South Brittany Cruising guide

[Sailfree]

Got the Channel, Channel Islands and North Brittany cruising guide but is there an equivalent one for South Brittany please?

 

[vyv_cox]

We used West France Cruising Companion at http://www.sailingbooks.co.uk/trolleyed/27/49/index.htm I couldn't describe it as the greatest pilot I ever used but quite adequate.

 

[Robin]

The very best cruising guides are the French ones, Pilotes Cotiers. These are half the price and twice as informative as the UK ones, if your French is good enough, but lots of pictures so not too difficult. These are not however lists of where to eat, but do include all the anchorages and short cut routes.

Also indispensible is Votre Livre De Bord almanac, again much cheaper than UK stuff and superb, it even covers the South Coast UK. Much of Votre Livre De Bord is duplicated in English so no language problem, plus it includes colour charts and harbour plans that are superb, it even has log book pages with English as well as French headings.

Peter Cumberlidges book, Secret Anchorages of Brittany is good, but all of what he shows (and he excludes harbours) is in the Pilotes Cotiers anyway.

We carried a full set of Pilotes Cotiers books from St Malo to La Rochelle and they were so good I was tempted to but them for the Scillies and South Coast UK! We carried North Biscay Pilot, South Biscay Pilot and the Nigel Featherstone one as well, but in practice never used any of these because the French ones were so good, unless you were looking for restaurant guides.

 

[Scillypete]

Got the Channel, Channel Islands and North Brittany cruising guide but is there an equivalent one for South Brittany please?

there used to be one by RCC pilotage foundation called North Biscay now out of print, but they have now produced one called Atlantic France £39.50 should cover all you are looking for.

 

[snowleopard]

I'm headed that way in about 3 weeks. I'm only planning to spend a couple of weeks down there so a huge folio of charts seems OTT. The admiralty chart on-line catalogue is about as user-friendly as a bear with toothache so what are the best charts to get? Imray covers Ushant to Morbihan in 4 sheets @ £18. Would I be better off buying French charts once I get across to Brittany?

I have a borrowed copy of the North Biscay Pilot dated 1990. I don't think it's going to be a lot of help. A current Reeds is probably as good.

I asked this question a few weeks ago. Here is the thread.

 

[Robin]

I always preferred Imray charts because they covered useful areas and had plenty of included harbour charts. The only French chart I preferred was the very detailed one covering Glenans.

As for Reeds, forget it and treat yourself to Votre Livre De Bord as soon as you reach France. It will be just as useful when you get home too as all the south coast UK harbours are covered, plans charts and facilities information abounds and in both French and English. This was the ONLY almanac I bought for years having discovered it, half the price and twice as good, it's only drawback in UK waters is that it only covers the Scillies to Dover (plus Holland to Spain) and doesn't go farther north.

 

[Sybarite]

The very best cruising guides are the French ones, Pilotes Cotiers. These are half the price and twice as informative as the UK ones, if your French is good enough, but lots of pictures so not too difficult. These are not however lists of where to eat, but do include all the anchorages and short cut routes.

Also indispensible is Votre Livre De Bord almanac, again much cheaper than UK stuff and superb, it even covers the South Coast UK. Much of Votre Livre De Bord is duplicated in English so no language problem, plus it includes colour charts and harbour plans that are superb, it even has log book pages with English as well as French headings.

Peter Cumberlidges book, Secret Anchorages of Brittany is good, but all of what he shows (and he excludes harbours) is in the Pilotes Cotiers anyway.

We carried a full set of Pilotes Cotiers books from St Malo to La Rochelle and they were so good I was tempted to but them for the Scillies and South Coast UK! We carried North Biscay Pilot, South Biscay Pilot and the Nigel Featherstone one as well, but in practice never used any of these because the French ones were so good, unless you were looking for restaurant guides.

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