Bay Of Biscay

Yes, I have delivered many boats across the Biscay (including my own) and my tactics usually are to hang around in Falmouth waiting for a good weather window. The Met Office does a very good five day Biscay forecast, but you have to pay for it. Good investment in my experience.

Then when you leave, go west almost to 10 degrees (weather permitting). That will set you up for a southerly course directly for Bayona, which is my preferred landfall. It will add distance but is not always slower; it gets you away from the sometimes confused tidal waters in the Channel and gets you into more settled Atlantic conditions when it can be easier to build boat speed. This course also gets you outside of most of the shipping and the confused seas around the continental shelf. You will eventually have to cross the shipping routes but it will be in easier conditions further south. There is a lot of shipping but they move in predictable lanes; draw a line on your chart between Cape Finisterre and the start of the TSZ off Ushant and that is where you will find most ships.

Almost all of my crossings have been very enjoyable (touch wood). Just plan your passage conservatively and don't ever feel pressured to go because of time constraints.
 
It all depends whether you prefer longer voyages, or like the shorter hops.

One strategy is to coast down Brittany, waiting for your weather window. The further south you travel, the shorter the window you need. Not much point in going south of La Rochelle though.

Once the weather window appears, go for it. If things go a little sour (not very likely in your chosen period) then be flexible about your destination, but make sure it's a harbour safe to enter in any conditions: these are listed on my web site.

The other way, of course, is to do the whole thing in one jump, keeping well out to sea. That way, you hardly enter Biscay. But you see precious little of one of the great unspoilt cruisng grounds of Europe: N Spain.

Both are completely safe strategies which suit different sorts of cruisers. Voyagers versus explorers. Sadly, time available interferes sometimes.

So the choice really depends on you style of cruising . . .
 
Yep. Both seem good. The size of boat might be significant here. I have yet to set my style of cruising, but I fancy it may tend towards the deepest water if it looks like a blow may be coming. Sea room, as me ole skipper used to say.
 
>>> ......... It all depends whether you prefer longer voyages, or like the shorter hops.

One strategy is to coast down Brittany, waiting for your weather window. The further south you travel, the shorter the window you need. Not much point in going south of La Rochelle though.

Once the weather window appears, go for it. If things go a little sour (not very likely in your chosen period) then be flexible about your destination, but make sure it's a harbour safe to enter in any conditions: these are listed on my web site. ...........<<

Agree with you Jim. This what we've done each time though we did consider the 'zap straight across' idea before our first trip. It was only a good friend of ours who stated that we would be mad to miss cruising the N Spanish coast, that changed our mind. He was absolutely right!!

We are looking at heading south again next year and will do the same coast-hopping as before. Lovely!!
 
The main thing to remember is that the winds around Finisterre are generally two forces higher than the area forecast.

We did the classic of leaving Falmouth (heading to Bayona) on the back of a cold front (NW winds) with a good forecast on June 1st.

We still got pasted. To put that in context a big ketch in front of us ran off with drogues, a cat hove to using both engines and a fishing boat was lost with all hands. We just got very wet.

In my view it's a lottery, you just need to be prepared, willing and able.
 
I have crossed the bay several times over the past 40 years mainly in assorted grey or black war canoes. Most of the time the weather has been OK with just a couple of bad storms, even had a hands to bathe on one trip.

My one trip in a yacht so far we had to motor almost all the way in a rather oily swell.

My next trip though will be round the edge stopping almost every night enjoying a very leasurly trip.
 
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Exactly. Which is why my final jumping off point for Spain is always La Rochelle. To be caught off Arcachon when one of those big Biscay thunderstorms builds up in August is a very uncomfortable experience! Nasty corner down there.

[/ QUOTE ]Quite right. I agree with the 'cruising options' values of doing the inside bay thing. But the risk of getting caught in bad weather in one of the worst areas of the world would still always be a good reason for choosing the 'outside' option. Much safer in my opinion. If you do the 'inside' option you should be very comfortable with your bad weather capabilites; you could get caught out against one of the most rocky coasts in the world, on the wrong side of the wind.... Not nice.
 
I think the thing you mean is visual passage planner. We hav this, which contains lots of pilot book info and current info and is dead useful for all sorts of passages.

V useful. If you google it you can find the stores which sell it.
 
July is best for crossing the 'Bay then spend August exploring the West coast of Portugal using the Portuguese trades (NW) plus following current, try to be around the corner (Cape St Vincent) by early September. From there you have a number of potential stop overs starting with Lagos and moving East. We overwintered in Portimao then next summer moved on east via Cadiz, Ceuta, Gibraltar, Estapona to Almerimar for our next winter. We are now in Yasmine Hammamet Tunisia.
Personally I wouldn't attempt to try for Estapona starting from the UK in September or even late August. If you're driving a 70 to 80 footer then Ok but for your average boat (ours is 47) set your objective to Lagos or Portimao to avoid pushing too hard. I wouldn't recommend wintering on the N coast of Spain as the winter storms close many of the N facing ports for months. Bayona is a potential stop over if you don;t have the weather for progress further south. Lisbon Doca Alcantara would be the best bet for overwintering on the West coast.http://www.portodelisboa.pt/portal/...LISBOA_ING/NAUTICA_RECREIO/RECREATIONAL_DOCKS. Don't set your sights too high, if you are making good progress then revise your plans as you go.
 
I've done the crossing a few times each way, and never been into La Coruna. It's a really s####y corner (costa del morte) with very coarse bathymetry and a west flowing current, throws up some really awkward seas off Cabo Torinana (was there last week). I always go south of Finsterre (plenty of marinas and handy for Santiago da Compostela), that way on the next leg you get a pleasant start and don't have that miserable corner to deal with starting a leg. On occasion though I have been tired and dived into Come or Camarinas.
 
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