By way of Biscay

The Bay of Biscay has engendered fear in sailors since records began. Yet the fabled ‘bay of storms’ simply needs to be treated with respect, as Biscay veteran Henry Buchanan explains

Biscay, the historical territory of the Basque Country, is better known through its association with a very large bay bordered by western France and northern Spain – the Bay of Biscay. The Bay has its jaws open wide to the Atlantic and lies 320 miles across, between Île d’Ouessant, off the western tip of Brittany, and Cabo Ortegal in Galicia, northwest Spain.

I have sailed across the Bay both southbound and northbound on a number of occasions: for cruises exploring the coasts of western Europe to the Mediterranean and back; for Atlantic Circuit passages and cruises; and for developing the pilot guide, Atlantic Spain and Portugal – Cabo Ortegal (Galicia) to Gibraltar.

The Bay in all its moods has been experienced, and this article and the passages described draw on that experience.

For generations of sailors, crossing the Bay has been seen as a major challenge. It is completely exposed to the prevailing winds from the southwest to the northwest, but in midsummer there is a marked increase in winds off the land from the northeast. In recent years, however, with access to good weather forecasts and, importantly, swell forecasts, the chances of getting caught out in bad conditions are much reduced. The position of the continental shelf should always be borne in mind as this is where the most turbulent seas will be found in a storm.

Voyage south across the Bay The direct route

The direct offshore route from Falmouth to Cabo Ortegal, leaving Île d’Ouessant to port, is a distance of about 400nm. Some 50 per cent of the route is off the continental shelf in the long swell of the Atlantic Ocean.