Cruising the west coast of Brittany

Hi Robin,

Yes, we have stabilisers on Play d'eau. They are unbelievable! And even when it is flat calm, my wife knows within a few moments if I tuen them off...

Ours are TRAC from ABT (American Bow Thruster), and completely stop the roll unless we are in extreme conditions when a very slight roll will be seen rather than felt.

http://www.thrusters.com/products/stabilizers.shtm

These are being fitted to larger Sunseekers now, and from all accounts increase (yes, increase) the top speed. The reason is that being kept upright there is less wetted hull area, reducing drag, and therefore allowing speed to increase a bit.

You can even get them to provide stabilisation whilst at anchor....
 
Piers said:
Hi Robin,

Yes, we have stabilisers on Play d'eau. They are unbelievable! And even when it is flat calm, my wife knows within a few moments if I tuen them off...

Ours are TRAC from ABT (American Bow Thruster), and completely stop the roll unless we are in extreme conditions when a very slight roll will be seen rather than felt.

http://www.thrusters.com/products/stabilizers.shtm

These are being fitted to larger Sunseekers now, and from all accounts increase (yes, increase) the top speed. The reason is that being kept upright there is less wetted hull area, reducing drag, and therefore allowing speed to increase a bit.

You can even get them to provide stabilisation whilst at anchor....
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I'd second all that Piers, we too have Trac. Debs says that without them we wouldn't have the boat!! And she's not joking, they are incredible, apart from a year or so back when they developed an intermitent fault where they "froze" at their limits sending the boat 30 degrees offcourse. Very offputting. But Golden Arrow Marine were excellent, replaced the faulty part foc even though they were well out of the warranty period.
 
Piers said:
To help with French words, I've been adding to the 'dictionary' I keep on Play d'eau. Words which I find useful when speaking with a Harbour Master....

Springs Vive eau (VE)
Neaps Morte eau (ME)
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may I add a useful one, the "coefficient de marée", also called "le coef"

it's a widely used measure of tide amplitude, roughly how "springish" or "neapish" is the tide: 95 being "le coef" for springs, 45 "le coef" for neap tides, it may of course be whatever number from 20 to 120

some ports might say for example "X.XX draught is ok for coef over 70", though not extremely correct (it measures amplitude, not the absolute level of high and low water), it is a very common term

enjoy, I left one year ago and already missing that area :smile:
 
longjohnsilver said:
I'd second all that Piers, we too have Trac. Debs says that without them we wouldn't have the boat!! And she's not joking, they are incredible, apart from a year or so back when they developed an intermitent fault where they "froze" at their limits sending the boat 30 degrees offcourse. Very offputting. But Golden Arrow Marine were excellent, replaced the faulty part foc even though they were well out of the warranty period.
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I'd pretty well come to the conclusion that we should buy one with stabilisers fitted because the cost of a retro-fit is around $30,000! There are a couple of niceish boats on the market without them however, including a nice looking 48, but the asking prices are no lower than those with them already fitted. One broker said selling is much harder if they are not fitted so even if we deemed them unnecessary for us, we might regret it if we ever wanted to sell again later. There is always the power catamaran option though, if I could get over the aesthetics because they are not pretty!
 
Robin said:
Inside Morbihan:-

Auray River, right up to Auray (yachts beware mast height for bridge)
Auray river, Le Bono anchor or visitor buoy, pretty spot
Umpteen Islands and channels to explore and anchor.
Vannes - walled city, very pretty but locked entry.

Enjoy!
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Piers, Vannes is a must. We went for an overnight stop and ended up staying three days. A locked entry and somewhat tight at the top of the Marina to turn the 65 footer we were sharing but we managed.

Vannes is a great medieval walled town with some good restaurants a lively market with fresh fruit, meat, veg and superb flowers - buy some for Lin to brighten her day,with your stabilisers you on the vase will not fall over!:D

Enjoy the area, it really is beautiful...............any crew needed?

Mike.
 
Imperial One said:
Piers, Vannes is a must. We went for an overnight stop and ended up staying three days. A locked entry and somewhat tight at the top of the Marina to turn the 65 footer we were sharing but we managed.

Vannes is a great medieval walled town with some good restaurants a lively market with fresh fruit, meat, veg and superb flowers - buy some for Lin to brighten her day,with your stabilisers you on the vase will not fall over!:D

Enjoy the area, it really is beautiful...............any crew needed?

Mike.
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Vannes is even better if you time it for their jazz music festival in late July. Actually many Brittany towns seem to have free music festivals at that time of year. Managed to catch some at both La Sables D'Olonne and La Rochelle which were both excellent.
 
One more for you then! If you can arrange to be in Concarneau for the penultimate Sunday in August (Sunday 22nd August 2010) you are in for a real treat. This is the week of La Fete Des Filets Bleus an annual event that has gone on for over 100 years, with Breton and Celtic dancing, bands everywhere (several stages set up in the streets). It finishes on the Sunday with a spectacular parade starting at 10.30 and taking until Le Lunch time, with Breton bands and dancers from all communities in Brittany taking part, it takes around 2 hours to get them all through from the start to the finish which is down in the square by the marina. The town is closed off for this and it costs 10 euros to get into the town even from the marina, the restaurants and bars are open but the shops are closed. At 23.00 on the old quay (Quai Nul)round the corner from the marina is the biggest firework display you will ever see, 30 minutes of spectacular and free entertainment. you need to get to the area about 45 minutes early to grab a place (about 10 minutes walk from the marina) as there will be over 4,000 people there! Don't try and watch from the marina as the ground level stuff on the quay is missed, whereas if you go and lean or sit on the wall you are right under the action and it really does make the earth move!

To be sure of a place in the marina, it pays to arrive say on the Friday and after about mid morning when other visitors will have left. This is the end of the favourite holiday weeks for the French so boats are moving and oddly on the Sunday morning of the parade there will be lots of empty places until these fill up later with local boats from Benodet and Port La Foret coming for the fireworks.

If I have gone on a bit about this it should show how good I think it is. We have been there for every one in the last 22 years, including the centenary one a few years back.

Go here and look at the 2009 pictures

http://filetsbleus.free.fr/accueil/2photos2009.htm
 
rb_stretch said:
Always found Robin's advice really helpful. I would add the Belon and Villaine Rivers as great places to visit. The Belon Harbourmaster got us two fresh baguettes in the morning and refused our attempts to pay!
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I know I've said this before, so apologies, but if you get to Port Belon, you must (a) buy fish at the little market, which sells fish straight from the boats as they come in and (b) eat at Chez Jacky, which is one of the best fish restaurants I have ever been to. The fish market is on one side of the river (east bank, iirc) and Chez Jacky is on the other.
 
Piers said:
Hi Mike, how are you? Crew - sorry, it's strictly my wife and I, and three's a crowd....
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Piers,
Have just seen your post as I was out most of yesterday selling a nice Atlantic.
We are good thanks, looking forward to a decent summer and perhaps some boating as well this year.
Enjoy your trip, and I look forward to seeing your posts en route.
Mike.
 
Hey, I am reading about all these exciting places to visit but I was told dont ever go to Francein August as the marinas are all packed with the French. I have found this to be true in places like St Malo.
 
Powersalt said:
Hey, I am reading about all these exciting places to visit but I was told dont ever go to Francein August as the marinas are all packed with the French. I have found this to be true in places like St Malo.
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We have been to Southern Brittany every single August for the last 22 years. Yes it is busy but there are so many places to anchor there is always a space somewhere plus as all the French boats go out from the marinas they leave behind a berth a visitor can use. It does get crowded when the weather goes bad and everyone wants to be in the marina out of it, but they have always managed to fit everyone in.

Northern Brittany has fewer places and fewer marinas, plus it is closer to the UK and Channel Islands so they get more British visitors.
 
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