Biscay: The inshore route - recommendations?

[Sybarite]

I am the Allan for whom Sybarite posted his detailed information(#32). I can thoroughly recommend everything said on this thread and the other one he refers to. I did the trip planned for the following June and I've since done another, getting as far as lle D'oleron. I've still got a printout of the other thread somewhere.
One small thing I would add, if you want to get beyond the Raz in one go, the Ile Seine is a good choice if you boat and conditions are suitable. I've dried out in the harbour when I had bilge keels and anchored just north west of the entrance with a fin. It was a fantastic place to start the Breton experience when heading from Newlyn. I quite like Camaret but it's a bit of a gluepot and a surprisingly long detour. If you do use Ile Seine, on no account should you leave without going ashore as it's a fantastic place.
Allan

Actually Allan it's the Ile de Sein. Seine is the river.

 

[Allan]

Actually Allan it's the Ile de Sein. Seine is the river.

Yes, now I can see it written down, that makes sense. Thanks for that. I'm not sure if I thanked you in the past for all your information but it proved to be a great help. Thank you. Since that time I've done a couple of Atlantic crossings and plan at least one more but will be heading for south Brittany as soon as possible.

Allan

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The cemetery is interesting and so is the lighthouse if it's open but the rest is just a windswept island with a small hamlet and a number of dogs that obviously have identical ancestry and leave there shite all over the place. An alternative would be Ouessant and Lampaul if going the direct route and it's a bigger more interesting place with restaurants and deep water moorings.

 

[Allan]

The cemetery is interesting and so is the lighthouse if it's open but the rest is just a windswept island with a small hamlet and a number of dogs that obviously have identical ancestry and leave there shite all over the place. An alternative would be Ouessant and Lampaul if going the direct route and it's a bigger more interesting place with restaurants and deep water moorings.

An interesting view. I've been to both a few times and, although they are quite different, I like them both. Some of the times I've visited Ushant I've moored in Bai du Stiff and walked over to Lampaul, which is very pleasant.
There are bars and restaurants in the hamlet on Ile de Sein. They're quite simple and rustic but pleasant enough. I don't remember a particular problem with dogs.
Allan

 

[Sybarite]

An interesting view. I've been to both a few times and, although they are quite different, I like them both. Some of the times I've visited Ushant I've moored in Bai du Stiff and walked over to Lampaul, which is very pleasant.
There are bars and restaurants in the hamlet on Ile de Sein. They're quite simple and rustic but pleasant enough. I don't remember a particular problem with dogs.
Allan

I only visited Lampaul once. As I was dropping the anchor I was told in no uncertain terms that I was blocking the ferry's approach. Well if the ferry was the size of the QM2 perhaps otherwise no problem.

Later I decided to attend a church service. There the priest went on about the state of conflict that there was within the community and how everybody should work to resolve it.

I left Ushant very much with mixed feelings. Sein was much better.

 

[Sybarite]

An interesting view. I've been to both a few times and, although they are quite different, I like them both. Some of the times I've visited Ushant I've moored in Bai du Stiff and walked over to Lampaul, which is very pleasant.
There are bars and restaurants in the hamlet on Ile de Sein. They're quite simple and rustic but pleasant enough. I don't remember a particular problem with dogs.
Allan

Never mind. When somebody thinks that England might win the 6N you know that he has questionable judgement....

 

[Sybarite]

Yes, now I can see it written down, that makes sense. Thanks for that. I'm not sure if I thanked you in the past for all your information but it proved to be a great help. Thank you. Since that time I've done a couple of Atlantic crossings and plan at least one more but will be heading for south Brittany as soon as possible.

Allan

You are very welcome. Thanks.

 

[Allan]

I only visited Lampaul once. As I was dropping the anchor I was told in no uncertain terms that I was blocking the ferry's approach. Well if the ferry was the size of the QM2 perhaps otherwise no problem.

Later I decided to attend a church service. There the priest went on about the state of conflict that there was within the community and how everybody should work to resolve it.

I left Ushant very much with mixed feelings. Sein was much better.

For the last few years there's been free visitor buoys off Lampaul. They're just a short row from the little harbour. I've not been to church there, or anywhere else, but found everyone friendly and helpful.
Allan

 

[Fr J Hackett]

For the last few years there's been free visitor buoys off Lampaul. They're just a short row from the little harbour. I've not been to church there, or anywhere else, but found everyone friendly and helpful.
Allan

The 1st time I used one of those buoys must have been 15 years ago and the last about 6 years ago, I too have always enjoyed a short stay on Ouessant and the restaurants that I have eaten in were both good value and good food if simple. It's a gem not to be missed but I never saw a British flagged boat there.

 

[Allan]

The 1st time I used one of those buoys must have been 15 years ago and the last about 6 years ago, I too have always enjoyed a short stay on Ouessant and the restaurants that I have eaten in were both good value and good food if simple. It's a gem not to be missed but I never saw a British flagged boat there.

Most of the times I've been there it was on passage to or from Cardiff. I think a lot of people from further east, like the Solent think it's too far out of their way. I once met a friend from Portishead there, he was waiting for some weather to blow over before heading north. I read many warnings about being in there when there's a west or southwest wind. I've been there in a F6 west and the moorings were flat calm.
Allan

 

[Poignard]

[...] I think a lot of people from further east, like the Solent think it's too far out of their way. [...]

How can it be 'out of their way'? If you're heading from the Solent (or anywhere else up Channel) to the Bay of Biscay, what other way is there?

 

[doug748]

..Some of the times I've visited Ushant I've moored in Bai du Stiff and walked over to Lampaul, which is very pleasant...
Allan

These boys picked a bad day for it:

Are there visitor buoys at Bai du Stiff?

 

[Fr J Hackett]

Last time I went in no visitors buoys some local boats on buoys though.

 

[Plomong]

I read an article about this. Apparently a large block of cool air can slip over the edge of the plateau and it is not unknown to lead to 100mph winds very quickly.

I have no personal experience of this.

I don't think the cool air comes off the plateau !!

A precursor is a sultry hot day with southerly winds that, coming off the plateau, fall onto the coastal plain thus heating up the air. Then a mass of cold air enters from seawards, hot air rises, strong winds from N or NW. Just before the onset, there is usually a short period of dead calm.

Last time I was caught out, I noticed the calm and took in the genoa. Should have taken down the mainsail instead. Ended up entering Bilbao at a rate of knots with the wind on the s'bd quarter and dropping the main in the lee of the port control building at the head of the Santurce breakwater. Then spent a hour faffing about the inner harbour as the wind was too strong to attempt to enter the marina.

No damage suffered or caused.

Plomong

 

[Allan]

How can it be 'out of their way'? If you're heading from the Solent (or anywhere else up Channel) to the Bay of Biscay, what other way is there?

At the time I was referring to Lampaul, surely if you are heading to Biscay, from the east, you would head down the Channel du Four? Even coming from Newlyn that's my preferred route.
Allan

 

[Fr J Hackett]

At the time I was referring to Lampaul, surely if you are heading to Biscay, from the east, you would head down the Channel du Four? Even coming from Newlyn that's my preferred route.
Allan

From the east you would use the passage du Fromveur from the west / north choose the outside route inside the separation zone. By using Ouessant it avoids the Raz du Sein this assumes that you are going to transit Biscay by the direct route to NW Spain, you wish to avoid the detour that Camaret and the Raz impose and of course that you wish to stop or interrupt your passage. My visits were usually on the return leg and a couple from Camaret when I had a few days to spare.

 

[Allan]

From the east you would use the passage du Fromveur from the west / north choose the outside route inside the separation zone. By using Ouessant it avoids the Raz du Sein this assumes that you are going to transit Biscay by the direct route to NW Spain, you wish to avoid the detour that Camaret and the Raz impose and of course that you wish to stop or interrupt your passage. My visits were usually on the return leg and a couple from Camaret when I had a few days to spare.

The only time I've been in passage du Fromveur, the tide was, from memory, 4+ knots heading east. We were heading from the Raz to Bai du Stiff. There was so much tide we nearly missed the entrance! I've never gone down that way. On the way down I like the speed you get in the channel du Four.
Allan

 

[Fr J Hackett]

The only time I've been in passage du Fromveur, the tide was, from memory, 4+ knots heading east. We were heading from the Raz to Bai du Stiff. There was so much tide we nearly missed the entrance! I've never gone down that way. On the way down I like the speed you get in the channel du Four.
Allan

There is plenty of tide outside Ouessant, just don't get it wrong or heaven forbid a stiff wind against.

 

[franksingleton]

Thank you for the paper, Roberto. We experienced something very similar just south of Arcachon on passage from Cap Breton. From the paper it does not seem to have been a typical Galerne. Nor was it a “frontal” galerne although there was what looked like a squall line out to sea. The roll of cloud did not move for several hours; it had no thunderstorms apparent to us and no sign of white water that would have suggested strong winds. At about 1600 it all changed.


My log for 20 August 2011 reads -

We knew that the passage to Arcachon was going to be tedious with much motoring. The forecast was for a fine day with the hope of some easterlies before the sea breeze arrived. We got some sailing, on a westerly as it happened. But we also had a severe squall.

This was totally unexpected as Météo France had not even mentioned showers never mind thunderstorms. The ominous roll of cloud had no white water under it so, when it came, it was a case of dropping the main fast – thank goodness for lazy jacks – and rolling in the Genoa. After the first vicious blast we have several smaller ones. Then it was all peace and light.


We got to the Bassin d’Arcachon at the right time for entry reassured by the excellent Cap Ferret signal station who was as helpful as we remembered.

In the marina at Arcachon there were several small motor boats which had been caught out in the Arcachon basin


I cannot give an exact figure for the strongest winds encountered, we were too busy dropping sails etc. It must have been around 50 kn. the synoptic chart for 00 UTC had a light gradient. There was a quasi-stationary front to the north of the Vilaine. See http://www.wetterzentrale.de/reanalysis.php?map=1&model=bra&var=45 (put in the date.)

From the paper, I see that Cazaux has on average 2 galernes a year, rarely in August, over a 30 year period there were 8 “galernes marquees” and only 4
“tres marquees.” We seem to have been unlucky.

It is difficult to know what topographical effects there could have been. From memory the only significant feature is the famous sand bank.

 

[dgadee]

Re post #21;

"We had planned on going around beyond A Coruna but the price in the Real marina was so good and the town had everything we wanted that we decided to leave the boat there for the winter."

We are looking at doing something similar this summer. How did leaving your boat in A Coruna work out ? Was the boat in the water all winter or lifted out ? Any issues ??

Boat is currently there (afloat) before we move on. Not sure whether it needs lifted yet. We were out for a few weeks over Christmas and - as others advised me before - it can be quite wet. There can be large swells outside which do affect the marina, but so long as you've sorted ropes and fenders things are ok. One English boat moved into the inside harbour, but we moved to the opposite end to the entrance. I was aghast at the way some of the local boats are moored - bits of thin, frayed rope. I'm not keen on those metal spring things, so just made up nylon warps to size and then added backup ropes. Didn't have to change anything even slightly when we got there for Christmas.

Price was half what we were quoted for Sada. Sada lives up to its name - downmarket feel - whereas A Coruna has a very upbeat feel. Lovely place.

But don't miss San Sebastian would be my advice if you do the eastern end of the coast. Not free from notherly swell, but nice bay to anchor in.

ps: we anchored at Avilles across from the industrial area (as pilot book suggested) but were turfed out on request of local pilots. Large swell at the entrance but perfectly calm on entry.