For a summer break this year I choose to repeat a previous trip to the channel islands, but if possible to include some of the North Brittany coast. If you plan to sail a dinghy to the Channel Islands and beyond them, Weymouth, Salcombe, Poole and the Western Solent (i.e. Keyhaven or Lymington) are possible departure points, the first two of these giving the shortest passages. All have slipways for launching from trailers. There is about 90 degrees difference between the courses to the islands from these various departure points, and so with a roadworthy boat it is possible to avoid having to do any tacking, whatever the wind direction, and in all probability one can arrange to have a run or reach. The same is true on the return journey but, as I discovered, there may be a little difficulty in getting back to your car and trailer by public transport should you not return to the departure point by boat.

For my outward passage I trailed my boat to Salcombe, arriving at dusk, this choice having been made after listening to the shipping forecast on the car radio as I drove west out of Hampshire. The launching ramp area at Salcombe is floodlit, and after launching I was able to position the car and boat a few feet apart making it easy to load all the equipment into the boat. There always seems to be a huge pile of things to pack away; this time I did not leave much behind but I did take some things which were not used, including a large supply of tinned food, much of which I brought back unopened since there were plenty of opportunities to shop locally.

I did take a Seagull engine and enough petrol for about 100 miles. A reliable engine eliminates delays due to calms, but not those due to excessive wind. An unreliable engine could be worse than no engine. I prefer not to take the engine, but this time I had a deadline for getting back, and since I was crossing the channel it would be complicated and expensive to return by public transport then arrange to get the boat back later. Even so, this is the option that one would have to take if one encountered a prolonged spell of bad weather, and it would have been a good idea to have researched public transport possibilities before leaving.

In the morning I had to spend some time seeking local advice as to the best place to leave the car, and I finally departed about 11-00am. I anchored off the beach near the SW tip of Guernsey at about 09-00am the following day, motoring for the last part of the crossing since it became calm in the early hours of the morning. I had intended to arrive at Guernsey by the Little Russel Channel on the east side, the usual route. However, as I approached the island I decided to seek an anchorage on the west side so as to shorten the next leg of the passage. The point where I anchored was sheltered by the extensive reefs around Les Hanois lighthouse and was used for moorings by local boats. I went ashore and spent the morning sleeping on the beach then went exploring by foot and by rickety bus in the afternoon.

The next day I made an early start for Lézardrieux on the North Brittany coast. The forecast was 1 to 3 westerly and hot and sunny, just about ideal. Unfortunately, about 8 miles south of Guernsey I was stopped by a fishing boat and was told that my boat was suitable only for a river or sheltered harbour and that I definitely should not be where I was — not very reassuring comments. The fishing boat then departed, but it returned later, the skipper having contacted the coastguard by radio. He said the coastguard were very concerned about my safety. They also wanted to know numerous details about who I was and where I was going. I avoided saying that I was going to any particular destination since I was worried that to do so could lead to big problems if I later had to change my plans. After more radio messages and a long delay the fishing boat went on its way. I later found that the police had made searching enquiries to confirm my identity which seemed rather unnecessary.

Anyway, the rest of the day went well and I approached the entrance to the River Trieux with a flood tide which carried me up to an anchorage close to the suspension bridge above Lézardrieux, passing numerous small islands and anchorages as I entered the river. From what I saw of Brittany it seemed to be a beautiful dinghy cruising area; I think there are few places in England which could compare. Scotland also offers rocky islands and inlets too numerous to count, but I hear that the weather is less reliable. I have not done much travelling in recent years and I still find it a novelty to visit a country with a different style and language, even if it is no further from home than Birmingham. An advantage if one were trailing a boat to France is that public launching sites appear to be much more plentiful and better maintained than in the UK. Also, there are municipal campsites which offer washing and laundry facilities for a nominal fee.

Lézardrieux was as far as I had intended to go, and I was there only three days after setting off. Even so, I was a little anxious about getting back, so I allowed only one day to explore around Lézardrieux and to follow the R. Trieux up between steep wooded banks to the head of navigation at Pontrieux which is an interesting old town about ten miles inland. That night I anchored off Ile de Bréhat and was invited to a party on another boat from the UK. The return trip in my undersize inflatable dinghy was a bit frightening — I must get a tender a few inches bigger.

For the next two days I wandered in an easterly direction, close to the shore for most of the way so as to see as much as possible. The coastline is mostly clean sandy beaches and rocky headlands. There are a number of small harbours and plenty of natural anchorages as well as the large port at St. Malo. Even in the holiday season it would be easy to find empty beaches by going to those areas without road access. On reaching the Baie du Mont Saint Michel I left the coast and headed NE towards Regnéville on the Cherbourg peninsula. In doing so I passed the 52 islands of the Chausey archipelago, an area I would have liked to visit, but it seemed time that I should make some progress to the north.

A consolation for missing the Chausey islands was that Regnéville was nicer than expected, a sandy drying estuary and a small unspoilt village sleeping in the sunshine. I arrived at low water and had to anchor a long way out and wait until dusk for the channel to start to fill. I was guided in by the tricolour leading light, using the engine since I had already set the tent on the boom. The white sector of the leading light was very precise: just a few yards one way or the other changed its colour. I spent most of the next day taking a walk ashore then left late on the ebb, tacking against a northerly wind. In this area the coastline was low lying with a continuous sandy beach and a few holiday villages, but no harbour for the night. The chart showed a large drying estuary at St. Germain and I thought that this might be a harbour, but arriving near low water and in the twilight I could find no way in. After some sailing in circles and running aground, I dropped the anchor and had a comfortable night since it fell calm and a spit to seaward gave some protection from the slight swell.

In the morning the breeze returned to the SW, and I sailed quickly to Carteret, a small fishing harbour and seaside resort on the south side of a steep headland. I arrived for lunch, then spent the rest of the day looking around. The next morning I continued north, passing a nuclear power station then stopping for lunch at Dielette, a small harbour protected by a massive breakwater. From here I headed west, crossing the Alderney race, which seemed rougher than on previous occasions, then anchoring near the beach in Braye harbour, Alderney. Unlike the small natural harbour on the south side of Alderney, Braye harbour is patrolled by officials in launches and their attention was unavoidable. They were unhappy about the small size of my boat, and also about the lack of modern equipment, especially VHF radio. I know that their intentions were good, but some of the comments could be rather discouraging. I was also told that I had been lucky not to be stopped by the French coastguard: apparently people had been heavily fined for being in French waters with an unregistered boat. It had not occurred to me that a boat smaller than some yacht tenders would need to be registered, but at least registration through the RYA scheme should be simple and inexpensive.

I spent two days in Alderney, waiting for a forecast blow of wind to arrive and then to pass over. I like the island, and did some walking in the rain, which made a change after a week of beautiful sunshine. I still had plenty of time in hand, but was glad when the wind started to drop and I could prepare for departure at first light the following day. A lot of other boats had a similar plan, and I left harbour in a convoy of homeward bound yachts. I headed for Weymouth, arriving fifteen hours later.