CRUISINGDOUARNENEZ
The visitors’ pontoons are inside on the west bank, opposite
Tristan and a drying spit linking it to the mainland. Just
upstream is Tréboul marina, mostly for local boats.
Behind the quays, Tréboul has plenty of shops and bistros,
with lively Wednesday and Saturday markets. Douarnenez is
separated from Tréboul by a long basin with another marina
at its head. You can lock into this basin two hours either side
of HW. This old river port houses a superb maritime museum,
the Port-Musée, where you can visit a stylish exhibition building
and wander round old vessels moored alongside the museum.
To reach this area, take a leisurely stroll around Tréboul harbour
and cross a pedestrian bridge to the east bank.
Douarnenez was famous as a sardine port and hundreds of
tan-sailed luggers once packed the quays in the old fi shing
harbour at Rosmeur, which is timelessly Breton with its tall
houses, old-fashioned shutters and garret windows in steep
pitched roofs. The whiff of drying seaweed blends with
mouthwatering restaurant aromas and a kind of nostalgia hangs
over the ancient cobbles, as if Rosmeur was still waiting for the
sails of the sardine fl eet to appear round the point.
ACROSS TO MORGAT
On a still morning, the 10-mile passage to Morgat feels a bit
like the Gulf of St Tropez. Rather than cut across directly, follow
the coastline around, skirting the gleaming east coast beaches
before curving west past a string of low headlands and small
bays. The views are stunning, particularly towards the profi le of
one of Brittany’s highest hills, Menez-Hom. In northerly winds,
there’s a lovely anchorage under the promontory of Île de L’Aber.
Morgat marina lies behind a breakwater in the north-west
corner of the bay. The approaches are shallow and, though the
channel is supposed to be dredged to 1.5m, I like to enter with a
good two hours rise of tide. Make for the reception pontoon near
the capitainerie, but afterwards you can usually arrange for a
fi nger berth. Morgat is a genteel resort with acres of white sandy
beach, ideal for a young family. The marina is set nicely away
from the seafront below a headland of pines. The pontoons have
open views and it’s a short walk to the bistros on the promenade.The sheltered inner
harbour at DouarnenezCanal archictecture doesn’t
get any grander than the
Guily-Glaz lock and viaductOuessant Le
Stiff lighthouse is a
distinctive landmarkTIDES AROUND L’IROISE
The main expanses of L’Iroise have
quite weak tides and it’s only in
restricted channels that currents are
swift. The Chenal du Four has strong
spring streams, although fast boats
can push them if necessary. The narrow
Goulet de Brest gets up to six knots,
creating rough conditions with a wind
over tide. The Toulinguet Passage west
of Camaret has a bit of stream at its
north end, but is otherwise docile.