How to navigate with google earth

Looking out across the

anchorage in Fosse aux Cannons

ANCHORAGES

T

hree miles off the Normandy

coast, in the Baie de Seine, lie

two islands – Île du Large and

Île de Terre. Occupied by the

Royal Navy between 1795 and

1802, gun emplacements were established

and manned by seamen and marines

who bombarded French shipping plying

between Le Havre and Barfl eur.

The islands were returned to the French

under the Treaty of Amiens in 1802.

To ensure the British could never again

occupy them, Napoleon I built a massive

fortress on Île du Large with heavy gun

emplacements surrounded by a moat

and a tiny harbour where supplies for the

garrison could be offl oaded.

Nowadays the uninhabited Îles St

Marcouf provide a popular daytime

anchorage. They are just seven miles

south-east of St-Vaast-la-Hougue on the

east side of the Cherbourg peninsula.

Yachts at St Vaast can leave the marina

when the gates open and return fi ve hours

harbour in a dinghy at half-tide or above.

Les Amis de l’Île du Large, who have been

given permission to restore some of the

fortress, discourage landing here, warning

it is dangerous to attempt to explore the

fortress. Keeping our boat at nearby

Carentan, we are still regular visitors. The

last time we were here, there was a rally

of French yachts rafted up together in the

anchorage. Spotting our Red Ensign, their

crews stood up to give us a rousing rendition

of our national anthem, followed by three

cheers for the Queen who had just attended

ceremonies nearby to commemorate the

70th anniversary of D-Day. W

David Jefferson

suggests anchoring

off a great crumbling

granite fortress in the

Baie de Seine, Normandy

later before the gates close, having sailed

over to the islands and perhaps dropped

anchor for a leisurely lunch.

The approaches to the islands are

simpler than charts may suggest. From

the south, shape a course to enter the

Fosse aux Cannons between the two

islands. Approaching from St-Vaast and

the north, identify the south cardinal mark

on a concrete base at the end of Rocher

d’Orvry, which is connected to Île du

Large. Aim to pass midway between Île de

Terre to starboard and the Rocher d’Orvry

mark to port. Anchor in the Fosse aux

Cannons 100m off Île du Large’s shingle

beach. As the tide drops revealing Rocher

d’Orvry, anchored boats are protected

from northerlies and from the current,

which rarely exceeds two knots in the Baie

de Seine. Other anchorages are off the

southern end of Île du Large or off Île de

Terre where landing is strictly forbidden as

it is a bird sanctuary. None of the Marcouf

anchorages are protected from southerlies.

Years ago, having read in a back-issue

of Yachting Monthly that there was 5ft of

water in the postage-stamp sized harbour

at MLWS, I decided to spend the night

here, dropping anchor in the centre of the

harbour and running a stern rope round

the muzzle of an old cannon sunk into the

harbour wall. A restless night involved twice

having to move the boat to avoid settling on

fallen masonry as the tide dropped.

These days you can only enter the

INSET PHOTO: DAVID DAGUIER/CONSEIL DÉPARTEMENTAL DE LA MANCHE. CHART: MAXINE HEATH

58 http://www.yachtingmonthly.com MARCH 2016

ÎLES

ST MARCOUF

Île du

Fort Large

Île de Terre

Rocher

Bastin

Fosse aux Cannons

Rocher

d’Orvry

(^16)
2
3
5
5 10
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10
5
3
3
3
5
(^18)
(^03)
0 500m
Chart not to
be used for
navigation
Main
anchorage
Channel Is.
Cherbourg St-Vaast-la-Hougue
Carentan
ILES ST
MARCOUF
FRANCE
Îles St Marcouf
The fort built by
Napoleon I on
Île du Large
PHOTO: PHILIPPE MOREL