The Bay of Biscay has many faces, but the beauty of this area is a well-kept secret.
Oosterschelde’s port of departure, the Basque town of Pasaia, is a large industrial port but at the same time a sleepy fishermen’s village with medieval houses along the waterfront.
Pasaia lies deep in the Bay of Biscay close to the border of France where we will begin our voyage North along the French coast. Based on the forecast, the captain will decide whether Oosterschelde needs to make some sea miles of it we have time to visit a beautiful island or village. There are many possibilities along the rugged coast of Brittany.
On the northside of Biscay, the ocean changes into the continental shelf. From 5000 meters of depth we will go to 200 meters and the deep blue colour of the ocean changes to the greyer/green of the coastal waters.
There are many places where we could make a stopover on either the French or British coast but we will most likely visit Alderney in the Channel Islands. Said to be one of the most beautiful islands of the archipelago, it right on our route and has a sheltered bay where we can anchor.
The Belgian city of Oostende could be a great stop. This beautiful city is definitely worth a visit before sailing up the New Waterway to our home port of Rotterdam.
