Yacht charter

On the west coast of the Cotentin peninsula, the port of Diélette, in Flamanville, Normandy, is a harbor of refuge before tackling the Alderney Race (Raz Blanchard). For a yacht charter in Diélette, Filovent offers 14 sailboats and catamarans within a 30-mile radius, departing from Diélette and Cherbourg, from $490 per week off-season, in November and December.

A former drying harbor once used to ship granite from the nearby quarries, Diélette became a modern marina with more than 400 berths in the late 1990s while keeping its fishing-village character.

Types of boats for yacht charter in Diélette

From Diélette, the fleet is made up mainly of monohull sailboats with 2 to 4 cabins and one 5-cabin catamaran. There are no motorboats in the fleet. Of the 14 boats, 6 are based in Diélette, 6 depart from Cherbourg or Diélette and 2 from Cherbourg only, so yacht charter in Cherbourg widens your choice of models and dates.

• Monohull sailboat charter: this is the most common boat at the base, from small 2-cabin sailboats to 4-cabin monohulls with 10 to 12 berths. It points well upwind, an advantage when beating into the short chop of the English Channel. If you like to sail fast, there are also performance boats such as the JPK 1010 or the Sun Odyssey 44i Performance. At least 7 of the 14 boats have heating, welcome on cool evenings.
• Catamaran charter: less common on this coast, a catamaran offers more living space, a stable platform and a shallower draft than a monohull, which is handy in tidal harbors. The catamaran at the base has 5 cabins and 10 berths.

How much does a yacht charter in Diélette cost?

A week's charter in Diélette costs $900 to $2,900 for a monohull and $3,300 to $5,700 for a catamaran, depending on the season. Prices also vary according to availability, the model and the boat's year of construction.

Source: Filovent - Official data from charter companies, median weekly prices for the Diélette fleet

This table shows median prices by season. The “from” prices shown in the boat list are each boat's lowest rate over the year, usually off-season: a 2-cabin sailboat can be chartered from $490 per week in November or December.

The price includes: the boat rental and its navigation and safety equipment.

The price does not include: the security deposit, insurance, the mandatory cleaning fee and consumables (cooking gas, batteries), bed linens and the dinghy depending on the boat, fuel, harbor and mooring fees, the skipper and provisioning.

The security deposit ranges from $2,200 to $8,900 depending on the boat. Our cancellation insurance covers the whole crew, whereas individual insurance or the cover provided by a credit card only protects the cardholder.

Damage waiver insurance lets you recover most of your security deposit in the event of damage caused while sailing, a real risk in the English Channel, where currents and tidal range sometimes make harbor maneuvers tricky. It is mandatory if you charter the boat with a professional skipper.

Bareboat or skippered charter in Diélette

In Diélette you can charter a sailboat bareboat or with a professional skipper, who costs from $280 per day depending on the boat:

• Bareboat charter: a member of your crew takes command of the sailboat. The boat is entirely private and you plan your itinerary freely. In this area of strong currents, solid experience of sailing in tidal waters is strongly recommended.
• Skippered charter: a professional skipper takes the helm and handles the tidal calculations, the passages through the races and the harbor entrances. They know the best times to pass through and the sheltered anchorages off Sark or Herm. The skipper is provided by the charter company or by a specialist agency, has a cabin on board, and their meals are paid for by the crew.

Most charters are by the week, but some charter companies accept short stays from 2 days. Many charter companies do not offer check-in on Sundays. Check-in is when you board and go through the inventory and handover. Most crews cast off the next morning. Check-in and check-out times are specified in your contract.

Documents and formalities for a yacht charter in Diélette

To charter a boat bareboat in Diélette, you need a sailing résumé detailing your sailing experience and a valid passport. A stopover in the Channel Islands requires additional formalities, detailed below.

Do you need a boating license to charter a sailboat in France?

No, French law does not require a boating license to sail a sailboat. Your sailing résumé is what allows the charter company to judge whether you can set off without a skipper. It is not mandatory, but an ASA or US Sailing certification strengthens your sailing résumé.

Sailing to the Channel Islands: passport and ETA

The Channel Islands are the closest destination from Diélette: Alderney is only 17 nautical miles away. The islands are not part of the European Union and apply British entry rules:

• Every crew member needs a valid passport.
• According to the governments of Jersey and Guernsey, since April 23, 2026, US citizens and other travelers who do not need a visa, except British and Irish citizens, must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) online before departure.
• On arrival, you must report to a designated port of entry and declare your arrival to the authorities.
• US health insurance often doesn't cover you abroad: check your policy or buy travel insurance that covers both France and the Channel Islands.

Which currency do you need?

You will pay in euros in France and in pounds sterling in the Channel Islands, where Jersey and Guernsey also issue their own banknotes. Cards are accepted almost everywhere.

Booking your boat in Diélette: deposit, balance and cancellation

As soon as we receive your request, a Filovent advisor calls you to understand your cruise plans, then emails you a selection of suitable boats. Once you have made your choice, the booking works as follows:

• A deposit of 50% of the rental price is paid from your customer area to confirm the booking and secure the boat.
• The balance is due 6 to 12 weeks before check-in, depending on the charter company.
• If you cancel more than 90 days before departure, the deposit is retained. Within 90 days, the full rental price is due.
• Booking fees and insurance premiums are non-refundable.

The charter company's terms, sent with the quote, may provide for different arrangements.

Where to sail from Diélette?

Most crews head for the Channel Islands: Alderney is 17 nautical miles away, Sark 20, Jersey 22 and Guernsey 27, in a straight line. Cherbourg is 30 nautical miles by sea around Cap de la Hague. Popular routes from Diélette:

• The Channel Islands to the west. Their proximity makes a cruise around the Channel Islands possible from day one. You can call in at St Peter Port, wander the narrow streets of St Helier, anchor off car-free Sark or spend a day on Herm and its white-sand beaches.
• Cap de la Hague and Cherbourg to the north. Once you have passed through the Alderney Race at the right state of the tide, Cherbourg's roadstead offers safe shelter and a large port city for provisioning. To the northwest, on the other side of the race, Alderney welcomes sailors in Braye Harbour, on a mooring buoy or at anchor, a few minutes' walk from the small town of St Anne.
• The Côte des Isles to the south. Along the west coast of the Cotentin, the small harbors of Carteret and Portbail line up among dunes and tidal inlets, facing Jersey.
• Granville and the Chausey Islands further south. Chausey lies 41 nautical miles from Diélette, a 7- to 8-hour sail at 5 to 6 knots. This maze of granite islets is largely exposed at low tide. To start your cruise further south, a yacht charter in Granville or a sailboat charter in Saint-Malo puts the archipelago within a few hours' sail.

Sample 7-day itinerary from Diélette

Here is a one-week loop around the Channel Islands, covering about 93 nautical miles in total:

Distances are approximate, in a straight line. Departure times depend on the tide, especially for passing through the Alderney Race on day 1 and for entering Carteret, a harbor that dries out at low tide.

When and how to sail in Diélette?

The best time to charter a boat in Diélette is from May to September: in July and August the air reaches 68°F and the sea 63°F. The main constraint is the tide, which sets the time of every departure.

Weather and temperatures

The oceanic climate brings mild temperatures, and the long summer days leave plenty of time to string together passages and stopovers. Charter companies also offer departures in spring and fall.

Average temperatures in the Cotentin:

Winds, tides and harbor access

The prevailing winds blow from the west to southwest and can freshen quickly as Atlantic lows pass through. In summer, high-pressure spells bring more manageable breezes and fine sailing days.

The tide is the main factor to build into your itinerary. The tidal range is large on the west coast of the Cotentin and the tidal currents are among the strongest in Europe, particularly in the Alderney Race, between Cap de la Hague and Alderney, where the current can reach around 12 knots at spring tides. Every passage is therefore planned with the tide tables and a tide calculation to make the most of a favorable current and tackle tricky passages at slack water.

The waiting pontoons in the outer harbor let you arrive in Diélette at almost any state of the tide. The marina basin, closed by a sill and a gate, opens from 3 hours 15 minutes before to 3 hours 15 minutes after high water, with 4.9 ft (1.5 m) of water when the gate opens. In strong westerly or northwesterly winds of force 6 or more, a swell can build in the entrance channel: it is then better to delay your arrival.

How to get to Diélette?

The direct train from Paris Saint-Lazare reaches Cherbourg in 3 hours 10 minutes to 3 hours 30 minutes. Diélette is then 14 miles (23 km) away, about 25 minutes by car or taxi. If you are flying in, the most convenient airport is usually Paris: from Orly, metro line 14 runs directly to Saint-Lazare station; from Roissy-Charles de Gaulle, take the RER B to Gare du Nord, then the RER E to Haussmann-Saint-Lazare. The port has a parking lot for crews arriving by car.

What to do around the port of Diélette?

Flamanville Castle, built in the 17th century on the ruins of an old manor house, is surrounded by grounds with two ponds and a dahlia conservatory, open free of charge all year round. The GR 223 coastal path passes through the port of Diélette and then follows the cliffs of Cap de Flamanville, which rise to 292 feet (89 meters) above the sea. The nearby sandy beach and the Diélette water sports center, open from mid-April to the end of October, round off your time ashore.