Sailing Adventures 2024, all destinations are now decided. The first cruise in June will head east and across to Dieppe and Fecamp then round to Honfleur and see where we go from there. The cruises July into August will be going to The Channel Islands and the other to St Malo via The Channel Islands. Finally in September we will be heading towards The Isles of Scilly. We are also thinking of putting a boat up on the west coast of Scotland for the summer 2024 and would be very grateful if you could contact us should that be of interest to you.
The map below shows the routes and all potential destinations, this map is interactive and shows distances of legs and information about each destination, take a look.
Our Adventure Cruises are a great way to build some miles whilst sailing in some fantastic waters, there will be opportunties to skipper legs if you would like and to do some interesting pilotage. Alternatively you could just come along for the ride, relax, take in the sun and the views and get a bit of sailing under your belt.
Trip costs include all food on board, mooring fees, diesel and use of waterproofs.
To view the details of the cruise see the tabs below or explore the map - click on the menu icon i
n the top left corner of the map screen and select your area of interest. You can explore the ports, harbours and routes by clicking on the pins and lines. We have added some pictures and a bit of an outline about each place we visit. If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 02392 528019.
Destination Guide
- 4. Gosport - East Normandy Coast
- 1. Gosport - Channel Islands
- 3. Gosport to St Malo and The Channel Islands
- 2. Gosport - The Isles of Scilly
Skipper - Lou. I am excited to venture to places new for me, my intention is to slip early doors on the morning of Saturday 22nd June and head straight for Dieppe. It will be my first visit to a number of the harbours along this coastline so the information below for the majority is what I have gleaned from various sailing publications and of course good old google.
Dieppe
I read that the harbour, as with many along this coast, is pretty central to the town enabling great exploring without having to walk miles. Dieppe was apparently the birth place of the Thomas Cook package holiday, that aside the likes of Oscar Wilde and Whistler were known to frequent this lovely town. I look forward to learning more about it.
Saint-Valery-en-Caux
Unlike Dieppe, the entry to Saint-Valery-en-Caux is slightly more complex with a drying approach channel of -2.5 so we need to get our calcs correct to be abl to get in. Again the marina is central to the town which was destroyed in the allied retreat of 1940, left standing however is a house which used to belong to Henry IV.
Fecamp
Sailing along this coastline, at least from the pictures, it is very reminiscent of sailing past The Seven Sisters or the White Cliffs of Dover, it becomes clear the land masses split some millions of years ago. I am excited to visit Fecamp which is has a Benedictine Abbey famed for being the fountainhead of the Benedictine liqueur, I do like the architecture of an Abbey.
Honfleur
Timings are everything to get into Honfleur, the tide runs fast out of the Seine and we need to be going in on the flood. Honfleur is one of the prettiest places I have visited on a boat. Quite a lively little town with some great independent arts and crafts shops as well as plenty of choices of restaurant.
Alderney
You can't not love Braye harbour with it's lovely beach and great restaurants. Alderney has a fascinating history having been inhabited since the Neolithic period. Explore the best preserved small Roman Fort in Europe and try and find the the eighteen forts and batteries that were built to try and protect Alderney from invasion by the French. In later times Alderney was held by Germany during WWII and it's entire population were evacuated. Some great coastal walks to be had around the Island.
Sark
Sark is the smallest of the four main Channel Islands and has some lovely anchorages on the south end of the island. Anchoring overnight allows for a nice early morning dip then an explore of the Island. Sark is joined to Little Sark and no cars are allowed but if you want to explore both of the islands bikes are available for hire.
Herm
Herm is only 1.5 miles long north to south and less than 0.5 miles east to west. It is a pretty little island with a beach formed solely of shells. The only harbour services visitor ferries from Guernsey although there are some mooring buoys available to the south west of the island.
Jersey
The largest and perhaps most well known of the Channel Islands, not particularly my favourite as the only marina is on the south side and seems to be in a very industrial area of the island. I am no expert though and perhaps it's worth taking a local bus to find the real charm that Jersey is supposed to offer.
Guernsey
Definitely my preferred larger island, St Peter Port can now be accessed at all times of tide with a considerable number of walk ashore pontoons outside the marina itself. A great town with plenty of restaurants and shops if that is your thing.
The beautiful walled city of St Malo is the first destination so a substantial sail (weather dependant) to get down there and then time to relax and walk the walls of the city and try some of the excellent restaurants. The aim is to get into the Basin Vauban and the marina there but the lock has very specific times, if you don't make it on arrival day there is another marina in which you can overnight with the aim of moving the following day. On the way back there are options to do the Brittany coast or the Channel Islands, I have to say that the Channel Islands would be my preference as I was quite disappointed with the available ports on the Brittany coast a few years ago.
Îlses de Chausey
This was the highlight of a trip in 2021. Spectactularily beautiful achorage amongst the archipeligo of islands, islets and rocks. There are 52 islets at high tide and 365 at low!
Dielette
A popular harbour with a town that has seen many changes throughout its long history, it's more recent investment has been improving the towns leisure offer.
Granville
Having read Mr Cunliffe's description of Granville I was very much looking forward to visiting in 2021, sadly I was not overly impressed, there are some nice parts but I have to say the towns on the Normandy are far prettier.
St Malo
Again a beautiful walled city with small cobbled streets and a view over towards Jersey. You can walk the whole city wall, look out at sea or down into the town. Visit the many artisan shops or spend some time on the beach. Interesting navigation through the second largest lock I have ever been through, the larget so far being at Ouistreham.
Guernsey
Definately a favourite of ours in the Channel Islands, lots of things to see and historical places to visit, good food and shopping if this is your thing. No longer dependant on tides to get into the marina as the external pontoons are now all walk ashore.
Sark
A lovely little Island with some great anchorages on the south coast, opportunities for early swims, get ashore with the tender and explore. There are no cars allowed on Sark or Little Sark, bicycles are available to hire if you wanted to check out the whole island. Sark has an interesting history which is explained in the museum.
Alderney
Another great Island to explore and a good staging post for the return trip to Gosport. Enter Braye Harbour which has a lovely beach and some fantastic restaurants near the harbour. The local Yacht Club is very welcoming to visiting sailors. Again an island with loads of history and some great coastal walks to discover some of the German built bunkers. Occupation of Alderney dates back to the Neolithic period so much to learn and explore.
It cannot be denied this is a great destination but due to weather can at times be difficult to reach but the skipper for this one, Sean, is confident he can make it. Depending on weather the decision may be to try and just make it in a oner, this would not be for the faint hearted but give great experience of running a proper watch system and getting in a distance sail. The crew will obviously have a say in how the trip goes and you may wish to opt for a stop en route. Potential places to be visited either on the way there or the way back will be decided as a crew but are potentially as follows:
Weymouth / Portland
A lovely coastal holiday town along the south coast you can moor up along the town quay wall on the starboard side as you enter and are in the heart of the town. Alternatively you can go into the marina but this is a bit out of town and you have to wait for the lifting bridge to get in and out.
Dartmouth
The entry into Dartmouth is stunning with little castles on the cliff edge, you can try and get alongside at the end of the ferry harbour, this is definitely the best place to be to access the town. Mooring buoys are also available but with the speed of the tide I would suggest a tender is not an option. Premier Marina's have invested a great deal of money on a marina further up river but it is a bot out of town.
Salcombe
Again a lovely entry to the river with some interesting building either side. I have not stayed here but understand it to be a very pretty spot. The options are anchoring or picking up a visitors moorning buoy.
Falmouth
A pretty cornish town with a vibrant high street, here you have the choice of a mooring buoy or a marina further in.
The Isles os Scilly
So many choices here to pick up a mooring buoy or anchor in between the islands. St Mary's is the main harbour but this is just mooring buoys and the visitor's are the furthest away from the jetty, this is a decent tender row away. The Islands of Tresco, Bryher and St Martin's are also there to explore and are beautiful, everyone on Tresco seems to drive around in a green van with their name as the registration, you feel as if you already know 'Chris' and 'Dave'.
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Testimonials
I found Nomad sailing online and an adventure cruise across the English Channel.
I phoned one of the numbers listed and spoke to Lou. I was put completely at my ease. It would be a good learning environment as there were various levels of experience.I felt comfortable and in safe hands.
It was very apparent that every aspect of the trip had been well thought through.
The decision to go on this cruise is one of the best I have ever made.
This trip was so much more than I could possibly have expected.
The safety briefing was particularly good. Crew welfare and importance of rest and food good. Monitoring of conditions and preparation, all sensible and impressive. I learnt a lot.