmouth is also a fine harbour and an interesting town. Pendennis Castle is interesting and has a lot of history.

There are parts of Normandy which are easier to visit when going East, so that one arrives at HW, such as St Valery en Caux, which shouldn't be missed. Honfleur is best if you go in the inner harbour and enjoy the atmosphere. Caen is not very picturesque but it's an interesting trip and William the Bastard's castle is worth seeing, and the Bayeux tapestry is reachable by train. The tapestry is one of the few hyped-up sights which is actually better that you expect.

Dives/Cabourg is more attractive and is not unduly difficult to enter. I quite enjoy Deauville/Trouville for a bit of people-watching but I'm not sure what the current arrangement for visitors is as there was some refurbishment going on last time we went.

The distances between the IOW and Cherbourg are so small that a variety of cruises can be done and it is easy to change one's mind as the weather allows
 
This is a great thread.
We had sort of planned to go back to Netherlands again next year, but the replies here make me think that France, Cornwall & Scillies might be a good proposition. Her indoors is definitely up for a Scillies trip.
Is Newlyn a no go? I've been by car and it looked OK but I've heard that it is not yacht friendly.
More suggestions please.
 
Many thanks for the replies, the effort made and the advice they contain. It's great to hear from those that have done this trip and as DanTribe said, more suggestions, please.

Dan, information I have at this stage suggests that Newlyn is accessible with rafting required in the visitors' area.
 
I wouldn't be in a rush to visit Torquay or Brixham. Weymouth can be fun if you like a crowd, and Portland harbour can be a useful stop before heading either way, though I've not been tempted by the marina. Salcombe is a mad place full of madmen but it is quite attractive and we usually give it a call. Be prepared to pay just to anchor, though.

I don't think we have mentioned St Vaast. This is a favourite spot for South Coasters but has a lot going for it. The gate times are available online. I haven't been to Courseulles since goodness knows when but we used to enjoy going there. It is possible to anchor overnight in Arromanches, which is something I have only done once, but waking up in Mulberry Harbour was very evocative. Good weather needed. Le Havre can be a handy stop if the tides dictate. We had a superb meal at one of the YCs there last time.
 
Newlyn has been a bit difficult to understand. We went there the first year the new pontoons were installed and the HM told us they were specifically for yachts. We have since been told theyre just for FVs, but when we went this year the first 6 or 8 berths each side seemed to be for yachts and then there's a 'fishing vessels only beyond this point' sign. We were one of only 2 yachts there.
 
DanTribe said:
This is a great thread.
W
Is Newlyn a no go? I've been by car and it looked OK but I've heard that it is not yacht friendly.
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Last year in late March I arrived in Newlyn in an Easterly gale, I had intended to go to Falmouth but the wind was too strong for me to weather the Lizard. I arrived in the dark single handed and normally would have waited for daylight before going in. But I studied the chartlet in Reeds and decided I could work out where to go. Even though it was really bad weather and poor visibility the Harbour Master must have seen my nav lights and drove down to the end of the pier to tell me where to go. He then came around and offered me the keys to the shower [which I needed after 2 weeks at sea] and told me that the Co-op store near the harbour would be open for another half hour. So I felt very welcomed. There were only 2 visiting yachts there. I watched the big fishing boats coming in the next day unloading their catch, refueling and setting out again. As the last all weather port before the Atlantic I felt personally that I could see no problem with it being mainly for fishermen with a few yachts tolerated when there is room. The other visiting yacht and myself got together for a drink and he told me he often visits but never in peak season as they have to turn visiting yachts away because of the limited number of visitors berths. But he also told me in good weather conditions anchoring off Newlyns or Penzance is a great alternative. We walked up to Penzance and had a look at the drying harbour there.
 
We have been as far west as Plymouth on the UK side and the Channel Islands on the other side. Stops have included Dover, Eastbourne, Brighton, Gosport, Bucklers Hard, Dartmouth, Plymouth on the UK side and Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Fecamp, Le Harve, Honfleur, St Vaast, Cherbourg and Beaucette (Guernsey) on the southern side.
If you plan to go west and back, one idea might be to get help from a crew to take the boat in long legs as far west as you want to go and then dot back from there.
We can get to Gosport in 24 hours non-stop and it took another 20 hours to Plymouth. That's two up. With a crew, we could go further.
In two months, you could cover loads of places. We only ever have two or three weeks.
There are a couple of good books that show anchorages on both sides of the channel. Forum members are often happy to lend charts and books if they are not heading that way when you are.
I would agree that the marinas on the UK side are more costly (unless your home marina happens to have a deal with other ones around for discounted berthing - like the Trans Europe one that gives us 50% off for up to five nights).
 
wingdiver said:
We have been as far west as Plymouth on the UK side and the Channel Islands on the other side. Stops have included Dover, Eastbourne, Brighton, Gosport, Bucklers Hard, Dartmouth, Plymouth on the UK side and Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Fecamp, Le Harve, Honfleur, St Vaast, Cherbourg and Beaucette (Guernsey) on the southern side.
If you plan to go west and back, one idea might be to get help from a crew to take the boat in long legs as far west as you want to go and then dot back from there.
We can get to Gosport in 24 hours non-stop and it took another 20 hours to Plymouth. That's two up. With a crew, we could go further.
In two months, you could cover loads of places. We only ever have two or three weeks.
There are a couple of good books that show anchorages on both sides of the channel. Forum members are often happy to lend charts and books if they are not heading that way when you are.
I would agree that the marinas on the UK side are more costly (unless your home marina happens to have a deal with other ones around for discounted berthing - like the Trans Europe one that gives us 50% off for up to five nights ).
Click to expand...
Thats 5 nights 1/2 price,in each participating marina
 
Back in 2010 I did a 5 week cruise singlehanded in my Cutlass 27. About 1000 miles in all, joining in with a Rally (which held me in port for some days). Brightlingsea, Harwich, Lowestoft, Stellendam, Calais, Boulogne, Dieppe, Fecamp, Honfleur, Ouistrham, Chichester Harbour, Gosport (more days in port for rally events), Lymington, Chichester, Brighton, Calais, Gravelines, Brightlingsea.

In another 3 weeks could easily (with correct weather) made it to Falmouth / Fowey / Dartmouth etc. All depends how much time you want sitting in marinas / at anchor and what weather you get.

Only tried once in my life to get to the Scillies - it coincided with the Fastnet gale in '79 so we stayed at anchor up the Fal River.
 
Newlyn is an obvious choice for positioning for the Scillies or going around Land's End. It has got better, but it does get cosy. We were woken by spanish boat trying to insert himself between us and another boat on the pontoons.
The staff were very helpful whilst we waited for spares and repairs to the cooling system, but the facilities are dire. There is a Lidl a cosy walk away on the way to Penzance.

If it is too busythen there is a pleasant anchorage off Mousehole, just study the chart and plan your approach. Can be a bit of a pain if you go ashore with the dinghy and come back at low water. Because the water does get very low and you'll have to lug the dinghy and outboard to the harbour entrance to find enough water .

Scillies are worth the effort. Get a good chart and better ground tackle. And make sure the dinghy and outboard are up for it - you will need them to get ashore.
 
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Gwylan said:
Scillies are worth the effort. Get a good chart and better ground tackle. And make sure the dinghy and outboard are up for it - you will need them to get ashore.
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A vessel which can take the ground is a huge advantage in Scilly, it opens up many more lovely locations (such as Green Bay on Bryher) so long as you have a ladder :-)
 
Once again, many thanks for the continued advice and recommendations.

Wingdiver: needless to say, you are right. If I can find a crew for the west-bound part life will be much easier. Am working on it but not holding my breath. Will have crew for some of the time in the West Country but those available do not like the long passages.

Alchemist: funnily enough, I'm looking at rallies and classic festivals that take place at around the time I'll be away. Often a good way of getting berthing discounts ;-)
 
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