This archipelago is only 15 nautical miles from Saint-Malo. It consists of around 50 islands, some of which are just small piles of stones. Chausey belongs to France and Normandy and was once fortified by Napoleon. In the past, granite was quarried on the archipelago for the construction of the nearby Mont-Saint-Michel monastery. The archipelago lies to the south of the Channel Islands, which are British. Tiny Chausey played no part in the centuries-long dispute between the French and English, so it remained French when the British conquered Jersey and other islands.
The largest island in the small archipelago is also called Grande-Île. It is also less than a nautical mile long. Approaching it is tricky: tidal ranges of up to 14 metres and correspondingly strong currents sometimes prevail here. It is therefore best to arrive around high or low tide.
The deep channel (Le Sound) to the east of the island has excellent visitor mooring buoys. Always moor bow and stern to the murings so that the boat remains lengthways in the current. Two boats may also be moored together.
The dinghy then takes you ashore. With a magnificent lighthouse, a hotel and a restaurant, a small shop and great beaches, the island has everything you need. A visit to the hotel's restaurant garden is a must. There you can sit with lobster, mussels, cake or wine and look out over an idyll of islands, turquoise water and white beaches. Meanwhile, the landscape is constantly changing due to the tides. At low tide (green area in the croft), the view is of a jagged sea of rocks, huge fields of seaweed and masses of seabirds. At high tide, on the other hand, the dinghies of the 30 or so residents sail skilfully between the rocks, fishermen go out, yachts and the small island ferry arrive. In short, somehow it never gets boring, everything is always in motion.
Position
48°52'21'' N, 001°, 49' 48'' W
Size
The entire archipelago is about 5 x 2.5 nautical miles in size.
Inhabitants
approx. 30
Harbours & bays
Very good mooring spots in the channel east of the Grande-Île. Anchoring is challenging. There are numerous photos on the island's website of boats that ended up spectacularly on the rocks at low tide: ileschausey.com. A good spot is south of the Grande-Île, while there are many mussel farms to the east.
Tips
Stroll around the island, enjoy a glass of wine in the hotel garden. Be careful when swimming, there is often a lot of current in the canal.
