Coastal sailing, a new-found pleasure
Preparing your sail, discovering the good spots to stop, planning strategic breaks according to weather developments, and above all playing with tide tables – coastal cruising isn’t something you do just like that. But this is actually one of the great pleasures it offers: you have to earn it!
Coastal cruising – or camping – is, as its name suggests, a cruise which takes you along a coastline aboard your little multihull (it can also be done in a monohull, but it’s not as good…). Your boat’s shallow draft allows you to stop in creeks which are inaccessible to cruising boats, and thus enjoy some little corners of paradise, alone. As its liveability often hardly merits the term, the only solution at stopovers is to pitch a tent, either on the beach or on the boat's trampoline. And this way of cruising has (very) many advantages: you can change cruising areas as you please, as these boats are easily transportable, they are not expensive either to buy or maintain, and cruises are really economical, as neither marinas nor excessive provisioning can be allowed. In short, a leisure sailor’s delight!
Where and when to leave?
The advantage of this way of cruising is that no destination is excluded... With the boat on the trailer, you can go where you want, from your ‘home port’, which is more often than not your garage! And even on the other side of the ocean, if you organize the movement of your boat early enough. Once you have arrived at your destination, all you have to do is leave the car and trailer parked up, and the best nautical adventures are yours for the taking.
Amongst the favorite destinations for coastal raid enthusiasts we find Corsica, Brittany (with the superb Golfe du Morbihan), as well as Scandinavia, Scotland and its canals, the Adriatic and its numerous deserted anchorages, Greece, and of course the Caribbean or Polynesia’s lagoons… And then there are the cruises on fresh water; we often forget them, yet with a transportable boat, the lakes become a destination which is not only very pleasant, but often unforgettable. In fact sailing at the foot of snowy summits remains a memory engraved for ever in our minds. Over to you, to discover the gems that fresh waters can hold… And then there are the rivers, destinations which are not reserved for barges. Even though a motor is strongly recommended. :)))
Finally, the only limit to this way of cruising will be your imagination.
The cruising period is much more easily found: coastal raids demand a real commitment from the crew. With little or no room to live inside, coastal camping multihulls are more tiring and offer comfort and protection which is relative. Unless you are looking for the ultimate excitement of an extreme raid, you would be well advised to choose the summer period, to enjoy your cruise, and above all your stops, to the full.
Rally-raid: instructions for use
You have chosen to spend your holidays on a raid… Excellent choice! You have left for several days on the water and a few nights under the stars… A real delight!
Leaving for a raid implies understanding that you are going to live in natural surroundings, far from faucets and water sources, far from any kind of store, and in almost complete independence. But without having the reserves that the big cruising multihulls can offer. This implies excellent organization, otherwise the atmosphere aboard can deteriorate rapidly… Speaking of atmosphere, you must also bear in mind that the members of your crew (and those of the boats with which you will perhaps be leaving) must get on well and accept the idea of living self-sufficiently during these few days.
With this precondition, you will be sailing by day in a sea which is always blue (we hope), perhaps even turquoise, still more beautiful, among some fabulous scenery… You will experience a succession of perfect settings, from arid or lush vegetation-covered mountains, or shepherds’ camps perched high up, to typical villages, perhaps some archaeological remains, or lagoons, deep blue drop offs, etc… If you are lucky, you will even get to sail alongside some dolphins. I don’t need to continue, you are already under the spell of this kind of cruising.
And then comes the bivouac. A beach or a little creek for you alone will become your shelter for the night. Be careful – depending on the laws of your host country, you will either be allowed to camp on the beach between sunset and sunrise, or you will have to remain aboard your boat for the night. Whatever is the case, you will leave the place even cleaner than you found it. No traces of a camp fire or trash bags. Think about those coming after you. As a general rule, before setting up, have a little walk round the neighborhood and talk to the inhabitants you meet. This will give you some precious information about your bivouac spot, the risks you run, and will allow you to have some often very warm encounters.
For a successful raid, even more so than for any other cruise, it is essential to have prepared your navigation meticulously. There is actually nothing worse than having miscalculated the length of a stage, and finding yourself with the children aboard, chilled to the bone, under the disapproving look of their mother. And I won’t mention a late arrival in a rocky creek, where you don’t really know where you are going to land… You must therefore plan short sails and fall-back solutions in case of unfavorable winds or crew fatigue. This will require meticulous preparation of your cruises, as well as good knowledge of each stage, so you will be able to change your program according to any unforeseen turn of events. In certain places, it is easy to find a welcoming, protected beach; sometimes you have to cover several miles before finding a precarious shelter…
A piece of advice: enjoy every moment, these moments are too rare; and another: take a minimum of stuff, over there you don’t need anything. Finally, when you have found a little corner of paradise, don’t hesitate to write to us, so we can discover it too…
Good cruising!
Which boats for which type of raids…
You don’t choose the same boat for going on holiday with the family in Corsica as for going on a sporty raid… In the raid or coastal camping multihull family, we find barely modified sport catamarans, sport trimarans or ones offering a small cabin, and cats and tris with comfortable liveability for a small family, allowing them to avoid the tent on the beach or the trampoline. All these boats have in common the fact that they can be dismantled and transported easily, and can therefore take you to discover your choice of playground.
(To find out about all the boats produced which are suitable for raids, refer to our 2018 Buyer’s Guide, available on www.multihulls-world.com).
