ST PETER PORT - GUERNSEY 49°27.19'N, 002°32.00'W

This haven on Guernsey is the ideal starting point to explore the beauty of the Channel Islands, as Emma Bamford discovers

- Emma Bamford

French food, English-speaking locals, sandy beaches, clear waters and idyllic, car-free islands – no wonder thousands of yachts visit the Channel Islands each year.

Less than 30nm from Normandy, Guernsey is the second-largest and furthest west of the Channel Islands, and the Bailiwick of Guernsey (a bailiwick is a territory administered by a bailiff) comprises Guernsey, Alderney, Sark, Herm, plus smaller islands, including Brecqhou, Jethou, Little Sark and Burhou. It is a Crown dependency, but not part of the UK, and has its own currency, the local pound, which is 1:1 with sterling. Guernsey is not car-free, but other islands in the bailiwick are: there are no motorized vehicles on Herm or on Sark, so all you’ll see are bikes and the odd tractor, or horse and cart.

For sailors, the Channel Islands are famous for their rocky approaches, massive tidal ranges and fierce tidal races that shoot through the channels. In the two-channel approaches to Guernsey, Little Russel and Big Russel, races can be as strong as 6kt on a big spring tide – great if you time your approach right, like taking a travelator, but soul-destroying if your maths has failed you. The general rule is if you are sailing to St Peter’s Port from the north, ride in on the ebb; if coming from the south, on a flood.

There are five marinas on Guernsey, all on the east coast – three in St Peter Port, the main town, one in St Sampson (these four are all state-run, by Guernsey Harbours), and a fourth, independent marina in Beaucette in the northeast. Visitors may only use Victoria Marina in St Peter Port or Beaucette Marina a few miles north. During the summer, the island welcomes up to 300 boats a day.