Tops’l Cruise Plans in 2026
- Tim P writes…
Elfida’s Cruise To France Is Launched
At the very successful Tops’l Laying Up Supper held at Itchenor Sailing Club on 29 November, the plans for the Tops’l cruise 2026 officially went live. This will see Elfida translocate from Port Solent to SW Brittany, specifically La Roche Bernard, a very sheltered spot in a lovely town on the River Vilaine. (Please note this is above lock Arzal and technically into inland waterways, so skippers picking up or setting down in La Roche will need a CEVNI endorsement to their ICC – easily obtained online).
This is a great launching pad from which to enter the wonderful and diverse cruising grounds of SW Brittany, ranging from the protected Golfe du Morbihan to the more exposed and wilder off-lying islands such as Belle-Île-en-Mer. Everything good about France and sailing is on offer and this is a sailing vacation opportunity not to be missed.
Recommended resources are:
- Secret Anchorages of Brittany – Peter Cumberlidge
- Cruising West France – Peter Cumberlidge
- Pilote Côtier – De Quiberon à La Rochelle – Alain Rondeau & Jean-Louis Guéry (plus a French – English dictionary!)
Passeport Escales
Elfida’s home base will be La Roche Bernard and, as this is a participating port in the ‘Passeport Escales’ scheme, our berthing contract includes consecutive two-night stops at many ports along the North and West coasts of France. Consequently, with skipper-to-skipper agreement, hand-overs can be at one of these ports. All marinas have good facilities, including car parking, and travel by ferry and car seems most likely, although other options exist (e.g. train, bus and air).
The Cruise will follow the usual rules:
- Checkout – offshore needed for delivery, otherwise local skipper
- Saturday to Saturday, 11am handovers
- Charges – TBD at the AGM (scheduled for 29 March 2026)
Elfida is already well prepared for voyaging, having had a bit of a botox job with new standing rigging and a new Furlex installed this summer. The usual engine servicing etc. will be performed by the Bosun team well in advance of departure.
Delivery
The delivery to France will be within the first three weeks of April 2026, picking the right weather window(s). Steve L is leading on that and a crew is earmarked. There may yet be further opportunities within this period, as the trip to Brittany in itself could be a cruise to be completed in legs throughout April.
Bookings
There are already a number of bookings for the cruise and these have now been entered on to the live booking pages of the website. Some of these are provisional or are incomplete crew-wise and, as always, the success of the cruise will be dependent on take-up by members. Bookings can be entered in the normal way on the bookings calendar. Alterations to existing bookings, especially involving deletions, should go through Dave B. Alternatively, skippers can contact me (Tim P) for help with co-ordination.
Schengen Regulations
According to Schengen regulations, once Elfida has officially registered as having entered France, which will be taken care of within the delivery trip, she can remain there for 18 months. This raises the possibility of her over-wintering there (a good economical option for the club), ready for a repeat cruising season in 2027 before returning home that Autumn. UK passport holders are currently allowed to stay in the EU for only 180 days per year but that seems unlikely to be a limiting factor for Tops’l members.
You will be sailing *your* boat!
One point for skippers and crew to bear in mind is that Tops’l appears an atypical entity in the eyes of authorities. It is easy to mistake us for a commercial charter-type operation when we are in fact more of a private yacht-owning syndicate. When on a cruising week, you are not a fee-paying customer, you are enjoying your own property! And it is important that you talk in that way, whether in the Capitanerie or the local oyster bar, to keep Border Forces at bay.
So Allons! This venture and adventure lives and breathes by your buy-in and support.
Please get booking!