La Rochelle — Santander
Boarding in: La RochelleBoarding on: 08.03.2019 16:00
Departure: 09.03.2019 08:00
Port of destination: Santander
Arrival: 15.03.2019 16:00
Debarkation before: 16.03.2019 10:00
Days on board: 8
Participation fee: 675€
400 nautical miles
Boarding 08.03 from 12 to 16.00
Disembarkation 16.03 at 10.00
Only starting and finishing ports are defined exactly. \The exact itinerary may vary due to weather conditions.
Bay of Biscay - Sailing practice (seamanship) - French oysters - Land of Basques
We open thesailing season of 2019 onsunny 8th of March!
Upon arrival to La Rochelle we celebrate the end of winter maintenance and titanic efforts of our hearty crew with afestive dinner.
There are 400 nautical (actually, oceanic!) miles of the Bay of Biscay ahead. However, do not worry all that much about stormy weather - spring here could turn to be really exciting time of the year. That is the reason for hosting one of the largest yacht harbours on this coast.
Sailing practice / Seamanship
The Bay of Biscay is not an easy place for navigation. Here tides are hugeand currents are strong, storms are severe and ports protected from bad weather are rare. That’s why this leg is so interesting for learning the basics of seamanship. We go into the details of our sailing trip from your first minutes on board - we share how to plan a safe passageand study the weather forecast together. We leave cozy harbour passing the lock on high tide (on low water the depth of the channel is not enough for the "Standard").
During this leg you will learn to calculate tides, set and trimsails, tie knots and stand watch bythe steering wheel.
Itinerary
After leaving La Rochelle our first miles are through the waters around Île de Ré and Île d'Oléron. Famous Fort Boyard is situated in this bay, and we can approach it to the distance of one nautical mile.
Then — exit into the open ocean stretching for miles and miles till far American coasts. After afew days at sea we arrive to the most southeasternpart of the Bay of Biscay. Weather will define our chances to visit the rocky town San Sebastián,Bilbao suburbs or Portugalete.
In San Sebastián the building project of a replica XVI century whaling ship, The Nao San Juan, is in progress, and we ‘d like to visit this shipyard. It is worth it take a trip t to Bilbao from Portugalete just to walk around and sneak a peek into the Guggenheim Museum. (), a town full of old architecture masterpieces and amazing ocean views.
Final point of the route is the colourful and forever festive Santander.
How to get to La Rochelle:
- from Paris by train. About 3 hour trip.
Timetable and tickets available at or at
- from Paris by bus. 7 to 9 hours trip.
Timetable and tickets available at
- by plane (from Paris Orly airport or from other towns in France and Europe)
How to travel from Santander:
- by bus to Bilbao ()
- by train to Madrid ()
Then by plane to your place.
