Old school. Wet, windy but well protected harbour. Over-priced yet dated facilities – no hairdryer, nearest chandlery half an hour walk upstream (inland). Weird-looking denizens abound.
Enticing restaurants surround the harbour front like sirens waiting to prey on those who find themselves trapped here.

So wet you need to wear oilskins to go to the showers.
So wet you decide it’s essential to put your boat in warmer waters, and you’re very glad you didn’t bring your children on this trip.

Our sail up from Deauville had started auspiciously with an accompanying jolie brise as we cut across the channels at the mouth of the Seine dodging first dredgers and then container ships until things quietened down past Le Havre. Whilst St Valery en Caux would assuredly have been lovely the threat of heavy weather behind us encouraged us to push on to Dieppe rather than have to wait for the tide to rise as the wind got up around us off the otherwise exposed coast – we arrived off St Valery with three hours to go and dark clouds astern so Dieppe it was.

We are well-sheltered from the strong winds and lashing rain out at sea.
So we are staying two nights, possibly three, as a depression pushes its way up the Channel – Wednesday would be very wet with heavy rain almost all day but for the fact that we’ll be heading up into Gris Nez (aka … for English speakers), which risks more than usually strong winds as any weather is funnelled through the narrow gap between Dover and Calais. No need to seek out misery.

Parasailor repacked, oven fixed (it jumped off its bracket on a wave as we left the shoal waters of Deauville), engine checked and laundry done (so much less when just two adults).
Thursday departure looking most likely.

Wednesday
We made it as far as the promenade today. Red Beach was the scene of a pre-D-Day landings assault, where predominantly Canadian forces tested the feasibility of capturing a port in 1942. Today visibility was down to about two hundred metres and the rain was falling so consistently as to discourage further thoughts of exploration, so it was back to the boat for heads maintenance.

Thursday: off to Boulogne before rounding Gris Nez and entering the North Sea.

Leaving Deauville

Le Havre dredger (very important vessel)

Nipping in front of MSC container ship

Quieter waters past Le Havre

White cliffs approaching Etaples

Etaples

Paluel nuclear power station

Unhappy oven – with makeshift support – jolted off its gimbal by a wave leaving Deauville

Rounding the wrecks off Dieppe

A visitor

Dieppe breakfast

Exploring

WWII – Canadian memorial

Making the best of it

Protected at low tide

Waiting on the weather