Calais or Boulogne

[derekgillard]

A friend has just bought a new boat and is asking me to help on a trip to France, his boat is at Ramsgate and he is talking of Calais or Boulogne I am not familar with this area.
I will of course get up to date chart and tidal information, but has anyone on this site been into either of these Harbours and if so, is there a Marina? What are the facilites like ? would you recommend it? Is the Ferry traffic as alarming as it sounds?

Del Buoy


<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by derekgillard on Sun Oct 28 20:16:00 2001 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[paulrossall]

I went into Calais last year with boat going down French canals. There is a marina with good facilities (toilet/shower block is 5star hotel standard) and staff were very helpful. Interesting place to visit. Just like Dover you get permission to enter harbour from port control but you go to the right of the main harbour and await the opening of the lock into the marina. You have to pick up a waiting mooring, which were not in place when we went or lie alongside one of the fishing boats or pilot boats until lock opens. Charges are very very cheap.

 

[Guest]

Don't know Boulogne, but we went to Calais in August. As already metioned ask permission to enter as you get to the Calais 6 bouy, then turn right round to the locked marina. There are mooring bouys there to tie up to for waiting for the lock. Lock opens I think HW-1. HW and HW+2. Mooring for our 30 foot motor boat was FF51.00, about a fiver and I don't think it gets much more. There was a 70 footer there when we visited and his mooring fee for the night was £12. As you enter the marina the visitors moorings are on you right. Electric too. Excellent showers and loos.

Navigation from Dover, head straight for Calais 6 bouy and just turn a bit towards 135 for the TSS then back again, though you can steal a bit??

BTW the booze shops in the market square will deliver to your boat at no extra cost. Brilliant eh? No excuse for not coming back with a ton (or should that be tonne) more than you went with.

 

[Guest]

If your going to Calais from R'gate then go round top of Goodwins (N.Sand Head) then let the tide sweep you down to Calais. If going to Boulogne then go down to Dover, beware the "Break" just outside of R'gate on southside of marked channel. You have 2 ways to leave R'gate just outside of harbour turn to stb and pickup B1 to the west, round it to port leaving min 30 yds clearance then head approx. 160 degs for Deal/Dover. second way go straight out the marked channel and pick up the "Gull stream" head south to dover. At Dover western enterance turn for Boulogne on west going tide. Hope this is of help, but check your charts first.

 

[Modulation]

I'd go to Boulogne if I were you. I've been to both several times and find Boulogne is a more interesting town - very good restaurants in the square. Also the marina has 24 hour access - unlike Calais which only opens around high tide. Using one of the waiting buoys is ok but you won't get a great night's sleep because of the shipping movement.
That said, Calais' showers etc are better than Boulogne's - but you don't go to France for the lavs, do you?

 

[derekgillard]

Thank you for all for the information.

Del Buoy

 

[AndrewB]

How about Gravelines? Its nearer and nicer.

Its much closer than Boulogne, far more attractive than Calais, cheaper than both. You sail a couple of miles up the river Aa into the locked marina. Its approachable up to 2 hours either side of high. The lock remains open for 3 hours either side, but you'd need a shallow draft to get up the river then.

Unlike Calais, there is no tricky offshore sandbank, nor a continuous flow of ferry traffic. The drawback is you cannot enter the harbour at all below about half tide, but from Ramsgate that's no problem as the right time to leave is just after low water, arriving towards high. Watch out for a strong E-going current at the entrance at high tide, and although the coast is reasonably sheltered from the SW, do not attempt the entrance in a strong NW or N wind.

 

[oldjohnnyb]

I visited Boulogne early this summer and found that the Marina is being redeveloped. The gangway to get off the pontoons was extremely steep, however the temporary portacabins for showers and toilets where brand new and very clean. The biggest problem was the smell coming off the water. Bubbles of methane from rotting vegetation on the river bed created a stench which was quite overpowering.
Likewise the smell as we passed the dredger operating in the outer harbour was equally bad.
Apparently heavy rain over the winter had brought down the vegetable matter from up stream.
In compensation, of the many meals we enjoyed on the French coast, the meal we had in Boulogne was the best and the cheapest.
I would suggest going to Calais instead, the facilities there have obviously improved since I last payed a visit. By next year the situation at Boulogne may have improved. In the past I have always prefered Boulogne to Calais.

 

[miket]

My wife refuses to go to Boulogne now, having spent a summer's day watching the rats scurrying around under the platform that houses the so-called club house/ facilities. To be fair it was 3 or 4 years ago.

Calais is much maligned. In my view it is great. Probably have to moor alongside other boats in the summer, but good club house/ facilities, helpful harbourmaster, and fantastic variety of restaurants at all prices. Certainly cheap. We had to abandon our 37 footer there in the summer, and it cost £50 for the week.

Forget sleeping outside the marina on the buoys. Far too much swell from ferries entering and buoys quite close together.

Ever thought of St Valery sur Somme? A little further than Boulogne, and quite limited access, but quite delightful.

 

[byron]

Mike! The club house has gone and a new one is being built. There is also talk of opening the fish dock as the 'new' marina. For my money it's got to be Bolougne mainly because of the welcome I always get from everyone. The stench is bad but it is only at low tide. Anyway have you smelled my boat lately? Your Sally keeps your boat pristine, my Obergruppenfuhrer rarely steps aboard as you know.

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[david_steward]

Re: CALAIS

Marina has just started major engineering works on its lock gates. There is still a small visitors pontoon but it is removed from the facilities. This is likely to continue until March 02.

Gravelines is a good bet but you will dry on the visitors pontoon. So ask for a mooring on one of the hammerheads.

Visited Boulogne at Easter and it was a bombsite. Don't know if the works there are now finished.

What is the name of your mates boat.

Dave S

 

[Guest]

Calais is free if you tie up to the buoy in the outer harbour. But the last time I was ther, someone nicked the paddles from my rubber dingy.

Boulogne's nice in the Winter. In the Summer there's some pretty extreme rafting going on there.

Why not try Niewpoort in Belgium. There's loads of Winter sailing activity there, and the food and beer's great.

Good sailing.