Plymouth to France; first port of call?

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Normanby

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Finished refitting my Contessa 26 in Plymouth, contemplating my next sojourn.
If I want to head straight to France from here, where would you recommend I head to first, in France?
I'm thinking of dawdling slowly south, ultimately ending up in the Med by autumn.
This may be a factor, but I'm an Aussie with a passport to match, so I might be required to arrive in some kind of "immigration" port?
 
From Plymouth the most direct French port would probably be Treguer, just over 100 miles. Navigate the River to the Marina, avoiding the rocks! Wonderful town and good facilities. Then when you leave, turn left at the river entrance (avoiding the rocks!), and start heading South!

Good luck.
 
Roscoff. Big all-tide marina and adjacent ferry port (so should be able to deal with any immigration formalities).
 
It depends where you ultimately want to end up. I would recommend South Brittany (one of my favourite sailing areas in the world!), therefore Roscoff, L'Aber Wrac'h or Camaret.

Pete
 
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How about Binic ? I found it handy for the crossing to Plymouth. Watch for the tides and depth though.

As mentioned, with a small crew I've always found Salcombe - St Peter Port - St Helier - St Malo the easy way.
 
Good suggestions, thanks.
Like I said, I ultimately want to end up in the Med, I won't be coming back to the UK.
Therefore, although the it's further away, I think my first landfall should be somewhere south of Brest. I see no point in heading south east from Plymouth and landing in Cherbourg or Rostoff, then having to head back west to coast hop my way south.
So Camaret is looking good...
Any more?
 
Wherever you land being Aussie you will need to get your passport stamped on immediate arrival which may be tricky in some of the smaller ports.
 
Normanby said:
Finished refitting my Contessa 26 in Plymouth, contemplating my next sojourn.
If I want to head straight to France from here, where would you recommend I head to first, in France?
I'm thinking of dawdling slowly south, ultimately ending up in the Med by autumn.
This may be a factor, but I'm an Aussie with a passport to match, so I might be required to arrive in some kind of "immigration" port?
Click to expand...

Via the Chanel du Four & into Brest.
You then have the option of going south via the Raz & beyond.
 
Normanby said:
Good suggestions, thanks.
Like I said, I ultimately want to end up in the Med, I won't be coming back to the UK.
Therefore, although the it's further away, I think my first landfall should be somewhere south of Brest. I see no point in heading south east from Plymouth and landing in Cherbourg or Rostoff, then having to head back west to coast hop my way south.
So Camaret is looking good...
Any more?
Click to expand...


Roscoff is due south roughly 110 miles. You may get a better slant on the wind if it is SW. As DJE has said it is a useful place to make your number with the authorities. You would waste a day but would not be going back on yourself.

The next hop would be L'Aberwrach and then the Chenal Du Four.

You would those couple of days by going direct to Brest (maybe Camaret) as suggested but it would be tiring (I assume you are singlehanded) and you might end up punching some unfavourable tides.

L'aberwrach direct is a good sailing option but I would not consider it in your case. There are customs cutters based there and they are often lively along the coast, sometimes they can freestyle EU regulation, with an Aussie passport I would err on the side of caution. I would say Roscoff first.
 
Normanby said:
Er, yes. Hence the question.
Click to expand...

Make Brest your first stop. Choose a weather window so Chenal is tame and go in neaps. No need to be heroic after a long solo passage.

After you've checked in at Brest you can head over to Camaret. Far nicer.
 
We did Plymouth to Perros-Guirec it is a very straightforward passage. You need to get your timings right but if you arrive a little early there are places to anchor. Once inside it is a lovely safe little harbour and quaint town.

You can go further west to Treburdon but it is a longer journey, Treburdon is quite an upmarket resort and is not cheap but has fantastic free internet.
 
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The west coast of Brittany is possibly the trickiest sailing area anywhere in the world. Normally, with no previous experience, I would recommend making L'Aberwrac'h your first stop. From there you will be best placed to time the conditions and tides right through Chenal Du Four, as well as fresher to tackle the challenge this passage presents, specially if short handed.

Otherwise, if passport restrictions are going to limit where you arrive to ports of entry, it has to be Roscoff. A direct passage to Brest needs a lot of confidence or a knowledgeable crew: otherwise frankly it would be safer to give this whole area a miss and head straight for Corunna in Spain passing outside Ushant.
 
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Comrade Red said:
Make Brest your first stop. Choose a weather window so Chenal is tame and go in neaps. No need to be heroic after a long solo passage. After you've checked in at Brest you can head over to Camaret. Far nicer.
Click to expand...

Seconded. But we did it with a crew of four and taking turns on watch. How does the OP feel about doing that solo?

We timed it so we got to the top of the Chenal du Four at dawn and as the tide was turning to flow south.

In any case, this is a usual guide:
http://www.sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Navigation/chenaldufour.html
e.g.
chenaldufour1.gif
 
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