Sailing from Glasgow to France

[Blueboatman]

I have some experience of sailing junk rig and the reality of sailing into headwinds around the British isles ( and France ?)

May I suggest that you get yourself ready to depart when the time comes, with food, fuel and rest, but watch the weather for a NE or a NW wind and then, Allez Vite! Just go!
And keep going until the wind goes against you...

 

[awol]

May I suggest that you get yourself ready to depart when the time comes, with food, fuel and rest, but watch the weather for a NE or a NW wind and then, Allez Vite! Just go!
And keep going until the wind goes against you...

Where's the fun in that? I have fond memories of Bangor, Ardglas, Rosslare (not so much!), Kilmore Quay, Crosshaven - lovely people, great craic. Seems a pity to miss out.

 

[Junkfan Pat]

I have some experience of sailing junk rig and the reality of sailing into headwinds around the British isles ( and France ?)

May I suggest that you get yourself ready to depart when the time comes, with food, fuel and rest, but watch the weather for a NE or a NW wind and then, Allez Vite! Just go!
And keep going until the wind goes against you...

Thank you Blueboatman for your advices.
I sure have a lot to plan for before I undertake my trip, and I will take every precautions +++ to avoid any unconfortable or dangerous situation.
Not yet sure of the boat's behaviour in headwinds, I won't be ashamed to diesel sail when necessary.
Main goal, is to keep boat and crew (my wife + me) safe, and not disgust any of the above mentioned crew members from sailing further.
If this plan succeeds, next sail will be across the pond, towards french Indies (Martinique) where we plan to settle .
Life needs adventure!

 

[zoidberg]

SaltIre, my boat, which is not yet but hopefully will be mine in 2021, is and will remain Part one British Registered, which is full British Registration.
And Yes, I am french... nobody is perfect !

Aime France! Aime Bretagne! Aime la longue route....!

Thinking through a little more, you may choose to limit the charts you carry, as many of the intermediate ports and havens are unchallenging, I'd strongly encourage you to carry a large-scale chart of the Isles of Scilly; whether routing down to the SW corner of England- Lands End - from NE or NW, being free to win safe haven in the Isles of Scilly from bad weather in the Celtic Sea is IMHO an important consideration.

Round Island Light can be seen close on 20 miles to the north. New Grimsby Sound has good anchoring and robust visitors moorings, and can be entered in all weathers, day and night.

Please see the chartlet below:

 

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[Spyro]

If you have loads of time to do it and want a bit of a holiday and sightseeing along the way there is nothing really wrong with your route. It's mostly heading south. You have a few detours in there but your plan will never go strictly to plan. due to the weather. As seen by t the comments there are loads of options so I'd have a rough idea and wait and see what the weather and wind direction brings. If you are on a tight timescale and wanting to do it as quickly as possible then that is a different matter. As said previously an auto helm or tiller pilot would be a necessity for me. Have the option available for a bit of night sailing to make the best of good weather and tides. Sleep through the day if it works out better that way, although by August the nights are getting a bit longer. Go in June and it sometimes only gets dark for a few hours.

 

[Junkfan Pat]

Aime France! Aime Bretagne! Aime la longue route....!

Thinking through a little more, you may choose to limit the charts you carry, as many of the intermediate ports and havens are unchallenging, I'd strongly encourage you to carry a large-scale chart of the Isles of Scilly; whether routing down to the SW corner of England- Lands End - from NE or NW, being free to win safe haven in the Isles of Scilly from bad weather in the Celtic Sea is IMHO an important consideration.

Round Island Light can be seen close on 20 miles to the north. New Grimsby Sound has good anchoring and robust visitors moorings, and can be entered in all weathers, day and night.

Please see the chartlet below:

HI Zoidberg,
A stop at Scilly islands is not impossible. It will depend mostly on the weather, but it is quite tempting.
We'll see!

 

[Junkfan Pat]

If you have loads of time to do it and want a bit of a holiday and sightseeing along the way there is nothing really wrong with your route. It's mostly heading south. You have a few detours in there but your plan will never go strictly to plan. due to the weather. As seen by t the comments there are loads of options so I'd have a rough idea and wait and see what the weather and wind direction brings. If you are on a tight timescale and wanting to do it as quickly as possible then that is a different matter. As said previously an auto helm or tiller pilot would be a necessity for me. Have the option available for a bit of night sailing to make the best of good weather and tides. Sleep through the day if it works out better that way, although by August the nights are getting a bit longer. Go in June and it sometimes only gets dark for a few hours.

Hi Spiro,
The route I planned is already subject to a few alternatives, as there are several options according to wind and weather. I don't have yet any pilot charts for the area I intend to sail, but from what I see now, winds are mostly south or south westerly. Not the best for a junk rig sailing south, and I will probably have to motor sail when necessary. Unless winds were really different in August.
I have a relatively good amount of time, mainly the whole month of August plus one week/10days (final destination is Toulouse, via the canal). People cross the atlantic in half this time .
I don't plan my stops specially in an idea of sightseing, because I know there will always be things to see everywhere, that's the way we sail and we have never been disapointed.
And of course, tides and currents will dictate day/night sailing, and of course we willl have a reliable autopilot.
Anyway, still plenty time ahead of us, to organize for the best.

 

[awol]

Canal du Midi? Waterway dimensions - English site VNF reckons 1,4m depth.

 

[Junkfan Pat]

Canal du Midi? Waterway dimensions - English site VNF reckons 1,4m depth.

Good point Awol. Although "atlantic side" from Toulouse, garanteed minimum water depth is supposed to be 1,6 m.
I will get more info from a close relative who works for VNF.
Might well have to station the boat near Bordeaux, which is also a possibility though less practical for me.

 

[ProMariner]

Spend most of your summer on the west coast, exploring the prettiest place on earth, then:

Largs - Penzance. Stop at Milford Haven if required for fuel.

Stops are the most stressful and incident prone part of any trip, give me sea room anytime for an easy life.

On a well found boat, after 2 days at sea you will feel like you can keep going forever, and pitstops just spoil the routine.

Have fun, still plan entries into all the places in mind, for the practice and to be prepared, if you wish.

 

[Junkfan Pat]

Spend most of your summer on the west coast, exploring the prettiest place on earth, then:

Largs - Penzance. Stop at Milford Haven if required for fuel.

Stops are the most stressful and incident prone part of any trip, give me sea room anytime for an easy life.

On a well found boat, after 2 days at sea you will feel like you can keep going forever, and pitstops just spoil the routine.

Have fun, still plan entries into all the places in mind, for the practice and to be prepared, if you wish.

Of course, believe me, I plan, plan and plan some more. By next August I will beat Wikipedia on harbours along west England and east Ireland !

 

[dslittle]

Hello fellow sailors.
I hope this new thread is not misplaced in this forum.
I am planning a sail from Glasgow to Bordeaux (France) and I need as many advices as I can get for sailing the Irish Sea in august 2021, more or less...
In advance, thanks to you all.
Fair winds, Patrick

Bonjour Patrick.
We’ve done the trip each way a couple of times. The last trip South was a ‘relaxed’ trip (we crossed the Irish Sea five times and it took us six months to get to Southern Brittany!!!) but we have been into most of the ports on your list and the others down the Irish coast.
If you PM me, I’ll be able to give you real time passage notes and times so you can make your decisions about the trip.
Profitez-en, c'est génial...

 

[dslittle]

I'm thinking of taking my 31ft bilge keel down to the English south coast for the summer next year...
I was going to do a similar route as Junkfan Pat because I'm singlehanded and didn't want any potential hassle with the Irish customs and my dog!

Is the Irish coast doable for daylight hours only sailing(even with the engine on! lol)

We had no problems with our dog, or any officialdom whatsoever, down the Irish coast (in fact you can bring your dog back from France to Eire and then into the UK without quarantine issues legally...) Irish coast is very doable with day sails.
If you are in JWD, I’d be pleased to have a socially distanced coffee with you and have a chat about the route.

 

[Sgeir]

Personally, compared with the Atlantic or even the cold miserable North Sea, I really do not like the Irish Sea. But that's just me....

However, I would suggest that your Plan B includes the east side of Ireland, perhaps down to Kilmore Quay. With the prevailing SW winds there are secure harbours and the passages are not difficult.

Also, if you really want to visit IoM then Portpatrick (or East Tarbert Bay at the Mull of Galloway) might be a better bet than Belfast.

 

[Graham376]

We prefer not to stop on way from N Wales to south west coast. As well as four delivery trips Hamble- Falmouth-Conwy, for 7 years we used to do Conwy down to France (2 up) and back each summer. Stayed outside the Smalls, cleared Longships then either Penzance or direct to DuFour or l'Aberwrac'h, depending on tides. Conwy to Penzance usually took us 36 - 40 hours and in kind weather an easy trip short handed. From Holyhead would be a bit quicker. Kicked up heading towards Lands End one time so diverted to Padstow.

 

[Skylark]

Hi Patrick,

I’ve always found the armchair planning part of a long trip to be almost as enjoyable as the trip itself.

However, it generally doesn’t usually pay to be too prescriptive about the route. Have an outline plan, of course, but be prepared to be flexible.

Maritime superstition is such that the ships logbook encourages us to start a journey “towards” the next port. The weather, the sea, the boat and Sods Law often conspires against the best laid plans ?

My best advice would be to buy the Pilot Books, Almanac and the Tidal Stream Atlases and study the options, almost all have already been mentioned.

Heading south from Greenock (my boat is there, too) is quite straightforward albeit there’s a few tidal gates to consider. The weather conditions at the time will likely dictate the actual route.

Fair winds

 

[Junkfan Pat]

Looks like an exercise in going around the maximum number of headlands against the prevailing wind.
Many of those legs need careful tidal planning.
If you have adequate crew, it might be easier to sail longer legs according to the weather.
What is you priority, to see some nice places and coastline or to reach your destination fairly quickly?

I understand your point. This was just my first try at submitting a possible route, and wait for useful comments.
I am pleasantly surprised by all the comments and advices from all the people in this forum.
Consequently, I have planned several other possible routes, trying longer legs, rather choosing the east Irish coast, maybe stopover in the Scyllies... and so on.
Taking into account all the advices and suggestions from you guys. This trip is more and more appealing!
As for sightseing, I trust my luck and my ability to be surprised by every new place I see. That's the way I'm rarely disapointed.
One month seems to be a good balance between discovering sceneries, pleasant stops, and efficiently bringing boat and crew to desired destination.
All the rest, is Adventure!

 

[dgadee]

The only reason to go into Kilmore Quay is for the fish and chip shop. Mucking about on the SE corner seems to add an extra 2 days to the journey. Go from Arklow direct to Newlyn. It is only one night at sea and not a busy part of the world (fishing boats excepted).

Edit: no dogs allowed in Newlyn harbour. They will fling you out. Sensible people.

 

[TernVI]

I understand your point. This was just my first try at submitting a possible route, and wait for useful comments.
I am pleasantly surprised by all the comments and advices from all the people in this forum.
Consequently, I have planned several other possible routes, trying longer legs, rather choosing the east Irish coast, maybe stopover in the Scyllies... and so on.
Taking into account all the advices and suggestions from you guys. This trip is more and more appealing!
As for sightseing, I trust my luck and my ability to be surprised by every new place I see. That's the way I'm rarely disapointed.
One month seems to be a good balance between discovering sceneries, pleasant stops, and efficiently bringing boat and crew to desired destination.
All the rest, is Adventure!

If you have a month, I would suggest having a very flexible plan and letting the wind influence your choices, rther than sticking to a schedule.
It's a balance between seeing the places near the start, because you are less likely to visit them again next year, and making progress so your cruise doesn't end in a mad dash. There might be a temptation to head for the islands for the first week before heading south....