After the evacuation of the British Expeditionary Force from Dunkirk in June 1940, Winston Churchill promised, ‘We will return’. Operation Overlord was the codename for the Allied landing operation which took place on this part of the Normandy coast four years later. D-Day on 6 June, 1944 met the crucial conditions for a dawn assault in the middle of a rising tide, following a night with a full moon for parachutists.

The western-most ports we visited were part of the Utah and Omaha landing areas allocated to the American troops. The other beaches stretching to the east as far as Ouistreham were Gold (British), Juno (Canadian) and Sword (British).

The hydrography and topography have not changed, and it requires little imagination to turn the clock back and appreciate the challenges and obstacles which faced our forefathers.

The main challenge is that entry to all these ports requires transiting those green areas on the chart that we, as yacht people, prefer to avoid. So, entry and exit will be either side of high water. However, if you are in the frame of mind for leisurely cruising then it is only a short hop up the coast to get into the next port before you are ‘neaped’.

We tackled things in an anti-clockwise direction, from west to east, for several reasons. Heading for St Vaast, you can always divert to Cherbourg, a port accessible at all states of the tide. The prevailing wind is also generally from the west. St Vaast is the most accessible of all the ports in this group, and if you are waiting for the tide, has reasonably secure anchorages sheltered from the north and west.

US troops storm the Normandy Beaches during the D-Day landings. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

With the new PAF (Police Aux Frontières) email system in operation, we could clear in and out of Normandy without going to Cherbourg or getting our passports stamped.

The last week of September happened to coincide with some glorious weather, but we saw only two other boats actively cruising. When I checked with the harbour master in St Vaast, he was happy we had fulfilled all the necessary requirements for entry, although I couldn’t tell whether his friendly response was positive affirmation of the ‘new’ system or symptomatic of his laissez-faire approach to life generally!

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A short hop 12 miles down the coast from St. Vaast is the fairway buoy for Carentan and this is followed by a four-mile transit of the Passe de Carentan (over the green stuff) and then three miles up the Canal de Carentan à la Mer to the marina.

When doing your calculations, it’s worth paying attention to the tidal graph and related coefficients in the Almanac as it gets quite shallow around No 12 buoy at the south end of the Passe. Close to HW we had 0.3m under our 2.0m keel. So, this is a passage that is more likely to be viable closer to springs rather than neaps.

US Coast Guard landing craft transport American soldiers to the Normandy beaches on D-Day. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

Utah and Carentan

About a mile to the west of the fairway buoy for Carentan puts you opposite the sand dunes of the Utah landing area. Here, the US 4th Division landed too far south but this proved to be to their advantage as the area was lightly defended. In the words of Brigadier General Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the decision was quickly made ‘to start the war from right here!’

By the end of D-Day, the 4th Division had penetrated six miles inland and it was arguably the most successful of all the Allied landings that day.

Five miles inland and inaccessible for a seaborne landing, Carentan was a key communications hub in view of its position astride the N-13 road linking Cherbourg and Caen, as well as the Cherbourg-Paris railway. It was also positioned between the Utah and Omaha landing areas and therefore an important initial objective. This was assigned to the US 101st Airborne Division (The Screaming Eagles). This is depicted in the HBO series Band of Brothers which we streamed courtesy of crew member Alan.

About a mile to the west of the fairway buoy for Carentan puts you opposite the Utah landing area

After fierce fighting Carentan was finally captured on 12 June.

Fortunately, you cannot lock out of Carentan until the flooding tide has eased. On a previous visit we were eager to be off, bound for Ouistreham, and were waiting at the lock early and from a safe distance witnessed the confusion caused by the tidal bore or mascaret at the junction of the canal and La Douve rivers just downstream of the lock.

On leaving Carentan, once you are north of the Banc de la Madeleine, you can turn east and pick up the transit to Grandcamp-Maisy, a grand total of around 10 miles. Grandcamp-Maisy is a fishing port but there is room for local motorboats, small yachts and a few visitors on the east end of C Pontoon where there is greater depth. There are restaurants on the quay and a fish market if you feel like self-catering on board. Sailing time may be limited by the tides but this gives ample time to explore.

Photograph of Allied landing craft underway to the beaches of Normandy. Dated 1944. Exact date unknown. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

Paying homage

Although part of the Atlantic Wall and close to at least three heavy artillery batteries, Grandcamp-Maisy is situated to the west of the Omaha beaches. Three miles down the coast along a new cycle path is the Pointe du Hoc Ranger Museum, now well-resourced by the American Battle Monuments Commission. Here, almost complete bunkers and fortifications have been left alone since 1945. Pointe du Hoc was a strategically important position as it dominated both Utah and Omaha Beaches.

The mission to take it was given to 2nd Ranger Battalion and involved a direct assault up the 100ft cliff in order to neutralise what was thought to be a gun battery at the top. This is well depicted in the 1961 film The Longest Day.

The fishing port of Grandcamp-Maisy, shown here at low water.

Once around Pointe du Hoc and Pointe de la Percée, you need to stay outside the three northerly cardinals which mark the obstructions that still litter Omaha Beach. A low cliff and seawall and well-sited defensive positions meant that in contrast to Utah this was a hard-fought battle. Most of the specialist amphibious tanks sank in the heavy swell, and in the late morning destroyers had to come right inshore to blast the defenders at point-blank range. But by midday, the 1st and 29th Infantry Divisions were established ashore and starting to secure the exits off the landing area.

Port-en-Bessin is 12 miles from Grandcamp-Maisy. For me, this is the jewel in the crown of this part of the coast. A major fishing port, it has a 25m pontoon for visiting yachts. Your stay is limited to 48 hours, but I have never had to share the pontoon. Only 10 metres from an excellent restaurant and 15 metres from the boulangerie, I am not sure how things could be improved. On a previous visit, a quayside workshop made a new stainless bracket for my boom vang in one morning – value for money would be an understatement.

The seaborne assault of Operation Neptune took place across five landing sites. Photo: Alamy Stock Photo

In June 1944, Port-en-Bessin was the objective for 47 Commando Royal Marines on D-Day+1. It lies on the boundary between the US Omaha and British Gold Beaches and was, prior to the capture of Cherbourg, the point where petroleum products could be pumped ashore.

The 47 Commando force marched from Arromanches and captured the high ground on either side of the port, but at a very high cost in men killed and wounded. As Geoff, one of my crewmates and a former Royal Marines Commando, said in his understated way: ‘They did their duty.’

Departure from Port-en-Bessin for the Solent has to be close to HW, and the crossing will be around 90 miles. Don’t underestimate the tidal effect around St Catherines Point; on a previous trip, I found myself too far east and then faced a tedious beat upwind and into the tide. This time we made a swift passage. With our Q flag flying, we headed into Portsmouth Harbour, picked up a buoy in N. Forton Lake and by 0200 were firmly asleep.

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