We invited Barry and Steph to join us today. Having checked the weather the previous evening Bruce suggested that they only needed to bring the basics... sun cream, sun hat etc as the forecast predicted little wind and just a small risk of showers so it was probable that we would be spending several hours just bobbing about in the bay - how wrong he was.

As we left La Rochelle there was hardly any breeze whatsoever so this made leaving the berth relatively easy but unfortunately it was overcast but at least the sun appeared to be forcing its way through. Being forever optimistic we assumed it would eventually break through... but sod's law says only when we have returned back to the marina!

Once clear of the fairway we headed south towards Ile d'Aix with the sky darkening by the minute. The dark clouds turned even darker and thickened and we heard rumbles of thunder and saw a few strikes of lightning drifting over Ile d'Re and towards La Rochelle... any minute now we were in for a soaking!

Surprisingly the darkness continued to move inland and away from us but the air temperature dropped and the wind picked up - at one point Flirtie was even leaning! By the time we were abeam of Fort Boyard we were all wearing jumpers or jackets - the first time since very early in the season.

As we headed around the bottom of Ile d'Aix and then up the opposite side the wind changed direction and increased in strength and it was now on the nose. If we'd have been sailing Drummer this is the point where we would have sworn. Catamarans have no real weight to them so motoring into a headsea is less than comfortable - not so on Flirtie who just punched her way through them effortlessly. That's what happens when you push 14 plus tonnes of boat through the water rather than Drummers 3.5 tons over the top. The downside of course is lots of flying spray which was fine for Barry and Bruce who were sat comfortably behind the windshield well protected in the centre cockpit but less so for Steph and myself in the aft cockpit.

Once back in the safety of the marina Bruce bottled out of mooring us stern to on account of the wind and instead moored us bows to without incident.

Just ten or so minutes later lunch and drinks were being served in the cockpit in the sun... sod's law was right again!

Total distance this season: 83.6 nautical miles