Poldu/Laita

[TiggerToo]

Has anyone been inside this river/rias in S Brittany? The pilot books I have talk about shifting bars and the entrance looks tricky - but images from google earth etc, make the place look attractive.

Any direct experience you'd like to share?

 

[Roberto]

My family in law has a house in Pouldu I have never entered the river but have spent countless hours watching jetskis go by while my daughters were making castles in the sand. Hardly ever seen a sailboat more than 6-7m (apart from a couple of bigger metal boats which seem to be lost there forever).
Personally I would not attempt to get in without an expert local guide (I have a fixed keel 2m draught), mind you I would not try even with a guide

The entrance looks more difficult than Etel: at LW the drying banks show a snaky path to get in and you do not have the semaphore-signal station which can guide you in with the signal arrow or vhf. The current is strong. Obviously, impossible with any kind of sea/swell (which also means check carefully the forecasts for the following days or you will be stuck in).

Then once inside, you have a tiny pool of slightly deeper water on Guidel (eastern) side with some pontoons, though if the few places are taken you must be able to dry: IIRC there is a concrete quay only on Pouldu side, again it is not very wide so space may be difficult to find.
If one does not find any place and has to go back to sea after HW there will be a 2-3kt ebb which means 1. Any bump in the sand would be a real bump, and 2.with that current the waves at the exit area/bar would be decidedly steeper than when one first came in.


For a kayak trip, the upriver Laita is enchanting.



I just find these video on the net, this is taken at LW from the Pouldu side.

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xfmvt6_port-du-pouldu-la-laita_creation#.UUgs9RcXuxA


This is taken from the Guidel side, during a few seconds the Pouldu wall opposite can be seen

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euqCqAiKivg

 

[TSB240]

I have been looking at this area for our trip to Brittany in July

This link in french gives some idea of the best route August last year.

http://www.hisse-et-oh.com/system/assets/000/059/203/original/laïta.JPG?1344612650

http://www.hisse-et-oh.com/forums/navigation/messages/1168642-entrer-dans-la-laita-en-2012Entrer dans la Laïta en 2012

Nous sommes entrés hier soir dans la Laïta. Voici ce qu'il faut faire.
D'abord en cas de doute se présenter à marée presque haute mais encore montante.
Eviter la pleine basse-mer même en DI c'est plus prudent.
Eviter les zones où l'on voit les ondulations de la mer plus fortes.
La capitainerie est d'une très bonne aide et est très sympathique.
Se renseigner sur internet, il y a un site mais je ne l'ai pas trouvé.
Je joins maintenant la carte où l'on voit notre trace et où j'indique ce qu'il faut faire.

BUT
Attention ! Ceci est valable en 2012 mais pas après.

In summary if you are a fin keeler and draw more than 1.5 you will need to find a hole to drop your keel in when the tide goes out probably on moorings.

Advice as always is to come in on flood tide and try and avoid the lumpy bits!

Also seek latest advice from the capitainerie
http://www.ports-paysdelorient.fr/port-de-guidel/capitainerie-de-guidel.html

However just to give you some other doubts! This link gives some very different navigation advice!
http://www.ladesirade3.sitew.com/fs/PDF/2v8tr-3_Mouillages_Atlantiques_Sud_Loctudy_a_Hoedic.pdf

Suggests entrance and alternative route is good at mid tide. Also suggests to me that entrance moves each year like Caernarfon Bar.

The last link is quite a good guide to all the little anchorages in the best part of Brittany

I have watched boats go in and out from the headland. The ebb tide was ferocious (Courants marée 6 nds en VE).

I am up for it as we are used to this sort of tidal challenge in North Wales.

 

[Roberto]

to the OP, the French reports have been written by two boats: a trailerable one and the second one a lifting keel with 1.2m draft, I don't know the difference it may have in terms of pilotage with your Dufour 35.

anyway enjoy, it's a beautiful place

 

[TSB240]

First report was written by a lift keeler as Roberto says

But he also says he was followed in by a a sailing boat drawing 1.5M

Peter Cumberlidge recommmends entry only attempted in quiet offshore weather an hour before HW Preferably half way between springs and neaps.

No go at neaps and in strong onshore or swell conditions. He shows an anchorage ( anse de stervilin) beyond the marina with a minimum of 3m at chart datum. Marina has 1.3 M depth visitors bouys in river have 1.7M

Lifted from Bloc Marine

''Access

Le Pouldu has a bad reputation because of the snadbanks which bar the majority of the Laita estuary and on to which the sea may break. In practice all you need to do is keep to the port side of the channel and not try to enter too early 2 Hrs before and 2 hrs after HT.

Harbour Office 02.98.39.90.20 Harbour master D Carlu(On morning)''

We have a lift keel boat drawing 1.7 but only ever lift it if drying out..

Looks interesting and will put off the masses!

 

[Sybarite]

to the OP, the French reports have been written by two boats: a trailerable one and the second one a lifting keel with 1.2m draft, I don't know the difference it may have in terms of pilotage with your Dufour 35.

anyway enjoy, it's a beautiful place

We often visit Pouldu and Guidel by road and, as there are sufficient places to visit in S. Brittany without having the angst of knowing if you have enough draft, I don't feel any need to go there by boat. There is however an excellent sandwich bar on the Pouldu side with a terrace over-looking the entrance.

From memory you have to hug the western side of the channel quite close to the water's edge, - but don't take my word for it!

 

[TiggerToo]

Thanks everyone for this useful set of advice. I think that, on balance, we may give this a miss - unless it is really calm enough to just anchor off shore. Point is that there is, apparently, a family connection to the place: SWMBO learnt how to sail there in an Optimist a "few" years ago...

Maybe, we will stick to deeper harbours - until I wind the lottery and buy one of those lovely OVNI's that sometimes come up in Jonic's brokerage pages

 

[Roberto]

I have just seen this

http://www.lorient.maville.com/actu...erien-a-Guidel-Morbihan-_fil-2312884_actu.Htm

A boat was capsized and thrown on a sand bank by a breaking wave at the entrance of the Laita; one crew died of heart attack, the second one suffered mild hypothermia.