Here are three more good reasons to come cruising to the beautiful Channel Island of Jersey. Joe Mourant’s top three cruising locations are as follows:
Les Minquiers
This unique marine habitat is situated approximately 12 miles south of Jersey. At high tide, all that can be seen of Les Minquiers is a small outcrop (named Maîtresse Île) and its cluster of tiny stone fisherman’s huts, and some rocky pinnacles scattered across the horizon. However, this apparent emptiness is deceptive!
Only as the tide falls is mile after mile of rock and pristine sandbanks revealed, stretching as far as the eye can see. Unbelievably, the scale of the reef is such that its surface area on the lowest tides is greater than Jersey itself. Guarded from the open sea by the reef’s outer rim, these lagoons and networks of sandbanks create impossibly picturesque, tranquil anchorages for swimming, snorkelling and paddleboarding and give boaters the chance to enjoy a secluded beach or sandy islet all to themselves.
Tidal currents circulating around – and at certain times passing directly through – Les Minquiers can be fearsome and reach up to 5 knots. The reef is best visited on a low spring tide to see the greatest expanse of the sandbanks revealed and to enjoy the period before low where the tide within the reef is at its most placid. The sandbanks themselves shift on a yearly basis, and even after carefully studying charts and pilotage materials, a visit still presents very real risks to a vessel.
Les Minquiers pilotage: Picking your way about inside the reef can be very tricky, and a constant awareness of tidal heights and clearances relating to your vessel’s draught (and the ability to accurately judge these by eye) is essential if you wish to remain safe. Chartplotters display insufficient detail inside the reef overall, and so traversing the interior can only be done effectively by eye. Remember that the water around Jersey rises and falls at a rate of around 2m per hour on one of the extraordinarily large spring tides, and so anticipating your draught and how much water you will require is critical.
Les Écréhous
Situated almost equidistant between Jersey and France, this collection of rocks, sandbanks and tiny islets amazes visitors with its abundance of marine wildlife and stone ‘huts’ perched just above sea level. In reality, the ‘huts’ are tiny houses, the oldest of which date to the 1800s, and while some are in splendid isolation on their own rocky outcrop, there are around 20 clustered together on the largest islet of La Marmotière. On a spring low, these huts survey an expanse of smooth pebble banks, beautiful sandbanks, and jagged rock and reef stretching in all directions.
Les Écréhous is situated less than 10 miles from the end of St Catherine’s Breakwater, which is on the north-east side of Jersey’s coast. On a busy summer’s day, dozens of vessels will be anchored, rafted and moored up around La Marmotière, with many boats taking the ground on the largest sandy area at low tide. Amazing views of Jersey to the west of the reef and France to the east captivate visitors, and there are any number of great spots for a picnic and a swim.
Les Écréhous marine wildlife:
Pods of dolphin, gannets, cormorants and seals are plentiful around this reef, and it provides a critical roosting site for roseate terns for large parts of the year. It is imperative that responsible boating is practised so as not to stress or unduly disturb marine life. Not approaching animals or birds too closely, maintaining a responsible speed (and always adhering to the reef’s 5-knot speed limit) and being careful not to power up quickly, thereby creating wash, are all critical for protecting the integrity of this marine habitat.
Les Écréhous pilotage:
Pilotage to Les Écréhous is straightforward as there is a channel approached from the south-east that is well transited (consult your pilot book for the leading marks), and there is good coverage of the reef and its approaches on chartplotters. However, once a vessel has approached La Marmotière to anchor or look for a mooring buoy, extreme care must be taken as drying areas and rocks abound and there can be a great deal of vessel traffic to contend with.
Beauport Bay
This picture-perfect bay is located along Jersey’s south coast, and being just 10 minutes from St Helier Harbour it is a convenient option. With a lovely sandy beach and stunning rock formations towering up to form the bay’s western limit, this anchorage offers a wonderful place to spend a day at anchor.
With no facilities of any kind in Beauport, this is one for swimming, picnicking and relaxing aboard. Immediately around the corner to the east is St Brelade’s Bay, which is one of Jersey’s most popular beaches for visitors. Much larger than Beauport and offering an enormous expanse of sand at low tide, St Brelade’s is a lot busier than its neighbour, with water sports concessions, kayak and SUP clubs, and numerous hotels, restaurants, pubs and cafés all bordering the beach.
Pilotage for Beauport Bay:
Pilotage for Beauport Bay is straightforward as boats can access the bay directly from deep water. From St Helier, vessels can follow a navigational transit along Jersey’s south coast called the Western Passage. Care must be taken around Noirmont Point, which is well known locally for overfalls, and its drying reefs to the south. Once on the hook in Beauport, the bay offers good shelter from westerly and northerly breezes.
Book your place to cross the channel for the big Rendezvous Jersey
Read the full series
Crossing the channel – Part 1 – Essential guidance on how to successfully cross the English Channel
Rendezvous Jersey 2024 – Crossing the channel – Part 2
Three of the best, visit Jersey – Crossing the channel – Part 3