Concarneau to Sauzon, Belle-Ile
15 August 2020
Donna Cariss
Tuesday dawned bright and sunny and yachts were racing out of the marina as I dragged Pete out of bed. He has now been nicknamed Half Man, Half Mattress, by Ted, due to his desire to spend so much time in bed. Our neighbours had departed even before I got up, leaving plenty of space for us to reverse out of our berth. Pete decided that the easiest approach was for him to push us off the pontoon while I was on the helm and everything went perfectly well. The new engine and prop inspires confidence, even in me, as the boat now does exactly what you ask. We had the sails up quite quickly, in a light southerly wind, the exact opposite of what was forecast, rendering our neighbours' efforts with their spinnaker a waste of time. The wind gradually decreased until we were barely moving but for the tide and Pete spotted a bait ball off to our starboard side. You could see the birds diving and the sea boiling with activity. We dropped the sails, then Pete grabbed his speargun and his fishing rod, hoping for tuna, as I changed course to investigate. It was like being live in the middle of a wildlife shoot. Dolphins were circling the bait, while others jumped and pounded the fish to stun them. Other dolphins were diving to feed and the birds were diving head first into the melee. Three or four small fishing boats arrived but they weren't catching anything, as the dolphins and birds had their share and there appeared to be no large fish in the feeding frenzy. Pete didn't fish as we would be heartbroken if he hooked a dolphin. Having passed through, I did a 180 degree turn to pass back the way we had come. It was a joy to experience, up close, how pods of dolphins work together to feed the group and great to see them jumping and diving all around the boat. As we headed back on course, other sailboats were starting to arrive to witness the action.
Originally we had planned to head for Locmaria, on the south side of Ile de Groix but with the change in the wind direction, we agreed to go to Port Tudy, on the north side, instead. The marina there is renowned for being ridiculously busy, so we looked for a suitable anchorage and settled on a bay just north or the port, anchoring in about 10 metres of water, with a view of a small village and fishing harbour. There were quite a few other yachts anchored there. We took the dinghy around the corner and into Port Tudy for a look. We saw another Westerly, with a British Ensign, a flag we had now not seen for a couple of weeks, save for Ted and Sara's, so we went over for a quick chat, before tying up the dinghy and climbing a ladder to the quayside. The marina was chaos, with up to 8 yachts rafted on every mooring buoy; not somewhere we would want to be. The place didn't smell too great either and was not as pretty as we had been led to believe. We took a few pictures, had an ice cream and returned to the boat, where we had a swim. The water was shockingly cold at first but fine after a couple of minutes. Another British boat anchored in the bay, probably about 70 feet in length. We waved but received no response. A settled night was spent at anchor.
On Wednesday morning we repeated the routine of me cajoling Pete to get out of bed, before departing Ile de Groix, under engine, for Belle-Ile, as yet again there was no wind. The forecast was for rain and squalls in the afternoon but the timing and direction kept changing. We were planning to anchor but none of the anchorages would provide the required shelter from the squally wind, so we eventually decided to head for Sauzon, supposedly the jewel of Belle-Ile. En route, we saw large groups of small fishes, literally flying across the sea, as they jumped to avoid whatever was chasing them. Pete put out a trawling line but didn't catch anything. We continued on course for Sauzon, fearing we would we too late to pick up a mooring buoy outside the harbour. which already looked crowded with masts, in the distance. We didn't fancy the inner harbour, with up to six boats rafted on each nose to tail mooring. We were in luck, with 3 or 4 buoys to choose from. The rain started just after we moored up, so we sat under the awning, watching the comings and goings in the area. The cruise ship we had seen in Morgat returned to anchor just offshore, having been on a journey south. We saw a guy in a very small dinghy, ferrying people backwards and forwards. It was like a flip flop powered by a hairdryer, so we called it the flip flop taxi. With just himself in it, the rear end was under water. With someone else on board he was barely floating or moving. One of the guys on the boat next door decided the best antidote to the rain was to strip down to his underpants. However, he then decided to face us and pee over the side of the boat, obviously not realising that I was sheltering under the cockpit tent. In the rain, the harbour and bay looked just like the west coast of Scotland and very pretty. By the time we had eaten dinner, the sun was out again and the place was even more stunning. Pete went to bed at 8.30pm and I stayed up, reading in the cockpit. It was quite noisy, with loads of teenagers and twenty somethings racing around in fast ribs, or on jet skis, with no care for the commotion they were creating, with their bow waves. I assumed things would quieten down when it became dark but people continued to race around until the early hours. We are staying for two nights, so we are hoping for a quieter second night.
On Thursday we took the folding bikes ashore in the dinghy, which was a bit of a squeeze. We left the dinghy on the rocks and cycled through Sauzon, across country, to Le Palais, the capital of Belle-Ile, where there is a cittadelle. The road out of Sauzon was long, steep and winding but we made it up there without resorting to walking. It was then mostly flat or downhill for the other 5km, ending with a short sharp descent into town. Le Palais had an ancient charm about it, with its coloured buildings and quayside but was not as pretty as Sauzon. We wandered around for a while and looked at the harbours where yachts were moored and visited a boulangerie before steeling ourselves for the return trip. The only real difficulty was the climb out of town. There was an older gentleman up ahead of us, working quite hard to get up the climb. I couldn't ease off the pedals without stopping so passed him, saying, 'Bonjour'. I eased off at he top of the hill and the old man bust a gut to overtake me, obviously not liking a middle aged woman, on a folding bike, getting the better of him. We continued to ride a few metres off the back of the man, as I didn't want to upset him again but Pete decided to talk to me, so the man was aware we were still with him. He changed gear and put on a spurt, so we let him go. I didn't want him to have a heart attack proving a point. We enjoyed the fast descent towards Sauzon, provisioned at the little supermarket and went to a small fish restaurant for lunch. €25 each for menu of the day, tuna rillette, hake and roast potatoes in mushroom sauce and we both chose ice cream for dessert. Not bad value when compared to a Frankie and Benny's or Pizza Express. The return journey to the boat required two trips, as we now had all the shopping as well. Time for feet up and a rest.
A yacht had moored up on the buoy next to ours and it was carrying an Australian ensign. Two guys boarded their dinghy and recognising a fellow English speaker, came over for a chat. Then we all had boat envy as a Swann came into port to anchor. It was at least 60 feet long, if not more and had beautiful lines. Of course, it was also sporting a British ensign but for one of the Royal yacht clubs. In contrast, later in the afternoon, a French yacht cam e in and it was painted mauve. However that makes a change from bright yellow, which appears to be a popular choice for the French.
Tomorrow we plan to head into the Golfe du Morbihan, requiring us to hit two tidal gates, one round the point of the mainland, the Teigenouse Passage and the other through the fast flowing entrance to the Gulf. We have done the nav and need to leave around 10am to ensure we have the tide through both. A favourable wind is forecast.
We had an early night, as the rain had started, reducing the number of people playing out in their speed boats, so it was quieter in that respect. However, despite being sheltered from the westerly wind, the swell which developed out in the Atlantic, rounded the top of the island and came into the port. It felt like Cromer all over again. I moved to the lee berth to avoid the banging of the water tank and the waves but failed to get any sleep due to the rocking. Morning was a blessing and we left earlier than planned.