Beneteau Oceanis 361 - A Yacht Delivery from La Rochelle to Falmouth (Return). Some great sailing!
April 23, 2025 · 6 min · 2K views · Bay of Biscay
What this video covers
A Beneteau Oceanis 361 departs La Rochelle on a VAT-reset passage — the legal maneuver of moving a British-registered, EU-VAT-unpaid boat out of European waters for a day to restart the 18-month clock.0:37 The original destination was Guernsey, but persistent easterly gales over several days force a route change: instead of beating east to Guernsey, the crew heads due north to Falmouth with the wind on the beam on starboard tack.1:30 Each leg runs approximately 350 miles.4:50 Crew Joel and Charlie, both Yachtmasters, handle lines and helming.1:47 The outbound leg routes west of Ousson and west of Raz de Sein, avoiding a rock-and-wreck-strewn reef; the same outside route is used on the return because tides don't favor the inshore passage at night.4:31 Wind drops overnight on the return leg, forcing six hours of motoring in flat, mirror-calm seas.5:00 The boat arrives back in La Rochelle the same evening under blue skies.6:09 Routing outside Raz de Sein adds roughly one hour but eliminates complex night navigation through a hazardous reef.4:55
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