Adventure Summary

Probably our favourite of the Breton festivals. It’s not too big and not too small, but just right. There’s plenty to see and do but it’s possible to meander from one side of the fete to the other in just an hour or two. The organisers seem to have a knack of conjouring up the unusual – with everything from skeletal roundabouts to steam-punk camels having graced previous years – and with 2019 being the 30th anniversary of the first ever Chant de Marin we eagerly await the next fruits of their oh so endearing madness.

Underlying all of this however is a great festival of world music, combined with a love of tradtional sea craft of all shapes and sizes. There’ll be tall ships, small ships, cutters, luggers, and sculling aplenty while the 5 music stages pump out everything from celtic punk to traditional shanty singing and roaming drum and pipe bands ensure that never a moment goes by that you have nothing to listen to. It really is quite an assault on the senses.

Departing from Falmouth will enable us to run the entire length of Northern Brittany’s famous “Cote de Granit Rose” (Pink Granite Coast) – a stunning cruising ground that mixes tree-lined rivers with rock strewn entrances and intriguing off-lying islands – dotted with bustling harbour towns and villages. Upon leaving Paimpol we’ll head up through the Channel Islands, another sailing paradise before crossing back to blighty and our beautiful home port of Bucklers Hard on the Beaulieu River.

This trip will undoubtedly be a highpoint in our schedule this year and we can’t wait to cast off our lines and get underway!

Itinerary

You’ll be joining us in Falmouth on the Sunday night. We normally meet up to enjoy a meal at the Chain Locker & Shipwrights – a bit of a local institution and known to Team Topsail as “The Falmouth Office”.

With food and introductions complete we’ll move to the boat where you’ll find yourself a bunk, stow your gear and have a look around. Before we head to our bunks we’ll have a chat about plans for the following day and the week ahead.

The exact route will depend on weather and tides but we’ll probably aim to start by heading south from Falmouth to Roscoff and then run along the North Brittany coast from Morlaix, past les Sept Iles, Treguier and Lezardrieux to Paimpol, stopping along the way in the delightful towns and anchorages that dot this stunning coastline.

Upon leaving Paimpol we’ll be heading north and east probably via Guernsey and Sark and maybe even dropping into Alderney or Cherbourg before crossing back to the UK and our home on the Beaulieu River. The route takes in much of the best coastline in the Western Channel as well as two channel crossings, and a transit of the infamous Alderney Race where tides can run at over 7 kts.

We’ll be back on the Beaulieu River by early afternoon on Saturday, giving us time to pack up, clean the boat and head over to the Master Builders for a farewell drink before heading home.