Visiting France

[boatmike]

It is that time of year when old sailors turn to planning the coming season. I am a bit out of date regarding the current state of play but last year it seemed that all the post Brexit regulations had become over formalised with checking in and checking out and there was a general feeling that port authorities had not come to terms with the regulations causing a nightmare for visiting yachts. My plan is to visit Cherbourg, St Vaast le Hogue, and potter gently across the Baie de Sein to Honfleur calling in at other ports along the way. My question is " is it really still a nightmare or have the port authorities got their act together and its just a little more form filling and passport stamping? Any hints and tips regarding the form filling and procedures to follow would be welcome.. Thanks in advance

 

[ashtead]

If you were set off from the Solent at say6am you might not find any customs to stamp in at cherbough marina when you arrive unless the system has improved depending on how long your channel crossing takes -set off the next morning nice and early to catch the tide to enter for st vaast and you might not find anyone there to stamp you in either . Clearly you can still send in your online form before departing uk but don’t expect any response. The form to fill in is fairly simple though but I would print a copy off as well to take with you.

 

[stranded]

Don’t know if it’s changed but last summer we checked in at Brest and out at St Brieuc and the douaniers (or whatever they were) in each port could not have been more welcoming, polite, charming and professional - totally pain free.

 

[Sandy]

Arrive at a 'port of entry', get your passport(s) stamped, enjoy your visit, to a 'port of entry' and get stamped out. It is really quite simple.

A Coruña was closed on a Sunday, tide and time wait for no man, so was unable to stamp out of the EU. I returned to Roscoff to stop the clock 40 days later. The lovely Border Control staff quizzed me why I had not stamped out on explanation and that I needed to stop the clock and would be returning on the afternoon sailing were more than happy to stamp me in and out.

I know of one chap who returned to the EU without stamping out via the Netherlands and had an 'on the spot' €500 fine.

 

[dolabriform]

Last summer Cherbourg was really easy. Fill in the online form and print a copy before you arrive. The police came to the marina at 9am and 6pm each day, if you arrive after 6 then just enjoy yourselves around town and get the passports stamped following morning.
We left via Dieppe, it's about a 15 / 20 min walk to the ferry terminal from the town, but it's manned most of the time so you can just turn up and ask.

 

[DJE]

Last summer Cherbourg was really easy. Fill in the online form and print a copy before you arrive. The police came to the marina at 9am and 6pm each day, if you arrive after 6 then just enjoy yourselves around town and get the passports stamped following morning.
We left via Dieppe, it's about a 15 / 20 min walk to the ferry terminal from the town, but it's manned most of the time so you can just turn up and ask.

And Cherbourg will happily stamp you out the night before if you are leaving early in the morning. They had no problem with just the skipper showing up at the marina office with passports for all the crew. All very informal.

 

[John_Silver]

Roscoff friendly and welcoming too. (There’s a pattern emerging here!) Convenient to the marina too.
And if heading down to Spain, for a Schengen to Schengen entry, even more relaxed: Customs dropped by, at the end of week one. Took a look at my passport photo, and recorded the number, but didn’t look at stamp or visa pages. Nor take any interest in how long I had been in / intended to remain in Spain. Nor whence I came.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

A right royal pain in the bottom for small boats leaving west country from Plymouth or Falmouth. No longer the 26 hour run to Ushant or 32 to Camaret but instead 36 to Brest which is almost unmanageable 2 up plus another half day lost getting back to Camaret - or run to Roscoff then probable 2 coast hops to Camaret before actually heading down the Brittany coast.

 

[sfellows]

And what did we do before B***t? Nothing. So it's no longer simple.

Before, if I wanted to go to St Vaast. Nothing.

After, either:

1) Sail to St Vaast, get taxi to Cherbourg, get passports stamped, taxi back to Cherbourg. Same on leaving St Vaast to go back to UK

or

2) Sail to Cherbourg, get passports stamped either at 9.am or 6pm in marina or walk to Customs (20 mins or so). Sail to St Vaast. Same on the return or see 1) above for a return.

It is no longer simple...

 

[dk]

A right royal pain in the bottom for small boats leaving west country from Plymouth or Falmouth. No longer the 26 hour run to Ushant or 32 to Camaret but instead 36 to Brest which is almost manageable 2 up plus another half day lost getting back to Camaret - or run to Roscoff then probable 2 coast hops to Camaret before actually heading down the Brittany coast.

Cross to Roscoff to check in. Next day overnight at L'Aberwrach. Following day get the tides right and it's a straight run through CdF and down through the Raz to S Brittany. Unless, of course, you want to visit Brest or Cameret along the way.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

Cross to Roscoff to check in. Next day overnight at L'Aberwrach. Following day get the tides right and it's a straight run through CdF and down through the Raz to S Brittany. Unless, of course, you want to visit Brest or Cameret along the way.

Never wanted that dump known as Brest but for an ageing crew in a slow boat Camaret was a good breathing space. I acknowledge L’Aberwrach straight down could work and was considering but its still an extra day both ways and yet more fiddling navigation just to get into L’Aberwrach for an already fatigued crew

 

[st599]

Cross to Roscoff to check in. Next day overnight at L'Aberwrach. Following day get the tides right and it's a straight run through CdF and down through the Raz to S Brittany. Unless, of course, you want to visit Brest or Cameret along the way.

Isn't L'Aberwach a special case though? Will be interesting to see if the smaller harbours get the gear required when EES and biometric entry become the norm.

 

[Lightwave395]

I've just sailed solo (don't know about you but I'm 75 ) from Roscoff to Arzal. Left Roscoff on the late morning ebb and sailed to L'aberwrach easily on that tide. Had a snooze and cooked early dinner then left on the next tide at 1900 arriving Camaret at 0130, left the following afternoon at 1500 and arrived Benodet 0200. All fairly straightforward, if I hadn't been solo I'd have probably gone straight down to Raz from CD4

 

[DJE]

And what did we do before B***t? Nothing. So it's no longer simple.

Before, if I wanted to go to St Vaast. Nothing.

After, either:

1) Sail to St Vaast, get taxi to Cherbourg, get passports stamped, taxi back to Cherbourg. Same on leaving St Vaast to go back to UK

or

2) Sail to Cherbourg, get passports stamped either at 9.am or 6pm in marina or walk to Customs (20 mins or so). Sail to St Vaast. Same on the return or see 1) above for a return.

It is no longer simple...

St Vaast seem to be saying you can go straight there from the UK. https://apisspl.kpratik.com/storage/uploads/2022/08/10/62f399383d03dflyer-Brexit-SVLH.pdf

 

[stranded]

I quite like it - it always seemed less exotic when you just strolled in without even a stamp on your passport. Now it’s like proper foreign.

 

[Daedelus]

And what did we do before B***t? Nothing. So it's no longer simple.

Before, if I wanted to go to St Vaast. Nothing.

After, either:

1) Sail to St Vaast, get taxi to Cherbourg, get passports stamped, taxi back to Cherbourg. Same on leaving St Vaast to go back to UK

or

2) Sail to Cherbourg, get passports stamped either at 9.am or 6pm in marina or walk to Customs (20 mins or so). Sail to St Vaast. Same on the return or see 1) above for a return.

It is no longer simple...

There's a reasonable bus service between St Vaast & Cherbourg, it's not much used and the driver actually writes out the tickets rather than use pre-printed ones.

 

[oldmanofthehills]

There's a reasonable bus service between St Vaast & Cherbourg, it's not much used and the driver actually writes out the tickets rather than use pre-printed ones.

No one suggested it was impossible, merely that it involves more faff and time, thus in my case more days absence to cover the outing and less earnings

 

[stranded]

There's a reasonable bus service between St Vaast & Cherbourg, it's not much used and the driver actually writes out the tickets rather than use pre-printed ones.

Ditto between Paimpol and St Brieuc. Except the tickets.

 

[Bandit]

There were working concessions last year for the Cotentin Peninsular as well as St Cast and St Quay Portrieux .

Looking at St Vast this falls within the system see https://apisspl.kpratik.com/storage/uploads/2022/08/10/62f399383d03dflyer-Brexit-SVLH.pdf

Go to this page for all of the Cotentin ports Carentan to Granville.

Choose the port you want and look for the form


I expect all the Ports de Plaisance will adopt this because it financially hurting them.

 

[st599]

There were working concessions last year for the Cotentin Peninsular as well as St Cast and St Quay Portrieux .

I expect all the Ports de Plaisance will adopt this because it financially hurting them.

In the mid term, it will depend on how easy it is to install the EES terminal at the marina.