Ile D'Re to Port Medoc (River Gironde)
27 June 2012
Michael Wilson
26th June 2012 Waking up to find fog was a tad disappointing to say the least with the 60 mile trip to the River Gironde planned. On the bright side it meant staying in bed a little longer to see if it cleared up at all. A board meeting in the saloon at about 10am (with Bells and Whistle offering good input) we decided to go for it - none of us were keen to stay an extra day and we were going to do La Rochelle another time so we could get down further south. We tend to stay somewhere a few days if we like it - otherwise we get a wriggle on, then have a good rest again. We picked up the trusty anchor and headed off into the approaches for La Rochelle keeping an eye (and ear as now the greatest vis) for ships - the fog seemed to be in banks so hopeful if would burn off. Plus Kim added, well we crossed the English channel okay in fog and that was through the shipping channels. Vis was improving by the hour but no wind so we were motoring - and so it stayed for about 6 hours. Then after 40 miles the sun came out and it seriously hotted up as we came to the approaches to the River Gironde. I had read x2 pilot guides and the Almanac on the way so was pretty clued up on this entrance, which is pretty vast. It was LW when we started our approach - and it would be another 20 miles until we got up to Port Medoc. A container ship came out as we came in and took the main sail down. There was another big ship hanging around for more water. The books said the ebb continued for about an hour and a half after LW and not to go in if any sort of swell as could be dangerous - there was a breeze blowing but fair conditions really and neap tides so I thought safe for us to start to go in. Plus there was about 10 metres of water at least under us. It did get rather lively to say the least (we were surfing down the waves) and the ebb was still pretty strong - the engine in Petrella packs some power so we were still able to do about 5 knots against the 2 knots running still and I knew it would shortly turn in our favour (plus I didn't really want to hang around the entrance with still another 20 miles to go). Now one thing about this river is it's sand banks move around alot so the navigation marks are moved pretty much each spring after the winter storm so the chart plotter is not totally accurate - and couple this with the fact that some of them are a long way away from each other and can be hard to spot even with bins! Plus the large ship once we had been going for about an hour started to come in after us, and the waves were breaking on the drying banks on our port side. We were quite relieved (and the dogs did just that on the foredeck) when we found flatter water and went over a sandbank to get out the way of the ship making it's turn around a northerly cardinal (even tho the pilot guide said not to cut corners - we were fine). Hotter and hotter it got with the sun shining and even at about 6pm Kim donned her bikini and me my shorts - what a difference from this morning! We went past Royan and found the new Marina Port Medoc - v narrow entrance with strong cross tide so we were careful, and a friendly French chap helped us moor at about 1930. Straight to the bistro by the boat for food and a nice cold drink.