Dunkirk

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Kristal

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We're considering Dunkirk as a first channel crossing in April - can anyone recommend places to moor up, eat, drink etc., or offer any other advice for heading to this particular part of France?

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<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.crystaltwo.co.uk/>Crystal II in Pictures</A>
 
Dunkirk is not one of the most picturesque ports in northern France. We berthed in Port du Grand Large where entertainment for the children was provided by a caravan at the adjacent "site" (rough ground with trailing power cables) exploding. Fortunately no-one appeared seriously hurt.

Nice beaches and a few reasonable restaurants in Malo les Bains.

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Search back through old threads for passage plans to Dunkirk.

The western port is closed to yachts (except for emergencies). Obey the lights entering the east port, normally on free-flow but if not call on Ch 12 (English spoken). There are two marinas, a modern one on the left in the old naval port, the Port du Grand Large, then further down an older one on the right at the YC Mer du Nord. Opinions are divided on which is better, I prefer the latter myself as its closer to town and a good chandlery, but the facilities are a bit antiquated though they were supposed to be doing them up this winter. You are not permitted to stop anywhere else, except for a third, locked-in marina which is rarely used by visitors. Expect to raft up in season but probably not April except around Easter.

The YC has a reasonable restaurant, but it gets very crowded and slow at weekends. Both marinas are some way from the "old" town and other restaurants. I believe there is now a minibus service in season from the Port du Grand Large. From the Yacht Club it is about a mile to walk. I've tried a number of the restaurants in town, but not found anything special I would recommend. The town itself is modern industrial and unattractive, though with a couple of interesting museums and the beaches are great for kids.

From a gastronomic point of view, you would do better in nearby Gravelines. This is a quiet and beautifully preserved historic town to the west of Dunkirk with its own locked marina, entry/exit along the River Aa is only possible within 2 hours of HW. Nearby is the small but lively beach resort of Petit Fort St Philippe.
 
I agree with Andrew B. Dunkirk is home to a good chunk of France's steel industry, with a large modern port built to take large bulk carriers (in fact these ships are built to the maximum dimensions of the Ecluse Charles de Gaulle at Dunkirk - 44.4 metres beam, etc). Gravelines much nicer, but why not go to Ostend or Flushing?

<hr width=100% size=1>Que scais-je?
 
You will love it!
Grand large is expensive and the restaurant a rip off (poor food high prices)But at lease it has a chandlery across the road and is a little nearer town.
If you stay in the first one you come to on the left its subsidised and a short walk over the dunes takes you onto a long sandy beach with many reasonable cafes, Mules are a must!

Do take the time to walk into the town and if you get the chance do it on market day.

The best buy before you go is the Yachting Monthlys North France and Belgium pilot book by Neville featherstone. Very usefull ,great tips and good charts.

One must see is not in Dunkirk but a mile or so to the north of the entrance, A floating statue!

When are you intending to go ?

best regards
Squidge

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Yacht Club mer du Nord, on starboard hand, almost in to Fishing basin, charges about £12. per 10m, V.Good club Restuarent, Baguettes available to order in the a.m. and a Superb Chandelry opposite, Good Showers & Loos, Fuel, water & lift out facilities. Fresh fish to die for, on basin side, Grand Marches about 2m away & a couple of good Caves with a varied assortment of pricing. Town itself not particularly inspiring, but the tourists in 40-45, knocked the s**t out of it.

<hr width=100% size=1>Tony W.
 
I would second the vote for nearby little Gravlines in preference to mighty Dunkirk.
When I was there a few years back, it was quiet, locals friendly, and every thing you might need - shops chandlery etc right by the marina. The entrance is tide restricted but otherwise easy. The only hazard we encountered on entry was kids swimming across the fairway. If you are worried about getting the tide right on arrival - go to Calais (all-states-entrance), and hang on one of the visitors' buoys until the time is right for the 10 mile hop to Gravlines.

Mick

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I was in Dunkirk last april and moored at the yacht club mer du nord on the starboard side. Lots of space, friendly service and good showers. The town itself is boring in comparison to Oostende....

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Coming from Dover I reckon Dunkirk is a good destination at a reasonable distance. Note that the channel outside and between the East and west harbours is quite shallow (c.10m.) and can get very nasty wind over tide.
Like many other I like the Yacht Club Mer du Nord. They are friendly and efficient. They have a biggish crane and a shelf on the harbour wall where you can dry out. The Chandlery opposite is well stocked.
The best Restaurants are on the dock side next to the full rigged ship (I've probably got that wrong but it is a very large sailing ship named I think Duchesse Anne.
There are two close together that are pricy but have superb cooking.
Ostend is a great place too. The harbour to starboard just inside the port is a good place to visit. The harbour master is very splendid with the most enormous voice. Ostend has enormous numbers of reastaueants, a rether good art gallery and best of all you can fill the boat with the enormous variety of Belgian beers

<hr width=100% size=1>Roger
 
Re: Malo-les-Bains

is the real nice place to go if you are berthed in Dunkirk. I find the Grand-Large the most pleasant marina. It's the first one, on your port side. Lots of space. There is a free bus running from the marina to the Malo-les-Bains boulevard. Or, at least, there was one last summer.
The marina borrow you a bicycle to do your shopping.

Though Dunkirk is perhaps the ugliest town in France, we quite became to like it. Recently, and with financial help from Europe, the town is in a process of being brushed up. Remember there was not much left of it after the war. They first rebuilt it in the fifties, which are not really famous for the beauty if their architecture.

We always treat ourselves to a seafood platter in "Le Petit Pecheur" somewhere along the boulevard in Malo.

Everyone who states Oostende is nicer, is, of course, quite right. If only for Robert, the HM, with his Stentor Voice. Disobey his indications at your peril. You will be the complete marina's laughing stock, he'll see to that.

cheers and happy sailing

<hr width=100% size=1>Peter a/b SV Heerenleed, Steenbergen, Netherlands<P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by heerenleed on 09/02/2004 12:52 (server time).</FONT></P>
 
The horror stories about non-EU passport stamps are TRUE. We've just got back from 3 days in Dunkirk with the "support fleet" for the Little Ships on their 85th anniversary visit. Along with many of the other supporters and Little Ships we decided to come back on Friday at short notice due to the awful forecast for the next 7 days. Non EU passport holders visiting the Schengen zone need an entry and an exit stamp to prove they haven't overstayed the 90 day limit. Two of our three days were wasted on getting stamps in my passport.

We had spent our first day in Dunkirk trying to find the PAF (Police Aux Frontieres, the French border police) to put an entry stamp in my passport. As a "special favour" a small group of border police had come from the ferry terminal to the Yacht Club de la Mer du Nord in town to save those of us with non-EU passports the expensive 15 mile taxi ride to the ferry terminal where they are based. There's no public transport.

On the 3rd day we tried hunting down the PAF again for an exit stamp. We eventually found them in the afternoon, as before, in the yacht club but they only had an entry stamp. To get an exit stamp would require a trip to the ferry terminal. While waiting for a taxi I was informed that the stamp had to be done on the day of departure, not before, so I cancelled the taxi. As we needed to catch the tide at 4.30 am next day, this was out of the question. Just as I decided to give up and accept years of exile from the EU a policeman turned up with an exit stamp and the problem was solved for me and the many skippers and crew anxiously waiting.

The system of having to check in and out of Schengen via an airport or ferry terminal is completely impractical for visiting yachtspersons who don't have their own land transport and who may need to make last minute decisions according to weather forecasts. The situation at Dunkirk is extreme because the marinas in town are a long way from the ferry terminal and there is no public transport,
 
tony_lavelle said:
The system of having to check in and out of Schengen via an airport or ferry terminal is completely impractical for visiting yachtspersons who don't have their own land transport and who may need to make last minute decisions according to weather forecasts. The situation at Dunkirk is extreme because the marinas in town are a long way from the ferry terminal and there is no public transport,
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Wait until the biometric system starts and you have to go to a scanner. Having seen them installed at a few airports in the EU, I can't see how it will work for ferries, and definitely won't for ad hoc arrivals.
 
There was a scanner in the harbour police office in Neiuwpoort last summer but they had no idea about when it might become operational. They were using online or paper forms.
 
DJE said:
There was a scanner in the harbour police office in Neiuwpoort last summer but they had no idea about when it might become operational. They were using online or paper forms.
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Unless delayed again, October, with the pre-authorisation requirement next year.

Since the UK started to charge EU citizens to come here, there's a wish to reciprocate amongst many EU political parties.
 
An exit stamp collected from a remote location before exiting Schengen doesn’t seem like unimpeachable evidence of what the recipient has actually done.
 
We voted to change the relationship with Europe, we need to live by those consequences.

I was unable to check out of A Coruna a few years ago, but happily took the ferry back to France and after a few questions why I had not checked out and explaining I had come back to do so was able to enjoy a lovely lunch before getting the ferry back across to the parallel universe we now live in.

My wife studied at a French University some 45 years ago and has some interesting tales of the issues she had back then. Even today we have it quite easy.
 
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A short walk from YCMDN, the resturant with the awnings. La Maison. Find that tower.
Came across purely by chance when crew refused to trudge any further, ate here twice, found other members of the Dunkerque crossing already inside.
Good local food at sensible prices with many locals eating away.
Recommended.
If only we had cafes serving this quality of food (and beer) on our side of Le Manche.
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