Arriving back in Cherbourg, we were keen to kick off our journey along the coast of north Brittany.  We wasted no time checking in at Cherbourg, where the PAF now visited twice a day making this much easier to do, and set off 2 days after arrival.

We had an early start, just as the light was entering the day, in order to catch the tides around Alderney, with Carteret as our next destination.

Cherbourg to Carteret (7 hours, 43 miles)

Carteret was a little further on from Dielette, where we had previously turned back to return to Poole, and still very tidal so we had to time it correctly.  We also knew that the tides for further onward legs of the journey may be difficult – there was only one high tide in daylight hours and we didn’t really want to leave, or worse arrive somewhere new, in darkness.  These areas are known for myriads of lobster pots as well as difficult conditions and we tend to be quite risk averse sailors!

The journey to Carteret  was in light winds – just enough for the first leg up the Cherbourg coast to the tip of the peninsula – but then losing all wind as we rounded the tip, and had to put the engine on.  We motor sailed the second half of the journey, checking AIS (we use Vessel Finder) to see if we had got the tides right by checking for movement of other yachts in and out of Carteret. We were pleased to see much movement at the time we would expect and reassured we should make a good entry.

Carteret is very deceiving – it literally feels like you are about to sail onto a beach as you round the harbour wall, which is completely exposed at low tide, and head down the channel. There is a sill with a digital display showing the amount of water there is in the channel and all was fine.

We had emailed Carteret in advance and the very nice Harbour Master came down to greet us, and give us all the information we needed for a stay there.  Carteret was a lovely town, with just enough that you need – a bar, a restaurant and a pizza dispenser!!  There were great marina facilities and we ended up staying a week whilst we waited for the tides to be in our favour.  We saw many other boats come and go and sometimes wished for a shallow draft boat – but that wouldn’t suit ocean crossings which is something we hope to do!

We went on the usual exploration walks and wandered South past the power station and then up in to the main town where we enjoyed a cool drink in the local tabac. As we wandered back we saw signs for Ma Denis Laverie, apparently she was made famous by a TV commercial whose makers developed the waterside spot adding a roof and a general upgrade.

 

Carteret to St Malo (7.5 hours, 50 miles)

St Malo was a destination we really wanted to visit – we had always heard it was a beautiful walled city, with amazing beaches, and it didn’t let us down!  We also took the time to visit Mont St Michel as well – a Unesco World Heritage site, and very much like Holy Island at Lindesfarne.

The journey to St Malo was super – leaving at 0715 and arriving at 1545 in good time for the lock. It was quite intense leaving due to a strong onshore breeze, which was very rolly but quickly got the sails up to make the most of the breeze.  There were pots all the way so it was a constant lookout, but an enjoyable sail.

We had chosen to go to Vauban marina in St Malo, which is in the city centre, and is entered through a lock. We actually timed it perfectly for the lock … but the lock had other ideas and we circled around with a growing number of boats – all older style wooden boats. When we were inside the lock, which was incredibly busy with many boats rafted, we were chatting to a chap in his yacht who explained it was the Old Gaffers Festival for older boats!  They were returning from day sails so obviously knew where they were going, but as we exited the lock we could see it was very very busy in the marina indeed.

The pontoons we had been directed to via email were all full, so we radio’d the Harbour hoping to speak to a person as often they would finish at 4pm as we were still out of season. Luckily the Harbour Master was still out in his tender, and came to say hello and directed us to a hammerhead position where we could stay for as long as we needed.

It was a perfect spot in this beautiful town and we decide to treat ourselves to dinner onshore – a quick change and we were off to explore and eat burgers!! For those that don’t know, Jenni was pescatarian for many years and had only recently started eating meat again – a burger was a rarity and still something she was getting used to!

We had decided to stay a couple of days in St Malo and so went for a long walk round the city walls and across the beaches (as it was low tide) to the islands. It really is a beautiful place and we enjoyed a picnic on the rocks at low tide, watching nuns collecting shellfish on the beach!

We booked a coach to Mont St Michel the next day which was indeed beautiful, but so very busy and full of tourists it was a little overwhelming. We were booked into a visit to the cathedral when we arrived and were glad to do that straight away, then eventually found a couple of quieter areas to explore.

We could understand how lovely it would be to stay in one of the little hotels and explore the island once the day trippers had left!

St Malo to Saint Quay Portrieux (8 hours, 36 miles)

We wanted to move on from expensive marinas, as it was becoming unsustainable as high season also meant higher prices! We had read nice things about Saint Quay as a smaller marina – and it was also in the Transeurope group so meant a discount for us!!

We set off in good time for the 0757 lock to leave St Malo, with just another UK flagged yacht – and we waited – and waited! Eventually we saw some movement of the lock – and at the same time a huge cargo ship came out of a channel and straight into the lock! Now we understood why we were waiting – but would there even be any space for us?! The other yacht called over to suggest we raft next to them as they were larger, which we agreed – and also told them we thought their fenders would need to be on the other side, which they agreed – so lots of moving around fenders for both of us as we got ready with the plan.

We just about fit inside the lock and did need to be rafted – we got chatting to the folks on the other yacht which was a Garcia expedition yacht – but this time they were just going out for lunch to meet some friends.  When the lock was open we waited for the cargo ship to depart and for the water to settle in their wake, then followed them out and onward.

It was a nice sail, and a lazy day with the gennaker up – so lazy we kept forgetting to do the log, which we usually take hourly!  Saint Quay is an all tide and weather access marina, one of the few on this coast, so we didn’t need to worry about arriving at a particular time which felt like a refreshing change!

We radio’d on entry and were met by the Harbour Master who showed us the way to a berth – which was very tight at the end of a finger pontoon but good enough for our needs.

We also had some lovely British neighbours who arrived the same evening, having been turned away from St Malo because there was no space!  We chatted to them and ended up having drinks on their boat the next evening, with a couple of their friends – the gin was freeflowing and fun night was had … but think we all ended up staying a couple of nights extra as a result!

It was refreshing to know we could leave whenever we needed without planning locks and sills.  There were also a couple of good supermarkets in walking distance, as well as a DIY store so we made the most of buying (more!) things for the boat – you can never have enough plungers!

Saint Quay to Baie de Pommelin (4 hours, 26 miles) and Ile de Brehat (1 hour, 6 Miles)

It was time … to go anchoring!!! Given we had so many provisions on board, the weather was lovely and everything just aligned it was time to move further up those levels of attachment and spend some nights in French anchorages.

We use an appp called Navily, which is a bit like TripAdvisor for anchorages and marinas, so we had pinpointed a location that looked quite roomy, and generally quite quiet, to go to.  It was a very gentle beat up the coast – until we saw a long line of sails on the horizon which AIS told us was a lot of solo racing sailors!  We didn’t want to get caught having to go through the middle of them, especially as we were on Starboard which means they should give way to us! Very annoying for serious racing boats, so we decided to hang back and let them go in front of us! It was lovely to see them all speed by and we realised they were mainly Figaro yachts, which is what Chris had been racing on with Rob and PYRA.

Navigating along the channel along Ile de Brehat is quite tight, and the wind was in the wrong direction, so we decided to use the engine to be safe.  It is such a beautiful area though, and we easily found and anchored in our spot – and we were the only ones there! We had read that there were oyster beds around the edges so we made sure to leave enough room.  We didn’t leave the boat for 3 days, and happily sat at anchor, watching the landscape change with the tides. Another boat joined us on the second night, but we left early the next morning to go to Ile de Brehat, which was just a quick hop around the corner.

There were a few anchor options, but we rejected the first one we had identified (Ile Logodec) as another boat beat us to the prime spot and it was a little too tight for our liking. The next spot was in the main area and we identified a spot near to the channel to a buoyed bay (La Chambre) and a busier anchorage (Plage du Guerzido).  Its a strange thing to pick the right place, not too close or far away!

We anchored without incident, secured by putting the engine into reverse (astern) to check we weren’t moving, and then added another line (snubber) to take some of the pressure off the windlass.  This is becoming our routine for anchoring and we are both becoming competent in our little tasks!

We then settled down to watch – which is another favourite hobby of sailors! Just watching other boats do the same!! Another French boat decided to come very close in to us, and seemed very confident in their choice – we thought they would be day visitors but they also stayed the night!

We took the dinghy ashore to explore the lovely island, which has no cars allowed, so was picturesque and peaceful to walk around – and also quite quick as it is quite small! We sat and had a vin blanc and bierre blanche overlooking the beach for a few hours before dinghying back.  We only stayed the one night as realise that we prefer the quieter locations.

Ile de Brehat to Ile de Bono / Bihit / Trebeurden ??? (8 hours, 37 miles)

When we set off the next morning we didn’t have a clear decision on where we were going – but we had identified a few options, including a marina – although that was very tidal so would be restricted access.

This was the day of the fog! It came in quickly from behind us and suddenly we were enveloped in a dense white mist.  It was very surreal as we could literally see nothing … for 4 hours!!  We decided to use the fog horn attached to the radio and set a timer to do 1 long blast every 2 minutes, as laid down by sailing regulations. We were motoring the whole way as there was no wind. We watched the AIS for any other boats and saw a few but could only very vaguely make out any form.

The fog was still with us as we passed Ile de Bono so that option was not happening – and the very quick ferry to the Ile from the mainland detoured around us thankfully! Those poor tourists wouldn’t have seen very much on their day trip!

The fog eventually lifted as quickly as it came, and we decided to try for the anchorages first of all.  Bihit was actually a lot smaller than it seemed and the wind wasn’t in a good direction, so we carried on to Plage de Porz Mabo, both of which are beaches within the larger Baie de Lannion – with noone else there we decided it looked good for us and set up for the night!

We have a tendency to stay on board the first night in an anchorage, just to be sure the anchor is set – we also have an anchor alarm that we can monitor the movement of the boat and it gives us that reassurance. We could see a very active and sandy beach and took the dinghy ashore the next day. There we found a lovely little beach snack bar and had the most amazing burgers overlooking the bay – and Yanula Blue!

The beach was very warm and sheltered and we were looking forward to a swim when we got back … but it was amazing how much wind there was where we were and so decided against it. Jenni was quite glad we decided to stay onboard as saw many jellyfish floating by.  We had some fun playing backgammon – which Chris always wins! Never mind!

Baie de Lannion to Roscoff (4 hours, 16 miles)

No wind was forecast the next day, but we decided to move on even if it was a motor all the way – 7 nights at anchor and we needed provisions – plus it was Chris’s birthday and he wanted to watch the rugby!

We set off with the tide, and although Chris tried every sail configuration we have it just wasn’t working – so motoring was needed if we were to get there with the tide.

What a welcome into Roscoff …. Dolphins!!!! Those magical creatures just bring joy at all times and as we approached the marina in lakelike stillness, they were having much fun riding the waves across our bow.

The Harbour Master from Roscoff came out to greet us and told us to follow them to a berth, which we did, and they provided some help with our lines which is often appreciated.  Boy it was hot!!  We got tied up and decided it was time to try the sun shades we had made with the bimini and enclosures – and they really helped.

Roscoff was a short walk away and Chris really wanted a haircut, so we had errands to do whilst there, as well as celebrations.  Chris also bumped into his instructor for his Coastal Skipper qualification so we all went out for some drinks.  Even with the best attempts the rugby wasn’t being shown in any bars in the small town, so Chris ended up watching it on his phone outside the bar!

Roscoff is a lovely town, with the harbour and a lot of history on Johnnie Onions!

A lot of the marinas provide bicycles that you can use for an hour or so to get to the supermarche, so this time we were provisioning by pedal power!  The marina had a choice of electric or manual bicycles and the staff were about to give us an electric bike each. We were closely followed by another couple wanting bikes and there were no electric ones left. Chris did his good turn for the day and swapped his electric bike for manual. What a gent. Ironically, Jen’s cycle only had one bar of power, so she had to pedal to the shop in order to preserve battery for the return journey. Luckily the bikes also had panniers so we could fit in the heavier objects (beer and wine of course) as well as take our rucksacks for the journey back.

Roscoff to L’Aber wrac’h (7 hours, 43 miles)

L’Aber wrac’h is the final all weather marina before rounding ‘the corner’ and into Atlantic France.  It is also a beautiful river and harbour itself. This sail was definitely not by engine, but it was a rolly and swelling journey! There were lots of other boats also going with the tide from Roscoff but we think we were the only ones actually sailing! It was hard work and as we approached the head of the river to L’Aber wrac’h there were breaking waves over the rocks which was a little offputting as we looked for the entry point!

We successfully made our way down the river and eventually put down the anchor just in front of the harbour wall – I mean why pay to go in when there is a perfectly good anchorage right there!  We must have been a little too close to the only other boat who decided to lift their anchor and move! Sorry!! Well they were in the best central spot so we had nowhere else to go – this way we were both at opposite ends of the bay – much better.

There were lots of watersports happening and it was fun to hear the kids laughing – and watch the windsurfers zoom by! Looking at the weather we decided to only stay the one night, and didn’t actually get to go ashore, as it was calm the next day but the weather was building after that.  The Chenal du Four is known for its tides and we decided to be cautious, leaving at dawn in the building light in a procession of other yachts doing the same thing.

It was lumpy and bumpy as the English Channel meets the Atlantic seas and we were happy with our safe decision, and made it around with no incidents. Finally in the Atlantic coast of France!!