Day 103 - Roses - Canet (first port in South of France)

Our trip from Roses to Canet was yet another trip where we had to change because of strong winds on the nose, third time this week!!!!! It was another cold day; I ended up wearing my long socks, two sweatshirts and my sailing jacket.

We had to round another headland, not to high but there were a lot of little headlands Cabo Falco, Cabo Norfeo, Cabo Creus and Cabo Gros and it was about 5kn miles in distance to pass. Half ways around the headland the wind picked up again NW4-5 gusting 6 and it was just continued to blow. We new when we finished crossing around the headland we would be heading North, so it was going to be back to wind on the nose again and with a swell, our average speed was 2-3knots for 4hours.

We crossed the border from Spain to France at 1440pm, Artemis and her crew are now officially in the South of France.

We didn't go for a walk around the town we were both feeling a little tired after another long and frustrating day. The approach to Canet looked nice it had lovely beaches and lots of hotels. First thing in morning we went for a wander to find a bakery, to get some croissants for breakfast, found one a few minutes from marina and had breakfast on the go.


Berthing 31.40euros (£26.61) - free showers and internet

Day 104 - Canet - Gruissan

Our trip from Canet to Gruissan was a different day than the previous few, the weather forecast got the direction of the wind nearly right but not the speed, it made for an interesting day. Forecast was NW4 dying back to a F3. We started off sailing the wind was a little up and down NW2-3 but it was good to get the engine off.

Then the wind picked up to N5 gusting 6, its all or nothing here in the Gulf du Lion. At 1025am with 19-25knts of wind blowing, genoa put away and first reef put in main sail, it did help depower Artemis but it was still so bloody gusty. At 1110am reef number 2 went at this point the gusts reaching 25knots!! Artemis does cope well under these strong winds but it is so bloody tiring for the crew. Although it is good to sail but not under these conditions and when it is to windy you cannot make progress as you have to try and depower the boat to make it safe, so it doesn't help us as when we are trying to clock up some miles.

The wind started to die back, well at least the gusting stopped still a F5 then back again to a F4. Skipper decided to shake the reefs out but I was dubious as the wind just comes back so bloody quickly, it did but it was enough just putting the genoa away. Not sure how much proper sailing we did today as the engine on off on off lost count but think we must of down 2hrs plus. It was enjoyable but we don't have the energy to do this type of sailing everyday.

At 1450pm we where heading up the channel to Grussisan, which was 2kn miles, the wind let rip again we both looked at each other! Artemis was struggling to move forward, boat speed 2knts wind gusting 30knots for the last two miles. The wind generator went off whizzing crazy again just like that night in a near gale trying to get into Lagos, it reminded us of that windy trip. We had to berth Artemis somewhere in the marina with 30knts of wind, that went ok thankfully, first had to stop at waiting pontoon, then berth alongside a marina wall. Arrived 1510pm, wind swept and feeling very salty with all the waves splashing, we had two cools beers to celebrate we made it through another bloody windy day.

Gruissan is a very big marina (holiday complex) with holiday apartments all around and canals, you could have your boat tied up outside your apartment. It reminded us of Almeria, it was a similar setup. It is a very big area and I am sure in the peak of the season it would be very busy. All around was restaurants/bars, but not many of them where open and not a lot of people around. In the evening a few of the restaurants opened up. We went for a walk to the village this was the original old town. On our way to the village we come across "La Cave de Grussian" selling all the wines from the area, thought of Jim Drew our friend he would have been in his element in here. It was very well organised, you could buy wine in bulk it was cheaper, by wine by the litre and they would siphon it off for you into a plastic container in various sizes and you could sample the wine as well. We had a beer in a bar at the marina called "La Bateau" and inside the layout was just like the inside of a boat, had a cool beer and used there free wifi to check weather.

Berthing 22.00euros (£18.64) - free showers and 10 mins free internet

Day 105 - Gruissan - Sete

Our trip from Gruissan to Sete was a calmer day but chilly, what wind there was N1-2 which was what they forecast, it was enough to keep the genoa filled and kept our speed up to 6knts at times so although we where motor sailing we where making good progress. I had the first shift it was bloody freezing; I even resorted to my ear muffs and a blanket. It was supposed to be clearing and warming up but that didn't happen until 3pm. I didn't think it was ever going to be this cold, I am hoping once we cross border to Italy and start heading East then South East it will start to warm up. We had planned to maybe go further today, but what wind we had disappeared and speed dropped so it would have meant we would not have arrived until 8pm. So the skipper decided as it was Friday and he wanted to visit Sete we headed in. On our approach to Sete there where some boat races happening in front of the entrance to the port. The first lot there was four people in the boats and second there was only two. We had to change direction and we got to pass them as they rounded one of the markers it was interesting to see 3 maybe 4 long boats trying to get around the marker. Took some pictures hopefully I got some good ones.

We arrived at Sete at 1500pm, the sun did come out it was warmer but in the shade still a bit chilly. There was a pontoon allocated to vistors or as the French call it Accueil, a few spaces around the first one we picked it ended up being a training school space but because there was bags laying around the pontoon I didn't notice but I was chuffed as I threw the rope around the cleat and it landed on it first time, there was a French man waiting to see if I needed help, I shouted "Yes" as I was so pleased and he looked at me and smiled. Its little things like this make you feel good. We decided to stay there for moment and go and see the Captainerie who was a very friendly woman who spoke very good English. She gave us a map of the town and explained where everything was, tourist places to visit, she seemed to be very proud of Sete, it is so nice when you arrive somewhere and the people are friendly and happy. The best thing she told us "if you want to stay weekend it is free as the office is not open again until Monday as long as you are gone by 8am" and the cost for one night 14euros happy days.

Weather was looking ok for Saturday but they give a "Special weather warning" just before we where about to set off saying there was going to be a F7 in West Provence and that is where we where heading. We knew the forecast was bad for Sunday & Monday forecasting gusts of 8-9 so maybe it is arrived sooner, so no sailing today we are off to explore more of Sete.

Berthing 14.00euros (£11.86) - free showers no internet, free at pub

Day 106 - 108 Non sailing days GALE's in Gulf du Lion

Our couple of non sailing days in Sete were very pleasant although it was blowing a gale through the marina the sun was shinning and as it was from the SW the winds where warmish. We where quite depressed at first as we are trying so hard to clock up miles and to be put back 3 days is frustrating to us. We tried to chill out by catching up with some jobs on the boat and then going for walks around the town. Sete is quite a large town and it is dominated by fishing, the fishing boats here I think are the biggest I have seen yet, they are like small ferries!! On the Friday afternoon we went for a walk and all the fishing boats came in, it seemed all at once it was like the M25 they all had to wait there turn to off load there catch. Neville took some pictures. The one good thing about arriving on Friday was the fishing boats wouldn't be going back out to Monday morning so we wouldn't get there wash but instead got winds and that swell instead. The marina is very basic a little scruffy it reminded us both of Ramsgate minus the seagull pooh on pontoons. The showers where built within the harbour which was a bit strange underground showers but they where clean and warm. When the winds picked up, the waves where crashing around the entrance, so tricky to get in without getting wet. The French don't seem to mind showering in cold water so you have to check the water before undressing; I have only been caught out once never again.

We walked up to the highest point of Sete to see the views, which the girl in the office recommended us to visit. On the way we past a cemetery a very old cemetery, so we went in and had a look, some fascinating graves most of them had little houses on top "musalanes" (excuse the spelling) and they all seemed to have family plots. In some cases they were pictures sitting on top of the person(s) who was buried there. I thought that was nice as you could remember that person as they where when they passed away. First time we have even walked around a grave yard but it looked interesting and "Paul Vallery" was buried there a famous person born in Sete, he even has a street named after him. There was a museum beside the graveyard with all the towns' history but didn't go in as we wouldn't understand anything as it is all in French. The views from up here where beautiful, on our decent we walked down through all the narrow windy streets of where the locals live it was interesting. The town itself has lots of bar/restaurants all around the harbour but the buildings above the restaurants where a bit run down.

In the town there were a few kebab shops and we thought that was strange but on Sunday when we went for another walk heading out of town along the canals, we come across an area with a few shops open and they had loads of meat! We thought this was strange but Neville thinks it for the muslin population, because of their religion there is a special way there meat has to be killed before they will eat it.

The canals in Sete is one of the places where you can travel down through the canals across France and pop out in the meditterean but Artemis's draft is to long so we couldn't travel this way. Sete is a nice place, plenty to see but we where frustrated and wanted to move on. The gale we experienced was a result of a low over the Bay of Biscay and we seen the result in the Gulf du Lion. Local people where just coming down to the harbour to look at the waves, they waves where that big the waves where coming over harbour wall. At one point on Sunday night we where sitting, just finished Sunday dinner, had two glasses of white wine (chilled) it got a bit rocky Neville went up to see what it was, everyone that was on there boats popped there heads up and I ended up wearing two glasses of very cold wine!!! I was a little pissed off freezing and lost my wine, the wind speed read 32knots. It looked like it was the weather was clearing on Monday but didn't so didn't get to leave until Tuesday morning.