CI recommendations

[Andy Bav]

Hopefully not as contentious as my last post on this subject but lets just say we are ready and prepared for our trip now (!).

Work holidays now give us a 2 week window, so my question now is for recommendations of anchorages - in particular places we could leave her for a trip ashore - restaurants, sightseeing, fuel and general getting around.

Boys want to take kayaks and surfboards wife and I want to find a nice cafe etc to watch the world go by.

Hoping to take in Herm Sark and Jersey from an initial base in Guernsey.

 

[Just_sayin']

You just MUST find a place where there are piers.

 

[JerseyDiver]

Wow this could be a long list.

I will just stick to jersey.

Bouley Bay on jerseys NE coast is lovely and easy to anchor either inside the swinging moorings unless spring low tide or outside the moorings if you have a tender with outboard.

MAD MARY's cafe ashore and Black dog pub. Perfect for kayaking along the coast with some good fishing. Pontoon for swimming from is really popular. Depending on your boys ages there is a also a good dive school for try dives at reasonable cost.

Beauport on jersey south coast although no cafe. Stunning but can be busy at weekends.

St ouen is the main surf beach on the west coast but would not advise anchoring or dinghying ashore.
if you want surf and conditions are right probably st brelades bay as there are cafés and restaurants ashore only downside is lots of watersports activities creating wake.

 

[JSYmartini]

My reccommendation: pick a spring tide (early eve HW) and go to Gorey on jerseys east coast. You can pick up a visitors mooring just off the end of the pier, go alongside the landing stage if it's free, use the fuel pontoon if they're closed (or ask nicely if still open) or go alongside the stone quay a bit further down from the end.

There's a cafe at the end of the pier with lots of tables etc outside, great views.
My old flat mate, a Thai lady called Nam, is cooking there every evening. Whether it's Thai or English food, this woman the best cook in the world. Ever. Bar none.

I put some serious weight on when she lived with me!

 

[Griffin Marine]

Is Captain Thomas in charge of the navigation if yes you are in good hands
Tim

 

[longjohnsilver]

Hopefully not as contentious as my last post on this subject but lets just say we are ready and prepared for our trip now (!).

Work holidays now give us a 2 week window, so my question now is for recommendations of anchorages - in particular places we could leave her for a trip ashore - restaurants, sightseeing, fuel and general getting around.

Boys want to take kayaks and surfboards wife and I want to find a nice cafe etc to watch the world go by.

Hoping to take in Herm Sark and Jersey from an initial base in Guernsey.

Sark is lovely, and there are mooring buoys, but I would not recommend an overnight stay as inevitably you will start rocking and rolling for quite a few hours.

There are also buoys just off Herm harbour, these are tidal so available about half tide on. I was there a few days ago, lovely spot.

Anchoring in Alderney harbour is fine (although there are many buoys available and probably more sheltered), but if there's any hint of NE in the wind prepare to scarper ASAP. The beach is fabulous, and there is a pub and hotel where you can sit and watch your boat bob about. Across the road is a good restaurant, the First and Last, run by Rita originally from Exmouth. Plenty of other choices up the hill in town, and the Braye chippy is great, take a bottle of wine with you and chill. We love Alderney.

 

[Andy Bav]

Is Captain Thomas in charge of the navigation if yes you are in good hands
Tim

Indeed he is Tim. Was grateful that he decided to take 2 weeks off as it exended our holiday , but then realised mum and dad are paying for a cheap holiday for him!

Hes been passage planning since he qualified with you... think I'll be in touch with you to do mine in the Autumn / Winter, but 98% is gonna be tough to beat!

Looking forward to the adventure, and recommendations of things to do, and places to go and eat are worth hours of internet searches... so thanks for the replies above.

 

[[2068]]

St Helier, Jersey, if you've never been there before. Just be aware that for whatever reason, most of St Helier tries to drink enough to fall over each Friday, but there are some great restaurants and bars.

We parked up in Victoria Marina, Guernsey, for several nights last season, and let the local ferries ship us to Sark and Herm due to the hassle of getting in and out of the marina over the wretched cill. Refuelling was also not straightforward, as we lost our "spot" in the marina when we came back. But shell beach on Herm, horses on sark, bodysurfing on the beach and the restaurants in St Peter Port made it worthwhile.

We missed out on stopping in Alderney, which is worth visiting to chill out if the wind is favourable.

 

[johng39]

Petit Port on the South East of Guernsey is a fabulous spot & unlike Longjohnsilver I would pick up a mooring in Havre Gosselin (Sark) and stay the night. Stunning location and for exploring caves in a dinghy / kayak is awesome. Harbour cafe on the opposite side of the Island made for an interesting stopover also. In fact scrub that, don't visit Sark or you may prevent me picking up an overnight mooring there Gorey harbour as already mentioned is fantastic with the correct timing on tides.

Have you considered St Malo or any of the other French ports nearby?

 

[Piers]

Now, what would expect me to say? Beaucette brings everything you would want. Surfing is spectacular at L'Ancresse Bay, a short walk around the headland from Beaucette. Kayaking is just a short trip outside the entrance where there are so many nooks and crannies to explore.

Cafes overlooking l'Ancresse and a magnificent restaurant at Beaucette. What else might you wanted?

www.beaucettemarina.com

 

[Just_sayin']

Now, what would expect me to say? Beaucette brings everything you would want. Surfing is spectacular at L'Ancresse Bay, a short walk around the headland from Beaucette. Kayaking is just a short trip outside the entrance where there are so many nooks and crannies to explore.

Cafes overlooking l'Ancresse and a magnificent restaurant at Beaucette. What else might you wanted?

www.beaucettemarina.com

And see post 2

Why don't you just change your username to BeacetteMarina, or would that be the advertising that you already do for them?

 

[johng39]

Now, what would expect me to say? Beaucette brings everything you would want. Surfing is spectacular at L'Ancresse Bay, a short walk around the headland from Beaucette. Kayaking is just a short trip outside the entrance where there are so many nooks and crannies to explore.

Cafes overlooking l'Ancresse and a magnificent restaurant at Beaucette. What else might you wanted?

www.beaucettemarina.com

On my list for this year

 

[guernseyman]

Nip across to Diélette. Very quiet when I was there a few days ago. New chef at the Hotel du Phare, dishes up some interesting stuff.

 

[Angele]

unlike Longjohnsilver I would pick up a mooring in Havre Gosselin (Sark) and stay the night. Stunning location and for exploring caves in a dinghy / kayak is awesome. [snip]

Me too. In settled weather you should be able to find some reasonable shelter, as there are anchorages all round the island. In addition to Havre Gosselin on the west, another bay with moorings is Greve de la Ville on the east. Then there are anchorages at Derrible and Dixcart, at Grande Greve and .... Just pick one on the side of the island that is in the lee of the wind.

Admittedly the rocky cliffs around the island means that any swell bounces off them and comes back and hits you. But, I've never found this too much of a problem. Maybe having a tonne of lead at the bottom of a deep fin keel helps to reduce the rolling. [smug g*t smiley]

 

[Griffin Marine]

Indeed he is Tim. Was grateful that he decided to take 2 weeks off as it exended our holiday , but then realised mum and dad are paying for a cheap holiday for him!

Hes been passage planning since he qualified with you... think I'll be in touch with you to do mine in the Autumn / Winter, but 98% is gonna be tough to beat!
.

Have a great trip lots of pictures please
Tim

 

[djingrouille]

Fermain Bay on Guernsey's east coast is spectacular - nice little cafe/ restaurant at the top of the slip way which churns out good grub (bit too expensive to be labelled a beach cafe but not quite a restaurant menu!). Good anchoring ground or there are a couple of (private) mooring buoys which you can pick up (provided that you don't intend on leaving the boat and can leave if the owner should rock up). If you're staying in the St. Peter Port marina then I would recommend Christies and Dix Neuf for some top nosh.

Shell and Belvoir bay in Herm are also cracking, although when the sills open in the local marinas the Little Russel becomes like the M1 as everyone scampers over to claim their favourite anchorage. Be careful if you pick up a buoy in Herm Harbour as some of them dry.

Havre Gosselin, Port Gorey, Greve de la Ville and Derrible Bay are all good choices in Sark. A general rule of thumb taught by my pilotage tutor is to avoid Havre Gosselin (and the entire South and West coast of Sark for that matter) at anything above half tide up as the swell created by the northwards-flowing tidal stream can be quite unpleasant. Same goes to Greve de la Ville at anything below half tide down with the southwards-flowing tidal stream, although the effects felt here aren't as bad as Havre Gosselin. Bel Air at something like £1.70 is worth a visit to Sark all on its own!

 

[Andy Bav]

Thanks for all your replies - plenty to get stuck into.! Fingers crossed weather holds.

 

[gjgm]

Nip across to Diélette. Very quiet when I was there a few days ago. New chef at the Hotel du Phare, dishes up some interesting stuff.

Round the corner, eastwards, was a surfing beach..

 

[Bandit]

From an anchoring position overnight it has to be very settled weather and choose the wind direction and work out where the shelter is.

Guernsey: Havelet, Fermain, Saints, L'Ancresse in good weather. The west coast is a bit more challenging from a navigational point of view and more exposed.

Sark: Havre Gosselin, Port es Saies,La Greve de la Ville, Derrible, Dixcart. It always seems to be sloppy in Sark even in good weather.

If you can take the ground and have legs, Herm Harbour.

Summer surfing in Guernsey is generally Vazon and Port Soif, L'Ancresse is generally a winter surf spot, PS Anchoring in a bay where there is good surf does not generally mean there is going to be quiet night at anchor.

Day trips to anchor & Kayak: Herm Belvoir, Shell, Off Rosaire, Sark also.

Guernsey now has 3 of the 4 swan pontoons connected to the Crown Pier as walk ashore so this facilitates day trips going out for the day with the boat, water on the pontoons ( no hoses so bring your own) but no electricity .

Carteret Marina is a favourite of mine, if there is a swell surfing to the north of the harbour entrance but best to the north of Cap Carteret on Hatainville beach, My son surfs there occasionally and its good surf.

Kayaking St Cast would be an excellent choice, excellent marina, 24 hour access, anchor off ile Hebihens excellent kayaking there.


Don't forget pretty big tidal ranges in Guernsey 10m on a spring and fast tidal flows. eg on a spring LW pretty tight using the normal St Peter Port to Herm Harbour route the Perchee passage , you have to know your way around or use the Towbars Passage.

I agree with Piers , Beaucette would be a good base for a few days for Kayaking.

 

[Bandit]

Look At the Guersey Harbours website as well as Digimap Guernsey for Marina Info CI and Adjacent coast of France and Tides information.