Bay of Biscay in late May

Good day all. I am eyeing a fantastic Crystal Cruise from Lisbon to London that hits some great ports on France: St. Jean de Luz (overnight), Bordeaux (overnight), La Rochelle, St. Malo, Honfleur (overnight).

The cruise is May 22 - June 5. I've never been to this region before and never sailed this time of year. I normally sail in the summer months. I am hoping this is a great time of year....not many tourists and hopefully pleasant weather.

Has anyone sailed in this region that time of year? Would love to hear your experience.

Thanks!

Well you may not like my answer but at least this information will help you prepare in case you experience similar weather . Two years ago mid May we cruised from Lisbon to Dover on the Seabourn Pride. We ran into some unusually wonderful sunny, warm weather in Cohb Ireland and Guernsey but terrible weather in the Bay of Biscay. Our planned port of call in St. Jean was canceled and Bayonne was substituted due to rough seas. And worst of all due to this same storm we missed our tidal approach in the Gironde Estuary. So instead of cruising down the Garonne for a 10AM arrival we spent all day idling at the mouth of the bay watching rain and at times snowflakes swirl. When the pilot finally arrived -- they land them on the ship here by helicopter ---he almost ended up in the water. Finally we arrived in Bordeaux at 10PM. All plans we had made for an all day private wine tour down the drain. We were luckily able to cobble something together for the next morning but with an eclipsed schedule as we had to sail back out in the mid afternoon.

That said we loved the trip.So much so that next Thursday we board the Seabourn Legend as she sails out of London under the Tower Bridge for the very last time. The. We cruise down along the coast of France,Spain, Portugal, Spain , France and end 22 days later in Monaco. We have again planned a private wine tour in Bordeaux( I know, living on the edge) as we again overnight there. We also sail up the Guadalquivir River to overnight in Sevilla. We share some of the same ports you will visit, including St. Malo and St. Jean ( fingers crossed on that one too )where we have arranged to travel to San Sebastián for a walking city and pinxos tour. So back to your concern, yes, the Bay of Biscay is notorious for rough seas but I figure we have already paid our dues and are due for better weather this time. So I say go for it but be prepared for plan B in case you miss ports or have other substituted for those scheduled.

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I have cruised this area at different times and generally had good weather...although I will say the Bay of Biscay can be really unpredictable.It can rough one sailing,fiine the next and one cruise we hit a rogue wave that no one saw coming and the bars really got nailed.I have generally always been on Silverseas,but did the old Ren small ships.We never missed a port so I am calling myself lucky.Just be prepared is all I can say,but no matter enjoy the cruise as it is a great area to cruise in. Would do another one in a heartbeat.