As usual on this part of the coast, time your arrival in the upper half of the tide as the approaches dry well out to sea. The red and white landfall buoy Fosse de Courseulles lies slightly to the west of the breakwaters, the entrance being on a bearing of about 166º from the buoy. There are numerous rocks in the vicinity which present a serious hazard at LW, but so long as you are confident of having enough water to negotiate the entrance, which dries up to 2.6m, you should clear them safely.

In the upper part of the tide the breakwaters cover so the end of the western jetty appears as an isolated white dolphin with a light on it. Leave this to starboard and proceed into the avant port along the marked channel. Visitors’ berths are in the Bassin Joinville straight ahead for which the lock opens HW±2. There are no visitors’ berths in the newer Bassin de l’Ile de Plaisance which opens off the entry channel to starboard.

Courseulles itself is an attractive resort, though when we were last there security in the Bassin Joinville left something to be desired. Best restaurant, for fish lovers, is La Pêcherie (pl. 6 Juin, T 02 31 37 45 84). Boulangerie on the east side of the marina.

Conveniently at hand for arrivals or departures of the crew, from either Courseulles or Dives, is Ouistreham where ferries to Caen arrive from Portsmouth. As well as being a ferry port Ouistreham has a large yacht harbour which, unusually for this part of the world, can be approached, at least as far as the lock into the Caen canal, at all states of the tide (schedules for the lock are on the port website). Peaceful and pleasant in itself, its importance for many will be as a jumping off point for the trip up the canal to Caen. For the convenience of traffic using the bridges, this has to be done in a convoy which travels in either direction three times a day in summer, and twice in winter, pursued by a man in a car with keys to each bridge. In 2008 the departure times at the first bridge were from Ouistreham 1010, 1330 and 1630 and from Caen 0845, 1200 and 1500 (middle convoy omitted October-March). Check times with the Port de Plaisance.

© 2008 Yachtpilot