Summer Trip.

[Shifty]

We are planning a trip down into Biscay and hopefully as far as La Rochelle., leaving early June and going for a couple of months, the boat is 14. 8m.
We plan to go via Guernsey to top the tanks before perhaps heading for L’aber-Wrac’h as our first stop.
Previously have only ventured as far as Roscoff so any tips, as to where to visit (or avoid) would be most welcome.

 

[Bandit]

Assuming you are in no hurry.
Roscoff is a good first Stop from Guernsey at 73 NM. If you have not been there Trebeurden is also a nice stop about the same distance.
L'Aberwrach is worth a night or two to see it so a 25 mile hop.
You need to hit Chenal du four at slack water and L'aberwrach to Brest/ Camaret is 40nm.
Both Brest and Camaret are worth a visit.
You also need to hit Raz du Sein at slack water again and Brest to Audierne is about 30 nm.
Audierne is a nice sleepy port with good beaches and my sons enjoyed tow in surfing in the harbour entrance, seriously it is a nice stop.
Port de la Foret is interesting and very quiet.
Concarneau is a nice stop, the old town is very interesting.
That is as far as I got.

 

[Seastoke]

i would put Diellete on the list

 

[Shifty]

Assuming you are in no hurry.
Roscoff is a good first Stop from Guernsey at 73 NM. If you have not been there Trebeurden is also a nice stop about the same distance.
L'Aberwrach is worth a night or two to see it so a 25 mile hop.
You need to hit Chenal du four at slack water and L'aberwrach to Brest/ Camaret is 40nm.
Both Brest and Camaret are worth a visit.
You also need to hit Raz du Sein at slack water again and Brest to Audierne is about 30 nm.
Audierne is a nice sleepy port with good beaches and my sons enjoyed tow in surfing in the harbour entrance, seriously it is a nice stop.
Port de la Foret is interesting and very quiet.
Concarneau is a nice stop, the old town is very interesting.
That is as far as I got.

Thanks Bandit

Assuming you are in no hurry.
Roscoff is a good first Stop from Guernsey at 73 NM. If you have not been there Trebeurden is also a nice stop about the same distance.
L'Aberwrach is worth a night or two to see it so a 25 mile hop.
You need to hit Chenal du four at slack water and L'aberwrach to Brest/ Camaret is 40nm.
Both Brest and Camaret are worth a visit.
You also need to hit Raz du Sein at slack water again and Brest to Audierne is about 30 nm.
Audierne is a nice sleepy port with good beaches and my sons enjoyed tow in surfing in the harbour entrance, seriously it is a nice stop.
Port de la Foret is interesting and very quiet.
Concarneau is a nice stop, the old town is very interesting.
That is as far as I got.

Thanks Bandit for taking the time reply some really useful tips there especially the timing at various points.

Yes we have been to both Roscoff and Trebeurden and probably will call as we work our way back homewards.
I’ll research the places the you recommended. Many thanks.

 

[Bandit]

When I was working full time I went "round the corner" past Brest some time ago when I was time constrained and we ended up coming back early to the North coast because the time dates we chose the "seasonal weather" was basically 5 to 6 for most of the period ( 3 weeks July to early Aug).
So now I have more time I hope to do more "Around the Corner"
This is Digimap a free yachting resource produced by a friend of mine who is also from the dark side , it is well worth referring to. Marinas – digimap.gg

 

[jrudge]

I have done this trip 3 times in 10 then 12 m boat.

It is a nice trip but going round the corner of Brest was always choppy and a long slog.

There are lots of nice stops and a few islands on the way down. Nearly all marinas are tide limited( I am now in the med so tides are a distant memory ) and needs a bit of planning. The good news is you leave after the sail boats and get there first.

the whole coast is sail boat oriented and As a Mob you will be a relative rare beast if you ignore merry fishers by the thousand.

Size matters. At 12m we would draw a crowd of people looking on in wonder. At 14m you won’t have a problem per se but it will require some calling ahead as the marinas are set up with deal with 10m sail boats and not much more.

we were based in La Rochelle for many years and it is a lovely place. Minimes is huge and out of town but we were in the inner locked marina in the city centre.

Ille de Rae is lovely with oleron being more authentic - just watch the oyster beds

 

[Shifty]

We are planning a trip down into Biscay and hopefully as far as La Rochelle., leaving early June and going for a couple of months, the boat is 14. 8m.
We plan to go via Guernsey to top the tanks before perhaps heading for L’aber-Wrac’h as our first stop.
Previously have only ventured as far as Roscoff so any tips, as to where to visit (or avoid) would be most welcome.

Thanks jrudge

I have done this trip 3 times in 10 then 12 m boat.

It is a nice trip but going round the corner of Brest was always choppy and a long slog.

There are lots of nice stops and a few islands on the way down. Nearly all marinas are tide limited( I am now in the med so tides are a distant memory ) and needs a bit of planning. The good news is you leave after the sail boats and get there first.

the whole coast is sail boat oriented and As a Mob you will be a relative rare beast if you ignore merry fishers by the thousand.

Size matters. At 12m we would draw a crowd of people looking on in wonder. At 14m you won’t have a problem per se but it will require some calling ahead as the marinas are set up with deal with 10m sail boats and not much more.

we were based in La Rochelle for many years and it is a lovely place. Minimes is huge and out of town but we were in the inner locked marina in the city centre.

Ille de Rae is lovely with oleron being more authentic - just watch the oyster beds

Appreciate you taking the time to reply and the info, the handy thing now we are retired is the ability to travel when the weather is looking kind so hopefully get some kinder seas!

 

[doug748]

Of the things not mentioned..

I like Loctudy, not a lot there it's just nice, and Ile Tudy, across the river, is very pretty, you can borrow bikes to cycle into town and beaches etc. It would be a shame to miss Benodet which is a typical holiday place with swimming beaches and good anchoring in the river - which is grand and should not be missed. Iles de Glenan are on most people's absolutely essential list, not difficult under power almost no facilities except on bar/bistro, very unspoilt. Lots of moorings if you prefer that to anchoring.

Avoid Ile de Groix at the weekend when Port tudy is packed with boats from Lorient. Lorient itself is good but a city, you might prefer Port Louis which is interesting, lots of shops etc, good marina and a swimming beach; they often have bikes you can borrow Belle Ile is grand but mooring is not the easiest. These islands feel very bohemian, In the bars you almost expect Bardot to come in barefoot.

You must anchor off Houat and visit the village an absolute jewel. Ditto the Morbihan, where the tides sluice but with great shelter and peace reigns when the trippers go home. Priac-Sur-Mer is off the beaten track but has a lovely village but the marina is tidal and you would have to do your homework with a 15m boat.

Les Sables D' olonnne is a bit like Las Vegas on Sea but has charm and a huge beach for swimming and all facilities. Nice for a change from the islands. Nearby but much smaller and very quiet, is Bourgenay with a small marina which can make a useful stop.

Honestly it must be one of the best cruising grounds anywhere, difficult to go wrong, best of luck.

.

 

[Shifty]

Of the things not mentioned..

I like Loctudy, not a lot there it's just nice, and Ile Tudy, across the river, is very pretty, you can borrow bikes to cycle into town and beaches etc. It would be a shame to miss Benodet which is a typical holiday place with swimming beaches and good anchoring in the river - which is grand and should not be missed. Iles de Glenan are on most people's absolutely essential list, not difficult under power almost no facilities except on bar/bistro, very unspoilt. Lots of moorings if you prefer that to anchoring.

Avoid Ile de Groix at the weekend when Port tudy is packed with boats from Lorient. Lorient itself is good but a city, you might prefer Port Louis which is interesting, lots of shops etc, good marina and a swimming beach; they often have bikes you can borrow Belle Ile is grand but mooring is not the easiest. These islands feel very bohemian, In the bars you almost expect Bardot to come in barefoot.

You must anchor off Houat and visit the village an absolute jewel. Ditto the Morbihan, where the tides sluice but with great shelter and peace reigns when the trippers go home. Priac-Sur-Mer is off the beaten track but has a lovely village but the marina is tidal and you would have to do your homework with a 15m boat.

Les Sables D' olonnne is a bit like Las Vegas on Sea but has charm and a huge beach for swimming and all facilities. Nice for a change from the islands. Nearby but much smaller and very quiet, is Bourgenay with a small marina which can make a useful stop.

Honestly it must be one of the best cruising grounds anywhere, difficult to go wrong, best of luck.

.

Great help and very comprehensive, did you ever have difficulty getting fuel?

 

[Obi]

Ile D'Yeu and Port Joinville are absolute gems. Very busy in August.

There is very little traffic on the island other than horses and bicycles. The east coast beaches are stunning the the west coast rocky side is lovely too and has a ruined castle. It is warm, nice for swimming, and shush, there is a Rue Du Secret too.

It is one of my favourite destinations from the UK. Difficult to get there by car or to take a car so the roads, some of which are sand, are very quite. Hire bikes or mopeds to explore, or maybe horses. Nice harbour side restaurants. Such a lovely island.

 

[Alan Hensler]

Pornic is worth a visit walk along river bank to the town and up the hill to old town.
L'Herbaudiere on `i.Noirmoutier great local grown potatoes they actually taste like a spud!
Once in La Rochelle area you should go to St-Martin-de-re picuresque harbour on I.de.Re you will be packed in but that's France.

La Rochelle Harbour office tends not to respond to radio calls just more up on visitors berth in front of office and go up and register.
The market in La Rochelle on every Saturday is worth the visiting hope on the Bateau Bus from the harbour and into the city.
We plan a similar trip ourselves this year let's hope weather sets fair.

 

[Obi]

P.S. It was quite a long walk up to the town in L'aber Wrach but not too far.

 

[Obi]

La Rochelle Harbour office tends not to respond to radio calls just more up on visitors berth in front of office and go up and register.

Single handing my 12m on to their 15 cm pontoon looked "fun", prop wash to port, berth was s/board. IIRC they did send someone to assist. I had probably phoned ahead rather than leave it to VHF.

Second time I ditched on the acqueil after >60knots and endless lightening. For several hours life was like one of those black and white films where stage hands throw buckets of water over the deck and the lightening lights up monstrous white water, and then everything is black again until the next strike. There was nothing in the forecast when I left Santander. 18 hours into the passage Navtex gave me a cause for prepping the grab bag. Cracked open a couple of bottles when I arrived at 3am.

A superb destination and especially good during the festivals.

 

[Shifty]

Single handing my 12m on to their 15 cm pontoon looked "fun", prop wash to port, berth was s/board. IIRC they did send someone to assist. I had probably phoned ahead rather than leave it to VHF.

Second time I ditched on the acqueil after >60knots and endless lightening. For several hours life was like one of those black and white films where stage hands throw buckets of water over the deck and the lightening lights up monstrous white water, and then everything is black again until the next strike. There was nothing in the forecast when I left Santander. 18 hours into the passage Navtex gave me a cause for prepping the grab bag. Cracked open a couple of bottles when I arrived at 3am.

A superb destination and especially good during the festivals.

Wow sounds pretty scary, do I assume you were sailing?

 

[doug748]

Great help and very comprehensive, did you ever have difficulty getting fuel?

I have a sailing boat so not top priority but you will have no worries at all in any of the mainland stops. One place that did have problems is Camaret and I am not sure that is resolved even now, easy to nip to Brest with a power boat though.

La Rochelle is a grand place. St Martin de Re is lovely but you have to lock in, don't be tempted to spend the night on the outside pontoons, if the wind turns to the north, as it often will, there is a real risk of damage. If you prefer, there are regular buses from La Rochelle, if you need to hire bikes in the town go to the Parc where they are available for a fraction of those by the waterside, good rides through the parc etc as well.

.

 

[jrudge]

Great help and very comprehensive, did you ever have difficulty getting fuel?

I never had an issue per se but there were quite a lot of self service places that unless the attendant was there ( rare ) you could only get a small amount of fuel on each transaction. This may have changed now.

 

[Obi]

Wow sounds pretty scary, do I assume you were sailing?

I had been. As I watched la "Horage E'clairs" (lightening storm in French Navtex speak) behind me, progressively get closer and closer I had locked everything down, secured everything (sails included) a couple of hours before. Grab bag ready. Life raft checked for easy deployment. Life jacket and harness on.
The auto pilot doing it's job, I stood in the companion way and as the first strikes started to land in my immediate vicinity I lit a cigarette and said to myself "enjoy it, it might be your last". At 35 years old I was well aware that I might meet my end at sea, alone. There is nothing to be done at times like this other than fall back on what one has learned.

The 11 ton ketch was heeling over as far as I had ever seen it go, and that was on bare poles. The wind was absolutely screaming and the B&G windex was off the scale in the gusts. I just prayed the diesel bug treatment had done it's job and that the repair to the very very small wires on the autopilot control would hold.

The storm had come up from the Spanish coast and I was fleeing north. I considered Royan, La Rochelle or one other place to head for. Opting for La Rochelle in the hope that the storm would peter out or head in land as I continued north. I made the turn into La Rochelle with the storm all over me. Radar did not enable me to make a decision whether to head out to sea and try and sail through it, only because it filled the radar on the max scale so I could not tell how big it was. I considered my options and took an unusual decision. I decided to head between the land masses and try to make port. I committed myself at this point to being ready to turn around and head back out to sea and in to the storm if when I arrived at La Rochelle I was still in the thick of it, rather than try and berth in these conditions. I did not fancy either option.
Thankfully in the last hundred yards or so on approach to Port La Rochelle everything did calm down and I gently pottered into safety, tied up, wrote a note for the marina and stuck it to the window, and drank quite a lot of wine.



I think the only other time I have seen the yacht heel so far was when I was heading south (from Ile D'Yeu) and I arrived at the Gironde early. Bad decisions all around. Lots of them. I sailed too quickly, eager to arrive to meet a friend. As a result I met the ebb flow just minutes off peak, so I fought the huge tide into the Gironde with full engine and 3 sails, I think there might have been some loud music on the stereo. I had never seen my yacht "Go for it quite so hard" and it was exhilarating. The bad decisions led me to arrive at Royan far too early to get through the shallow approaches. So ended up exhausted and stuck on the putty outside Royan waiting for the tide to rise.

We live and learn. I am pleased to have these memories.

 

[Farmer Piles]

I did a few trips down that way with some mates on a Beneteau Antares 13.80. we had a great time. The most noticeable part is the change in climate once your get around the end of Finisterre and into Biscay.
I think I am right in saying that you will need to stop at Roscoff to check-in with the authorities now that we are post Brexit as it is a port of entry. Not sure that L'Aberach is. Although the later is a pretty little place.
We had no trouble with rounding Finisterre in either channel. We stopped at Cameret one time but I was a bit underwhelmed. It was alright. As said, Audierne is lovely. We also stopped in Benodet, rather, Sainte Marine across the river; it is prettier and charming.
We went up the river at Lorient to view the U Boat pens - if you like your WW2 history they are really cool and incredible structures.
We stopped at both Ile de Groix and Belle Ile and both are lovely. On the way home on one trip we stopped over in Ushant. Not pretty but very rugged and spectacular - a cool stop.
Not by boat, but I have been to Ile de Re a couple of times and it is utterly charming and would go back in a heartbeat. Whether you go there by boat - and as said, St Martin is so cool - or by bus/car. Hire bikes as the roads get very jammed but the cycleways through the little vineyards and barley fields are lovely. It is also totally flat.
I'm very envious. You will have a great time.

 

[Shifty]

I did a few trips down that way with some mates on a Beneteau Antares 13.80. we had a great time. The most noticeable part is the change in climate once your get around the end of Finisterre and into Biscay.
I think I am right in saying that you will need to stop at Roscoff to check-in with the authorities now that we are post Brexit as it is a port of entry. Not sure that L'Aberach is. Although the later is a pretty little place.
We had no trouble with rounding Finisterre in either channel. We stopped at Cameret one time but I was a bit underwhelmed. It was alright. As said, Audierne is lovely. We also stopped in Benodet, rather, Sainte Marine across the river; it is prettier and charming.
We went up the river at Lorient to view the U Boat pens - if you like your WW2 history they are really cool and incredible structures.
We stopped at both Ile de Groix and Belle Ile and both are lovely. On the way home on one trip we stopped over in Ushant. Not pretty but very rugged and spectacular - a cool stop.
Not by boat, but I have been to Ile de Re a couple of times and it is utterly charming and would go back in a heartbeat. Whether you go there by boat - and as said, St Martin is so cool - or by bus/car. Hire bikes as the roads get very jammed but the cycleways through the little vineyards and barley fields are lovely. It is also totally flat.
I'm very envious. You will have a great time.

Thanks to everyone for help and suggestions,I’d forgotten the need to check the port of entry (I had been to France last year and checked in via St Cast) so Roscoff could be a good option.