Best time to cross Biscay

when the forcast is good,but for what its worth i went down in sept great sail,coming back now a bit harder,expect a n/w swell most of the time and this is what you need to keep ur eye on.magic sea weed has been good for that.i went la rochelle/bilbao,have coast hopped back and its been great north spain was like scotland with sun even had snow capped moutains.these lows at mo are slowing me a bit but im not in ahurry. im solo if your well crewed good boat just go on good forcast
 
Hey I agree with Rib.

The brutal answer is, the right time to cross is when YOUR own interpretation of synoptic charts indicates the right weather window for you and your yacht, with consideration to experience, crew size, fuel range, heavy weather gear and crew physical health.

If any of these are in doubt why cross the whole bay?

The Carol (Wildbird) blog is an enjoyable read and illustrates how to cross with a final 36 hour(?) hop.
 
Boheme said:
Please, please advise on best time date to cross biscay & why. Thank you so much.
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Certainly not this week or coming weekend as the wind is going to repeat the weather we have just experienced over the past three or four days.

For the past 12 days I have been doing the weather routing for Bajansailor onboard S/Y "Idea" across the Atlantic and it looks quite bad in the English Channel and Western Approaches this coming Thursday 14th June for two or three days with wind speeds in excess of 50 knots, Shannon, Sole, Fastnet, Lundy, Irish Sea, Plymouth, Portland, Wight. Currently there are high-level Mares-tails over SW England and Wales which is a portend of things to come! S/Y "Idea" is in for a very rough passage!

Also note that after a bad weather spell, it takes a few days for the sea and swell to die away so you cannot just depart after a bit of a blow as the sea state will still be unsettled.

You can bet your bottom dollar this "Low" will extend far beyond these sea areas! :eek:

Gail, as you are thinking of sailing solo, you really need to see a good clear 5-days of settled weather for the Biscay crossing. Do you have autopilot as you will not be able to stay at the helm for a minimum of three days and nights. You have to watch for the Azores High moving north east creating calmer conditions and anticipate a departure ahead of the game so you are progressing Ushant to port (48°27′29″N 005°05′44″W) as the high moves into Biscay. If you need to, make passage to Camaret sur Mer (48° 16.775'N 004° 35.376'W) and wait out for a weather window. Do not run up to Brest as is will add to your time departing and getting back out to Biscay.

I am also doing weather routing for S/Y "Wanda" on passage across the Pacific from the Galapagos to The Marquesas, they are 7 days into the passage and 600 nm directly ahead of them is a dismasted catamaran S/V "Equinox II" which has put out a distress call asking for assistance yesterday. I sent a satellite message to Pip and Kevin telling the position of Equinox II.
 
hey lenseman hi,im in rochelle heading north coast hopping. i see a window from now for 48 hrs which allows me to move visit and then find big marina do you know otherwise
 
rib said:
hey lenseman hi,im in rochelle heading north coast hopping. i see a window from now for 48 hrs which allows me to move visit and then find big marina do you know otherwise
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Not sure of your local conditions but be very aware of the low that is rattling in on Wednesday/Thursday. You do not want to be involved with that.

Currently offshore and around Ushant there is 20-25kts westerly which will seem to be on the nose as you beat northwards.

Take a look at www.passageweather.com specifically "Thursday 14th - 0600"

The middle of Biscay on Thursday afternoon will have swell and rolling breakers at 6m (20 feet) from a westerly direction. Nasty! :eek:

Pick your ports for safe haven and make very sure you are keeping a weather eye on your barometer? :rolleyes:
 
UK met forecasts for Biscay aren't much use as weather varies greatly in different areas. Look at Meteo France, they divide it into 4 areas N-S - Iroise, Yeu, Rochebonne & Cantabrico.
 
lenseman said:
For the past 12 days I have been doing the weather routing for Bajansailor onboard S/Y "Idea" across the Atlantic
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Hello Dave,

"Idea" is moored a few metres from me, yesterday Bajansailor hopped to my boat and we had a chat, he said you were sending text messages with the routing, he kindly let me visit the boat -should I say the monster: 24m long, all carbon, the boat is all empty from the stern inside one can see the crash box. If I remember correctly they averaged 280 miles a day during the crossing

They are supposed to leave today for Portsmouth direct
 
Roberto said:
Hello Dave,

"Idea" is moored a few metres from me, yesterday Bajansailor hopped to my boat and we had a chat, he said you were sending text messages with the routing, he kindly let me visit the boat -should I say the monster: 24m long, all carbon, the boat is all empty from the stern inside one can see the crash box. If I remember correctly they averaged 280 miles a day during the crossing

They are supposed to leave today for Portsmouth direct
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Hiya Roberto

They have not left Horta yet, I am monitoring their start. I don't think they were quite that quick as the fastest part of their route, they were making 10 knots and were having to dip in and out of the Azores high due to that impetuous lady Beryl.

They next leg does not look good. That low which is rattling in now seems to have altered and might hit Biscay head on instead of going Shannon, Sole and Lundy. The westerly swell and following seas associated with this weather system, with 20 foot rolling breakers on their stern and port quarter, might prove a bit challenging?

I wish them a safe passage. ;)
 
rib said:
hey lenseman hi,im in rochelle heading north coast hopping. i see a window from now for 48 hrs which allows me to move visit and then find big marina do you know otherwise
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rib,
Take a look at Meteo France Marine, bulletin cotier, (http://marine.meteofrance.com/). I found them very useful last year when going up the west coast of France. Today last year I did La Rochelle to Port Joinville, with Les Sables d'Olonne and St Gilles Croix de Vie as possible alternative ports.

One of the advantages of Meteo France is they update every 6 hours, and give a decent and reliable forecast for the next 2 days and a decent prevision for up to 5. Very very useful, and I found over the years, very accurate.

I've just taken a look at the forecast for tomorrow through to Friday: I'd not like to make the La Rochelle to Port Joinville passage on any of those days !! Lots of 2m swells from W or NW, winds F4 and F5, with "fort rafales sous ourages", meaning strong gusts F6/F7 under (thunder) storms/showers, and also "grain" just to make things a bit more exciting. Bashing into that lot on a beat on a lee shore would not be my cup of tea.

Plomong
 
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plomong.thank you very much for that. youve echod my thoughts,looking to run to les sables d'olonne wed early am sit the worst out there then carry onslowly.mean while just have to carry on playing on here.ta
 
rib said:
plomong.thank you very much for that. youve echod my thoughts,looking to run to les sables d'olonne wed early am sit the worst out there then carry onslowly.mean while just have to carry on playing on here.ta
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Be careful of the swell at the entrance to Les Sables -- if there is any breaking water at all, wait for high tide to see if the conditions improve. If that's not possible, make for Port Joinville on Ile d'Yeu. Easy to access when swell from West impedes access to Les Sables. It's a bit further, but being on the eastern side of the island improves the shelter.

Plomong
 
The general view is late May/June to August subject to forecast. If you wish to go outside that period check with your insurance company. Don't expect the forecast to be accurate so stay outside the one thousand fathom line, also expect the winds around Cape Finisterre to be two forces higher. The reason I say that is we crossed leaving Falmouth June 1st on the back of a cold front, perfect NE winds, with a good forecast. About 30 hours out from Finisterre and we got 50 knots and gusting for 24 hours. I've mentioned this before but during that period a big ketch ran off towing drogues, a Cat hove to using both engines and a local fishing boat was lost with all hands, so prepare the boat for heavy weather and be happy if you don't get it.

On the other had many others have had the perfect crossing, we are one of the less fortunate few.
 
We have a Fairline Targa 40 moored in La Rochelle. As a mobo our definition of rough is probably less than yours but..

We have been to Santander several times. Out of La Rochelle, turn left and follow the coast avoiding the missile range. We do this in summer but each and every time have been blessed with pretty flat seas in each direction.

Past Royan there is nothing until Arcashon (dont mess up the tide times - I did and the waves were like a movie) and then Spain. North Spanish coast is OK but not quite as nice as I had hoped. Also not as warm!

You can our course head straight across which I know 100% nothing about but unless you are in a hurry going round the edge gives you something to look at and places to visit. St Jean le Luz is stunning and Cap Breton nice for the kids if you have any.

There is swell but it just takes getting used to. I find it a bit "spooky" when going down wind of it and looking behind at the water higher than you are but it is pretty harmless. There are also several coast guard stations down the coast.

Hope this is of some use.
 
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