Sailing with the Skinners
  • Home
  • About Onegin
  • Destinations
  • Photos
  • Blog
  • Follow our trip
  • Message us

July 23rd, 2015

7/23/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
 

July 12

6am rise- still dark. Back to bed for half an hour! None of the buoys are lit in the Gulf so we weren’t going to risk leaving in poor light. As the windlass is broken we have to improvise with the electric winch, primary winch and chain snubber. The system works well, I guess if we were in deeper water it’d be a pain but as it’s only 3m deep it’s good.

The route out through the islands was a circuitous one through multiple swirling whirlpools as the tide ripped out through the narrow gaps between islands on it’s twice daily trip out of the Gulf. There were guys standing on the bow of their fishing boats going sideways in the rush of ebbing water happily casting their lines. Meanwhile we were hanging on tight and glad to be wearing lifejackets: many of them weren’t! when the SOG is 10kn plus just because of the tide it’s quite alarming.

Needless to say, it woke us up and with a quick fuel stop in Cruesty which is at the exit point of the Golfe du Morbihan, we were set for a full day sail to Ile d’Yeu. The journey was a little over 60nm  and we arrived at 17.30. It was super crowded with boats rafted up all over and as the harbour guy took us deeper into the marina we were looking astonished to find ourselves directed to raft outside of two boats one of which was Believe! Neither of us could quite believe the co-incidence despite the fact we are travelling similar routes.

A trip up the capitainerie went very well as we discovered that being rafted outside of two boats you get a discount on your mooring fees- it was about Euro 34 in the end! Showers and supper set us up for a walk into town with Rick, Julie, Tom & Nicky from Believe and delicious ice creams.  Followed by a nightcap of Paddy (thanks to Willi who hid the bottle on board!!).

July 13

The town of Port Joinville is populated by bicycles and the island a great place to cycle. As Believe untied and set off at 11am we were able to get ashore to the poissonerie to join the very long queue for the renowned Ile d’Yeu tuna, clams and crevettes. The market was also open so fresh bread and salad. It’ such a great way to shop as all the produce is fresh, not packaged in multiple layers and sold by really lovely people.

With lunch made we set off on our bikes for what ended up as over 20km ride (which for us is quite long!). The island is very Mediterranean with whitewashed cottages, terracotta roofs and brightly painted shutters and the most glorious gardens again. The cycle route purely for bikes so we spent very little time on the paved road which is great and encountered many large groups of cyclists doing just as we were. We visited Le vieux chateau built in XVIth century to protect the island, some lovely beaches – a great place to explore. Made it bak to the boat around 5.30pm as another boat was directed to tie up along side us- Jean Marie and Marilynne on their beneteau which they have only sailed for 4 days!! A brand new boat to them and they are heading down to Ibiza. We traded details after a chat as our routes were going to be similar and they too were leaving for La Rochelle the following morning at 8am.

It had been a long and fun day so just as we were getting ready for bed we noticed that there were lots of people walking along the breakwater beside us – the town had been buzzing all evening with live music and arching bands etc. Then all of a sudden we were in the thick of an amazing firework display that just went on and on. It was fabulous!

July 14
60nm sail to La Rochelle

8am depart, main up just outside harbour and off we go. Forecast for light force 3 breeze which was good. It didn’t however materialise so we motor sailed the whole way which is pretty painful when you anticipate being able to sail. Nonetheless it was a productive day- got through a whole load of paper work including old sailing magazines that had been waiting to be read before being discarded! Sun was shining so it was ok. About an hour out of La Rochelle the wind piped up and we sailed the last bit into the marine. Minimes marina is HUGE. This is a recurring theme in these notes about the places we have visited- there are an astonishing number of boats in France but this place must have had at least 3000!!

Dropping the main is usually a calm and quick action but today it came down with an almighty crash- the boom vang had slipped so the boom hit  the ridge of the conservatory. We have a very fancy boom vang made by Selden, fitted by a rigger which after close investigation we found that he had drilled only one of the two bolt holes that hold the top of the vang onto the boom. We’ve been lolloping around in very sloppy seas on this trip and the boom has been ‘wanging’ about to the point of driving all of us, the Captain in particular, crazy. It seems this constant movement must have  loosened the one bolt that was properly fitted and made the other one slip. It’s lucky neither bolts got lost and nothing got bent. Another job to add to the list: find new longer bolt, drill hole and secure. Then review the whole set up for a heavier duty fix in the winter.

We were given a berth quite near the entrance to the marina which was easy to get to on our bikes and about a fifteen minute ride from town. I knew that Blew Beyond had headed for La Rochelle a few days before us so touched based with them and they were still there and expecting to be so for a few more days. We hooked up with them on the river bank along with hoards of other people to watch or rather listen to the concert which was in the big stadium they’d built in town and wait for Bastille Day fireworks. Jonny Halliday, well know ageing French rocker was the headline act and played for hours……. We gave up waiting for the fireworks and headed back to Mel & James’s boat just in time for the start of a half hour display- we had ringside seats with an unencumbered view: perfect!! And enjoyed Mel’s home made damson gin as a night cap. A fun end to the day.

July 15

Boat work: we took the windlass apart again and thought we’d solved the problem as it worked when we tested it remotely. Sadly it doesn’t work under load and  needs to come out once more and for us to get right into the guts. It’s very likely a pin holding the gear onto the axle that is causing the trouble, we probably should have gone that deep this time but actually think there was another problem that we solved which was masking this inner non-working part.

Having failed on that front we tackled a long term issue which was trying to find where the leak in the forward water tanks was coming from. We haven’t been using them at all since the boat left Inverness: we didn’t  need copious amounts of water and wanted to find the source of the problem before filling them and as we have family coming in the next few weeks need to resolve it once and for all.

Like all of these jobs, getting to the guts of the problem is easier said than done. Whoever fitted these tanks (they are relatively new) plugged all the screw heads so we had to drill out the plugs before we could remove the base of the bottom bunk to get to the tank- I think this was one reason why we’d not tried to find out what the problem was because it took ages to get to the tanks. Anyhow, once in the issue became clear, the top of one of the tanks wasn’t secure because the ten washers keeping the bolts water tight were no longer working. They were proper plumbers reddish fabric washers and had disintegrated. Where we were going to find these in La Rochelle was the next question but one we decided to wait to tackle because by the end of this activity we felt a little like we’d lost the will to live: it was 5pm and boat jobs were all we’d been doing. We’d made a dinner date with Mel & James so hopped on our bikes for a short tour of the town and the huge number of chandleries to find the bolt for the boom and possible washers.

On our mini tour we saw Believe again who had pulled in earlier in the day & said we’d meet for ice cream later! Dinner in town was delicious and very good value. We haven’t eaten out a lot as marina fees and eating out bites into the budget quite severely. It was great to have a feast cooked by someone else especially after a frustrating day on the work front! We all have the same aim : to cross the northern Spain so are biding our time for the right weather window. It’s been looking likely Friday would be good although as the week progresses the wind lightens but is still from NNE.

July 16

With more time in the marina we know we are able to deal with the jobs: trip to the laundry; a bit of food shopping and finish fixing the leak in the forward water tanks. All of this was achieved, it was a prefect laundry drying, deck cleaning, water tank cleaning & testing, deflate the dinghy for the crossing and get ship shape kind of day. Topped of with a short early evening visit with Mel & James, who had friends join them for two weeks. We said we’d see them at the fuel dock at 8am the next morning.

July 17-19

8.45 left the fuel dock, Jean Marie on board Conconne was also fuelling up which was a great surprise. He had sent us an email to say  he was planning to cross as well but we hadn’t seen them. So that was a great surprise and we left the marina with them in our sights and kept in radio contact for most of the day.

0915 SW 9.5kn full sail. Not the wind we hoped for but it was forecast to switch to NNE by midday. We had conferred with Jean Marie who sent us a waypoint that was approx. halfway to Gijon (pronounced He-hon as far as I can tell) as that was his planned destination. Blew Beyond were aiming to go further west to Ribadeo so we had different trajectories.

We managed a decent amount of sailing. The first 24 hours were pretty uneventful although halfway through the night we lost sight of Conconne who were behind us and there were great lightening storms to the north, east and south east.

Daylight brought us to an astonishing number of fishing boats all clustered in one very deep area. There were at least 30, luckily we passed the bulk of them without having to change course although later in the day we found ourselves in the midst of a fleet and had to duck and dive to get behind everyone. I think they were fishing for tuna. We saw multiple fish, they were swimming along side of us and some would come jumping in shoals. We’re not experts as you’ll know form our Norwegian exploits but decided after some discussion that we may as well try and catch something. Searching  and finding  the rod was the first challenge, second was what lure to use and what technique. A combination of haveay shiny lure and feathery fluttery lure were cast over the side and eventually tied onto the radar arch as nothing was biting. Patience is the name of the game I think.

In the meantime, we were visited by a whale which surfaced and blew just a few boat lengths away and then a little further away. This of course was extremely exciting. The Captain revealed he had heard that noise in the night and thought it was possibly a whale but wasn’t sure.  Having an over active imagination, it seemed prudent to bring the fishing lines in as quickly as possible!

Then about an hour later we saw more blowing as a whale or perhaps more than one came past us. It was very exciting. Having reset the fishing lines, I realized there was some pull on one so reeled it in whilst the Captain slept, deciding that if it was a good size fish I’d call for help but would wake him before hand. It proved to be the right decision as we’d caught a black plastic sack and some seaweed. Tragic. Not to be outdone we cast the line again as we could still see tons of fish swimming alongside us, next bite turned out to be two white plastic sacks. It was a sad day for us to witness the detritous that is in the ocean. Although I suppose a happy time as we left all those lovely big fish alone swimming alongside of us!

Another night, no moon and weary eyes were saved by what sounded like something falling in the water. As I looked over the port rail I realised we’d been joined by dolphins. There must have been about 4 or 5, who came really close alongside at high speed. It was very dark so you could just take out their shapes but they stayed with us for about 20 minutes. I can’t wait for an accompaniment in daylight that we can all enjoy. This was a great relief and break in the watch as we approached Gijon at around 6am. We were tied up alongside by 7am and asleep shortly after. Blew Beyond and Believe were both in the marina.

10.30am knock, knock, knock followed by a voice saying “customs” and someone boarding the boat. He was a very nice chap, came on board examined our papers, passports etc and gave us clearance which we will now be able to use all through Spain.

It was a lucky thing Mr Customs/Immigration woke us so we could get going and enjoy the glorious sunny day. As we approached the land in the small hours it had a very different smell and we both said, it smells like Spain. It’s pretty exciting to have the boat so much closer to home now. Whilst we still have miles to go we are now only one country away from Portugal!

Up to the marina office, we asked to move to a longer pontoon (we were on a 10 metre pontoon which left our rear end hanging off the end!) and they put us next to Rick & Julie, Believe. It turns out Blew Beyond had left between the time we arrived and woke up, they’d refueled and then set off to Ribadeo I think. We shared stories with Rick & Julie and then set off to find brunch and explore. It’s an attractive town and has three beaches, the biggest is a couple of miles long and was jam packed with sunbathers and frolickers! It was a perfect beach Sunday, great for a bike ride along the coast and general explore of the town. There’s also a big industrial port and apparently they mine boxite in the mountains behind.

Once back at the boat we met more English sailors who were friends of Believe, they hadn’t expected to see these people so it was a pleasant surprise for them. It’s a small world. 

July 20

A late departure after some Monday morning business/admin we went all of 10 miles in very light NE breeze with the code zero pottering along at 3kn. It was a perfect speed for the distance. The conditions were ideal for dropping anchor in a bay off Luanco. The beach was full and there were people jumping from the breakwater and generally having a good time. It was hot and sunny and merited the first swim off the boat for me!! The Captain donned goggles, snorkel and flippers (purchase in France) to inspect the bottom of the boat and clean it. One thing we have noticed when we are stationary is this peculiar fizzing sound. It trouble the Captain so much the other night that he was up for an hour (apparently) taking up floor boards and the engine cover to see if we had some problem with the keep or hull. It turns out in the warmer water there is a lot of activity under water organisms. At night it actually can sound like you are sleeping in a boiling saucepan. It’s intriguing how noisy it is but given the amount of sea life we have seen (fish etc) it is not surprising.

It was a good anchorage and calm night.

July 21

7am rise and departure shortly after for Ribadeo. Overcast, drizzly and foggy with no wind. Another day for the engine. It was meant to be F3 from the east byt actually what wind we did have was on the nose from the SW.

At 11am we had a call from s/v Conconne, Jean Marie was also on his way to Ribadeo so we agreed we’d see them later. Then about an hour later we received another call on the radio: Jean Marie had entangled himself in a fishing net which was around his prop. We got his co-ordinates and stood by to head back towards him : he was over 7nm away so it would have taken over an hour to reach him. In the meantime, another French boat must have heard our conversation on the radio as they were much closer and went to his aid. Remarkably they had a diver on board who was able to free his prop and set him on his way. We were reminded of our horrible experience on Norway with fishing nets and were anxious to hear how he got on. He was not close to any convenient port so it could have been a disaster. We hope we’ll now see them in the evening in the marina!

0 Comments

Benodet - Vannes

7/11/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
July 3rd- 10th

July 3rd
After a couple of nights on the pontoon we decided to head up the River Odet which is navigable for quite a distance (not all the way to Quimper). Passing Château Kérouzin which was described in Frank Cowper’s Sailing Tours written in 1894 as a ‘comfortable looking white house” – it looks like it may be a hotel now and the second Château Kerauren which was apparently ‘a new and rather stuck up looking château’! there are numerous moorings on the river and all the anchorages seemed to be populated by these. It makes dropping the hook much more challenging. The river tour was good and countryside stunning: the only oddity was when we saw the river police gathered on the shore and the Captain said they were probably looking for dead bodies and a view from the binos revealed this was exactly what they were looking at…

We refocused and decided where to set the anchor for the night- a perfect place which was made even better by the fact that a Hylas 49’ motored by and then chose to anchor very close by. Any of you who know about our boat ill know there are very few in Europe (we saw the three 47’ -49’ that were on the market 5 years ago) so seeing another Hylas is very exciting.  We blew up the dinghy, attached the outboard and went for a tour of neighbouring boats including s/v Believe owned by Rick and Julie who have sailed a similar route to us in the Baltic and Norway : they very kindly invited us aboard once we’d circled them a few times and waved!!!

It almost doesn’t need to be said but we have friends n common, including Dink & Ginger of Alchemy.

July 4th

We decided to head out to the Iles de Glenan (this mystifies me because if they are Iles they should be des Glenan or is that because Glenan is singular they are de?). It was a champagne sailing day- beautiful  WSW breeze. Iles de Glenan is an archipelago which is described as the Caribbean of the Atlantic French coast. We were pretty excited; the wind wasn’t ideal for an overnight stay so we decided anchoring for lunch as the best option. It was clear blue water and a sandy bottom- lunch follow by a row ashore and explore before upping anchor and a few hours sail into Concarneau which has a walled old city approached by drawbridge!!!

We had a fabulous evening with live music in the old city and live music in one of the local bars. A great stopping point- the marina is a tight fit and we were happy to have arrived in decent time. There are SOOOOOOOOOO many boats here- we know that France is a big sailing nation but honestly we have never seen so many boats on moorings, up rivers, in marinas. They deserve to be called a nation of sailors.

July 5th

Ile de Groix, Port Tudy

We hit the early tide from Concarneau at midday- after a walk around town and trip the  boulangerie, boucherie and Halles with the best moules sold by a real Breton poissonerie wearing his red hat!! Yes, we know it was for the tourists but he was a great guy, humoured us and gave us the perfect recipe for home cooked moules. €4.50/kg is pretty good  for an evening meal!! 500g per person is plenty. Butter, shallots, 2 glasses of white wine, parsley add a drop of crème fraich at the last  minute just as serving. Yum scrum!! I just jumped ahead to the evening meal without describing the day!

Entering Port Tudy is tight and busy, there was a big boat race just outside the harbor entrance so we wanted to keep clear despite our years of racing in the Solent and dealing with cruisers sailing right through the race course, we felt we should try and keep clear as they rounded the leeward mark heading back to Lorient.

Race course dealt with, next challenge the ferry leaving the harbor- bearing in mind the entrance is not big enough for us and the ferry. Hang out for a while as it moves away. The options for mooring n the harbor are fore and aft mooring buoys or alongside (having spent multiple euros in marinas we were very keen to go for the mooring buoys option). All lines and fenders on both sides we were ready to go as we manouevred into a mid section spot alongside a 49’ Oyster. The young fellow from the captainerie directed us and took our forward mooring lines as we bulldozed into position. I say bulldozed because we are a big heavy boat and many of the others around are newer a less substantial vessels. At least next to the big blue oyster we knew we’d be in good company. The owners of Blew Beyond were not on board but watching from ashore, as we found out later. Not much they could have done about it anyway!!! Some of these spaces and moorings are good challenges for the shorthanded sailor. Our fearless Captain manages his crew and vessel exceptionally well so we all feel in control right up to the minute we have taken our life jacket off and cracked open a well deserved beer and as you may have guessed- moules for supper.

Port Tudy is a sweet little harbor- Ile de Groix beckoned the next day . Fold up bikes were loaded onto the dinghy- I wish I had a picture of this exercise. My brand spanking new bike folded in the bow and the Captain’s now slightly rusty vehicle across the stern we rowed to the pontoon clambered up the ladder on th wharf with bikes and set off on a day adventure to white sandy beaches. It as loads fo fun. The bikes are fantastic- Georgie can attest to the fun we had getting ashore and exploring in land a little way. We don’t go huge distances, they are 20” wheel fold up bikes so the journey is a little limited. We did find the Grande Sable Rouge and picniced in our bare feet and paddled in the sea. A glorious day. The ride as through back roads with delightful cottages and splendid gardens. I think we are lucky to be here at this time of year as all the gardens are in full bloom (I’m reminded of our wonderful Cowes garden at this time of year).

Back to the harbor and the tide is completely out- to the point that the bikes are not being carried down the precarious ladder. I have never been a mountaineer and stepping off the edge of the very firm ground ashore to climb down a 4 meter ladder doesn’t really instill confidence. The words of advice are
“step over and don’t look down”

We came back for the bikes closer high tide some 4 hours later….

In the interim we had met with Melanie and James on Blew Beyond who are sailing across the Atlantic in November with the ARC. It was great to meet with them and share sailing stories, we hope our paths will cross as we are heading in the same direction in the next few weeks before they head to the Canaries. The evening was very special as we were treated to a concert of accordion playing, fiddle, violin, guitar tin whistle and harmonica. It was a real treat, started b a French group- the accordion player was a 16 year old girl. Another Irish boat joined in and it almost became a play off between them. The Irish boat was a family of four each playing an instrument and they were very very good, but the French group had a mix of musicians from a couple of boats and in the end everyone played together. It was a real treat.

July 7th

We had decided we’d head out early next morning with the early high tide. Cloud and drizzle accompanied us and we untied and reversed out alongside a vey anxious Frenchman. It was possible too early for him or too close for comfort.

The weather did as promised and blew up to 20kn from the NW making a bumpy ride and foul weather- big rain. We were headed for Belle Isle, Sauzon in the north is meant to be a picture postcard place but not good for the wind direction so we continued down to Le Palais. We planned to anchor outside the harbor. This was thrown out when we found the area we expected to drop anchor was populated by mooring buoys- something we have found in many places. The ICC cruising guides can’t keep up with the changes and added buoys, it is frankly a real problem because you anticipate being able to drop anchor and its not possible.

We had the worst night ever on a mooring buoy laid for the vedettes outside the harbour- definitely not our best decision. Ashore in Le Palais there is a Citadel and an attractive town. The rain had stopped and sun was shining but it was still windy. Wind and tide contributed to the ghastly night!

July 8th

At 6am we were ready to leave. Wind had picked up and was gusting 23-25kn. Our target was the Bay of Quiberon to wait to get into the Gulf of Morbihan.

The options were Cruesty (a three basin marina with little soul) or La Trinité- (a well known yachting centre). We opted for the latter and squeezed in alongside on a finger pier with the help of a super kind English couple, Richard and Cath s/v Wild Rover. A few hours snooze set us straight for the day and we felt fully recovered from the ghastly night we had just had.

La Trinité sur Mer is a great yachting centre. There were two huge trimarans based there: Mirabaud and Sodebo as well as more boats than you can ever imagine in one place. Again it is astounding to see so many boats. Throughout the  day it continued to blow, actually howl! We were pretty happy to be ashore doing laundry and errands. The forecast was for much lighter winds and clear skies so we made plans to leave with Wild Rover at 6am so as to benefit from the tide, getting in and out of many of the marinas is tide dependent, and also to get the tide right to go into the Gulf du Morbihan. The tidal streams can run up to 9.5kn in the pinch points in the Gulf.

July 9th-11th

The journey into the Gulf was fab. Luckily there was little wind and we motored through some of the strongest tides and whirl pools at speed but safe and sound. As we’d left so early we had to drop anchor for a few hours round the back of one of the many tiny islands to wait for the swing bridge at Vannes to open at 11.30am. It was a perfect place to rest although frustratingly our windlass broke for the fourth time in the time we’ve had Onegin. We followed hot on the heels of Wild Rover and got to the bridge just as boats were streaming out: perfect timing. It is the first Winnie the Pooh moment we’ve had on this trip. The red and green marks are very close together an windy, and we had zero water under the keel according to the depth sounder (lucky for Willi’s calibration margin of error)!

We tried to repair the windlass to no avail but have worked out a system that means we can use it until we get a replacement. Call into Vetus in the UK who need to speak with New Zealand…. Not a quick fix. So sight seeing instead.

Vannes is the most delightful walled medieval city. Enchanting and magical. We’re very happy to have made it here.  Tour de France preparations all over the city. Saw s/v Believe again as Rick & Julie were about to head off on their next stage of thei journey south. Took our bikes out for a ride. Had Richard and Cath over for a thank you drink- fun to learn more about them. Saturday market all through the town, tons of food stalls and locals out shopping. Learned how to BBQ oysters too! Yum. Put them on the BBQ, turn them a couple of times until they pop open. Lemon juice, butter and pepper. This visit was a real high spot for us
0 Comments

Ireland to France June 2015

7/3/2015

0 Comments

 
Picture
Crosshaven - France June 2015

Arrived at 7pm to be greeted by Georgie who had flown into Cork earlier in the day. Fantastic to see her and great to have had help provisioning as we planned to leave early the next morning.

Various jobs had been done in our absence, including holes drilled in the radar arch to run wires into; repairing the outboard, which needed a new carburetor and a replacement halyard diverter for the stay sail.

Supper from the local chipper: Chish & Fips. A chance to catch up with some of Georgie’s news.

Forecast F4- 3 or less mainly southerly. Vis Good, sea moderate.

24th June 07.30 departure

Target destination: Isles of Scilly as a good stopping point 24 hours into the journey; weather was fair and forecast good to take us there. Motored for the first few hours. 10:30 turned engine off for a smooth sail. Winds lightened into the evening so we powered up again and ran the engine for a few hours. During supper there was a whirring sound which we were unsure of followed some half an hour later by a strong odd burning smell. Turned off the engine as we were making good progress under sail. Big mistake.

Next time we wanted to power up, nothing happened. Not a squeak, not a dicky bird. Nothing, rien, nada. Damn, bother and blast.

After about an hour of diagnostics we realised that we weren’t going to be able to override the problem, which we’d figured was the starter motor. The Boat Owner’s Bible states “burnt out starter motor has a distinctive smell”. 01:00 Thursday, call to Coastguard to tell them and warn them we’d be  crossing TSS and making landfall without engine.

The next 18 or more hours were very slow as the wind almost died and we battled the tide, but thanks to the code zero we made decent headway. Conditions would have perfect for the Isles of Scilly ,but not without an engine. So our second attempt at going there was scuppered. The last time was five years ago when we made it to Falmouth and stayed for three days due to gales. Then had to turn around and sail back to Cowes, slowly and enjoyably, but  clearly it is a destination we are not bound for.

On the approach to Falmouth we had a eureka moment: by entering Falmouth harbor we had sailed round Britain via Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Finland, Russia, Estonia, Norway, Shetland Islands, Orkneys, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland!!!  It was great to feel we’d achieved such a thing! The hours of contemplation on our way past Lands End and Lizard Point had given us a chance to ensure the local diesel mechanic was lined up to come to the boat with the right parts. He was fantastic and got us all sorted as well as answering a couple of other questions. Happy to pass on Dave the Diesel Mechanic’s  details if you find yourself in Falmouth and in need.

The tying up alongside without power was a small challenge that we managed to get through with a couple of minor mishaps. Note to self: wear gloves when leaping ashore from a 14 tonne boat; and despite taking of life lines the darned crotch straps that are meant to save you when you fall in get caught on the stanchions (some readers will know about this). Sadly Georgie ended up in the drink because of this problem and her phone spent the next three days in rice. This prompted all sorts of silly comments including:

“what sort of dish will we have with the telephone rice?”

“Dial a curry with a side dish of chips and apps”

I have to believe there are reasons why things happen . As well as achieving ‘round Britain’ we were absolutely completely thrilled to find that Andrew & Julia Dallas on their Oyster 56, Hullabaloo, had tied up behind us whilst we had our heads in the engine. What a great surprise as it made the whole starter motor debacle worth while. We were expecting to see them on board in Lisbon in August! Needless to say our accidental pit-stop ended up being lots of fun!

Back on the road, crossing to L’Aber Wra’ch we had an uneventful journey although apparently there was quite a lot of traffic at one point. This followed my comment that I thought crossing the channel was meant to be difficult with lots of vessels to watch out for: where were they all? Georgie and the Captain felt the only way to prove what I missed whilst down below snoozing was to take a photo of the AIS signal. There was no disproving that. Piccadilly Circus at rush hour comes to mind….

L’Aber Wra’ch is well buoyed but not with fully lit buoys. Comments such as ‘wow look at those rocks’ were flying around at midnight. Luckily the night sky  was clear  with thousands of stars and a bright  half moon to light the way. There was quite a party ashore, but no-one to help take lines and no-where to go along side. We had to raft and with an offshore breeze it proved to be a challenge (captain took 6 tries in order to avid any bumps and or crew falling in as on previous docking in Falmouth – extra time but much appreciated by the crew). We stopped counting how many tries after a couple but the combination of trying to get a person aboard another boat whilst not taking out their stanchions with the bow sprit and the memory of falling in last time were in the back of or minds. We made it and fell into bed very, very late.

The next day was glorious, sunny and perfect for exploring the peninsula. With only one folding bike on board we were able to rent two other bikes and set off to cycle to the dunes and find lunch. It was a great bike ride, lots of hills, great views of the beaches and kites surfers and our first moules frites. Yum, delicious!

13:00, Georgie booked to take the ferry from Roscoff to Plymouth and then night train to London. A long journey but fairly easy. We were very sorry to see her go. It was fabulous fun to have her on board and was definitely not long enough.

13:40, Depart for Camaret sur Mer. Motor sailed in very light wind, needing to get to and through the “Chenal du Four” at the right tide. The potentially  huge overfalls and massive 5 knot current made the timing crucial – again as up in Scotland at the treacherous Sound of Luing and the Strait of Corryvreckan http://www.whirlpool-scotland.co.uk which we passed the worry at slack tide without any bouncing or turbulence and  arrived in Camaret at 21:00, to a beautiful evening. Moules frites again, this time much more expensive, but delicious none the less.

Next day was a full on day of re-provisioning and laundry. The pontoon for larger boats is a good walk away from the facilities so we hi-jacked a shopping trolley to carry back bottles of water, boxes of wine, beer, food, clean laundry and all. On the basis that we didn’t have electricity on the pontoon, the showers were Euro 2  and the harbor fee was Euro 33 we decided to move to  the bay adjacent to the marina and drop anchor. This was very exciting as it was the first time using the new “spade” https://www.spadeanchorusa.com  anchor. It held us very well in a night of thunder storms and rocking and rolling as the wind shifted to put us sideways to the incoming tide.


We were glad to have decided to wait until the next afternoon to make the next ‘danger’ area of Raz de Sein http://www.sailingalmanac.com/Almanac/Navigation/razdesein.html .  Again with warnings of picking the right tide, wind etc timing was crucial. Conditions were ideal with little wind and clear skies – last time we saw the Raz was in 2000 from ashore on one of the lay days of an Etchells regatta. We were sailing as a family with John Cronk and his children, in Douarnanez, Granny came too! It was a great regatta as we won prizes for which James and Charli gave a speech. Happy memories of old friends and happy times when we had a few days exploring the area and looking out to sea http://smallcraftadvisor.com/our-blog/?p=1798 .


France has been a journey of motor sailing with very light wind and strong tides. Across the bay of Audierne  made for Benodet or rather Sainte Marine, which is on the other side of the river to Benodet.  The almanac warns of ferocious ebb tide up to 4.5kn in springs: exactly where we are now! We arrived just as sun had gone down so there was still enough light to find a perfect spot on a hammer head.

July 2nd

Happy Anniversary!

 

0 Comments

    Archives

    October 2018
    September 2017
    May 2017
    October 2016
    September 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    August 2015
    July 2015
    May 2015
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014

    Categories

    All
    Arctic Circle
    Cruising
    Ionian
    Italy
    Lofoten
    Morocco
    Norway
    Sailing
    Skiing

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.