Summer cruise planning - route question

[PhillM]

I am hoping to get accepted for the Brest festival (July 10-15th) and I have already been accepted for the Douarmemez festival the week after.

I shall be leaving from Hamble, Paean is old and slow (passage plan 4kn max) and I am likely to be single handed. If I really needed to, I could try to find a crew for the longest passages or even pay a delivery skipper to help me (although are skippers really going to want to sail in a 24 foot MAB).

I can give myself about 2 weeks to get to Brest, spend 2 weeks at the festivals and then another 2 weeks getting home. This will be consecutive, so I am assuming I shall do some local exploring while I wait for weather windows.

My current thinking is to go there via Yarmouth, Dartmouth-Plymouth-Falmouth then cross direct to Brest and to return Brest - round the corner to somewhere-channel islands-Cherbourg- Yarmouth.

What does the panel think?

 

[DJE]

Well the obvious alternative outbound is Yarmouth-Alderney-Roscoff-L'Aberwrach-Brest but it depends on what the weather is doing.

If you're exploring in the Rade de Brest I would recommend a visit to Morgat.

 

[mainsail1]

In a slow boat every mile matters. Less miles if you go Yarmouth to Guernsey to L'Aberwrach, then to Brest. I would always stop at L'Aberwrach to get the tides right around the corner.

 

[LittleSister]

I can't imagine why you'd go via Falmouth if you're single/short handed and in a slow boat: it's far out of your way and gives you a very long leg (c130 nm = 33hrs minimum).

I've crossed Devon/Cornwall to Brittany back single handed, but then that's where my boat was then based. Such long legs aren't very productive single/short-handed because they're knackering and take you days to recover.

Channel Islands (and possibly Cherbourg) and N. Brittany gives you loads of ports mainly a fairly short distance apart, so you can adjust your routing according to the weather, etc., and enough choice to enable you to visit other places on the way back. Challenging pilotage, but very scenic.

 

[doug748]

What does the panel think?

I agree with the others, the sooner you get to France the happier you will be.

I would only head west if southerlies had set in and you just wanted to make some miles from the off. Even then I would go no further than Dartmouth and from there St Peter Port. Once on the French coast it is usually easy to make progress west courtesy of the tides. The only dodgy bit being the 30 miles from Roscoff to L'Aberwrach where the tidal imbalance means you have to get cracking and have barely 6 hours before foul tide which will eventually stop you.

The same track there and back can still be interesting there are lots of alternative stops.

 

[Stemar]

I agree with the others, the sooner you get to France the happier you will be.

+ lots on that.

If I was single handing and the tides allowed, I'd pick up a buoy off Yarmouth for the night and head for Cherbourg with an early morning tide through Hurst. If not, I'd take an evening ebb so you get to Cherbourg in daylight. In either case, If the wind's kind, make for Alderney, with an option for Guernsey if it happens to fall into place.

 

[lw395]

I agree with the others, the sooner you get to France the happier you will be.

I would only head west if southerlies had set in and you just wanted to make some miles from the off. Even then I would go no further than Dartmouth and from there St Peter Port. Once on the French coast it is usually easy to make progress west courtesy of the tides. The only dodgy bit being the 30 miles from Roscoff to L'Aberwrach where the tidal imbalance means you have to get cracking and have barely 6 hours before foul tide which will eventually stop you.

The same track there and back can still be interesting there are lots of alternative stops.

This.
If you want the option of stopping at any of the tidal harbours, it's generally more effective to be heading West IIRC, as you go with the tide and arrive near HW. So do this coast outbound.
Maybe your planning should include plugging in some dates and tide times and possible stopovers?

But the forecast at the time will change everything.

 

[LittleSister]

If you want the option of stopping at any of the tidal harbours, it's generally more effective to be heading West IIRC, as you go with the tide and arrive near HW.

Are you sure?

 

[RupertW]

I’d go straight to Brest from Plymouth - no tricky coastal navigation until the Chanel du Four then you are on the home strait. With a decent autohelm it will be cat naps for a single night and not much shipping until you are most of the way over.

That’s what I used to do in my 24 footer after realising the slog to Falmouth didn’t gain me anything. I did it from Salcombe once too so that’s a possibility.

 

[James_Calvert]

Another vote for crossing earlier to France.

It does all depend on the weather but we once found ourselves with an unexpected Southerly headwind when crossing from Fowey.

Having temporarily lost use of the engine, we diverted to St Peter Port....OK we weren't heading for Brest anyway.

 

[KeithH]

Another thought. If (when) Brexit happens, then I understand that it is probable that you will be able to only arrive from the UK into certain French ports. Cherbourg is likely to be one such port, so that is another reason to go to Cherbourg first from, say, Yarmouth, and then work your way towards Brest.

As others have said, Chebourg has other advantages, such as 24 hour access, fuel availability, good provisioning, as well as being ca 12 -14 hours sail away from Yarmouth.

 

[LadyInBed]

I always go via French ports, cheaper marinas, more opportunities to anchor, better food and cheaper wine. If you go down the English coast when you finally cross it's a pound to a pinch that the wind will not be favorable to make Brest so you will end up either along the French N coast or worse still the CI's!

 

[PhillM]

Thanks everyone. I shall start to plan.... something to keep me occupied during the long winter evenings.

 

[Daydream believer]

I think 15 days is Ok if short or single handed provided the weather plays ball. I have done Camaret a few times (from Bradwell) & like to sail all the way down the French side because of the cheaper ports & 24 hour access. Short hops (up to about 75 miles) means it is less tiring. Sail a day & rest a day after the longer hops. 9 Stops from Boulogne allows 5 rest days.
What I would point out is that one year going to Camaret I managed only 14 hours of true sailing, there & back. The rest was either complete motoring or motor sailing. Past St Peter Port this was forced by tidal constraints. The wind just did not exist or was dead on the nose both ways!!!
The following year I did only 20 hours of motoring. Considering how much one uses the engine entering and leaving 18 ports (over 2 ways), that is surprisingly little.
Both times I left mid May

 

[Daydream believer]

One point in its favour
20% discount at Cherbourg to members of the RYA-- or some participating clubs (Tufty club etc:encouragement Just flash a membership card.

 

[Stemar]

Another little thought. There are two non-tidal harbours between, IIRC, Le Havre and St Malo. Omonville la Rogue, a few miles west of Cherbourg is the other one. Not a difficult entrance, and buoys to pick up. You don't want to be there in a strong wind with much east in it, but it can make a useful refuge for a smaller boat if you find yourself down tide of Cherbourg on the ebb.