BoatsExplained.com - Basque Cruising updates

Frank Hamilton, an old friend of BoatsExplained.com and this website, has sent me some very informative notes which he gathered while cruising south of la Rochelle and the Basque Country aboardAnhinga, his Hallberg Rassy 34. I'll be dipping into this material over the coming months.

Cruising guides: Frank recommends the South Biscay Pilot, Macmillan's Almanac and Livre de Bar-d. The latter, a French publication, is good value at around £10 and covers the coast from the Isles of Scilly round to Gibraltar. It's written in easy-to-understand French and comes packed with excellent harbour charts.
Weather forecasts: After earthing the screen of the aerial to the sacrificial anode and moving the aerial itself further away from the Aerogen support pole, Frank reports moderately good Navtex reception even up river at Santander. Weather forecasts from CROSS Soulac are a little fast and not as clear as those from CROSS Etel. Switching on the tape recorder and playing them over several times improves comprehension however.
Most Spanish marinas and yacht clubs can provide weather forecasts. Also, the Spanish MRCCs give area forecasts in English, which are repeated in Spanish and then followed by an inshore waters forecast - usually in Spanish.
Stocking up: Before heading south of la Rochelle*, Anhinga went on a 10 mile trip up the Charente to Rochefort. Apparently, the marina is pretty cheap; there's also a laundrette by Basin 2 and a new cash-and-carry type supermarket. Fresh food can also be bought in the superb street market. The obvious attraction here is the project to build a replica of l'Hermione, the ship that took Lafayette to America during the War of Independence. The town is full of French naval history with the Corderie worth a few hours of anyone's time.

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