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Sailing Area Bay of Biscay - Sailing at the French and Spanish Atlantic Coast

Short Overview Bay of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay is a beautiful and exiting area with challenging sailing conditions.

  • Outstanding infrastructure
  • Modern marinas
  • Safe anchor bays
  • Season: May to September
  • Tough Sailing Conditions
  • Demanding navigation
Boats in Bay of Biscay
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Marinas nearby
  • La Trinitee sur Mer Harbour

The Biscayan, better known as the Bay of Biscay (French: Golfe de Gasconge, Spanish: Golfo de Viscaya), is a bay in the Atlantic Ocean. It extends from Galicia along the Spanish north coast, over the west coast of France to Brittany. On the French Biscay coast, there are the significant harbors of Bayonne, Bordeaux, Royan, Rochefort, La Rochelle, Saint-Nazaire and Les Sables-d’Olonne. The Spanish Biscay harbors are Gijón, Santander, Bilbao and Donostia-San Sebastián. The biggest islands at the Bay of Biscay are Belle-Île, Noirmoutier, Ré and Oléron. The southernmost border is Cape Finisterre at the northwestern tip of Spain. Yachtcharter Bay of Biscay
Image Gallery Bay of Biscay

Often heavy sea can be found here. Especially with winds coming from south, sailing around the Cape from north to south can be a true challenge. The difficult conditions can take their toll on even the most experienced sailors. In the north of the Cape shelter can be found in the harbor of La Coruna. In the south, Bayonna is a safe harbor. Along the French Atlantic coast there are numerous marinas and yacht harbors. On top of that, there are plenty of safe anchor bays and the infrastructure for sailors is above average. The distance between the harbor and the marinas tend to be short and rarely exceed 20 nautical miles. In rough weather, well-protected and easily reachable refuges are guaranteed.
Cities in the sailing area Bay of Biscay
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Airports nearby Bay of Biscay
  • Meucon Airport to La Trinitée sur Mer: 30,9 km, 39 minutes
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Climate & Weather

The sailing triangle Brest–Biarritz–La Coruña is reputed to be hard to navigate. It is known for foul weather and has claimed many boats and crew. The reasons for the tough sailing conditions are the Continental shelf, western winds and wave reflection. The long Atlantic waves at the shallow seabed near the coast suddenly stop and rear up at the Continental shelf. Plus, due to the texture of the Biscayan coast, waves can be thrown back and dangerous superposition’s can appear. Heavy storms and rough seas come up especially in wintertime at the coasts of Vendée and Brittany. At the north are extreme tidal amplitudes and currents with 4 knots. Even summer time can be pretty rough. However, the difficulty level decreases with every mile you travel south; the sea becomes calmer and the sailing more relaxed. For a Biscay crossing, it is recommended to do so far west in the open Atlantic. Beyond the continental shelf there is enough distance from the difficult atmospheric conditions of the west. The gulf of Biscay is one of the hardest sailing areas and even for experienced crews the conditions are very demanding and present a significant challenge. Beginners to sailing are not advised to try this district.