Day 118 Port du Frioul - Toulon

We are on the go again after quite a few days of bad weather in the Gulf du Lion 8days in 13days not good. Hopefully we are going to move forward now and the weather is going to be a little better to enable us to push on around Italy. We couldn't leave the island until the Captainiere arrived first thing Thursday morning, he had held onto the boat papers I think he was thinking we may not return back from UK. We had planned to get them when we arrived Wednesday afternoon but we had and hour delay with Easyjet which meant the office was closed when we arrived.

We headed off at 0905am for Toulon 40kn miles. When we left the island it was a little lumpy but once we passed outside the entrance to the bay it calmed down a little. We managed to put the sail up and sailed nearly an hour. The direction of the wind was as forecast NW but a little stronger F3. It was just so good to not have the wind on the nose. The headland and coast leaving Gulf du Lion reminded us both of the white cliffs of Dover as they where white and rocky. Crossing around the headland was not too bad, there is always a little more wind but it was ok. The wind changed direction to a Westerley F4 and that meant it was behind us or "up the bum" or "up the chuff" anyway this is one of the movements of the boat I don't like it seems to make me a bit queasy as it lifts the back of the boat up and then it roles down, it wasn't to bad. Neville was on the helm as it was his shift and he was actually helming as Pete couldn't keep the course, he was doing between 6-7knots.

We had to go around another cape "Cap Sicie" it was ok this one was green not rocky very pretty. On our journey we had to watch out for Navy boats as they where practising "Launching Target Exercise", Neville did see one, but when we where approaching Toulon a Navy ship came into the harbour. There were lots of Navy boats in the harbour so this must be a base for them. We arrived at Toulon was 1630pm, we made good time today average speed 6knts. It was a good start to the last part of our trip after being weather bound for so long, we are both hoping it will continue.

Toulon looks like a big place, a very large port loads of room inside the harbour enough room for yachts to be sailing around. There was a marina in the left hand corner as we approached but not a lot of water and two more further in. There is a ferry service here to Corsica three large ferries right beside the entrance to the marina so it was hard to pick it out. One of the ferries is called MOBY and has lots of Disney characters all over it, I took a picture it looked good. The marina itself a little scruffy and when we went for our walk in search of a supermarket the water in the marina was over flowing onto the harbour, it looked like this side was sinking but most of the way around the harbour the water was right up to the top of the wall (you couldn't see a wall). Never seen a harbour that is over flowing before! Toulon is a big city, we headed up a main street and found a very large super market as big as lakeside, it had some English shops C&A, Burtons we could have been in Lakeside and there was a large Carrefour. It's great when you find a big shop you can get loads more bits and have more choice and it's cheaper.

Toulon was a nice place you would need a couple of days to explore it. All around the marina there was lots of bars and restaurants no road in front of them which is much nicer, we didn't venture that way as we had lots of shopping to get rid of.

Berthing 16.92euros (£14.33) - free showers no internet.


Day 119 Toulon - Sainte Maxime

Our trip from Toulon to Sainte Maxine was another good day, it started off cloudy and misty the sun was trying to come out, it did eventually but not until lunchtime. Not a lot of wind around coming from NE, but it was to change to the East, it did change but wasn't to strong about F2. Only thing was it reduced our speed from 5knts to 4 but we just have to be grateful it was not F5-6. The Navy are still practising today, we heard a couple of rumbles.

We arrived at the "Golfe de Saint Tropez" around 1700pm, decided not to stay in Saint Tropez as it is a further 4kn miles into the bay but to stay in Sainte Maxime, somewhere we visited on foot probably 25years ago. We toured France for a few years and this was one of the places we stayed for a week and Neville sung karaoke in a bar singing one of the Blues Brothers songs "Everybody needs somebody".

Well we had a beautiful Friday night in Sainte Maxime, walking down memory lane. We remembered the marina then headed across to the bars/restaurants and Neville spotted the bar he sun karaoke in, probably different owners now and a little more up market. We headed back into the little streets and found the street where we all had dinner. This was where Carrie tried snails, I think she ate one and decided she didn't like the look of them so mum finished them off. Neville had fish, the man came out with it on a plate and de boned it with two spoons Neville was amazed. We both even remember the giant pan of paella at the corner of one of the streets and till this day I still have not tried paella, looks nice but not sure about the prawns with all its bits on. We where both emotional as we never thought, we would visited here again 25years later but travelled by boat, Artemis has done as proud to get as so far.


Berthing 20.60euros (£17.45) - showers closed at 18pm, strange and no internet, so showered onboard.

Day 120 Sainte Maxime - Nice

Our trip from Sainte Maxime to Nice was a chilly start, but we got to put sails up and sail for over an hour but then it just went, it still amazes even now how quickly you can be sailing 6-7knts then the winds disappears, it was good while it lasted. Sun came out just after lunch and we got to sail again for another hour, I keep wishing one day we will sail to one of our destinations!! They have been forecasting thunder storms for the last 24hrs but nothing has happened here yet but the weather n Gulf du Lion is bad again, we got out of there just before it all started again.

It was lovely to travel along the Cote D'Azur coastline by boat and look at the places we have visited, I have took pictures of the places we visited by land, Mandeliu, Cannes. As we approached Nice the airport is on the coast and we where watching the planes land and take off, quite a few it is a busy airport. The coast line was nice, lots of boats out sailing, it was nice to see other people out and about.

We arrived at Nice 1650pm it was not a long day as we where making good speed even when there was no wind. The only thing I didn't like about Nice was the grumpy old man on the boat next to us, who shouted at me for touching his boat as we entered the berth. I seem to get it in the ear as I am always the first one they see, it pissed me off a lot and upset me. The boat on the other side with about 4-5 men just sat there and not one got up to help. I managed on my own; I climbed over the guard rail, stopped Artemis, then took the ropes and we secured her. The old guy come off his boat I think to help but I totally ignored him, I wanted to push him in the bloody water. Got great pleasure in giving Neville the slim line and to see the look at the old gits face when we had to pass it between his boat he shouted "Dirty dirty" then put his foot on our boat and pushed us off so the was no way it would touch his boat, bloody freak he was. I was pleased as I thought we did a good job of berthing Artemis with no help from the French.

Nice is not a large marina, large enough for all the very large motor boats or small ferries as I call them, 95% of them are British. All around the marina there are apartments above the restaurants and they have been kept well, painted nice bright colours. We didn't venture to far we just walked around marina and looked at the motor boats. The staff at the marina spoke English, when we paid our bill we where pleased as we thought this was going to be an expensive place but it wasn't. The winter prices have not been too bad so far. We got a free burgee and two pots of some rust remover stuff. We had been in Nice but only around at the beach area, so we didn't remember the marina, it is a nice place except for the mad French man.


Berthing 14.25euros (£12.07) - showers very nice and free wifi but not working due to the thunderstorm