Channel Islands& Brittany tidal timings

[Daydream believer]

I am going to Camaret via St PP from Bradwell
I plan to stop at Cherbourg so I can time the race best. It is relatively close so timing is easier.
Plus stopping there will allow me to wait for favourable weather
I am aiming for Cherbourg on 14/15 June & this means I can leave in the morning - not too early- for STPP

 

[Twister_Ken]

I've not read the thread so excuse me if this is repetition. My policy on leaving Portsmouth east about the IOW is to depart at HW Portsmouth -2. This gives slack or favourable tides to get out to West Princessa, and then a 6 hour kick to westward on the ebb. Do it at neaps and you won't get really nasty wind over tide conditions if you have strong winds blowing uptide.

 

[daibachsail]

Reference the post about places becoming packed, do I need to be concerned about arriving at one of the ports and finding that there is no space left?

The other times are July 14th week and summer weekends, you may get in but not where you would want to be!
They are unlikely to have nowhere at all.

 

[doug748]

The other times are July 14th week and summer weekends, you may get in but not where you would want to be!
They are unlikely to have nowhere at all.

Yes.

I would avoid August unless absolutely necessary.

 

[Angele]

Tide turns S at Cap de la Hague (Alderney Race) at HW Dover -30mins.
HW Dover occurs at about midday and midnight on New and Full moons (Springs)
It is about 27nM from the Cap to St PP
So planning to go South you should look for when HW Dover is at somewhere around 10:30 am
So plan to take the trip down about two or three days before New and Full moons
Dover tides here: http://montymariner.co.uk/tides/dover/

St PP: HW is at about HW Dover -4:50
Sill opens Around HW Dover +5
Sill closes Around HW Dover -2

Hope that helps.

PS
CI Tide Stream here: http://montymariner.co.uk/tide-stream-charts/tide-stream-channel-isles/
N Brittany Tide Stream here: http://montymariner.co.uk/tide-stream-charts/north-britanny/

Most detailed advice so far, I think. :encouragement:

If you want to arrive off Cap de la Hague at HW Dover - 00:30, then you would be leaving Cherbourg (assuming you have stopped over there the previous night) at around HW Dover -3. So, in LadyInBed's example (HW Dover = 10:30 BST), that would be around 07:30 BST (08:30 local French time). Reasonably civilised. The most logical stop off, en route to Treguier, is Guernsey (as intimated by LadyInBed). An 07:30 departure from Cherbourg should get you into St Peter Port early afternoon. (You could do Cherbourg to Treguier in one go, but that would be quite a slog).

The OP talks about going on to Treguier, which I assume he would do directly from Guernsey, and then returning more slowly along the North Brittany coast. On the assumption that, from Treguier, all the subsequent passages will be shorter hops (say up to 6 hours) then those should be capable of being timed to suit the local tides without setting off at silly O'clock or arriving in the dark.

So, aside from the two cross Channel hops, your next longest passage, would be the one from St Peter Port to Treguier - a little over 50nm. The local advice for that trip is to leave at local HW -2 (see: http://www.gyc.org.gg/cruising/idealdeparture). That equates to around HW Dover +6, if I'm not mistaken. (This suggested departure time may seem a little strange since, within a couple of hours, you will be experiencing a foul tide, but I gather it is intended to ensure you arrive on the flood, assuming a speed of 5.5 kts).

So, assuming you only stay the one night in Guernsey then (continuing LadyInBed's example), HW Dover would now be 11:00 to 11:30 BST (and therefore around 23:00 the previous night). So, that suggests an ideal departure time of 05:00. To me that is a bit uncivilised, so I would prefer to time it a day or two later than LadyInBed suggests - say more like HW Dover around 12:00 to 13:00.

You don't say how long your proposed trip is, so it is impossible to say with these timings whether the tide through the Alderney Race/Swinge will favour a sensible departure time for the return trip back north of Alderney/Cap de la Hague.

 

[Lucky Duck]

Thanks for both of these, they have been very helpful.

Tides seem to work OK for the first of the holidays booked (last w/e in June) but less so for the second (first w/e in August)