Given that we have yet to antifoul Drummer, we couldn't help but notice that she now has a mini-eco system growing on her bottom which the fish are finding fun. Along with summer rates we have decided to take Drummer to Rochefort to be lifted out to allow us to clean her bottom and store her securely in their compound for the time being.

It must be said that our first sail of the season was wonderful, despite it being cloudy. The winds were just perfect, not too much, not too little and we were able to sail a steady 5 knots out from La Rochelle, passing between Ile d'Aix and Fort Boyard.


Fort Boyard

The entrance to the Charente River was calm (to my relief) since the river can run at quite a rate and be rough if wind over tide conditions prevail - something that I didn't want to experience on my first sail of this season. As we made our way up river with the tide we clocked a staggering 7 knots (not bad considering Drummer has a dirty bum) which made the 15 mile inland journey pass quickly whilst we admired all the local fishing huts/nets which appear strategically placed along the river - some are in excellent condition and others in need of serious repair.


Fishing huts

We passed under the first bridge with no concerns at all having read that it's 32m high but it's still unnerving as you go under given that all sense of perspective is lost! Next was the famous Transporter Bridge which was in action right in front of us - literally!


Transporter Bridge

Thankfully by the time we approached it had crossed to the other side as trying to slow us down could have been interesting. Not long after that we had a glimpse of the frigate 'Hermione' along with the old rope factory 'Corderie Royale' (read more about these in a later blog).


Corderie Royale

Access to the marina at Rochefort is via a lock gate, which opens at certain times of the day, based on high tide. We were slightly early for the gate to open so arriving at the waiting pontoon outside the gate was going to be an interesting manoeuvre. What can I say apart from the fact that Bruce did a sterling job whilst I threw the ropes to a few men willing to assist. We then had an hour or so to wait until the lock gate opened so we took the opportunity to have some dinner and tidy up. The marina staff were very well organised and polite as they assessed the number and size of yachts wanting to enter and then provided each yacht with a registration form, key fob for the showers/toilets along with instructions on where to moor. By 10.25pm we were locked-in and safely moored on the visitors' pontoon - just before dark.

Total distance this season: 26 nautical miles