Brittany Sailing

Brittany Summer Sailing 2010

Pilot Cutter Eve of St Mawes and her bigger sister Annabel J are both sailing in Brittany this summer, with crew changes in Brest & St Malo. If you already live in mainland Europe then come and join us as crew. You can enjoy sailing an eye catching pilot cutter to as many as our favourite Breton haunts as we can fit in between Brest in the West and the walled city of St Malo on the Brittany - Normandy border. Annabel is also sailing further South to the Gulf of Morbihan.

The photo above is not a pilot cutter, but one of the French replica's of their historic fishing fleet - the mighty Bisquine de Granvillaise by Kathy Mansfield. It is principally a lugger with lug topsails.

Douarnenez 2010 Fete du Marin - Wooden Boat Festival

Join Eve of St Mawes in Brest and sail south to the lovely old port of Douarnenez .

Douarnenez Fete du Marin 2010 - our favourite French wooden boat festival - dates & prices

Experienced Sailors or Adventurous Beginners

Whilst you may only experience one cross channel passage by joining or leaving in France - these voyages can be quite tiring as you will be expected to stand watches. The North Brittany coast has strong tides and interesting pilotage. These are sailing expeditions in the sense that there will be some challenging long days sailing and possibly night sailing, so that when we reach a lovely destination we can stay a while and enjoy the land too.

There is no experience needed for this adventure voyage but they are more suited to those who have sailed before and know they can cope with sailing the boat in sometimes choppy tidal waters. Our Brittany and Normandy holidays are ideal voyages if you want to gain lots of sea miles, pilotage practice or 60 mile qualifying passages towards RYA Coastal Skipper or Yachtmaster. This is not a suitable voyage if you have any doubts about your health and stamina.

The skipper will sail with an experienced mate who has sailed on Eve before on this voyage but we also welcome other potential watch leaders who may be interested in sailing as a mate on future French or Scilly Island Voyages.

Brittany Voyages in 2010

List of All French Voyages in 2010

Douarnenez Fete du Marin 2010 - our favourite Wooden Boat Festival - on Eve of St Mawes

Annabel J - St Malo Pilot Cutter Rally & Celtic Goodwill Raid 2010

Annabel J - South from Brest through Raz de Sein to Golfe du Morbihan 2010

Chanel du Four, Ushant & L'Aberwrach

Sailing to or from Brest we have to catch the tidal race through the Chanel du Four, sailing inside the Ile d'Ouessant (Ushant) and the French mainland on the Atlantic edge of Europe.

Our pilot cutter skippers are keen to visit the island of Ushant if the tides and weather allow. This windswept sentinel has huge lighthouses, stone walls, shaggy sheep and low granite farmhouses and looks more like a Hebridean island than part of France. Fiercely Breton the local community welcome any seafarers brave enough to anchor in the deep fjord like anchorage of Lampaul.

If the tides are right L'Aberwrach might be a destination. Dominated by the huge Ile de Vierge lighthouse, the approach is very rugged and rocky but the beacons are huge and the enterance channel is wider than it looks ! Once beyond the rock plateaux the town and beaches reveal themselves and the landscape is a lot more tranquil. L'Aberwrach is twinned with Helford River in Cornwall as both are idillic river estuaries with a tradition of oyster farming and many keen local sailors. Every French school child learns to sail, so the inner estuary is dotted with sailing dinghies. After the passage 'around the corner' of France it is always nice to swim in the sea, enjoy a refreshing shower and head into town for a glass or two of wine or beer on 'French soil' that doesn't move.

Granite Rose Coast & French Rivers

Treburden is a welcoming destination with its large sheltered marina which fits remarkably well into the landscape of granite crags, pine trees and gorgeous beaches. After a long passage it is always nice to swim in the sea, enjoy a refreshing shower and head into town for a glass or two of wine or beer on 'French soil' that doesn't move after all that rock and roll accross the English Channel. If the winds are from more from the South West our first destination may be Guernsey, or we may head for the Granite Rose coast of France, sailing deep up a French River like Lezardrieux, Tregieur or into the tiny harbour of Ploumanach. Both the Channel Islands and Brittany are renowned for their fresh seafood, so no doubt we will be sampling a local restaurant as a reward for our channel crossing. If we sail first to North Brittany Eve may re visit favourites like the granite archipelago Isles de Brehat, or the National Bird Reserve of Les Sept Isles.

Isle de Brehat & Gulf of St Malo

Isle de Brehat is a bit like a French Isles of Scilly. An amazing rock garden with pink sand beaches, low stone farmhouses, hidden sheltered villages and a distinctive local community. To live on Brehat locals and holiday visitors have to plan their days to fit the tides and weather. The landscape changes drastically between high and low water and you will be amazed how we manage to wiggle into some of the deep pool anchorages when the water disappears !

Likewise Paimpol has a huge tidal range and this histoic port once famous for its Newfoundland fishing fleet looks distinctly landlocked when the tide goes out.