Melody - Summer Cruise 2012

Vessel Name: Melody
Vessel Make/Model: Bavaria 36
Hailing Port: Hythe, Southampton
16 June 2012 | Crouesty, Quiberon Bay
06 June 2012 | Fouesnant, France
03 June 2012 | Benodet, France
01 June 2012 | L'Aber wrach
Recent Blog Posts
16 June 2012 | Crouesty, Quiberon Bay

Melody in Crouesty

11/6

06 June 2012 | Fouesnant, France

Melody in Port La Foret

4th June

03 June 2012 | Benodet, France

Melody in Benodet

Finally we got here!

01 June 2012 | L'Aber wrach

Melody in L'Aber wrach

27/5

Melody in Crouesty

16 June 2012 | Crouesty, Quiberon Bay
11/6
We said goodbye to Port La Foret at 7.30 and with enough depth over the bar motored out in a calm sea. What a change from the last week! Soon we were out of the shelter of the bay and the westerly swell progressively increased to about 2m. The wind also increased a little so we motor sailed to Port Tudy, le de Groix. We arrived at 2.30 and found lots of free finger pontoons and moored next to a Malo 36, Boheme of Dave and Stella. Suddenly in was warm and after a lunch in the cockpit we were dripping! We would have to rig the bimini or leave the boat. We went for a walk up the hill and met Dave and Stella who invited us for a drink at 6.30 while their crew was watching the England France football match at the pub.(It was a draw!)
We had a nice chat and dinner and an early peaceful night.

12/6
We got up at 7 and set off before 7.30 although the wind in the rigging indicated 15kts of wind. It should be behind us, and when we followed the ferry out, it was behind us all the way to the Teighnouse. We put the pole out and with the swell building out of the lee of Groix it was quite a rolling 2 hrs! We sailed through north of the main channel but had a problem with the Furlex and could fully furl the genoa. Across the bay with 20 kts over the deck, I went on the foredeck and furled it by hand. We sailed all the way to the moth of Crouesty marina. We were met by our friends Dave and Liz on Lollipop a Bav 36, exactly the same as ours. They have been down here most years like us. Strong winds are forecast so we will be here for a few days.

Melody in Port La Foret

06 June 2012 | Fouesnant, France
4th June
There was drama as we were having breakfast in the cockpit. A suicidal woman had thrown herself off the bridge over the Odet river. Katie from the capitainery saw it, got a dinghy and went with a defibrillator to find her. The woman was drunk which saved her life. Meanwhile all the French rescue teams arrived and a helicopter landed in the car park twice while cars were still moving. Our friend Martin from Sharifa started directing traffic.

5th June
It rained all day! We had a massive 100% coeff tide roaring out with shore lines as tight as a drum.

6th June
We got up at 6.15 and set off as the tide changed at 6.45 and were met by quite large seas and winds up to 17 kts. It was fine and lasted only until we turned East at the cardinal to Beg Mel. We sailed at last but the journey is only 12 miles and luckily it also didn't rain. The French coastguards were very active reporting the upcoming storm. The barometer has dropped significantly.

Melody in Benodet

03 June 2012 | Benodet, France
Finally we got here!
We always think we can really start our summer cruise when we reach Benodet. I suppose it is having the Chanel du Four and the Raz behind us and the good possibility of West winds to drive us further south.

1/6
We left L'Aber wrach at 1.30, having changed to French time on all clocks, watches and computer. It had been a lovely sunny morning in which we had walked the mile up a steep hill to the supermarket and done the shopping.
We sailed out into a fog bank seeing Magic Time, who we tried to call, on their way in! . The fog was very light and patchy but was rolling out into the shipping lanes. There were continuous messages from the coast guard.

We stopped sailing at the Four as we were going too slowly and from there motored the rest of the way to Camaret. We found a mooring without problem and had dinner in the cockpit on a lovely evening. We had an early night.

2/6
We were up at 5.30 and off by 5.50. It was clear there was double the forecasted wind speed and we raced down to the Raz arriving 30 mins early. It was smooth but the wind suddenly got up to 25kts on the nose (SE) and remained between 15 and 22 kts in that direction until we reached Penmarsh. That was a few hours and slams later. The wind was supposed to go from NE, all morning to S and then SW.

We got into Benodet at 4.50 and were kindly helped into a slot on the outside of the wave break just before the tide started to ebb. It was not helped by the bow thruster throwing a wobbly and refusing to work!
We went out for a lovely meal at Transat to celebrate our arrival and also had secured a finger pontoon for the morning.

We plan to be here until Wednesday.

Melody in L'Aber wrach

01 June 2012 | L'Aber wrach
Tony
27/5
We set off at 2 pm from Hythe and motor sailed to Yarmouth IOW. They found us a nice finger pontoon despite the Gaffers Rally just ending. We walked round the stands, which were closing, and had an early night.

28/5
We couldn't sleep after 4 with other boats leaving so left ourselves at 4.45.
We had a good motor sail across to the Alderney race seeing a submarine crossing us and having to divert for one of the many ships. We arrived in St Peter Port and had to wait on the pontoon to get in at 11.

29/5
After shopping we refuelled and spent the rest of the afternoon cleaning the boat. Thankfully, no one came alongside. The marina was very quiet.

30/5
We set off hoping there would be no fog, the fog horns had been on most of the previous day. It was an overcast mornin with a little wind from the south. We motor sailed most of the way encountering a bank of fog for about an hour. The radar picked out a fishing boat a few miles off but that was all. We went inside Les Sept Isles after sailing for 2 hours but then had to motor sail to get in over the gate. We made it by 20 mins!
We met Stephen and Allison from Hythe on Magic Time, a Nauticat, and were kindly invited to have a glass of wine with them.

31/5
We set off at 11.45 and had a nice sail at 3kts for an hour across Lannion Bay and then motor sailed, picking up the eddy and heading through the Batz channel. After that we saw no-one and motor sailed with the wind close on the starboard bow. We arrived in L'Aber wrach and found a finger berth on C pontoon. It had been cold and grey after we left Lannion Bay.

1/6
We are here still waiting for the tide. It is a lovely sunny morning with a 10kt wind from the East to blow us round to the Chanel du Four.

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