Bay of Biscay & Aremorica – From Galicia to Normandy

Cabin charter

Bay of Biscay & Aremorica – From Galicia to Normandy

1,500 €

LLAS e.V. Brigg ROALD AMUNDSEN

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Bay of Biscay & Aremorica – From Galicia to Normandy
Wednesday, 17 March – Sunday, 28 March 2027

Reduced: €1090 | Adults: €1500

Twelve days from Spain's green Atlantic corner to the windswept coast of Normandy. A true blue-water passage across one of Europe's most notorious sea areas, followed by a voyage along the Breton coast – ancient Aremorica, the land before the sea.

Some sailing trips are comfortable. This one is honest. It demands everything that sailing on the open sea entails: good seamanship, proper watch routines, respect for the ocean. In return it gives something you cannot get on any other route quite like this: the feeling of having truly sailed, from the Iberian Peninsula to northern France, right through the Bay of Biscay and along Europe's Celtic fringe.

Departure from Vigo
We leave the sheltered Ría de Vigo and set course northward. The green coasts of Galicia remain visible to port for a while, then our gaze falls upon one of Europe's most famous capes.

Cape Finisterre – the end of the world
A few hours north of Vigo we round Cape Finisterre – Finis Terrae, the end of the earth. For the Romans this was the westernmost point of the known world; for pilgrims on the Camino de Santiago it remains the symbolic endpoint to this day. A wild, dramatic cape with a heavy reputation and a long heritage. We round it under sail – a moment that on trips like this rarely leaves anyone unmoved.

Into the Bay of Biscay
Beyond Finisterre opens one of the world's most famous sea areas: the Bay of Biscay. For centuries it was the proving ground for great seafarers – notorious for its short, steep seas, powerful low-pressure systems and the rapid interplay of sun and storm. Even in March it often shows its more robust side: winter is not quite over, spring not yet arrived.

But the Bay of Biscay is more than its reputation. It can be peaceful and friendly for days on end, with long Atlantic swells and encounters you do not forget: pods of dolphins at the bow, whales on the horizon, flocks of seabirds escorting the boat for miles. The Bay of Biscay is one of Europe's richest marine ecosystems – and for many who have sailed it once, it is a sailing area that never lets them go.

Landfall at the tip of Brittany
After several days in open water, the rocky coast of Brittany appears on the horizon. Its northwestern corner is one of Europe's most challenging sailing areas: Ouessant (Ushant), France's westernmost inhabited island, surrounded by strong tidal streams, heavy traffic and weather with a mind of its own. We pass the tip of Brittany with particular attention and respect – this is where seamanship shows itself in its purest form.

Along the coast of Aremorica
Aremorica is the ancient Celtic and Roman name for the region now called Brittany. The Gaulish are-mori means literally "before the sea" – a land, then, that draws its identity from the ocean. From the Celts of antiquity to the fishing ports of today, Brittany lives with the Atlantic, respects it, sometimes fears it, but always maintains a deep connection.

We sail northeast along the Breton coast, with its striking interplay of jagged cliffs, granite headlands, small fishing villages and narrow rías. We may anchor in one of the sheltered bays if weather permits – Brittany from the sea is a chapter of seamanship in its own right, and well worth it.

A Celtic arc across the Atlantic
What connects Galicia and Brittany is more than just the Atlantic beneath the keel. Both regions belong to the Celtic cultural sphere of Europe – that ancient network of languages, legends, music and maritime mythology stretching from Ireland and Scotland through Wales and Cornwall to Galicia and Brittany. Bagpipes, Celtic symbols, shared roots in mythology: sailing from Vigo to Aremorica means following an old cultural line that bound northern Europe together long before nations existed.

Arrival in Cherbourg
Our destination lies at the eastern end of this voyage: Cherbourg at the northern tip of the Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy. A major naval harbour with one of the world's largest artificial roadsteads – protected by massive breakwaters commissioned by Napoleon himself. Cherbourg is an honest, weatherproof harbour with its own history: departure port of the Titanic on her maiden voyage, an important hub during the Second World War, today a charming place with a maritime atmosphere, good fish restaurants and a magnificent museum about the Titanic and emigration to America (La Cité de la Mer, in the old station building right on the waterfront).

After twelve days between Galicia and Normandy, Cherbourg is a perfect arrival harbour: no picture-postcard backdrop, but a town that lives by the sea and reckons with it.

"Bay of Biscay & Aremorica" – the title
The title stands for the two great experiences of this sailing trip. Bay of Biscay is the open sea, the challenge, the proving ground. Aremorica is the rocky, legend-laden coast on the far shore – the arrival, the culturally rich destination. Two names that together describe the character of this voyage: rough Atlantic and Celtic edge of Europe.

Sail Training on a Long Passage
On this trip we sail continuously, in the classic three-watch system. You are part of the crew – with everything that entails: setting and furling sails, taking the helm, keeping lookout, navigation, night watches under the clear Atlantic sky and watch handovers that become routine. The Bay of Biscay passage in March demands respect, attention and commitment – and in return gives you a seafaring experience that will stay with you. An experienced regular crew will teach you everything you need. Prior experience is particularly welcome on this route; what matters is the willingness to embark on a demanding passage, resilience and a good dose of curiosity.

What to expect
Twelve days of real blue-water sailing between two Celtic coasts. A cape where the ancient world ended. A sea with a reputation. Dolphins, whales, storm petrels. The granite wildness of Brittany. And at the end, a French naval harbour with a long history, where you can savour the close of such a voyage in peace – with a glass of cider and a view across the roads you have just crossed.

Come aboard. Cross the Bay of Biscay. Arrive in Aremorica.

Pictures by Anton Blanke https://antonblanke.de/
Book via www.sailtraining.de
Prices are inclusive of accommodation, meals, harbour fees and everything the ship costs. We organise your sailing trip, you organise your travel between home and harbour.
All prices plus annual membership of LebenLernen auf Segelschiffen e.V.: €70 for adults, €40 for young people. The fee is only due once a year, regardless of how many sailing trips you do.

Offered by

LLAS e.V. Brigg ROALD AMUNDSEN