Channel du four

The tide turns S in the Chenal du Four before the ebb tide turns In your favour outside L’Aberwrach. If I’m trying to get as far S as possible in one tide, I’ve usually left L’Aberwrach an hour or two before local HW and threaded my way through the interesting inshore pilotage to Le Four light cheating the flood still coming East up La Manche (or The English Channel if you prefer.). . Otherwise leave at or near HW and by the time you’ve run the 9 miles down to Le Four light you’ll find you’ve got a strong favourable tide with you for a few hours.

They’re lovely waters to sail in reasonable weather.
 
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Thanks John I’ve been up and down a few times and usually left an hour after high water Brest for Cameret but really wondering if I could leave later to get just out of the Four before it turns?
Where are you now?
I too looked at the inshore passage and thought I’d give it a miss on several occasions. Is it as bad as it looks?
 
I tried that, leaving later, to arrive at the S end of the CdF when the tide was almost all out, nearly down to slack water.
It worked really well and I would do it again, unless going straight through the Raz as well.
 
....... and threaded my way through the interesting inshore pilotage to Le Four light cheating the flood still coming East up La Manche.... They’re lovely waters to sail in reasonable weather.

Ah-so! Turn left at 'Libenter', avoid the 'Little and Large Forks' and the 'Brandy Stone', down the 'Relec', then 'Raous' and follow the transits down through the 'Meridional du Portsall'..... in fog.... carefully!

Do avoid the 'Plateau de la Helle'...... and its pinnacle rock sticking up 11 metres like a finger on the NW corner of the Plateau feared by generations of Breton fishermen, before engines, and in an area notorious for flash fogs. For many of them, the 'Helle' rock was the last thing they saw, driving before a sudden winter gale, before the reefs and pinnacles behind it ripped the bottoms out of their boats.....

"Chante ta chanson. Chante, bonne vieille. La lune se leve, et la mer s'eveille."
 
Don't forget to wave to the good 'mechs' in MRCC Corsen as you sail past.... right below their windows!


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No, don't be tempted to do a 'Team Moonie'..... unless you have a quorum of buxom lovelies! ;)
 
Pointe St Mathieu is worth a visit.

It's a long time since we were there but if I remember correctly we took a bus from Brest Moulin Blanc Marina to Le Conquet then walked along the coast to Pointe St Mathieu, climbed the lighthouse, had lunch and got the bus back. A great day out in beautiful weather. The bus fares were very cheap, a couple of Euros each way.
 
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