Bay of Biscay choppy?

[shorton]

We are considering an Oceania cruise in September 2012 that includes the Bay of Biscay. We have heard that the bay can be rough sailing. Any thoughts?

[Hstergo]

We are considering an Oceania cruise in September 2012 that includes the Bay of Biscay. We have heard that the bay can be rough sailing. Any thoughts?

 

if you consider less then one foot waves choppy /.. I would say not at all

[new salt]

We are considering an Oceania cruise in September 2012 that includes the Bay of Biscay. We have heard that the bay can be rough sailing. Any thoughts?

 

The Bay of Biscay can be absolutely bloody. We cross it about twice a year with Brittany Ferries from Santander/Bilbao to Portsmouth/Plymouth. On one occasion we were delayed at sea for about 12 hours because the Captain had to turn the vessel into wind because it was so rough. On the other hand, our first crossing was like a millpond but, trust me, some of the worst seas are in Biscay.

 

We are doing it again in a few weeks:eek:

[LHT28]

Any part of the sea can be bad at any time

 

We have had really bad seas in the Irish sea, North sea & the Caribbean sea but the R-ships handled it just fine.

If you are prone to motion sickness just take meds with you in case you need them

 

Lyn

[capecodder2]

It is part of a big ocean - anything is possible in any ocean. Luck of the draw.

[new salt]

It is part of a big ocean - anything is possible in any ocean. Luck of the draw.

 

Well that is true but Biscay has particular characteristics, in that there is nothing between the USA and the coastline so it gets the full force of the prevailing weather systems, finally building up in Biscay. The Irish Sea has nasty short seas which are real sick makers. The worst seas I have ever seen though were in the Med, again because in an enclosed sea the water has nowhere to go to dissipate it's energy and just builds up into nasty short seas. I should add that I am a (long) retired Maritime Patrol pilot so I've seen a lot of water in a bad mood:mad::mad::mad:

[wripro]

The Bay of Biscay does have a tendency to be choppy. But you're going on a ship. A little motion is part of the deal imo.

[ebobh]

True, as others have said, areas like the Drake Passage, the North Sea and the Bay of Biscay can be had on calm days with little disruption. The Bay, also as noted, is open to the Atlantic and the next landfall west is the USA. One of its unique characteristics is that the continental shelf extends pretty far out from shore, especially along the northern part of the Bay, which can make waves elevate pretty quickly when pushed by the Gulf Stream (which enters the Bay along the north coast of Spain and turns northward in a counter-clockwise fashion). For those who have cruised it, that is why the ship seems pretty far from shore; the transit lanes are in deeper water.

 

On ships of the size we are on, it is rarely a significant problem, although it is a notoriously bumpy ride at times (especially in the Fall when the Atlantic storm season is in bloom). Not giant waves, but swells large enough to let you know how insignificant we are in comparison to the natural forces of the world. The real problem is getting into and out of a lot of the small port towns along the coast of France and Spain.

 

The swell of the Bay (because of the shallow, wide open waters) can be substantial, and is a factor in being able to tender into ports on cruises (we had one stop canceled in June due to this, and in another, we had a great undulating ride many didn't necessarily like...). A number of yachts and smaller boats have issues being able to get into a lot of the places we stop.

 

June and July are the best months to go, August is OK, and September (to the end of the year) is OK on a cruise ship unless there is a storm to your west (which all start up about that time).

[gillianrose]

Well that is true but Biscay has particular characteristics, in that there is nothing between the USA and the coastline so it gets the full force of the prevailing weather systems, finally building up in Biscay. The Irish Sea has nasty short seas which are real sick makers. The worst seas I have ever seen though were in the Med, again because in an enclosed sea the water has nowhere to go to dissipate it's energy and just builds up into nasty short seas. I should add that I am a (long) retired Maritime Patrol pilot so I've seen a lot of water in a bad mood:mad::mad::mad:

 

Where in Europe (and when?) would you cruise in order to have the calmest seas possible?

[ebobh]

IMHO, the Adriatic is often the smoothest, as are most areas around the Greek Isles. A Venice to Athens or Instanbul works for those areas. The Med is generally calmer than the open seas (duh) and is calmer on routes that slide along the shores instead of crossing from north to south or vice versa. The Better months for a lot of reasons are May, Sept and Oct. Excluded August unless you have to because of crowds, and the humidity then is also the highest. The Atlantic hurricane season is August to early Nov, so crossings using the northern route can be rocky if weather is acting up.

 

You could also look north and do Norway and the fjords in May or June. Alternately, a river cruise works (we're doing a Tauck Danube cruise next year) but water levels drop in the late fall, which can interfere with passage. With the size of the ships and their stabilizers, usually most of the Med most of the time will be fine, tho.

[ebobh]

Not sure why my iPad thought my misspell of Istanbul in the last post was fine, but I do really know how to spell it (I do, I do...). Sorry...

[Mura]

I'm just wondering if you are really considering about taking a cruise because of one day? One port?

 

For the record, I have a tendency towards mal de mer. I might ask about sea conditions for the whole area, but for one port?

 

I don't think so. I just take my meds and go to bed!

 

And yes, it seems to me that you can have one kind of weather one day, and another kind on another.

 

Good luck.

[new salt]

Where in Europe (and when?) would you cruise in order to have the calmest seas possible?

 

The Baltic is a a pretty well behaved sea most of the year, and the Med pretty reliable during the cruising season but can come over all 'tired and emotional' during the winter say late November to late April and whenever the big Med winds blow (the Scirroco and the Mistral come immediately to mind). For really smooth seas try the upper Arctic in summer, seas as smooth as oil, unbelievable visibility and magnificent radar ranges! Trouble is there is b#gg#r all to see!

 

The Serpentine is reliable most of the year!

[Hunding]

"The Serpentine is reliable most of the year!"

 

LOL!

[rhohea]

I believe that the current Marina cruise in this area has missed at least 1 possibley 2 ports due to the rough seas where tendering was not safe. 1 port was yesterday Biarritz (Saint-Jean-de-Luz).

[Queenk2]

We were on another line...very large ship..very very windy and rough in July. The weather was so evil that when a passenger experienced a medical emergency and had to be airlifted to a hospital, the wind was so fierce that a chopper could not land. Eventually,after many attempts a basket was sent down and passenger was removed, alone and sent to a hospital in Portugal.

[dereklola]

I believe that the current Marina cruise in this area has missed at least 1 possibley 2 ports due to the rough seas where tendering was not safe. 1 port was yesterday Biarritz (Saint-Jean-de-Luz).

 

It wasn't really rough at all at either port - just a little swell - would have been fine for most passengers but Oceania decided we must respect the rights of all passengers, including wheelchair bound and walker-assisted ones, and cancelled both ports for the 1000+ others. Minority rules just as on land :mad:

[sweep]

It wasn't really rough at all at either port - just a little swell - would have been fine for most passengers but Oceania decided we must respect the rights of all passengers, including wheelchair bound and walker-assisted ones, and cancelled both ports for the 1000+ others. Minority rules just as on land :mad:

 

I disagree completely with Dereklola. We were on the same cruise and agree with the decision made. Although disappointed at missing two ports, we feel that it is up to the Captain to make the safe decision with regard to all his passengers and crew. He has access to detailed weather reports and he has to consider the return tender journey once passengers have disembarked. He has to consider the risks to his crew who would have had to intervene should any passengers got into difficulty. We are able bodied but the pouring rain and rough seas at Concarneau certainly looked to us as if it would be unsafe. At St Jean de Luz some tenders were sent out to test the situation. Outside our balcony we saw the pilot boat being tossed around in the swell. No doubt the Captain would have used the advice of the Pilot too in making his decision. We were partially compensated by getting to Santander a day early, not to mention the free bar on the last evening;). Both of these things would have cost Oceania and need not have been offerred.

I do not think it is up to laymen to make these decisions but to take advice from the experts.

[chester8]

I disagree completely with Dereklola. We were on the same cruise and agree with the decision made. Although disappointed at missing two ports, we feel that it is up to the Captain to make the safe decision with regard to all his passengers and crew. He has access to detailed weather reports and he has to consider the return tender journey once passengers have disembarked. He has to consider the risks to his crew who would have had to intervene should any passengers got into difficulty. We are able bodied but the pouring rain and rough seas at Concarneau certainly looked to us as if it would be unsafe. At St Jean de Luz some tenders were sent out to test the situation. Outside our balcony we saw the pilot boat being tossed around in the swell. No doubt the Captain would have used the advice of the Pilot too in making his decision. We were partially compensated by getting to Santander a day early, not to mention the free bar on the last evening;). Both of these things would have cost Oceania and need not have been offerred.

I do not think it is up to laymen to make these decisions but to take advice from the experts.

Sweep,I agree with you and I thoroughly enjoyed the overnight in Santander.This was my first cruise with Oceania and the whole experience was wonderful.

[chester8]

We are considering an Oceania cruise in September 2012 that includes the Bay of Biscay. We have heard that the bay can be rough sailing. Any thoughts?

The best time to sail the Bay of Biscay is during the European Summer months before the start of Autumn.

[dereklola]

Aha - I see my response to Sweep and Chester8 has been "moderated out" - so much for free speech! I had included a pic showing what they considered "rough" and what I considered a "little swell" - chacun à son goût.

[durante]

We were also on this cruise and agree with Sweep regarding the decision by Marina for not not tendering at Concarneau and St Jean de Luz. Yes, it was disappointing as we really wanted to see both ports but the ocean off Western France is unpredictable....Maybe a blessing in disguise to avoid a potential accident -as we noticed many rude passengers on tenders to St Malo and St Peter Port leaping around, deliberately ignoring staff requests to stay seated. It seemed many people did not understand basic safety rules. This would have been a nightmare if the same people had tried to use the tenders in St jean de Luz

[Ship's Wake]

True, as others have said, areas like the Drake Passage, the North Sea and the Bay of Biscay can be had on calm days with little disruption. The Bay, also as noted, is open to the Atlantic and the next landfall west is the USA. One of its unique characteristics is that the continental shelf extends pretty far out from shore, especially along the northern part of the Bay, which can make waves elevate pretty quickly when pushed by the Gulf Stream (which enters the Bay along the north coast of Spain and turns northward in a counter-clockwise fashion). For those who have cruised it, that is why the ship seems pretty far from shore; the transit lanes are in deeper water.

 

On ships of the size we are on, it is rarely a significant problem, although it is a notoriously bumpy ride at times (especially in the Fall when the Atlantic storm season is in bloom). Not giant waves, but swells large enough to let you know how insignificant we are in comparison to the natural forces of the world. The real problem is getting into and out of a lot of the small port towns along the coast of France and Spain.

 

The swell of the Bay (because of the shallow, wide open waters) can be substantial, and is a factor in being able to tender into ports on cruises (we had one stop canceled in June due to this, and in another, we had a great undulating ride many didn't necessarily like...). A number of yachts and smaller boats have issues being able to get into a lot of the places we stop.

 

June and July are the best months to go, August is OK, and September (to the end of the year) is OK on a cruise ship unless there is a storm to your west (which all start up about that time).

 

Very good information! Thank you for taking the time to share this.