Cruising Highlights in France Part 2
Author: Neville Featherstone
West France Cruising Companion author Neville Featherstone talks about a recent visit to West France and the best islands to wind your way round.
Cruising Highlights in France Part 2
ST DENIS, ÎLE D’OLÉRON
My bare feet are warm on the all-pervading sand as we sit a metre or two from the water’s edge. This is a meeting, French-style, to discuss nautical matters. It is half past nine in the morning and coffee has just been served from the beach café at St Denis, the township and marina at the northern tip of Île d’Oléron.
The French, led by Jean (the Conseil-Général, a senior figure in regional politics), are keen to hear our views on anything and everything nautical within their domain. ‘We’ are myself, and several Brit yachtsmen who have been in St Denis for a week or more. The meeting ends most amicably and a French doctor agrees to be my representative for St Denis.
And what of St Denis itself? The black & white lighthouse at Pointe de Chassiron, almost 2M WNW of the marina, is highly conspicuous. Less obvious and arguably more dangerous is the NCM beacon tower marking the drying Rocher d’Antioche reef on which wreckage is frequently visible.
NCM beacon tower, Rocher d'Anticohe
Give both marks a wide berth. A night approach is feasible using the white sectors of the Dir 205° Iso WRG 4s and the Fl (2) WG 6s on the east breakwater. The marina was excavated from solid sand and a natural sill retains water within. The approach channel dries completely and it is not unusual to see one or two shallow draft motor cruisers parked, deliberately or otherwise, just short of the sill.
The little town has a strong sense of identity. Plan on staying at least a couple of days so as to relax and mingle with the locals.
ÎLES DU PONANT
Ponant is a French word meaning ‘the side on which the sun sets’, i.e. the west side; hence the ‘Islands off the West coast of France’ along which you are currently cruising or planning so to do.
In the 230 miles coastal stretch from Ouessant to Pointe de la Coubre at the mouth of the Gironde, there are 12 islands which you might think would qualify as Îles du Ponant, namely:
Ouessant, Molène, Sein, Glénan, Groix, Belle Île, Houat, Hoëdic, Noirmoutier*, Yeu, Ré* and Oléron*. But you would be only partially correct.
The Association des Îles du Ponant is recognised by the French government as having legal and economic responsibilities towards member islands. Firstly members must meet the following requirements: (a) not be linked to the mainland by bridge or submersible causeway; (b) must have a legal status, eg as a Commune; and (c) must be permanently inhabited. (a) eliminates the three asterisked above.
On the other side of the coin the following islands do qualify for membership: Arz, Moines (both in the Golfe du Morbihan), Aix in the Charente estuary. These I discount as being inland islands.
Perversely membership is also granted to three islands off the north coast of France, viz Chausey, Bréhat and Batz. This raises doubts as to whether the sun sets on the west side of these islands and in any case they are clearly not off France’s west coast.
If you are planning to cruise this area, do not attempt the Pertuis de Maumusson, the narrows between the southern tip of Oléron and the mainland. The tidal streams and many shoals could be your undoing. The bridge to the mainland has an overhead clearance of only 18m amsl.
THE ODET RIVER
This attractive river flows south-eastward through Quimper and eight miles later reaches the sea between Bénodet on the east bank and Sainte Marine on the opposite bank.
Curiously the French refer to the east bank as the Left bank (Rive gauche), as it is if you look downstream from say Quimper. But the rest of the nautical world adopts the convention that the ‘general direction of buoyage’ in rivers and estuaries is inwards, i.e. looking up-river. Thus in the Odet river green lateral buoys are off the east bank and red buoys off the west. So France, as is so often the case, is at odds with the rest of the world (except Region B, the Americas and Pacific) – and when driving their Renaults on the right-hand side of the road.
Let us assume that you are heading up-river and Sainte Marine marina is already visible on your port bow. Moments later a friendly dory homes in on you, hotly pursued by another dory. Make sure you know which is from your marina of choice and follow him to a berth. Capitalistic competition is welcome, and on the Odet is conducted in a friendly spirit! The dories will take you across to the opposite bank marina, free of charge if not too busy.
What influences your choice of marina? Ste Marine is nearer the sea, so has a slight geographic advantage. It is backed by attractively wooded, rising ground with a sprinkling of older houses and the occasional château. Moving quickly inshore soon gets you out of the strong tidal stream which can make berthing on a hammerhead difficult, especially if lightly crewed – although the dory man will always lend a hand. Wandering ashore is pure pleasure as you follow the coastal path down to the shaded Vieux Port and slake your thirst at one of several little cafés, whilst gazing across the fairway to Bénodet. Enjoy a choice of several decent eateries.
Penfoul is the Bénodet marina and lies just short of the Pont de Cornouaille in a bend in the river which significantly accelerates the tidal stream. Pontoons are laid out in two groups: the first (E-H) has a heavy concrete wavebreak where larger yachts berth on the outside and smaller yachts look for a more placid berth on the inside. The wavebreak turns 90° starboard towards the shore and takes the full force of the ebb. Berthing here means that your boat will be ‘araldited’ to the wavebreak for the duration of the ebb. In the second group pontoon D is for visitors.
At the marina there is a mix of cafés, chandlers and a particularly good yacht engineer, but all on a very small scale. A pleasant riverside path leads into town where you can take your pick of hôtel-restaurants and mingle with the crowds in any such seaside resort. Clamber up the hill to where villagey shops can be found. The nearest supermarket is 10 minutes walk east from the marina to the head of the drying Anse de Penfoul.
So the choice is yours. You can always swap marinas if you think you have made a mistake. At some stage you will want to wind your way up-river and find one of the many delightful anchorages which are listed in the West France Cruising Companion – but that’s another story.
A CHOICE OF ISLANDS
An odyssey through the offshore islands from north to south is to savour a great part of the charm and attractions of cruising France’s west coast. The islands are never more than 10 miles from the mainland and often much less – thus they are an intrinsic part of Atlantic France.
Consider the islands in four separate groups, related to the various Départements:
Finistère includes Ouessant, Molène, Sein and Glénan. The Morbihan takes in Groix, Belle Île, Houat and Hoëdic. The Vendée embraces Noirmoutier and Yeu. Charente Maritime contains Ré and Oléron.
Finistère is the classic, rock-strewn coast which we always associate with the western outposts of Brittany. Ouessant more than lives up to this brief description. It is high, rugged and beset with strong tidal streams. Winds are fickle and fog is fairly common in spring and autumn. In short it is not to be trifled with, very much for experienced skippers and navigators. There are moorings off Lampaul and in the Baie du Stiff. But if the weather is kind, the island is full of interest and bikes (either your folder or hired) are the best form of transport.
Molène, roughly 5M SE of Ouessant, is fairly easily approached from the north and slightly less easily from the east. It is a low-lying hummock from afar but landmarks and buildings quickly materialise to show the way. The harbour mostly dries but yachts can stay afloat at anchor or on a mooring, well sheltered from S-NW winds. The small community is friendly and boasts several decent eating places.
Sein forms the western side of the Raz de Sein and is rarely visited since yachts are hell-bent on shooting the Raz. From NW of Tévennec lighthouse approach on a well-marked southerly track; tidal streams are markedly less than in the Raz. The harbour is similar to Molène, but smaller. Walk round the mis-shapen island then enjoy a meal gazing across the Raz to the mainland.
Glénan is equidistant 10M from Loctudy, Bénodet, Port-la-Forêt and Concarneau. It is a fascinating archipelago of rocks, islets and islands and of course home to the world famous sailing school. Above half-tide most yachts can navigate in adequate depths to the various anchorages and moorings. Keep a weather eye lifting because this open-sea anchorage can be rough.
Morbihan begins with Groix where Port Tudy, its sole port, is only 5M SW of Lorient and hence totally overcrowded in high season, when visitors are often turned away. The little harbour has character and the uphill walk to Le Bourg is like climbing up from Braye to St Anne in Alderney. The 4M long island can be circumnavigated on foot in a day. Good luck with finding a berth!
Belle Île is 8M south of the Quiberon peninsula. Le Palais is the principal harbour, notorious for chaotic berthing arrangements and over-crowding. Sauzon in contrast is only 3M northwest and well organized for moorings, anchoring and eating. A good ploy is to make Sauzon your base and cycle into Le Palais, if you must, or around the island. There are several anchorages on the SW side of the island, not least Ster Wenn, a famous, narrow creek 2M west of Sauzon.
Houat and Hoëdic, the Duck and Duckling, are the remains of the Quiberon peninsula as it was a million years ago. The way of life on both islands is peaceful and simple. The basic amenities are available, including good restaurants. Both harbours are small and anchoring outside is usual.The many beaches give good shelter/swimming in most winds. The famous Tréach ar Gourhed crescent-shaped beach at the SE end of Houat attracts over a 100 boats at a summer weekend – not bad for a No Anchoring Area!
The Vendée with red tiles, white walls and hollyhocks is now around us and Noirmoutier is very different from any of the previous islands: flat as a crêpe (highest point 18m amsl), 10M long and connected by bridge to the mainland. At its northern tip L’Herbaudière is a small town with combined fishing port and marina; the latter is bursting at the seams and visitors may be told rather brusquely to raft up six deep on F pontoon. Pray that the vent solaire doesn’t blow.
And so to Yeu a 5M long island, heavily cultivated, but excellent for walking. Port Joinville is the busy fishing, ferry and leisure port on the northern coast. The marina is well run and adept at squeezing yet another yacht in. Additionally the tidally limited and little-used fishing basin, dredged 3.7m, can and is used as an overflow; access approx HW ±3 via a gate. Ferries run to Notre-Dame-de-Monts 10M, and other ports are L’Herbaudière 24M, St Gilles-Croix-de-Vie 16.5M and Les Sables d’Olonne 28M – so it cannot be said that Joinville is fed by any large mainland town/city. The town is animated and has intriguing restaurants tucked away in the back streets. On the south coast there are good anchorages in offshore weather at Port de la Meule and at the Vieux Château.
Charente Maritime features two major islands, Ré 3M WNW of La Rochelle and Oléron 11M SW. Both are connected to the mainland by bridges. On Ré the two main harbours are Ars and St Martin. Ars is the more difficult since the approach is shallow and tidal streams strong; do not be too surprised if you run aground briefly in the inner approach. Both marinas are small and therefore crowded. The town is relaxed and has good bus connections to La Rochelle.
St Martin-en-Ré is not difficult to approach. Use the time to call the HM and request a finger berth – like asking for gold dust, except perhaps midweek in April to June! If no joy you will enter through the tidal gate and raft on the NW side of the basin. In high season the congestion is incredible, but you are here to savour the history and ambience of this well-preserved old port Enjoy!
It is invidious to ask which my favourite island is, but if pressed, I would say Yeu. Au revoir!
West France Cruising Companion by Neville Featherstone out now. £27.99
