A four day cruise on the Rade de Brest, with three nights sleeping aboard the dinghy under canvas. Brittany, summer 2019. The French word “Rade” means “Roads…
A four day cruise on the Rade de Brest, with three nights sleeping aboard the dinghy under canvas. Brittany, summer 2019. The French word “Rade” means “Roadstead” or “Roads” in English, as in Carrick Roads. “Balade” means to go on an excursion or to wander. So “Balade dans la rade” means “A wander in the Roads”. Erratum: It should be Hôpital-Camfrout – my bad typing missed out the ‘R”.
Visiting the Rade de Brest
The area is an hour’s drive south of Roscoff ferry port, to which there are daily ferries from Plymouth most of the year. https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk There is a camping site overlooking the water where we launched at Lanvéoc, on the peaceful Crozon Peninsula. This would be an ideal base for exploring the Rade de Brest in a dinghy, if you do not have the facilities to sleep aboard. https://www.camping-cap-ouest.com The Fédération Voile-Aviron organises various “sail and oar” rallies in France, and publishes a number of very useful navigation guides for small boats, which can be downloaded from the website. https://voileaviron.org
Buying a boat like mine
My dinghy is an adapted Ilur designed by François Vivier, and built of clinker plywood by les Charpentiers Reunis of Cancale in 1994. Although rare in Britain, Ilurs are quite common in France. http://www.vivierboats.com/en/ Similar dinghies can often be found for sale in the French magazine le Chasse-Marée. https://www.chasse-maree.com/revue/
The vexed question of my mainsheet
Many viewers have suggested I fit a rope horse, rather than unhooking the mainsheet on each tack. A horse does not work on a boomless sail though. It tends to hook the leech into the centre line. My rig is pretty much how a traditional inshore fishing boat would have been rigged. Yes it has disadvantages, but also numerous advantages, which is why fishermen stuck with it until engines came along.
More information
Read my book, the Dinghy Cruising Companion https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinghy-Cruising-Companion-Roger-Barnes/dp/1408179164 Join the Dinghy Cruising Association http://dinghycruising.org.uk/
Music
Easy Seas – Chris Haugen Missing my Girl – The 126ers Front Porch Blues – Chris Haugen Lazy Day – iMovie library
Balade dans la rade
A four day cruise on the Rade de Brest, with three nights sleeping aboard the dinghy under canvas. Brittany, summer 2019. The French word “Rade” means “Roads…
Description
A four day cruise on the Rade de Brest, with three nights sleeping aboard the dinghy under canvas. Brittany, summer 2019.
The French word “Rade” means “Roadstead” or “Roads” in English, as in Carrick Roads. “Balade” means to go on an excursion or to wander. So “Balade dans la rade” means “A wander in the Roads”.
Erratum: It should be Hôpital-Camfrout – my bad typing missed out the ‘R”.
Visiting the Rade de Brest
The area is an hour’s drive south of Roscoff ferry port, to which there are daily ferries from Plymouth most of the year. https://www.brittany-ferries.co.uk
There is a camping site overlooking the water where we launched at Lanvéoc, on the peaceful Crozon Peninsula. This would be an ideal base for exploring the Rade de Brest in a dinghy, if you do not have the facilities to sleep aboard. https://www.camping-cap-ouest.com
The Fédération Voile-Aviron organises various “sail and oar” rallies in France, and publishes a number of very useful navigation guides for small boats, which can be downloaded from the website. https://voileaviron.org
Buying a boat like mine
My dinghy is an adapted Ilur designed by François Vivier, and built of clinker plywood by les Charpentiers Reunis of Cancale in 1994. Although rare in Britain, Ilurs are quite common in France. http://www.vivierboats.com/en/ Similar dinghies can often be found for sale in the French magazine le Chasse-Marée. https://www.chasse-maree.com/revue/
The vexed question of my mainsheet
Many viewers have suggested I fit a rope horse, rather than unhooking the mainsheet on each tack. A horse does not work on a boomless sail though. It tends to hook the leech into the centre line. My rig is pretty much how a traditional inshore fishing boat would have been rigged. Yes it has disadvantages, but also numerous advantages, which is why fishermen stuck with it until engines came along.
More information
Read my book, the Dinghy Cruising Companion https://www.amazon.co.uk/Dinghy-Cruising-Companion-Roger-Barnes/dp/1408179164
Join the Dinghy Cruising Association http://dinghycruising.org.uk/
Music
Easy Seas – Chris Haugen
Missing my Girl – The 126ers Front
Porch Blues – Chris Haugen
Lazy Day – iMovie library
Related products
Video
ile Maurice: Bons Baisers De l’ile Maurice
Video
Aquarius Reef Base | JONATHAN BIRD’S BLUE WORLD
Video
Yap Manta Rays (HD) | JONATHAN BIRD’S BLUE WORLD
Video
Bottom-Dwelling Sharks | JONATHAN BIRD’S BLUE WORLD