Skipper's Log 2007 part 1 - Pauillac to Guernsey

Skipper’s Log 2007part 1

Part 1 Pauillac to Guernsey

We returned to the boat on 15th March, having spent a few days in Paris on the way. The weather was really spring - like in both Denmark and France. In France the season was a good month ahead though. We found Restless a bit damp and with some mould, so the first thing we had to do was to wash down the inside and dry her out. We made good use of our little electric warm air heater. Water had gathered on the side decks, as the drains did not work effectively with the boat parked in a slightly nose down attitude and leaves had blocked the drains.

The next task was to tackle her bottom, I had brought with me a small electric sander, which was used to remove the remains of the barnacles, and to give a smooth surface. The first coat of antifouling paint was applied on the 18^th, but all work stopped at 4 p.m. when it started raining. We didn’t do much outside the next day either, as it was too wet and windy. We even had hailstones in the afternoon! The work below the waterline was finished on the 20^th, the wind steering re-fitted and the topsides given a polish (by hand). The next day, we went on the launching trailer, ready for launching at 8 am the day after. That enabled me to paint the patches covered by the supports too.

Going onto the launching trailer.

The 25^th March saw us up early, we launched just after 8am, with no fuss, and moved to an alongside berth. I went up to the office to arrange a day for stepping the mast, but the harbourmaster said the “coefficient” was too great until the 30^th. The problem was that they could only step the mast at high water, to avoid the strong current. However, with the spring tide, the boat would have been too high in the water, and the crane could not come high enough. The mast came on eventually on the agreed day, and we claimed our free bottle of Pauillac wine.

Stepping the mast.

While alongside, I scraped the old varnish off the toe rail and sanded it down.

Our alongside berth

The next day was carnival day, and drum bands went in procession with about four floats through the town. It was an entertaining afternoon. We were having a cold spell, and it didn’t really warm up until the 2^nd of April, when it quickly rose to 18 deg. We spent a few days walking around the vineyards, but the new growth was just starting to show.

On the 6^th of April, we launched ourselves out into the muddy, fast flowing waters of the Gironde estuary. The current was about 4 knots, so our total speed over the ground was at times over 9 knots, and we arrived at Port Medoc around 1 pm, in time for lunch. This was a new marina – not yet shown on the charts. Everything was well laid out and in pristine condition. It was a very pleasant place to overnight just inside the Gironde estuary, with no tidal restrictions. It was a much calmer place than Pauillac – no current – but some distance to the shops.

Port Medoc.

We left Port Medoc in the afternoon the next day around high water, in order to enter Royan before half tide. It was a warm, hazy afternoon, and we reached Royan within the hour. We moored at the waiting pontoon, but the Captanierie said we could stay there for the three nights. We actually paid for two nights, the third one being free. Being Easter, Royan was busy, both ashore and afloat. It is a major seaside town

On Easter Sunday we walked to the market – a modern parachute shaped structure. We found all our needs under one roof – meat, fish, vegetables and bread.

Royan market.

 Later in the afternoon I called at the chandler for some deksolie for the toe rail, and coated the rail the next day.

We left Royan on April 10^th at 8 am and headed down the outer estuary. We had about 2 knots of current against us in the first hour but it disappeared as it approached high water. We turned out of the estuary at 11 am and set our course for nearly north. Sunshine and calm sea – hardly any wind but a little swell – we were back in the Bay of Biscay. We arrived off St. Denis d’Oleron just after 5 pm and anchored off to wait for the tide. Across the entrance was a concrete sill that dried to 1.5m on spring tides, so we needed 3m of water minimum before we could sail over it. We had our evening meal at anchor and sailed into the harbour around 8 pm.

Ile d’Oleron is a beautiful island, so we hired an extra bike and toured the northern half of the island. There were some wonderful dedicated cycle tracks (called piste cycliste) which we made good use of. We saw salt pans, where sea water was allowed to evaporate in the sun to yield salt. The second day, we biked to the northern tip of the island, to the lighthouse, and looked out to the rocky outliers where we had seen wrecked ships as we sailed by a few days before. The weather was beautiful and Rie went paddling.

When in Port Douhet, we saw a French boat that had misjudged his tide height and had run aground on a falling tide. As the tide went out, the boat looked very unstable, until eventually it fell over on its side. We watched the crew scramble ashore over the sand.

Yacht aground off Port Douhet.

Also from Port Douhet we could see out to Fort Boyard, a huge oval shaped fort some five miles out from Boyardville. Its purpose would have been to protect the approach to La Rochelle and Rochefort which used to be important naval bases. We had seen the fort featured on a Danish TV programme, called “Fangerne på Fortet”. Rie was very sad to hand her bike back, it was a good lightweight touring bike, which she would have loved to taken home.

We left St Denis d’Oleron on the 15^th and soon hit fog – but no going back in with nearly zero visibility - so we continued with the aid of GPS and Radar. There was a nasty swell plus wind driven waves, especially between Ile d’Oleron and Ile de Ré. It became a long hard slog under motor all the way to Les Sables d’Olon. We arrived just as it was getting dark, still in fog and we moored at the outer reception pontoon just before the harbourmaster went home. We were allowed to stay there for the night. We went out for a meal at a harbour side bistro and then home to bed. This harbour’s main claim to fame is that it hosts the Vendeé Globe around the world race, which takes the boats south, around Antarctica, and home again. It was the race where Tony Bullimore capsized and was rescued by the New Zealand Navy. The event occurs every four years, the next one being 2008.

We left the next day before lunch, the fog had lifted, and we sailed in lovely sunshine to Port Joinville on Ile d’Yuex. This we found to be a delightful place with lots of harbour activity – ferries, fishing boats and island supply vessels. The town had a Mediterranean feel to it, most of the houses were painted white with coloured window shutters and doors. We again hired an extra bike and cycled round part of the island in lovely warm sunshine. The southern side of the island was rugged with the occasional sandy inlet.

Looking towards St Croix.

 On our way back from St Croix, some cyclists came round a blind bend on the wrong side of the road and crashed into Rie. She fell off the bike and badly bruised a knee and thigh. After a cold compress and a cigarette, she bravely carried on, much shaken. We had some paper serviettes and bottles of water with us so we managed to cool down her knee to limit the swelling. When we reached La Muelle, we went for a coffee at a creperie, and the staff there very helpfully bathed her wounds and applied Betadine (Iodine antiseptic solution). We arrived back at our boat without further mishaps.

Port Muelle.

We left Port Joinville early on the 19^th to sail the 50 nm to Belle Ile. We had 16 knots of wind on the beam, just what a Rival likes, and we were soon flying along at 6.5 knots with full main and genoa, and the Wind pilot taking care of the steering. We had 9 hours of wonderful sailing until we neared Belle Ile, and then the wind died on us. We motored the last hour in sunshine and calm water to enter the harbour at Le Palais just before high water. This meant we could get through the tide lock to the Bassin a Flot, where we could moor alongside a quay in the middle of town. We went out for a meal of moules marniere at a quayside restaurant and then tumbled tired into our bed.

We had decided to stay here for the weekend. The first day we did our washing at a nearby laundrette – but we baulked at the price of the driers at 1€ per 5 minutes! So we set up a clothes line on board and dried everything in the sunshine. We ordered a hire car for the next day – Rie’s bruises were still sore so she needed a break from cycling or walking. Rie went to the market to do her shopping though and bought some oysters. We had them as an entreé in the evening, but we both agreed we preferred mussels.

We had to cancel the hire car next day as Rie had a stomach upset – probably the oysters – and this kept us in port for the next few days. I walked up to the Citadel, a huge Vauban structure of the 17^th century. It was built to protect the port against the raiding Anglais and also the Dutch. The fortifications are also continued on the other side of the harbour and along the behind the town. There were some fine views from the fortress and some interesting buildings, including a round powder house with a conical roof.

Le Palais, inner harbour.

Le Palais, outer harbour

 On Monday night the seagulls decided we were a fixture and roosted on our crosstrees, leaving their mark in a white stripe from one side deck to the other! Rie remained ill for several days, but recovered for her birthday. We hired a Renault Twingo, to tour the island.

Sauzon harbour.

Our first stop was the little harbour of Sauzon, full of charm, but not sheltered for yachts. We then continued to Pointe de Poulains, where there was a lighthouse and fine scenery.

Near Pointe de Poulains.

The southern side was even more rugged, Grotto de l’Apothecaire  being very dramatic.

Near Grotto d’Apothecaire.

We then drove to Bangor, thinking we could find somewhere for lunch, but no luck. So we continued to Locmaria – still no café open – The Creperie opened at 5.30. We looked at the tiny sandy inlet of Locmaria, but that was deserted. We drove back along the coast road to Le Palais, and had lunch. Then we thought we’d take advantage of the car and go to the big supermarket on the outskirts of the town. It was still too early to hand over the car, so we drove to Port Coton, which turned out to be the most scenic part of the island

Rie near Port Coton.

We left Le Palais on the 26^th and sailed to Port Tudy, on Ile de Groix, a much smaller island. We moored to the floating pontoons in the tidal harbour. The inner harbour was shut off by a gate and sill. The gate opened only for short periods near high water.

Port Tudy (from the inner harbour).

There were the usual cafés and tourist shops on the harbour front, but a walk uphill to the town – Le Bourg – was necessary for supplies. Rie narrowly escaped being sold an expensive painting here – it cost far more than she expected! I came down with a bad sinus and chest infection and had to rest for a few days. When I thought I was better, I went out for a few hours on my bike to see the island, but I could feel afterwards that I wasn’t fully recovered. Again, there are some fine cliff views on this island, but it is really better suited for walking than cycling. Every day the ferries brought a load of walkers over from Lorient, on the mainland, all with their rucksacks and walking boots. Being a holiday weekend, it was very bust both afloat and ashore.

We finally left Port Tudy on 2^nd May, having hoisted a Breton flag in addition to the French one. The Bretons are very proud of their Celtic heritage. We had a fine sail up to Concarneau, where we moored in the marina alongside Le Vile Close – a walled town on an islet, connected to the land by a short bridge.

Concarneau

The next day, we went for a walk through the old town and found a charming little creperie with a garden, where we stopped for lunch. Afterwards, we visited the fishing museum – the most interesting museum I have seen in a long time. The various methods of sea fishing were beautifully illustrated with models, and there was an interesting series of films too. Finally, we visited the de-commissioned trawler “Hemerica” – that was very interesting.

 She was almost as she was when taken out of service. On the bridge was a Mk4 Decca equipment, on which you had to select the appropriate chains. It’s much easier with GPS and chart plotters! Hemerica was built in the 50’s for deep water trawling off the Irish coast and was taken out of service in 1981. She had an 18 hour sail to her fishing grounds.

After a couple of days, we left Concarneau and sailed the 12 nm to Loctudy, where we spent just one night. The marina was in pleasant surroundings, but apart from the quay side fish shops, it was a long walk to the nearest supermarket. We left Loctudy on 5^th May, and sailed around the never ending headlnd of Pointe Penmarch. We had a fresh NW wind and a pleasant sail to the point – some 17 miles. On rounding the point we were faced with a hard beat and tacking the next 13nm to Audierne, which we reached at around 7pm. The marina is tucked in a corner, just over from the town square, convenient for most things, and we found an Aldi supermarket a short walk along the river bank.

On arrival, we were helped in by the crew of a Finnish boat, who told us of a bar where there was internet. So next day we checked our e-mails and the long range weather forecast. Bad news – a series of Atlantic depressions would be sending us F5-6 for the next few days, with gusts of 44 knots – not what we wanted for the next leg through Raz de Sein and towards Camaret. The Raz is an area where the channel passes between the point and a small rocky island and is two miles wide. The shape of the seabed causes a strong current and a race occurs, with overfalls, except near slack water.

Eventually, we decided that Wednesday the 15^th was a possibility, with a forecast of SW F 3 -4 wind. However, that would mean leaving Audierne at about 4 am on a falling tide to ensure enough water at the entrance. I didn’t relish going out in the dark, so we moved out in the afternoon of the 14^th and picked up a mooring buoy off St Evette. It was blowing a good NW F6 when we picked up the buoy, but the long mole kept the swell out of the bay.

We left St Evette, as planned at daybreak, having reported the conditions to our Polish friends on “Safran” on the radio at 5.15am. Their boat was shallow draft , with their lifting keel, and had stayed on in Audierne. When we left St Evette, it was blowing from the SW at about 16 knots, but at times it increased to 20 knots. The beat up to the Raz was rather uncomfortable with the 3m swell, and slow with reduced sails. On turning north into Raz de Sein at 10 am however, we had the wind on the quarter and the Ile de Sein protected us from the swell in the Raz itself. Once clear of the Raz, the wind was almost astern, with the swell from the west, so it was a much more comfortable sail up to Camaret. We were sailing a good 7 knots at times, and also had the tide with us, so our speed over the ground was around 9 knots!

We arrived in Camaret sur Mer at 1 pm, and moored in the outer marina. In the afternoon, the heavens opened, and the wind increased further. We decided to wait here for the right conditions for the next hurdle – Chanel de Four. In the meantime, Rie declared she was not going to cross the channel overnight. So we have decided to continue along the Brittany coast and over to Guernsey so we can cross over the channel from Cherbourg to Yarmouth in daylight. We were 4 nights in Camaret in some awful weather – the train of depressions continued to track across the Atlantic.

At last, on the 19^th, we set off at mid day to catch the tide through Chenal de Four. We had a good weather forecast – NW 3-4, with swell 2.5m. It stayed sunny all day but the swell from a distant storm was 5m high! Others have confirmed this. At one point a customs cutter appeared behind a wave, he had crossed in front of us, just 30m ahead. I don’t know who was most surprised – I hadn’t seen a trace of him before. We were keeping a good lookout as there were three other yachts nearby.

We eventually arrived in L’Aberwrach at 6 pm, the tide had given us a good push. We found “Safran” there on a mooring buoy, but there were none left for us. A marina was under construction and we were able to moor there. We intended to stay one day in L’Aberwrach, but the weather decided it should be two. It poured down with rain on the Monday. We got away again on Tuesday 22^nd, which turned out to be a glorious sunny day, with about 12 – 15 knots of wind from NE. We set off at 7 am to make use of the NE going tide, which we carried all the way ti Ile de Batz, just north of Roscoff. Then we had just two hours of foul tide to Trebeurden. On arrival, the sill gate to the marina was still closed so we picked up a waiting buoy. We waited 31/2 hours for the tide to come in.

Trebeurden is a very pretty place. The marina is tucked between some rocky islets, and one side is protected by a big breakwater. The next day the wind increased again and one day it blew a full force 9 severe gale (50 knots). It was so rough and noisy that night that we had to move into the main cabin – not that we got much sleep! It continued to blow for several days and it was not until the 29^th that we could get away. We got just the one day of good weather, so we made a dash for it as soon as the marina gate opened at 2 pm. It was only 30 nm to Treguier and we motor sailed it in light winds and a big tide. We arrived in Treguier at 6.30 pm, having had a fair tide all the way to the marina which is 5nm inland, arriving at slack water.

The next two days, it poured with rain and blew hard again! Finally on June 1^st we were able to continue to Guernsey in a light following wind and bright sunshine. We left the marina at 8 am, after the early morning mist had cleared, and arrived in St Peter Port at 6.30 just as there was enough water to enter the marina. So here we are, so near to England, but yet so far away. We plan to stay here for three days, but the winds are going round to the north, so we could be in for a longer stay! The next hurdle is the Alderney race, which demands favourable conditions of wind and tide.