Sabbatical !

[LadyInBed]

Many thanks - thats great advice. Are the French Atlantic coast marinas similar to UK ones - or the Med type without pontoons ?

If you look on my website, there are writeups of my trips to Galicia and S Brittany with pics so you can get the feel.
I anchored a fair bit but marinas were mainly pontoons with fingers.

 

[ripvan1]

Agree with missing out Scillies but head straight to the Rias bajos and enjoy them before heading north, turning the corner and exploring some of the northern coast although you will need to anchor or to go in marinas. I think from N.Spain and giving yourself a week or a little more to get back and chilling out you will have exhausted your time - if not pull into Penzance inner harbour and have a few days of R&R - nice time to be there.

 

[LadyInBed]

This year I left Sada on the 8 Sept having waited 3 days for a weather window.
I waited a week in Audierne leaving on the 18 Sept.
Left St Peterport on 22 Sept arriving Poole on the 23rd, so that's around 19 days to get home from Spain.
Which eats quite a lot of a two month trip.

 

[Ludd]

This year I left Sada on the 8 Sept having waited 3 days for a weather window.
I waited a week in Audierne leaving on the 18 Sept.
Left St Peterport on 22 Sept arriving Poole on the 23rd, so that's around 19 days to get home from Spain.
Which eats quite a lot of a two month trip.

That's why I suggested taking boat cross channel one weekend in May. Imagine the frustration waiting in your home port for a week hoping for a weather window to start your cruise!

 

[Poignard]

Not sure who has asked for insurance as it is not a requirement in either France or Spain. Crew passports/ official id and Ships Registration(+vhf if you are caught transmitting) are the only legally, as opposed to marina contractually, required docs. (...).

We had a visit from the customs in La Roche Bernard about 3 weeks ago. This was our first brush with French officialdom in 20 years. They asked to see the certificate of registration (British) and insurance papers but were not interested in the radio licence nor in any of our personal documents. They wanted to know when we had arrived from England and when I told them we had been there continuously for 5 years I did wonder if they might tell me I should re-register the yacht in France, but they didn't.