Blog
Guides, tips, and destinations for boaters
La Rochelle: The Visitor's Complete Guide
A visiting cruiser's guide to La Rochelle: Port des Minimes berths and fees, the Vieux Port, VHF channels, the approach and where to actually want to tie up.
Read more →Wildlife-Friendly Cruising: Keeping Your Distance
Dolphins ride your bow and seals haul out on Atlantic islands. Here is how to watch wildlife from a boat in France without harming it, and the legal distances.
Read more →Ile d'Oleron and the Pertuis
Sailing Ile d'Oleron: the safe Antioche approach, the dangerous Maumusson passage, Boyardville and Le Chateau harbours, Fort Boyard and timing the tides.
Read more →Ile de Re by Boat: Anchorages and Harbours
Sailing Ile de Re: Saint-Martin, La Flotte and Ars-en-Re harbours, the tidal gates, anchoring off Saint-Martin, the bridge clearance and how to time the tides.
Read more →Crossing the Bay of Biscay: The Small-Boat Strategy
How to cross the Bay of Biscay on a small cruising yacht: distances, weather windows, the shelf-edge sea state, route choices and what I learned doing it twice.
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