Horray anchor question :-) Tidal water. Falling a-dry.

[sailorF54]

Well, after reading this post, I've suddenly become aware how dangerous it has been to anchor for 25 years in North and Southern Britanny.
"Bottom is very often rock strewn with sand patches."
Get the Imray Guide (I suppose you cannot read French) and you'll find out that all recommended anchor spots are sand only; famous ones include the Glenans islands, Houat, Camaret... (North Britanny has fewer such spots)
Letting your boat go dry is a day only business (actually, boats with a lifting keel are becoming scarce these days). Anyway, in many places, you have to anchor well off the beach (i.e. outside the swimming area that is marked off with yellow buoys).
So most people will select a non drying spot. It is true that you have to pay out a large amount of rode. But if you pick up a spot which is (say) 12 m deep at high tide, a 3 to 1 ratio is adequate (a 5/7 to 1 ratio is mandatory only when you anchor in a shallow spot. Be aware that a typical French sailor will carry about 50 m of chain on boats from 10 m LOA upwards, plus a fair length of nylon just in case)
Unless the wind is wild, most of your chain will be snaking on the bottom and with the night breeze (that runs opposite to the frequent summer sea breeze), your turning circle will be MUCH less than the amount of rode you have paid out. If the weather is forecast to become nasty, there are a large number of marinas ready to welcome you, most of them able to accommodate multihulls (give a phone call or send a text message to make sure). Some places have sheltered mooring buoys.
Britanny is a lovely sailing area, but it gets crowded in July and August.
Bonne navigation à vous !!!

[Franziska]

@sailorF54.

C'est ma première visite en bateaux en Normandie.
Je vous remercie beaucoup pour vos informations détaillées!
En fait il y a plus des régions avec des cajoux sur sable autour Jersey, Guernsey... Non?
C'est l'impression mes cartes ma donné.

A+

Franziska


www.ladyrover.jimdo.com

[Pete7]

The one thing you should take is a good set of up to day pilot books. Mine are a bit out of date, so I treat with caution. Indeed just bought Brian Navin's Cruising Guide to the Netherlands 4th Editon out of interest. However, if / when we go I will buy the latest version.

I suspect your problem will be that since there are some many fabulous places to stay you will have to miss some of them out. You could spend a week in the Gulf of Morbian easily.

Pete

[SailFastTri]

Pleneuf-Val-Andre -- Note that there is an area in the background that is dredged and does not dry out. Areas that dry out have moorings, no place to anchor. The boats that dry out are either equipped with stilts for support, or have design features to allow them to settle upright.

48.581144, -2.572432

[Franziska]

Hey Sailfast,

Is one free to take one of these moorings for a day or two or are they destined for specific boats?
My boat is two legged (=cat) so I have no issues falling a-dry.

www.ladyrover.jimdo.com

[SailFastTri]

Originally Posted by Franziska

Hey Sailfast,

Is one free to take one of these moorings for a day or two or are they destined for specific boats?
My boat is two legged (=cat) so I have no issues falling a-dry.

www.ladyrover.jimdo.com

Sorry I don't know.

[valhalla360]

Assuming you are truly in the original situation (rocky bottom that dries out) and you can't go elsewhere...the logical thing to do is not take an 6-8hr nap. Post an anchor watch or at least have an alarm every hour or two and go check on the situation adjusting as conditions warrant.

[secrabtree]

A friend had a picture of his Catalina 22 with the bow hanging from a tree and the boat at about a 30° angle. He had tied to a tree and went to sleep in The San Juan Islands.

[deblen]

Current,local knowledge, is the only trust worthy info. to use for grounding in tidal areas.
Someone could have parked their vehicle the day before (it happens),or left other culch.

If you don't have trustworthy,recent local knowledge,plan to use short scope bow & stern anchors & stay awake or to anchor offshore & dinghy in to inspect bottom next tide.

Len

[Hydra]

In a distant past, I had a pocket cruiser with 0.5m draught when the centerboard was up. I remember drying for the night in Cancale, Rothéneuf, Dinard, Le Champ du Port, Saint-Cast, Bréhat, Port-Blanc, Ploumanac'h, île de Batz... We never experienced any problem when taking the ground. We were very careful in selecting the anchoring place, looking carefully at the chart and sounding with leadline to feel the bottom. Sometimes, we set 2 anchors to prevent the boat from swinging.

The only problem we had was in Perros-Guirec port because the foot of the quay wall was uneven and the boat moved, spilling some red wine...

Some pilot books provide good, detailed information about anchorages. In France, I use the "Pilotes Côtiers": Pilote Côtier : Guides de navigation pour les plaisanciers
Sometimes, it help to talk with the local people (it isn't necessary any more to learn the Breton language).

Alain

[foufou]

Local knowledge X3. I have sailed out of Saint Malo, a beautiful rock infested harbor where my grandmother lived. Yet just around the corner to the east is Roteneuf, a small sandy bay where the boats are on the sand ay low tide. Barry a pebble in sight. No doubt more of these along the coast