Also "Riddle of the Sands" might be interesting reading. Many small French
ports close at low tide, so beware. Boulogne, Dieppe, Cherbourg and St Malo are probably big enough not to have this problem. Smaller places like Honfleur and Ouistréham (along with the Channel Islands) might make for more interesting visits, if you can time things right and get in. (The Bayeux Tapestry is really neat, along with the Bayeux Cathedral. The Bishop hired boatbuilders to construct the roof when the carpenters went on strike, so it looks like two upturned boats next to each other.) Oysters are a specialty at Ouistréham, if you like them. Granville might be having problems of some sort right now (dredging, possibly?) based on a thread I saw on a French site. Bon vent!