south brittany.

[AIDY]

will be leaving the solent for south brittany in a couple of weeks time and have just been pondering over charts on the best route. it seems that going via the CI means there are quite a few tidal gates to play with. where as going via the west country ie.. dartmouth would maybe give a better wind angle to sail and would be round about the same distance.

how far west should one go before crossing and where too... okay there are so many variables such as wind direction. just trying to throw a few ideas around in the head and maybe get some advice from people from the west country.

With the family onboard i try not make passages too long. 100 miles stint would be the max as the troops start moaning.

 

[duncan]

it has to be all about the wind and the wind.............be extremely thankfull you have such a wide choice!

 

[sophia]

South coasters we have met either go direct to L'aberwrach or Brest. This is not without it's tidal problems as the entrance to L'aberwrach can be daunting for the 1st time in wind v. tide and this corner is prone to fog and swell. Going straight to Brest you need to gauge your arrival at the Chenal de Four to run with the tide. It runs very strongly and if you miss the window wind/tide conditions can be rather uncomfortable for a few miles. Based in CIs we leg it along the N britany Coast with the tide. Once further south past the Raz and Bay de Audierne the cruising is delightful and worth the effort (we think). Good luck.

 

[Robin]

Our preferred route (from Poole) is via Dartmouth and then straight to Camaret through the Chenal Du Four. With use of the back eddy tides from Poole to St Albans Head you can have nearly 8 hours of favourable or slack tide to get well into the Lyme Bay crossing and 10hrs from Poole to off Dartmouth on a spring tide is quite feasible at 6kts boatspeed. Dartmouth to Camaret is 144 mls and +/- 210 degs M so WSW is one tack to the Four. We plan our arrival at the top of the Four to be JUST at slack turning south at 6kts average (it is still running well east off N Brittany), that way if we are faster oh well, if on time OK, if late (average 5.5kts) we still have enough tide to get through. L'Aberwrac'h is a time-costly diversion headed south as you waste time going up and down river and headed west you have to buck the tide westwards to get to the Four whilst it is running south. If you head straight for and through the Four you only take 3 hrs from the top to Camaret, only 2.25 hours more than it takes to enter L'Aberwrac'h and head upriver to the moorings.

The Guernsey route IMO is a pain as you have to contend with the strong tides along the N Brittany coast and likely wind against tide conditions. The course is likely to be to windward whereas from Dartmouth it is layable in one tack in WSW or greater. You will also not contend with the strong tide streams until the last few hours North of the Four, the cross tides are very small until then. We DO however use the Guernsey route when headed home as the tides are better going east and wind against tide headwinds less likely. L'Aberwrac'h is an OK truck stop headed home and then either direct to St Peter Port or stop off in Perros Guirec/Tebeurden/Treguier if time allows.

With our Westerly 33 we averaged 23.5hrs Dartmouth to Camaret, in our present Sun Legende over the last 4 years we have averaged 21.5hrs but sailed much more than with the W33.

Unfortunately my method breaks your 100ml rule....

If you want a chat PM me and I'll give you my phone number.

Robin

 

[trouville]

i was going to say dont go to Brest but aim to get around the capes for a pleasent coastal cruise,

Id aim for somewhere between Audierne and Lorient its a wonderful area Ive no idea as i post where the UK is in relation to 100miles but if you round the capes its worth any extra mileage to avoid Ushant and all above it!!

From Falmouth it cant be much more than 100 miles.After that you will have a problem to choose which paradise to anchor or moore in! Foods fantastic people great navigation untill guilvenic easy??em costal crusing

The weather has been wonderful and should be again when summer arrives??(its a bit cold in the mornings)But by mid day its walm!! even though its forcast for only 18 its really walmer,untill the evening when a pullover is needed!!

Youll love it!! If you have an alchol cooker as i have beware that mr bricolarge and super U have increesed there prices 300% also for parafin.I paid 16 euros for 20 liters of parafin they are asking today(monday) 5.4 euros a liter for parafin and 2.40 for alchol!! Look for intermarche(the 3 muskerteers) there alcohol cost today 1.10 euros a liter!

You wont want to leave its FAR better than the humid med with all the new rich wasting as much money theyve won as possiable to show how much they have???And later?? On this coast its for real people with real money for which you get value and super food water and wine!!

One last thing a long keels best??At least i think so as i have one.I wont say more as there are fin keelers galor and cats!They all love the region.

 

[AIDY]

Thanks robin.. exactly the answer i was looking for. I've not looked into the tides / area around ushant yet but the 100ml rule per passage is not hard and fast. it just keeps the family happy onboard..

I have 3 weeks booked off so not too sure on how far we will get. any recommendations on the must see places when we are there. the furthest I've been on the north coast is to morlaix. (got to get round the corner this time). So the blast south from dartmouth first makes sence.

 

[Robin]

It depends on your preference really between the tourist bit ashore and shops or the glorious anchorages and beaches. We like to anchor a lot and use the marinas very little except every 5 or 6 days or so for a one day stock-up, laundry. waterfill, charge batteries and meal out.

Camaret, we anchor but there are inner and outer marinas, good supermarket, quite pretty.

Benodet, 2 marinas, buoys or anchor upriver. No supermarkets near the marinas. The river is pretty and is the reason for visiting in my book.

Concarneau, pretty walled city like St Malo.

Glenans superb offshore island anchorage now with buoys, unmissable.

Belle Isle, in my book the reason to go is the anchorages on the ocean side rather than Sauzon/Le Palais.

Houat, prettiest island anchorages and walks ashore ever, superb beaches, no cars, absolute heaven.

Hoedic asd above but smaller.

Morbihan inside - Vannes is worth a visit as is Auray.

Le Crouesty, huge marina with associated 'village', goodish supermarket nearby, easy fuel pontoon.

La Trinite, smaller supermarket, interesting numbers of racing trimarans.

Haliguen, longish walk to supermarket and town, not much else IMO.

Lorient, big town stuff, like Plymouth maybe, not a favourite.

Groix, very passable by'ish for me.

Avon Belon Rivers, pretty if you have time.

Morgat, pretty, cheap marina or anchor outside, sea caves and cliff walks are spectacular, but go stocked up as shops are poor.

There are others but outside of a comfortable first 3 week visit. Our route south is Dartmouth/Camaret/Glenans just for a night (or outside Benodet)/Houat. Coming home is Morbihan area/Glenans/Concarneau/Morgat/L'Aberwrac'h/Perros/St Peter Port/Poole with variations to suit available time. Maybe as a first visit with family and 3 weeks you might want to stop at Concarneau/Benodet/Glenans and leave the Morbihan and others south for next time.

 

[trouville]

Robin seems to have been hear before and i agree great post ive noted it myself!

I agree about Lorient i dident enjoy it but i only sugested it as a place to aim for!!

Have a wonderful time and good sailing.Theres really a lot to see and too many wonderful places.not to mention again the great cafes(for lunch)

 

[RupertW]

Agree with Robin on the various harbours, although Port Haliguen is my favourite port - mostly because we use it as the safe arrival base in South Brittany - once we get there then we're really on holiday, there's always room, and I also like Quiberon which is just a short walk away.

For our first trips to South Brittany we sailed down to Falmouth then straight through the Chenal du Four to Morgat. After that it tended to be Plymouth (to stock up) then to Morgat. We didn't like passages much longer than that in a 24 footer.

I've never seen the point in going to L'Aberwach first as Chenal du Four is easier than the L'Aberwach entrance and once you're through C. du F. you have lots of harbours to choose from in a spectacular array of bays. I loathe Douarnenez with a vengeance but many people like it.

With a bigger boat we ended up aiming for the double tidal gate of C. du F. then Raz de Sein and going straight for Benodet or Concarneu (and once straight to La Rochelle so we could spend the rest of our holiday day sailing back).

All in all, the best and most varied cruising area I've encountered so far.

 

[Robin]

There are places I don't like that friends love, Port Haliguen is one! The weather, most particularly the swell determines our destination on first arrival to Quiberon Bay. If conditions are right (ie no swell and light/offshore winds) we might go on the ocean side of Belle Isle, like Ster Wenn/Ster Vras or Port Goulphar anchorages, otherwise we head for Houat and one of it's beautiful anchorages. We are going there however fully stocked from a stopover in Camaret so don't yet need to go 'in' for supplies.

Morgat we love, others hate it.

Douarnenez is missable in my book but friends love it.

Audierne is another very missable place for me, although we have used the St Evette anchorage outside a couple of times when we chickened out of going through the Raz northbound in really strong wind against tide.

Loctudy is boring and expensive.

Port La Foret, the main year round marina for Concarneau is OK, especially if you want to fit in a round of golf at Golf de Cornouaille right next to it. Beg Meil anchorage is OK too as is Anse De Kersos just outside Concarneau marina.

Lomener is a small harbour just west of Lorient with just a few visitor buoys and some room to anchor. It has a supermarket nearby and can be a useful stopover if beating upwind gets tiresome headed home. It is a better choice than port Tudy on Isle De Groix IMO, crowded and overated.

Etel is another some like but the hassle with entry over the bar and needing to time the tides is a pain.

We love Houat but we have friends who will frequently anchor there for lunch and a swim but have never been ashore which is crazy I think. There are 2 small mini-markets, a creperie restaurant or two and some lovely walks, the village is charming and the houses tiny.

One thing too for first timers going is that once through the Four and the Raz and south of Penmarc'h headland the tides become much less of a pain and you can pretty well ignore them. Mostly they tend to run across your track rather than from directly ahead or astern and aren't that strong. Certainly we get up and go at civilised times rather than to suit the tide which in any case is impossible to match to an 'optimum' departure time.

Ah well not long to go, we head there again for our 19th visit in a few weeks time!

 

[RupertW]

[ QUOTE ]
One thing too for first timers going is that once through the Four and the Raz and south of Penmarc'h headland the tides become much less of a pain and you can pretty well ignore them.

[/ QUOTE ]

I was inspired the first time by a glossy pictured pilot book showing dramatic looking sailing from Chenel du Four to Penmarch, but also by the phrase, "Once past Penmarch your latitude is a third of the way south to the Meditarranean and you feel it from the warm breeze, the sandy bays and red tiled roofs starting to appear here and there".

It all sounded great when hunched up in a cold cabin in Cowes at Easter, and the reality more than matched it, although the warm breezes aren't quite as constant as the book implied.

Apart from a brief delivery trip a couple of years ago, I haven't been back since '97 so it's got to be time soon....

 

[Robin]

Peter Heaton (I think?) wrote a book called 'The Sea Gets Bluer' about sailing south of Penmarc'h, very true! He could just as easily have said clearer too.

The other lasting memories are the dolphins which we see every year. I know we see them in the Channel but on our very first visit to SB we had a huge school of them come play as we approached Penmarc'h on a hot and sunny day with SWMBO sunbathing on the sidedeck and doing 7-8kts with the spinnaker up on our then Westerly 33 Ketch. Now that you don't get back home very often!

The wallpaper on my laptop is a view taken from above the small harbour on Houat and looking towards Quiberon which is just visible on the horizon with sails dotted all over. Stuff of winter dreams!

 

[awyatybw]

[ QUOTE ]

Loctudy is boring and expensive.


[/ QUOTE ]

But fantastic Langoustine from the harbour-side shops. A kilo of the sharp-clawed little blighters, baguette, mayonaise and Muscadet and you could not ask for a better lunch.

On the subject of the outward trip, Robin is clearly the master. You might consider going a bit further west first, to The Helford River or Fowey. That way you get a slightly shorter crossing = more predictable/controllable arrival time at Le Four.

Alan.

 

[rwoofer]

Just back from my 3 week cruise from Southern Brittany. Both times I have done Southern Brittany, I have taken the boat to Falmouth on the weekend before. I found that this means I can make the crossing in daylight hours to somewhere like Camaret, which means that my wife is less likely to suffer sea-sickness. Never a good start to a holiday if you need to spend a few days recovering from Mal de Mer.