Passport to MorbihanThe purpose of this article is to enlighten RNSA members who, like me until recently, have never heard of Passeport Escales. To those who already appreciate the many benefits of membership to this organisation, I can only apologise for spreading the word to a wider audience and giving away a well-kept secret!

For the past twenty years my family and I have enjoyed annual cruises across the Channel, along the north coast of France and around the Channel Isles. Unfortunately, for some the “novelty” was wearing thin and after a couple of years of coinciding our trips with bad weather, the prospect of another wet, windy holiday was becoming a hard call. One option was to put our yacht on the market and charter in the Med. However, our experience of Med summer sailing told us that it is too hot for our liking and lacked consistent winds, offering instead either motoring or serious blows. There must be a middle ground, some way to fend off the sad prospect of selling a boat and yet still provide an acceptable, affordable holiday afloat. The criteria were to find a new cruising ground within reasonable reach of Weymouth that offered a better chance of good weather, with new interesting ports to visit that have the potential for palatable food and wine.

Pickle in La Trinite-sur-Mer

Casting our minds back to camping holidays when our children were small on the beautiful coastline of Western Brittany, we decided to look there. It was at last year’s Southampton Boat Show, talking to staff from marinas near Morbihan, that I first heard about Passeport Escales and frankly, it all seemed too good to be true. The essence of the opportunity is that you must be a berth holder in one of the 150 member marinas for the period you wish to cruise. Then you automatically have the opportunity to visit, free of charge, any of the marinas for a duration of two nights, and a maximum of five nights in any given year. Passeport Escales marinas are spread between Belgium and Morocco, but one step at a time!

Our first step was to agree “leave of absence” from our home marina for four summer months, which substantially reduced our annual fee but ensured somewhere to return to after our “deployment”. Next, we examined the options for a “base port” within the Passeport Escales fraternity. That proved quite difficult as many ports we selected were already fully booked. Finally, we chose La Roche Bernard, a port on the Villaine river above the Arzal lock. At this stage we had no idea if we would ever reach this port or whether it was, simply, a ticket to ride to many other marinas.

La Roche Bernard, Brittany

All signed up the day came that we sailed from England and immediately started to enjoy the benefits. Our first port of call was Cherbourg where we could enjoy two “free” nights using our membership card or app without ever visiting our new “home port”. Careful planning and weather permitting it’s possible to proceed West along the French coast without paying for a single night alongside.

Some four weeks and one crew change later, after a leisurely cruise with 12 stopovers, yacht “Pickle” arrived in La Roche Bernard. The pilot says that “many people who find this port never leave” and it is easy to see why. It is a beautiful Bretagne town with a small, very friendly marina on a river to rival the Dart.

The Villaine River at La Roche Bernard

Needless to say, we were not the first RNSA members to find it and the welcome was enhanced by the distinctive pennant and blue ensign that signals drinks aboard at 1830! The French also favour this river as a base stating that the area offers the best sailing on the west coast. They say that south of La Rochelle, particularly, there is limited shelter and more of the swell that the Bay of Biscay is renowned for. The only slight obstacle in the Villaine is the Arzal lock which means entry and exit is limited, a bit like the Town Bridge in Weymouth. However, be mindful of French driving; if you have ever looked for a car in Paris without a scratch you will know what I mean! Fenders!! About fifteen yachts are squeezed in and then, just as you are secured, boat hook at the ready, there’s a shuffle to get in another three!

Arzal Lock at “closing time”!

To the west of the Villaine River (which is about half way between Vannes and Nantes) the coast runs along to the Golfe du Morbihan which, alone, offers sufficient channels and islands to explore for weeks. There are periods of strong tidal steams at the entrance to be avoided but

once inside there is a maze of waterways making for interesting navigation and comfortable anchorages.

Anchorage in Golfe du Morbihan

Further west is the beautiful, unspoilt Quiberon Peninsula with Port Haliguen near the tip and the sailing capital, La Trinite-sur-Mer, close to the top. Together with a string of peaceful islands, including Belle Isle, Houat and Hoedic to the south, the land forms a natural barrier to Atlantic swells creating sheltered waters to the east. Indeed, only when we sailed west of Noirmoutier-en-I’ile and as far south as Les Sables-d’Olonne did we experience periods of swell one might associate with the region. South along the coast, from the Villaine towards the Loire and beyond to Pornic, we found ample ports of interest, most of which were free to visit, thanks to Passeport Escales. Within a comfortable day’s sail, whatever the wind direction, were welcoming harbours with beautiful beaches and Bretagne towns within easy walking distance. We enjoyed the many “poissonneries” as a source of affordable very fresh fish and, of course, the odd bottle of Muscadet at three Euros to wash it down.

Quiberon to Le Croisic

Getting back to sailing, we experienced consistent winds of 12-20 knots, calm seas warm enough to swim in and air temperatures of 25-29 Celsius, perfect for family holiday cruising. Tidal streams are less challenging than on the north Brittany coast as they generally run at a slower rate and in and out from the coast. Heights of tide are still significant and some ports do have an entry sill, so a shallow draft is a benefit. At 12m long with a draft of 1.9m “Pickle” is at the upper end of the size we would recommend. Pontoons tend to be short and space in between the fingers quite tight. However, the marina staff are very helpful and obliging; although pre-booking a berth is not possible, they go out of their way to find space and squeeze you in. August was, as expected, the busiest month but, even then, we were never turned away. Ile d’Yeu on a festival night was a lesson in marina “parking”. I thought we would never get out but it was all very orderly the next morning!

Pickle in the middle

We share “Pickle” with another owner who sails under the red Ensign. Between us this summer we enjoyed over twelve weeks cruising including the transit time to and from west France. The saving from being a berth holder in France, rather than England for four months, contributed towards the costs of travel by plane to Nantes or by road via a ferry when we changed crew. The free nights, thanks to Passeport Escales membership, helped towards restaurants, bike hire and other luxuries. It was, unquestionably, the most enjoyable sailing season we have ever experienced; my hard-pressed “Number 1 Favourite Crew” (and wife) Alison would even agree with that! It is easy to see why some British never leave and take annual berths. For us it was an experiment and we always intended to return. We planned this year’s trip amidst the potential implications of Brexit on our sailing plans and now we are home to face the same uncertainty before we decide where we venture next year.

Ian Walker