My Experience: Sailing to France. Muscular Atlantic swell is most likely to be encountered west of Cotentin, where it occasionally pounds the harbour entrances at places like Carteret, and particularly around NW Brittany. Plus there are islands galore from the picturesque islets which pepper the Gulf of Morbihan to the larger sunshine island of Corsica. Good passage planning includes timing our departure to suit the weather. France; Sailing holidays in France. Digital vector charts for France tend to simplify the foreshore details and when I compared one well-known vector brand with the equivalent SHOM charts it was easy to overlook some of the detailed information, especially when zooming between different scales. The chartlet shows St Vaast and Roscoff (or Ile de Batz) as fallback alternatives to Cherbourg and L’Aber Wrac’h, respectively, if a westerly wind might back towards south west or south. Learn to sail in France – or just cruise and relax. ATHENS — An Olympic sailing champion’s powerful testimony has sparked a #MeToo movement in Greece. By using our website or by closing this message box, you agree to our use of cookies as described in our Cookie Policy. Book Now. The French Riviera is well known for its stylish seaside towns but this wonderful sailing area just a stones throw away, is an idyllic mix of upmarket flair and rustic, traditional charm. Even though the weather, tides and hazards will be unchanged we may have to negotiate new obstacles in terms of requirements for passports, health insurance, boat documents, equipment and other matters. In practice, the problem is the other way around: although the hazards are real enough, the vast majority of small boats that set off across the Channel do arrive safely but some crossings prove decidedly stressful for all concerned. The relief was unreal and I was just glad I’d be able to finally rest. Please note: prices rise as space becomes less available. Credit: Ken Endean. My first three cross-Channel cruises as a skipper were around 40 years ago, in a Hurley 22 with a family crew of four, including two toddlers. Sail to France in summer 2020 with Stena Line and we will give you a FREE return trip between Ireland and Britain. Cabins were spotlessly clean and well equipped, with wider beds than normal ferries and with the addition of flat screen TVs and free Wi-Fi internet - makes this an above average ferry crossing. A lot of close-in exploration around Brittany consists of sailing between prominent rocks and over areas of sand. Take your seamanship to the next level with tips, advice and skills from our expert skippers and sailors, Impartial in-depth reviews of the latest yachts and equipment will ensure you buy the best whatever your budget, If you are looking to cruise away with friends Yachting Monthly will give you plenty of ideas of where to sail and anchor. That may be an attempt to avoid seasickness but in many instances it also seems to be a reaction to frightening stories about commercial shipping, possibly compounded by previous bad experience when a change in the weather turned a straightforward crossing into a violent thrash. At the western end of the Channel the crossing routes to France are too long for most yachts to complete in daylight hours. Credit: Ken Endean. It is possible to shorten a crossing time to France by several hours if we start from a forward departure point. The situation is under review at the moment by the French government but no decision has yet been announced. Shorter swell waves also come south through the Straits of Dover when strong northerlies blow down the North Sea. If we have to return by a fixed deadline, it’s advisable to monitor forecasts in the preceding week while in France and sail earlier if bad weather looks likely to interfere. Sailing in France. Posted by: Michael L. Grace January 11, 2015. Credit: Ken Endean. Sailing to France. Sailing to Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur is a smooth and pleasant experience, the weather is warm and sailor-friendly all year round and the best months to come here are June and September. We're pleased to present our Sailing Distance Calculator, to make passage planning a bit more 'plain sailing'! Travel by ferry in comfort and style to France. However, for a really efficient crossing the calculations should be re-worked at intervals. The most popular shipping companies being the Euro Tunnel, Brittany Ferries, P&O Ferries and DFDS. Sailing Update For travel to Ireland, passengers are required to have at check-in written evidence of a negative result from a pre-departure COVID-19 RT-PCR test taken up to 72 hours prior to their arrival in Ireland, otherwise boarding will be refused. Click here to find some useful information to help set your mind at ease. Brittany’s craggy inlets include many good anchorages, like this one at Port Blanc. To take full advantage of these picturesque diversions, we need to be confident in calculating tidal heights. Each one has its special attraction, tradition and cuisine. There are several long, narrow banks, aligned roughly parallel with the coasts, and they are shallow in places, but in fair weather it is possible to cross them safely with sufficient rise of tide. The ships are brand new so everything was top notch from the restaurants through to the bar areas, drinks were reasonably priced on board as was food in the buffet restaurant - there was also A ‘la Carte style dining however we did not visit there. It''s "ok" for few hours, but I ended up sleeping on the floor as most people in the salon. For the area west of Cotentin, my other suggestion is use of the largest scale charts – preferably in raster format if using a plotter. See more ideas about france, sailing, travel. Many French yacht owners like to take the ground on drying moorings and sandy beaches, so twin keels, lifting keels or beaching legs are desirable for visitors who wish to blend in with the local sailing scene. Sailing yachts of France‎ (1 C, 10 P) T Tall ships of France‎ (7 P) Y Yacht clubs in France‎ (2 P) Pages in category "Sailing in France" The following 3 pages are in this category, out of 3 total. Crossing the Channel is about doing the same things on a bigger scale. It extends from Galicia along the Spanish north coast, over the west coast of France to Brittany. This tactic should also allow more time for arrival in daylight, or perhaps before the harbour gate closes at St Vaast. The free trip to Britain is available to Irish Ferries customers who complete a return motorist trip to France between June 1st 2020 and August 31st 2020 on ‘W.B. Although a custom rather than a legal requirement, most countries expect a courtesy flag (a small version of the coastal state’s maritime ensign) to be flown by foreign flagged vessels at the senior signalling position, acknowledging that they will respect the Coastal State’s jurisdiction laws and sovereignty. 65 likes. The solo, non-stop and unassisted sailing race around the world—Vendée Globe—is notching into final gears as 14 of 27 boats still in the race … Recently travelled on the Stena Britannica from Harwich to Hook of Holland - and I have to say I was impressed! You will get at least two 60nm passages in and one or both of these may be overnight and so include some good night sailing. Cruise overnight and arrive ready to explore Before being issued a permit for deep sea sailing (Hauturière), a theory test on navigation, tides, weather and regulations must be passed.To attain the "large river craft" permit, the candidate must be at least 18 years of age and have done a minimum of 9 hours practical training on a boat of at least 20 metres in length. A few years ago, a yacht’s crew picked up a ship on radar and stopped to let it pass ahead but they had mis-read their radar and were run down while stationary. Travelled to France Summer 2020, get your free trip to Britain! Credit: Ken Endean. Ferries from 3325 routes and 764 ports worldwide, We arrange over 1.2 million ferry crossings / year, We check up to 1 million prices for our customers daily. Evolving from our heritage in flat-out racing classes, the RS Sailing range has grown to include boats for beginners, families, clubs and schools, developed using that same desire to move the game forward. The advantage of traveling overnight by ferry is you don''t get the feeling of wasting a day off traveling!