Basically a large group of rocks 10 miles off the French coast, the Îles Chausey are like no other cruising destination. At HW they consist of a small rocky island on which stand a lighthouse, a few windswept houses and a café, hotel and restaurant (this being France). At LW, yachts which have made it to the bay lie marooned in a pool of water while rocks extend for about as far as the eye can see in a weird and beautiful landscape.

The main entry to the anchorage on the Grande Île is from the south and this is the only practicable route for first timers. There is a buoyed “north-west passage” which the intrepid may use if leaving for the north, but the sight of this causeway of sand and rock at LW is likely to give the average yachtsman pause for thought.

Approaches from the east, south and west are relatively straightforward. From the north-west, give the Plateau des Minquiers a wide berth by rounding the NE Minquiers east cardinal buoy leaving that to starboard and then run south before closing with the island. Leave the south cardinal beacon La Cancalaise to port and round the headland into the bay while observing the navigation marks. Access is possible at most states of the tide except for an hour or so around LW.

A number of buoys are available in the bay, maintained by the yacht club at Granville, and the best option is to find one of these, if necessary rafting up with other vessels. If you choose to anchor, do your sums carefully to make sure you will stay afloat when the water level drops. The bay is reasonably well protected from the west but can be quite choppy, particularly if you intend to go ashore in the dinghy as you certainly should even if you decide not to sample the restaurant (though this is reputed to be quite satisfactory). Walks on the island give you a fascinating panorama of the rocky archipelago, though these days the place can be quite busy in season as the vedettes unload their cargos of day trippers from the mainland.

© 2008 Yachtpilot