Pilot book and guide

[billiew]

We are off to explore Brittany this summer(see previous posts re.anchorages en route)What is considered to be the best pilot book for the area please? We already have CA almanack and Tom Cunliffes book on English channel pilotage on board.
Thanks
Bill

 

[Juggler7823]

The Imray guides are excellent, gives everything yoy need in an easy to read and find way.

 

[Skyva_2]

North Brittany & Channel Islands Cruising Companion - Peter Cumberlidge.

Also excellent.

 

[chart5011]

North Brittany by John Lawson. Published by Imray.
Secret Anchorages of Brittany is also nice to have on board - but the anchorages are not so secret anymore.

 

[ebbtide]

Whatever you decide to purchase I would recommend Amazon for lowest prices and excellent service.
Even Reeds was cheaper than any other 'bargains'.

 

[Robin]

If you can read even schoolboy French the best pilots are the French Pilotes Cotiiers, much cheaper and much more information on anchorages and harbours. The British ones are more a collection of favoured restaurants most of which will have changed hands or closed down by the time the pilot is published. Even without any French the Pilotes Cotiers are worth buying for the pictures and chartlets but either way add the 'Votre Livre De Bord' almanac from Bloc Marine to your buy list, this is superb and the harbour data and many other sections are translated into English. Secret Anchorages of Brittany is worth having but all the ones listed are in the French Pilots anyway.

 

[brownsox]

I agree the Pilotes Cotier are worth having for chartlets and pictures etc, but I disagree about the schoolboy French. If you want to make sense of the text you need more than that - it's specialised vocabulary and usages and even with a decent dictionary and reasonable (ancient A level) French, I struggle with the Pilotes.
By the way I'm about to advertise the Secret Anchorages of Brittany book and quite a few west coast charts on the Selling forum, as we're in the Med now and not planning to come back north.

 

[billiew]

Thanks for your helpful replies.Mary if you are selling your Secret Anchorages book I would be interested.What charts do you have? There is a possibility of us going as far as Falmouth en route to Brittany and I have no charts beyond Weymouth.
Thanks again
Bill

 

[brownsox]

Bill - I've put a post in the Selling section now.
We don't have any charts beyond Weymouth as we went across from Poole to Cherbourg and had previously been on the east coast.

 

[charles_reed]

whilst I usually swear by the Imray/RCC Pilots, by far the most workmanlike, comprehensive and best value for money for French waters is the french Bloc Marine; Votre Livre en Bord.

Buy it over there, it's grossly overpriced by the UK importer (Imray) and to reassure, more recent ones have English translations for the majority of important ports. It's reprinted every year, comes out in November and is usually on sale in the chandlers before Xmas.

I used to edit the W Coast France for one of the Almanacs mentioned.