crossing the biscay

[eranb2]

Hi
What is the safest route to go from la rochelle down to gibraltar
in february?
go across or along the shore line?

Thanks

 

[webcraft]

Across

- W

 

[wotayottie]

very difficult to go round the shoreline the whole way - Royan to Arcason is far fro easy / hospitable. Mind you, the direct route from la Rochelle to (say) Finisterre is long enough to hit unforcast bad weather. My choice would be to go to Roayn and thento Bilbao. That way you have a 36 hour trip at most and get to enjoy north Spain.

 

[Anonymous]

[ QUOTE ]
What is the safest route to go from la rochelle down to gibraltar
in february?
go across or along the shore line?

[/ QUOTE ]

In what sort of vessel and crew? I doubt you'll find an insurer who will insure you at that time of year.

La Rochelle to Finisterre is a bad angle given prevailing W and SW winds, you might cut in to Bilbao, or Santander. The best and safest way for most would be overland on a low loader, at that time of year. What you must avoid is being lee-shored in bad weather. You could truck over to the French Med and then sail down to Gib, the season starts a little earlier in the Med but even so the sea can be atrocious.

 

[narooma]

To repeat the above, depends on the type of boat and I would definitely check with your insurance co. as I believe mine has a restriction May/October. Also some have a '200 miles from shore' restrictions which you would need to have lifted.

The Spanish fishing fleet will no doubt be out there now and it is possible to get a good 3/4 day window and go straight across. Unless I wanted to sight-see that is the route I would take, however I would wait a couple of months.
Some idea of the boat would make the replies more relevant

 

[jerryat]

We always use one of the following routes on our trips; either La Rochelle to Pasajes, or La Rochelle to Santander as we LOVE the stretch of northern Spain to La Corunna.

Don't miss cruising here which is, in our opinion, MUCH nicer than the Sanish Med. coast. There are some really fascinating little (and big) ports to explore, so try and take your time and enjoy it!! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[gavin_lacey]

Frank singletons web site has very good info on all the options, sorry cannot post link due to incompetance. We went Joinville - Gijon but not at this time of year. Nice 2 day crossing and the coast from Gijon to finisterre is superb. Day sails from Gijon to Gib possible and nice in good weather. Swell is a real issue around NW Spain (Freqently 6m plus). Check using Magic Seaweed site as well as getting weather forecast.

 

[TigaWave]

I don't think shoreline is an option between La Rochelle and Gijon, but from there on it could be done in short weather windows of 2 days. Right now looks good for a motor sail to Coruna, settled for maybe three days before the next Westerly.

Its worth taking your time deciding on when to do the leg round the corner, I've had to abandon a trip and return to Coruna before. If you get to Camarinas you can wait in a sheltered harbour and be close to Finissterre for a 12-14 hour trip to Vigo/Bayona, then Lisbon a day and a half. Its the swell more than the wind that is an issue as it can close some of the west coast harbours when it gets up around 8-10m.

Go slowly and carefully, and don't expect weather forecasts to be any good after 24 hours.

 

[dazautomatics]

We did this trip in August and would highly recommend the crossing with Santander as the first port. It’s only 200km and if you pick you window could probably motor sail with flat seas

If the weather decides to do a nasty on you it's a long way to the next truly safe haven, La Coruna.
Santander is possible in all conditions and would recommend Gijon as you next port with consideration to the swell as the entrance to Gijon is shallow and rocky and should be treat with an amount of respect with a sea running.

This is of course my own opinion and I would treat and advice like this with a pinch of salt, as some times it can bite you in the arse!

Darren

 

[Eeyore]

[ QUOTE ]
This is of course my own opinion and I would treat and advice like this with a pinch of salt, as some times it can bite you in the arse!


[/ QUOTE ]
I agree with Darren on his succinct manner of describing advice received, suspecting he was making reference to our crossing together in October of 2006 from Camaret to La Coruna/Bayona!!

 

[Plomong]

Definitely along the shore, as you call it.

La Rochelle to Bilbao or Santander, with Getaria and Pasajes as all-weather fallbacks. Bayonne, Hendaya and St Jean de Luz are also possible, but not in all conditions.

The weather these last few days has been perfect for that passage: winds light from E or NE. Tonights forecast says situation looks like continuing for another 2-3 days, but a break is forecast Thursday or Friday. After that, who knows?

I wouldn't trust any forecast for Biscay at this time of year beyond 48 hours.

As for swell, if the wavelength is long compared to the height, there is no problem. So a 6m swell with 200m length is spectacular when you see other boats disappear behind it, but it is not in itself dangerous. However, as you approach a bar or harbour mouth, a high swell can make entry impossible. Hence my suggested ports: all-weather ports can be entered in all conditions as they have deep-water entrances or are protected from the worst weather.

Once you reach the north coast, just day-hop along from one safe harbour to the next. Few such passages would take longer than 15 hours.

 

[chrishelen]

I loved reading your blog Ian. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif