We started this season with a French Visa so that we could extend our stay in France beyond 90 days. This gave us the option of staying in France for 180 days which was a real bonus as we wanted to explore the north and west Coast of Brittany and Atlantic France without rushing.
We left Lymington on 21 April, bound for Alderney, however the weather gods gave us a SW 4-5 and a lumpy sea so we changed our plans off the Needles and headed for Cherbourg. It was an easy if a little chilly crossing and we were pleased to get into Cherbourg by 2215 and enjoy our usual long cold passage supper of bacon eggs and beans!
A day stocking up in Cherbourg then saw us head across to Guernsey as we had some equipment to collect from the Harbour masters office. We left fairly early to catch the spring tides south through the Alderney Race and had a fast passage to St Peterport. Roustel Beacon is still damaged and probably wont get fixed until well into 2026. The damage was caused by a cargo ship not paying sufficient attention to the rather frisky tides in the area.
On our return journey in September we again stopped in Guernsey and had a wonderful few days walking the stunning South coast and a quick trip across to Sark. Despite the mild weather for the trip we found the anchorage at Havre Grosse quite uncomfortable in the swell that set up through the gap. We only stayed the one night in Sark but had a very enjoyable walk around this lovely island. With no cars or vans and no need for streetlights it became one of the first "Dark Sky Island in 2011. However back on the mainland we managed at long last to visit the House of Victor Hugo. Author of many works, including Les Miserables, we really enjoyed our escorted walk around his fascinating house. An interesting man with very defined religious and aesthetic tastes in décor. So glad we managed to see it this time.
Returning to our southward journey we sailed from St Peterport to Lezardrieux on the Cote D'Armor. A good sail across, we arrived in daylight and enjoyed our first views of this stunning coastline.
Les Roches Douvres
La Croix
Lezardrieux
Treguir
It was still pretty early in the season so the river moorings were not fully laid but we managed to get alongside into a berth the following morning and explored the little town for a couple of days. Lovely weather and during the day a good 12-14 degrees but a pretty chilly 3-5 degrees overnight. It was only 25th April so similar to UK weather. A note for next year...the cross tide about 5 miles outside Lezardrieux is very strong. Keeping the starboard entrance buoy well to port we carried an excellent ferrymans drift into the river entrance. Once inside it was a delight to explore the main channel up the river.
Saturday 27th April saw us depart Lezardrieux with the lunchtime tide and we carried a fair tide all the way to Treguier, a must stop for us as we had such a super time there a few years ago in Njord. We were the first visitors of the season and were made very welcome by the harbour crew. A meander around the town on Sunday showed us that so many of the pretty shops and cafes had either disappeared or were not yet open for the season so we eventually found a beer and wandered back to the boat a bit disappointed.
The buildings were still lovely and full of character, it really is a medieval town.
We had a fairly unpleasant quartering sea as we sailed from Treguier to Roscoff and sailed between the Sept Isles and the mainland. Although we had tide times right for departure and all the way to Roscoff the Force 6 and unknown overfalls off the Sept Isles made for a queasy (for me) passage. But we made it and moored up in the main marina where we stayed for a couple of wet and windy days. However on our return journey we managed to take a ferry trip across to the Ile de Batz and after a wonderful walk around the island and delightful lunch we visited the tropical gardens, marvelling at the restoration projects underway after the major storm in 2023.
Departing at 1015 on 1st of may from Roscoff we took the inner passage through the Ile de Batz which fairly whizzed us through and set our course for L'Aberwrac'h. It was a fun sail in good weather and we arrived around 1640 having taken the main channel in as the Malouine looked pretty turbulent. After a night on the pontoon (don't moor on the outside again!) we left L'Aberwrac'h on 2nd May and timed our passage through the Chenal du Fort heading for the Rade de Brest. An uneventful passage with a good sailing breeze all the way to Pte St Martin before we hit the outgoing tide in the Rade and motorsailed the remaining few miles to Camaret sur Mer arriving around 1900. We had a good couple of days there and also stopped there on our return.
The weather deteriorated a bit so we decided to explore the River Aulne. Crossing the Rade de Brest in a very frisky wind (2 reefs!) we entered the river just about 1200 so we had plenty of time to motor up to the lock gate there for its limited opening time. L'Ecluse de Guilly Glas opens 2 hours before HW Brest and 2.5 hours after HW Brest. Arriving just on the HW Brest time the lock opened for us and we motored the last mile or so to Port Launy. It was a delightful passage and a lovely river to navigate. Chateaulin a little further up from Port Launy was the nearest town and most visitors stop there in the season.
We stayed a few days alongside before departing early one very foggy morning to get to Chateau du Port, one of the major marinas in the Rade. We needed to top up on fuel and food. However arriving during the early May bank holidays meant most of the shops were shut but it was very pleasant wandering along the seafront and through the town reading up on the history and enjoying the holiday atmosphere.
We passed through the Raz de Seine peacefully using the very precise timings suggested and anchored in St Evette for the night before rounding the sunny Pte de Penmarche and into Loctudy.