Cherbourg Scuttlebutt 2026

Notice that immediately there are various suggestions / complications.

I do hope the annual Scutlebutt Cruise get resurrected.

Someone need to take charge and decide on the weekend. There will always be a few that cannot make any nominated September weekend due to needing to ferry kids to University etc.

September was always favourite for the majority before. A few did try to add an additional one in Spring but IIRC it never took off.

No need for a databases and passwords providing one person is prepared to produce an Excel spreadsheet and send it out to everyone but they should be prepared to update it daily with changes during the last week prior to the departure date! I used the YBW PM system for participants to send their e mail, tel no and boat details.


Both Cherbourg Marina and the YC restaurant will respond to e mails in English.

Before fixing the neap tide weekend check with Cherbourg Marina in case there are any other big events. Again IIRC there used to be a JOG race one neap weekend in Sept and one year Parkstone YC arranged a weekend cross channel regatta.

I now reside in Portugal and my Jeanneau 43DS that is berthed in Nazare Marina is badly in need of some love and attention but it was a great live aboard for over 1yr while we were having our house built in Carvalhal ( near Nazare)

Good luck and trust someone takes the helm and brings this event back to life.

PS if anyone has any details regarding Fergus, please PM me. I did have some contact after the last Scuttlbutt Cruise and was aware of some health issues but regrettably with permenently retiring to Portugal in 2016 lost touch.
 
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Thanks @Sailfree for posting the above.

I think the next step then is choosing wether we go early season or late season and try and get a date in the diary by next weekend. I can see the benefits and disadvantages of both, but my own preference would be to break with tradition and go early season.
If you have a preference please say.
 
For us we can go with the flow too. My plan would be to stay over in France a bit before the return so that points to May June and has daylight benefits.... but September more likely to be a hit and run. In May June I would hope to still have functioning antifoul....September I would have to do a scrub? :). Probably need a poll including the option to go with the flow, or go with the flow and a slight preference for.... and only x or y. Not against July August either.
 
I joined the last Scuttlebutt Run that never made it to France. Thoroughly enjoyed meeting other forum members. Highly unlikely I would join next year.

However, why not have an early summer one and the September one as well. It certainly would encourage some forumites to cross the Channel on company, especially if they have never done it before.
 
Outside of the RCYC Celtic Triangle in the first two weeks of June we are still pretty clear for 26 so we would be game on. A September long weekend would seem good.
 
Monty's post got me to look up Cherbourg's tidal coefficients for correlation.
Crudely for 60% or less....(so periods inc neaps)
7-13 May
23-27 May
5-12 June
22-28 June
7-12 July
21-27 July
 
Before you settle on 24th and 25th July a thought: it is well into UK and French school holidays and have you checked whether there are other events and rallies?

It was to avoid such clashes that early September, as soon as schools go back, was chosen.

Are you thinking of an organised rally with a common start point and berthing together with shore events or just turn up and meet up.

It might be worth starting with the marina and asking if and when they could fit in another rally. Then pick the best tides from that.

The marina has rally pontoons near the
capitanerie that allow rafting together but you need to coordinate rallies: i have been on CA rallies there where there has been an issue if the previous rally hasn't moved on as expected!

The alternative is pot luck amongst the finger berths.

Is there a feel for numbers and size of boats and possibly maximum numbers?
 
I went on several, and thoroughly enjoyed them. I no longer have Almada my Westerly Storm and like Colin have a motor boat, Sunset a Seaward 25. Almada was an almost any weather boat. I have been to Cherboug in Sunset, and it is great sea worthy craft, however, it will be more weather dependent for me now.
 
Sitting in a small waterside Galician tavern it forcibly struck me in decibels why Galician bars are so noisey..Two fishermen started a conversation about god knows what and then a third joined in and the sound was incredible and they were just conversing.Obviously in a bar it’s almost too much but being able to communicate with your voice alone really is quite important.I recognize my voice does not “carry” but with practice it can improve.

Look out for this if you're thinking of early July.
Having taken part in this event (Tour des Ports that is), I can thoroughly recommend it. I don't know whether mobos would be permitted though :sneaky:
 
Just wondering, whether this idea still has any life in it? I think if someone with more experience than I would be willing to try to pull something together, I would definitely be interested in joining in. Depending on the dates obviously, availability of time off for my wife would be a key factor here, but in principle definitely still interested….
 
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