Adventure Cruises

Gosport - Normandy Coast 17th - 25th July 2027

We have decided to leave the details of this trip a little open for whoever books, this coast line is fabulous whether you start at Alderney, Cherbourg (for passport stamping) or St Vaast and sail the bay of the landings or you go as far east as Dieppe which having visited in 2024 was definitely worth the trip with some great sailing. I have not included all the possible desitinations but that is the beauty of our trips, the crew get to decide where we go, weather and tide considered.

Alderney

You can't not love Braye harbour with it's lovely beach and great restaurants. Alderney has a fascinating history having been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Explore the best preserved small Roman Fort in Europe and try and find the the eighteen forts and batteries that were built to try and protect Alderney from invasion by the French. In later times Alderney was held by Germany during WWII and it's entire population were evacuated. Some great coastal walks to be had around the Island.

Cherbourg

Having visited Cherbourg again this year which I have not done for some time I have decided I do like the town and there was a fantastic music festival going on when we visited. Given the passport stamping requirements it is probably a good starting point and the marina is all tide all weather.

St Vaast

Another one of my favourites, lovely little town and if you like oysters you cannot miss this one out, watch the locals harvesting muscles and oysters at low water and seeing the flatbed trucks rushing through the town to deliver the freshest oysters you will probably have.

Dieppe

I read that the harbour, as with many along this coast, is pretty central to the town enabling great exploring without having to walk miles. Dieppe was apparently the birth place of the Thomas Cook package holiday, that aside, the likes of Oscar Wilde and Whistler were known to frequent this lovely town. 

Saint-Valery-en-Caux

Unlike Dieppe, the entry to Saint-Valery-en-Caux is slightly more complex with a drying approach channel of -2.5 so we need to get our calcs correct to be able to get in. Again the marina is central to the town which was destroyed in the allied retreat of 1940, left standing however is a house which used to belong to Henry IV. I have to say having visited in 2024 I was not overly impressed but it remains an option.

Fecamp

Sailing along this coastline, at least from the pictures, it is very reminiscent of sailing past The Seven Sisters or the White Cliffs of Dover, it becomes clear the land masses split some millions of years ago. We visited Fecamp this year which has a Benedictine Abbey famed for being the fountainhead of the Benedictine liqueur, it has the fabulous Benedictine Palace dedicated to the origins and development of the liquer.

Honfleur (possible visit)

Timings are everything to get into Honfleur, the tide runs fast out of the Seine and we need to be going in on the flood. Honfleur is one of the prettiest places I have visited on a boat. Quite a lively little town with some great independent arts and crafts shops as well as plenty of choices of restaurant.

Gosport - The Scilly Isles inc Jurassic Coast and West County 31st July - 8th Aug 2027

The aim will be to get to the Isles of Scilly, but this will be largely dependant on weather.

Weymouth / Portland 

A lovely coastal holiday town along the south coast you can moor up along the town quay wall on the starboard side as you enter and are in the heart of the town. Alternatively you can go into the marina but this is a bit out of town and you have to wait for the lifting bridge to get in and out. 

Dartmouth

The entry into Dartmouth is stunning with little castles on the cliff edge, you can try and get alongside at the end of the ferry harbour, this is definitely the best place to be to access the town. Mooring buoys are also available but with the speed of the tide I would suggest a tender is not an option. Premier Marina's have invested a great deal of money on a marina further up river but it is a bit out of town. 

Salcombe

Again a lovely entry to the river with some interesting building either side. I have not stayed here but understand it to be a very pretty spot. The options are anchoring or picking up a visitors moorning buoy.

Falmouth

A pretty cornish town with a vibrant high street, here you have the choice of a mooring buoy or a marina further in.

Isles of Scilly

The Isles of Scilly offer spectacular, crystal-clear cruising 21 miles west of Land's End, but demand strict visual navigation, careful tidal planning, and daylight approaches due to thousands of jagged granite ledges and hundreds of historic shipwrecks. Beautiful climate and flora in abundance.

Gosport - St Malo via The Channel Islands (Bookable as a group on dates of your choice)

The beautiful walled city of St Malo is the first destination so a substantial sail (weather dependant) to get down there and then time to relax and walk the walls of the city and try some of the excellent restaurants. The aim is to get into the Basin Vauban and the marina there but the lock has very specific times, if you don't make it on arrival day there is another marina in which you can overnight with the aim of moving the following day. On the way back there are options to do the Brittany coast or the Channel Islands, I have to say that the Channel Islands would be my preference as I was quite disappointed with the available ports on the Brittany coast a few years ago. 

Îlses de Chausey

This was the highlight of a trip in 2021. Spectactularily beautiful achorage amongst the archipeligo of islands, islets and rocks.  There are 52 islets at high tide and 365 at l

ow!

Dielette
A popular harbour with a town that has seen many changes throughout its long history, it's more recent investment has been improving the towns leisure offer.

Granville
Having read Mr Cunliffe's description of Granville I was very much looking forward to visiting in 2021, sadly I was not overly impressed, there are some nice parts but I have to say the towns on the Normandy are far prettier. 

St Malo
Again a beautiful walled city with small cobbled streets and a view over towards Jersey. You can walk the whole city wall, look out at sea or down into the town. Visit the many artisan shops or spend some time on the beach. Interesting navigation through the second largest lock I have ever been through, the larget so far being at Ouistreham.

Guernsey
Definately a favourite of ours in the Channel Islands, lots of things to see and historical places to visit, good food and shopping if this is your thing. No longer dependant on tides to get into the marina as the external pontoons are now all walk ashore.

Sark
A lovely little Island with some great anchorages on the south coast, opportunities for early swims, get ashore with the tender and explore. There are no cars allowed on Sark or Little Sark, bicycles are available to hire if you wanted to check out the whole island. Sark has an interesting history which is explained in the museum.

Alderney
Another great Island to explore and a good staging post for the return trip to Gosport. Enter Braye Harbour which has a lovely beach and some fantastic restaurants near the harbour. The local Yacht Club is very welcoming to visiting sailors. Again an island with loads of history and some great coastal walks to discover some of the German built bunkers. Occupation of Alderney dates back to the Neolithic period so much to learn and explore.

Gosport - The Isles of Scilly 7th - 15th September 2024

It cannot be denied this is a great destination but due to weather can at times be difficult to reach but the skipper for this one, Sean, is confident he can make it. Depending on weather the decision may be to try and just make it in a oner, this would not be for the faint hearted but give great experience of running a proper watch system and getting in a distance sail. The crew will obviously have a say in how the trip goes and you may wish to opt for a stop en route. Potential places to be visited either on the way there or the way back will be decided as a crew but are potentially as follows:

Weymouth / Portland

A lovely coastal holiday town along the south coast you can moor up along the town quay wall on the starboard side as you enter and are in the heart of the town. Alternatively you can go into the marina but this is a bit out of town and you have to wait for the lifting bridge to get in and out.

Dartmouth

The entry into Dartmouth is stunning with little castles on the cliff edge, you can try and get alongside at the end of the ferry harbour, this is definitely the best place to be to access the town. Mooring buoys are also available but with the speed of the tide I would suggest a tender is not an option. Premier Marina's have invested a great deal of money on a marina further up river but it is a bot out of town.

Salcombe

Again a lovely entry to the river with some interesting building either side. I have not stayed here but understand it to be a very pretty spot. The options are anchoring or picking up a visitors moorning buoy.

Falmouth

A pretty cornish town with a vibrant high street, here you have the choice of a mooring buoy or a marina further in.

The Isles os Scilly

So many choices here to pick up a mooring buoy or anchor in between the islands. St Mary's is the main harbour but this is just mooring buoys and the visitor's are the furthest away from the jetty, this is a decent tender row away. The Islands of Tresco, Bryher and St Martin's are also there to explore and are beautiful, everyone on Tresco seems to drive around in a green van with their name as the registration, you feel as if you already know 'Chris' and 'Dave'.