SEVEN PORTS IN SEVEN DAYS

A solo cruise along the coast of Brittany gave Gilbert Park the perfect excuse to visit seven ports in seven days while feasting in seven different restaurants

- WORDS AND PICTURES: Gilbert Park

Compromise was key during this cruising adventure. My wife, Maire, is not a keen sailor but is happy to indulge my passion for boats on her own terms, so I agreed to cruise our Mitchell 28 Let’s Go from Plymouth to St Malo in Northern France, where Maire would join me for some gentle exploration of the surrounding area. I had three weeks to get there.

Picking a suitably calm day, I ambled across the Channel from Plymouth with just dolphins for company and the odd huge container ship. After about 100 miles I arrived in St Peter Port, Guernsey, for a couple of days rest and recuperation then carried on to Jersey for another few days before moving on to France.

St Malo would have been my easiest port of entry but having been there before, I decided on St Brieuc instead as the place to get my vital passport stamp showing I'd entered the Schengen Area. I filled in the form and got a reply saying I had an appointment at 1400h on my day of arrival. It was time to get going.

ST BRIEUC

St Brieuc’s port is Le Légué (pronounced Leggay) and entry is via a lock. I was in it at noon, the lock filled and then emptied without letting me out because more boats were coming! An hour later the gates finally opened. There was no instruction where to go so I moored next to a boat that had been in the lock. They told me I was in a private mooring, but after a little explaining in my best Franglais, they understood that I was a little stressed about my 2pm customs meeting. Google maps showed the office was a 35-minute walk away! They kindly got their car and drove me up a very long, very steep hill to the office and waited while my passport was stamped.