14/07/2011
It is Bastille Day, not a day to go unnoticed in France, we have enjoyed two days of celebrations, pagents and fireworks as well as another marche for essential provisions. One item we have had on the list for a while is camping gaz, now the last bottle is being used we really must make the effort to find a replacement.
We have posted some photos to the gallery in the album Brittany 2011
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10/07/2011
Forecast : 4-5 Occasional F7 gusts with scattered showers
Actual: Occasionally not F7 heavy downpours
Summer in Brittany!
Plan A: Sail 60 miles to the anchorage at Ile de Houat
Plan B: Divert to marina at Port Louis in L'Orient, visit the U-boat pens and markets.
We chose plan B
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07/07/2011
Our tanks were nearly empty but fuel was available on a quayside that dried at low water. Why not fill up here, we thought.
Next morning on a falling tide we went alongside the quay, even though our depth gauge told me we had a meter of water under the keel we touched bottom. (Colin has since discovered that the offset had mysteriously reset itself from -1m to -0.1m.) I backed up in to slightly deeper water and we filled with diesel.
When we tried to leave, we found that we couldn't. Parts of Taransay were afloat but it appeared the front edge of the keel was not. Later it emerged that the keel was balanced on a rock. Colin managed to push us off by heaving his back against the quay wall, but the front of the keel went immediately aground, and now the bow was leaning away from the wall at an alarming angle. Meanwhile the tide was dropping faster than a lift in the Empire State Building.
We accepted the inevitable, amid helpful comments like "don't stay there, there are rocks" from the local fishermen, anything that could be was lashed to the quayside.
Then our scrubbing brushes were put to good use. Slimy seawater was trickling down my arms when I noticed a little beach bar with flapping orange umbrellas tantalisingly close.
A free scrubbing berth, walk-ashore access, lunch and a tank of diesel not bad for a days work. The trip to get fuel was ¼ mile long and took 7 hours.
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07/07/2011
Bleary eyed at 5am dawn was turning the sky grey-blue behind the 77 metre high lighthouse Ile Vierge. Dolphins swam alongside as we left Libenter buoy behind heading for Le Four, another big light at the top of the Chenal du Four. Timing is important hence the early start, the currents run too strongly to go against them, at 8am the current at Le Four would start to carry us down the slim 10 mile long corridor through the rocks.
For us the passage was a straightforward buoy hopping exercise on a clear day with little wind. A top speed of 9 knots pushed Taransay on towards the Raz de Sein, renown for its rough seas. The almanac told us we had to pass thorough the narrow two mile wide gate at exactly slack water. Time was tight and the tide turned against us but we were far enough through to make progress and two hours later anchored in sunshine at nearby Ste Evette.
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07/07/2011
Colin had just joked where are the dolphins? When a fin cut the water ahead and suddenly a pod of mothers and babies were racing our bow. We were sailing downwind in a light north easterly. It was a blue sky sunny day and I almost took off my thermals.
Two days earlier in full foul weather gear our transit of the Alderney Race in wind against tide had been a bit too exciting. Taransay buried her bow in to one green monster and unknown to us sent a pressurised jet of seawater in to the anchor locker then, as we discovered later, out through the sides of the access hatch in the forepeak. An hour before we left Guernsey I found the wet books and water under the bunk cushions. No time to dry out, we were leaving on an overnight sail to L'Aberwrach at the west of North Brittany.
In L'Aberwrach we were offered a pontoon berth where we could dry the books and cushions, before leaving early for the challenging rocky and tidal Chenal du Four and Raz de Sein.
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30/06/2011
A lively trip from Cherbourg with the wind in the west and on the nose again. Mental note F4 in the Alderney Race, wind against tide, is the most we want. One particularly awkward wave was scooped up by the bow and cascaded all the way back under the sprayhood to the cockpit, some even sneaked in to the main cabin soaking the odd book that had bounced on to the floor.
The trip took 10 hours and now we are safely tied up in St Peter Port, laundry done and a few maintenance jobs too.
Setting off towards LAberwrach tomorrow.
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30/06/2011
We came to St Vaast enjoying the good company of our friends for a final two nights the sail here was on the wind. We seem to have spent all year sailing to windward!
On the lay day all of us cycled out to the drying harbour of Barfleur. Above our motley collection of steeds and their riders after a 10 km ride out.
I even managed to fit in a trip to the tasty deli of Msr Gosselin before we left to come back to Cherbourg.
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25/06/2011, Cherbourg
Our first week away has not seen many miles pass under Taransay's keel. Last week strong south westerly winds held us and many other boats on the English side of The Channel. Colin and I joined up with friends on Echo, Eaupal and Champers to enjoy Lymington and Yarmouth while we were waiting.
Friday an ease in the winds allowed us all to set sail for Cherbourg, by 06.30 at The Needles there was a small flotilla of yachts following us out, we had not been the only boats looking to cross The Channel. A cracking sail from The Needles in to the inner harbour at Cherbourg took just 12 hours, the log showed 68 miles.
Saturday was spent buying baguettes, prawns and one of those enormous frilly lettuces from le marche and we fixed a fuel leak on the outboard with the help of Chris and Steve. Moving on tomorrow, our friends are heading east to St Vaast we may follow to enjoy their company a little longer before heading west early next week.
Photo from the channel crossing, perfect wind and weather.
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08/06/2011, Weymouth
Taransay and I took a week away recently with our friends from the Ashdown Sailing Club, Ian and Jean S (above) and Ian G. Having two Ian's onboard got interesting when it came to who was doing what.
Ian S was our 'yacht club guru' and we found ourselves accepting the lunchtime hospitality of the Royal Southampton Yacht Club at Gins Farm on the Beaulieu River. In Weymouth it was the turn of the Royal Dorset Yacht Club, newly refurbished 'in the style of an ocean liner' and lastly at Lymington Sailing Club where we were invited to join the celebrations with twin club Honfleur Cercle Nautique. A thoroughly enjoyable evening and a real contrast to the quiet night at anchor in Poole Harbour.
The sea was flat calm behind Brownsea Island which turned out to be a good thing as I found diesel swilling about the bilge, eventually traced to a leak on the injectors, it was easily fixed. Shame the same could not be said about clean up.
Regardless of this adventure nothing could spoil a great week sailing to windward, both ways! The company was exceptional and the sun shone. What more could you ask for, perhaps more of the same. With that in mind Colin and I are off on our summer travels next week, we will be posting regular updates here.
Look out South Brittany!
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09/05/2011, Poole Harbour, Dorset, UK
Over Easter we took advantage of the 11 day holiday, when two bank holidays slid seamlessly together with just 3 days leave taken, the weather was also unseasonably warm. Was this compensation for all the hard work we put in last year, you bet it was.
A days sail from Portsmouth brought us to Studland Bay just outside Poole Harbour. Our plan to walk out to Old Harry rocks hit a hiccup with the outboard refusing to start, Which of us was supposed to remember the fresh petrol!
Instead we moved to Pottery Pier and took an evening walk on Brownsea Island. Red Squirrels, Deer and Peacocks crossed our tracks some more shy than others as you can see in the Gallery under Easter 2011.
When the wind went more North making Pottery Pier exposed we moved to South Deep. Moored in the shelter of Green Island there was time to sunbath, read and watch the sunset. On the last night we were joined by friends from the Ashdown Sailing Club. Over a nightcap they encouraged us to abandon the tranquillity of our hook and head to the more lively Poole for a night out. The following afternoon we found Town Quay full but somehow Colin managed to squeeze us in to the last berth in the marina. In car terms it was like trying to park a Volvo in a space better suited to a Mini.
Next morning a gusty sail blew away the cobwebs taking Taransay past St Albans head to Lulworth Cove with the Ashdown boats where we made an emergency trip ashore to find ice-cream for 10 hot sailors.
Colin and I saw the wind falling light and decided to BBQ on the beach in Worbarrow Bay instead of motoring back to Poole, Raggamuffin joined us for a fun evening and yet another sunset. Intriguingly we anchored next to a motor boat named Taransay.
In the morning the start to our sail home was delayed by listening to the Royal Wedding over the radio, and then on the way by fishing for mackerel, however we reached Lymington by 6pm joining up with friends on Echo. Unknown to us Steve knew his way round an outboard engine and offered to help get ours going, but we still needed fresh petrol from the floating fuel berth. I volunteered to row downriver to get it, Colin came along to save calling out the coastguard, my rowing skills are improving... we returned with the petrol and fixed the outboard in no time.
All too soon it was time to sail back to Portsmouth the wind strong and gusting from the east it was a bit of a slog, still pain has no memory and when we reached home all we could remember were the sunny days at anchor, good friends and sunsets.
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