The cotinen peninsular, part of Normandy in Northern France, proudly protrudes into the English Channel a stretch of water which separates Great Britain from its European neighbors. The French call the same piece of water La Manche but call it what you will it offers the British cruising yachtsman’s their first opportunity of a trip to foreign lands. Crossing the channel has the same allure to the Brits as we at home view a trip to the Bahamas from Florida or our first trip from Long Island Sound out to Cuttyhunk.
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We set out aboard Sloane Voyager from Bucklers Hard Marina on the River Beaulieu tucked inside the Isle of Wight which guards Britain’s south shores. We sailed at 6pm for a night time crossing of one of the worlds busiest waterways. Crossing at West to East it is only 22 miles at its narrowest point but from where we sail we have 90 miles to sail. Our night crossing is calculated, the winds in summer are lighter then and our captain prefers to see lights of crossing freighters well defined against a clear night sky rather than murky shapes in a summer haze. |
La Manche is heavily congested and traffic is controlled into a two lane highway north going on the French side and southbound on the British side. Within an hour of leaving the shelter of the land we have heavy traffic pouring down from port to starboard. Midway through our passage there is no one about but as dawn begins to break we pick up the lights of the French coast and the northbound ships are on our starboard bow.
| We make our landfall on the commercial ferry port of Cherbourg and motor into its majestic harbor protected by massive breakwaters. Cross channel ferries from England and Ireland use this port but it is also home to the CMN yacht building complex and a wonderfully equipped marina with well over 100 berths reserved for visiting yachts. We hop ashore and hungrily make our way to the bakery hurrying past pavement cafes were wafts of freshly roasted coffee permeate the air. |
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We return aboard laden with multitudinous munchies for breakfast including croissants, pan aux chocolate, pan aux rasin and French sticks so hot and fresh we can hardly hold them.
Saturday is market day in Cherbourg and in towns and cities all over France these farmers markets are an important way of life. New rules and regulations issued by the EU in Europe which govern the way food is made and sold seems to have passed by the French whose love of cheese wine and bread is legendary. So it is here in the provincial markets that you get to prod and finger poke at freshly ripening brie cheeses made traditionally with un pasteurized milk or at the meat stall you get to feel the skin of a freshly plucked free range chicken without having it shrouded in saran wrap. Markets are the place the French love to shop. Produce is heaped up onto tables and lines of customers identify those with quality produce and value for money. Street food is still a way of life in France and stalls of grilling sausages create a wonderful aroma that awakens the taste buds of those looking for bargains. These charcoal burning street BBQs are the nearest the French will ever come to creating fast food and have to be sampled to appreciate the true and authentic flavor of France.
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It is not that the French do not approve of buying food stuffs in huge shed like shops that we have grown to love, quite the opposite because clearly in Europe they lead the way with what they call Hypermarkets and somehow they manage to combine into each one the size and choice of Walmart with the quality of Bloomingdales and the selection of some of the best deli counters New York has to offer. It is because of these supermarkets that the British flock over to this side of the water and the larger the boat they sail in the better they are able to take advantage of the cheaper prices of food and wine.
The concept of a single Europe has yet to manifest its self with equality of pricing and tax structures across the territory and where Britain puts heavy duties on wines and sprits whist the French believe Brandy and Calvados to be a way of life. Little wonder then here, in this part of France, you will find shop keepers speaking perfect English and all happy to help you make a selection with many offering free delivery back to your yacht. |
We lunched on crepes, drank locally brewed cider and dinned later by candlelight at the tables of xxxxxxxxxx one of our favorite feeding stops in Cherbourg. For us the city is a wonderful first port of call and the perfect way to enter France but the real jewels in the crown of this coast lie a little further to the north. Over dinner with our Captain we discussed the sailing route and planned our itinerary for the next few days. Barfluer was our next port and arrival here has to well planned. This tiny harbor all but dries out at low tide and getting a quayside berth amidst all the local fishing craft on the dock is essentially if your vessel needs to stay afloat. It was from Barfluer that William, Duke of Normandy set out to conquer England in 1066. He was successful and became known in England as William the Conqueror and even to this day nearly 1000 years later he is the last man ever to land a successful invading party on the coasts of Britain. The well preserved church and local museums are well worth a visit to those with time.
| St Vaast is a port just one hour away from Barfleur but because of its clever system of lock gates which keeps the harbor full of water at all states of the tide, offers far more in the way of facilities to the cruising yachtsman. The marina is small but well maintained and makes the perfect place to base a boat should crew wish to venture further in land. The pretty harbor is lined with cafes and useful shops with very little emphasis towards tourist tackiness. |
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Tucked away in the back streets are; however, the real gems of this tiny town. Shops whose style of trading seems to have remained unaltered in decades are locked away in a sort of time capsule but these shops are not relics of the past they are highly successful business ventures simply because they are superb at offering what people around here want; quite simple put it is high quality produce. Bakeries and fish mongers rub shoulders with butchers and charcuteirs
Wine merchants are set beside fashion stores which sometimes over occupy the time of ladies that could be better spent tasting samples next door. Prince amongst these produce stores has to be grossilan a store that has remained under family control since its founding in 1856. Now under the control of who had the very good sense to marry into this family of traders it has grown to encompass several of its neighboring stores and has as a consequence developed into a labyrinth of corridors and specialized sections. You need to spend time to truly discover the delights of this store. There is now point in passing the cheese section without stopping to taste the samples of soft and hard cheeses locally produced by framers keeping not only dairy cows but flocks of goats and sheep as well. Eating the fine cheese will allow you to truly enjoy the spectacular that is the wine section or cave. Here certain cellars are cordoned off by antique iron gates which are opened on request. Enter here and drink in the true atmosphere of a fine wine cellar stocked with stunning vintages. Bordeaux and Burgundy wines are covered in the dusts of time stacked in their wooded crates awaiting their allotted time. Crisp Chardonnays sit besides stunning Sancerre’s and honeyed Mersaults. What makes buying wine here such a joy is that the staff know and understand what they sell ask and you can sample but do not come here just to drink for buying wine here is pleasure enough. Other areas of this shop are dedicated to cigars and Scotch and if you thought you should buy that in Scotland then think again. This is the place to purchase single malt. Through a cunning marketing loophole monsuier grossilan has managed to import into France wooden barrels of single malts directly from the distilleries in the highlands of Scotland. Here re-branded and free of high taxes you can, with a little trust and knowledge, purchase your favorite malt at a fraction of the price elsewhere. I came here for Scotch but also French Brandy and local Calvados. I was not disappointed. In another gated section of the cellar there is a veritable shrine to these brandies. Calvados is a brandy made from apple and like its cider cousin are endemic to this area of France and at their very best when purchased locally. Ask and you shall taste, try the younger rougher versions first, if you like me prefer them stick were you are because the older and smoother they become the more expensive the price tag attracts.
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Wandering along the beach it is easy to recognize that the fortunes of St Vaast lie in its long shallow slopping foreshore which has permitted local oystermen to farm oysters on a truly impressive scale. At low tide tractors tow trailers out to the elevated beds turning oysters and moving them to cultivate their growth. The tide washes over them twice a day and the farming continues to produce some of the largest and most succulent mollusks of the region. |
A great way to view these oyster beds without getting the feet wet or muddy is to catch a ride on the boat bus witch makes its hourly trips to the lighthouse island of nearby Tatihou. This strange craft is part bus part boat and sails across motoring its twin screws at high tide whilst employing conventional road wheels at low. The visit to the island is rewarded with a well maintained museum full of local stories, pictures and artifacts.
Normandy has a lot to offer and is best taken slowly to fully savor the sights and the fare. Take time to visit the nearby beaches of Omaha where so many of our brave men helped liberate Europe from the dominance of Hitler in World War II. Not far from their the famous in land town of Bayeaux houses treasures such as the famous tapestry depicting the successful invasion of England by Normandy in 1066. It is packed full of treasures not only for the gourmet.
