Jill tells me this grammar is not correct, but I wanted to try out the French keyboard.
Left Jersey Tuesday morning. Our intention had been to go to St Malo, Brittany, but several people had given us good reports of a new marina at St.Cast 10miles to the west, so we headed there instead. Unlike St Malo / St Servan, which have some tidal restrictions St Cast is accessible 24 hours a day, making passage planning a little easier.
As expected we set off in bright sunshine and managed to sail for the first hour, after which the wind died and once again we were motoring on a dead flat sea.
Arrived at St Cast late in the afternoon. The marina is so new it is not shown on any charts, but we had been given a marina leaflet by Peter and Rosemary back in Jersey. An update to Reeds Almanac has a small chartlet of the marina, but when I entered the Lat./ Long. of the entrance from this into the chart plotter it showed as being on dry land. We headed, parallel to the shore, towards the inner end of the new sea wall where the harbour entrance is shown, but ran into a forest of lobster pot markers. Eventually found the channel which runs along the harbour wall. Even at low tide the water level was OK, so I think the main reason for the channel buoys is to show a path through the forest. The Reeds entrance appeared to be in the right place and we were still floating, so the chart plotter needs updating for the new marina.
We had been overtaken mid- passage by “Friendship” and this was safely alongside when we arrived.
Once inside, the marina is very pleasant, with wide pontoons and fingers, unlike some in France which act like springboards ready to catapult you into the water when stepped on.
The shore facilities are a bit primitive, with showers in portacabins, but there’s a lot of activity trying to get the new facility block open for the main French holiday. The marina is already popular with English visitors.
Apart from a few large fishing boats and some sail and power yachts the marina is full of small private French fishing boats (15-20 ft). Everyone in the town must own one and at least 2 lobster pots.
St Cast itself is a pleasant, relaxed small town with a few shops and a fair number of places to eat mainly crèperies and snack bars. Savoury gallettes and Brittany cidre for lunch, followed by a long walk along the very pleasant beach .
Some very rowdy French teenagers on the boat two down from us, our neighbour thought they’d been smoking funny tobacco. We were expecting a noisy night, but didn’t hear a peep from them, unlike the elderly English crowd on the boat the other side, who partied until late and left early the next morning.
Spent two nights in St. Cast then headed off to St Quay-Portrieux about 30 miles to the west. We had intended to go to Binic which we visited last year, but times of lock opening at high water made this very inconvenient. St Quay is accessible at all states of the tide, it’s also half price for Mylor YH based boats ( as is St Helier marina).
Journey was uneventful, no wind, flat calm and clear, engine again. Last time we travelled along this coast it had been wet, windy and murky. This time the coast was bright and clear and we hd a very good view of the impressive Fort La Latte on Cap Frehel, known the world over since they named a coffee after it.
A direct passage to St Quay is not possible because of the large numbers of rocky outcrops along the coast and in the bay. Instead a course along channels between the rocks is followed, not particularly tricky with GPS and there are numerous buoys along the way to help navigation. About an hour from St Quay the wind sprang up and we managed to sail the last few miles.
St Quay marina proved pleasant enough, but like many large ones, a little soulless. Facilities are very good and there are a number of bars, cafes and restaurants on the quayside.
We were pleasantly surprised by the two towns of St Quay and Pontrieux, separated by a headland, but joined as one inland. In the morning we walked round the headland from one to the other. For a change the weather was cool, cloudy and windy, it rained heavily later in the day. There was a l
ocal market taking place at St Quay, food was all good quality but expensive. One stall was selling hats, out of curiosity I asked the price of an Australian Kangaroo skin one. The stallholder must have thought I looked dim and quoted €75. I hopped away quick.St. Quay
Pontrieux old harbour.
The new marina is to the left
Back in the marina in the afternoon a kayaker, Ash Jeyes, paddled up the pontoon and asked if I knew of a beach nearby. Turned out he was paddling from Guernsey to Bilbao to raise money for Help for Heroes.He’d paddled across from Jersey and slept in a hut on the Minquiers, an uninhabited outcrop of rock midway. The 30 miles along the coast to St Quay must have been pretty tough because he’d been paddling against a force 4/5. He came onboard for a coffee and bite to eat before paddling off again to find a beach with a bar where he could pitch his bivouac. His blog is “seakayakchallange.com”.
Several French boats have come into the pontoons employing the “Calais moor” technique, I first saw when working there. You drive along the finger at great speed, the bows ride up the pontoon at the end and as the boat slides backwards into the water you nonchalantly step off the boat and tie up. Saves any messing about being blown off the pontoon.
Had dinner in one of the quayside reataurants, Quay 911. Food and service excellent, price reasonable since Jill still having to pay for everything.
Tomorrow is Saturday and the marina is very full.
Saturday dawned bright clear and already warm. We walked from St Quay to Binic along the coast path. I don’t have a map so measured the distance on the chart at about 3NM’s. Allowing for bays, inlets and climbing up and down, like on a Cornish coast path, it was probably twice this distance and took us the best part of 3 very hot hours. Had lunch then caught the bus back to St Cast.
Jill at the start of the walk in Pontrieux
Near the end with Binic in the background. Jill says she's still smiling -just.
While in Binic we came across our French “neighbours” from St Quay moored in the harbour. They had told Jill, when they left in the morning, they were off for a day sail to Binic and would be back later. They hadn’t realised that the harbour gate at Binic closes just after high tide and doesn’t open until just before the next high tide. They were lock in Binic until 9.00pm so we should expect them back about 10ish. Jill carried out all conversations with them in French since they don’t speak any English.
Tomorrow we are heading 35miles further west to Tréguier.
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