We tried to leave Boulogne twice before but returned to the safety of the port after sticking our nose outside the breakwater. It was the sea-state that made us return. The bashing and slamming is not good for the boat, nor for our morale. We were exploring our comfort zone. The waiting paid off and we left Boulogne for Dieppe on Mon 21 Oct early morning to catch the South going tide. The strong (6 to 7 BFT) Northerlies and (still)considerable waves promised an exiting sail. There was a “securite” with storm warning to the North along the Belgian coast. About 20 NM before Dieppe we received a PAN PAN from a training sailboat. One of the crew crashed into something when working on the foredeck and was unconscious. A stark reminder for us how careful you need to be when short handed. We arrived in Dieppe after 13 exhausting hours.
The limestone cliffs in the area look similar to Eastborn in the UK on the other side of the Channel.
On 19 Aug 1942 this beach was the scene of Operation Jubilee, also called the Dieppe Raid. The purpose of the Allied military operation was to prove that it was possible to hold a major port for a short period as to support the invasion of Nazi Europe.
After a disastrous 10 hours of fighting 3600 of the 6000 (mainly Canadian) men who made it to shore were killed, wounded or captured. The costly and valuable lessons learned from this operation were used for the invasion of North-Africa and of course for D-day. (See https://www.twobatsea.com/cherbourg-france/).
French merchants from the Normandy cities traded with the Gambia and Senegal coasts. As a result an ivory-carving industry developed in Dieppe after 1364, especially know for lace folding fans.
Dieppe feels more prosperous than Boulogne. Well maintained shopping streets with no vacant retail space.
We bought excellent “Boudin noir” or Black Pudding or (Dinugoan in Filipino and Bloedworst in Dutch) from this charcuterie opposite Eglise Saint Jacques.
We had a pleasant stay in Dieppe.