Tonic

Slept like a log and awoke to a calm bright morning. We completed our immigration forms to notify the authorities of our return from France and submitted them online. Set off at 10.20 – there was a bit of weed on the anchor but otherwise clean, and we hadn’t moved! We had 12 knots of wind on the quarter so put the cruising chute up and had a good sail, although the wind strengthened at lunchtime and got a bit squally, with some thunderclouds overhead, so we took it down and sailed for a while with the genoa. The sea became quite rough and I spent quite a bit of the afternoon down below packing stuff up. Rounded Start Point around 7pm and put the engine on. Fortunately the sea was calmer so we were able to have supper on the go. The rain stayed away and we got into our berth just after 9pm (French time) as expected. Quarantine regulations mean we had to go straight home rather than have a night on the boat and pack up at leisure tomorrow. The photo is the welcome sight of Start Point. 72 miles in 11 hours.

Stats from the trip (39 days):-
Total distance travelled: 763 miles
Engine hours: 114.6
Days at sea: 25
Days in harbour: 14

Today's plan was initially to go to Roscoff, ready to cross the Channel tomorrow. Set off at 9am to reach the Chenal du Four at 10.30 to catch the tide. We had to motor the first part of the way as there was very little wind, but by the time we reached the bottom of the Chenal du Four and got the pick up from the tide we were able to sail without the engine on. We put the cruising chute up at midday and had a lovely downwind sail, the sun was shining and the sea wasn’t too rough. After reviewing the weather forecast for today and tomorrow we decided we had a better chance of being able to sail if we carried on and crossed the Channel today, so at the top of the Chenal du Four we set a course for the Helford River. It was quite an interesting crossing with lots of big tankers and cargo ships crossing our path, and at one point we had a fighter jet circling around above us! In the early part of the evening we also had some very black-looking thunder clouds but thankfully missed the rain. As darkness fell we took the cruising chute down and put the genoa out, and were very glad we did as the wind started to build and by 10pm we had 15-16 knots. We took turns to have a sleep down below during the afternoon and again in the evening, after our passage supper of tinned ravioli and peas! Even after dark it wasn’t cold although there was a starry sky. We got a data signal when we still 18 miles off the English coast, and spotted the Lizard light at 22.40. Approaching Nare Point there were about 9 or 10 large ships at anchor which was a surprise and all the lights were very confusing. We navigated through them with the radar on and finally dropped anchor in a small bay at the entrance to the Helford River at 3am. It didn’t grab very well so we guessed it was a stony seabed (possibly why most boats were anchored in the next bay? So glad to have finally arrived and get some shut eye! The photo is of the Le Four lighthouse - don't usually see it in such beautiful light!
118 miles in 16 hours.

Fortunately the rain eased off during the night, and we got a reasonable night's sleep. Awoke to a lovely sunny morning. We had decided rather than plug all the way to Roscoff today as originally planned, we would have an easier day and catch the end of the tide at the Raz de Seine, and head for Camaret. Set off at 12.30. The anchor came up clean as a whistle. Again very light winds, but nice calm sea. We did manage to sail for about an hour but only slowly, while we had our lunch, then we put the engine on and motor-sailed the rest of the way. We reached Camaret about 5.30 (28 miles) and got fuel (expensive)- €1.44 a litre), then the harbourmaster guided us to a berth (and gently rebuked us for not having called on Channel 9). His English was very good. Went to check in then went for a walk along the harbour front, where there was a little market. Rather too many people for our liking, but by 7pm when we were going back to the boat it had thinned out. A lovely calm sunny evening so we had dinner in the cockpit. We don't often see Camaret like this, usually we're here earlier in the season and it's cold and windy! The photo is the Vauban Fort by the marina.

Early start - weighed anchor at 0810. Again quite a lot of swell which made it quite difficult on the foredeck. Bright sunny start to the day but later on it was quite overcast. We had 11 knots of wind to start with so put the cruising chute up but that only lasted an hour or so. Later on we went through a thunderstorm which was quite scary as we know someone who was struck by lightning on his boat. The storm was quite close at one point. We were very glad of the shelter of the bimini! The wind filled in a bit in the afternoon but still on the nose so no chance of sailing. We finally reached the anchorage at Ste. Evette (near Audierne) shortly after 8pm. (78 miles). By this time it had got quite cold and showery - I wore socks & shoes for the first time all holiday! Plenty of space to anchor. Shortly after we arrived it started raining in earnest and thunder & lightning. Not very nice! This photo actually belongs to the next day as I didn't have an interesting one from today. It is the Vieille lighthouse at the Raz de Seine, one of my favourite landmarks, in beautiful sunshine!

Our Wedding Anniversary! Awoke to bad news - Quarantine has been introduced in the UK for people returning from France. We had planned to go to St Gilles Croix de Vie, which we haven't been to before, and find somewhere nice to go out for a meal, but in view of the news we decided it was best to head for home as we don't really feel safe in France any more. I went to get a baguette from the vending machine. Set off at 9.30am. There was a really big swell as we came out of the marina so it was very unpleasant on the deck getting fenders and ropes in and the mainsail up. The wind was on the nose but very little of it so we had to motor - yet again! Decided to head for Belle Ile and anchor in Port Andro on the south east corner of the island. John had a very brief sighting of dolphins - where are they all this year? We reached Port Andro just as it was getting dark at 10.30 and anchored in 7m near the rocks on the right hand side. (79 miles). There were some boats in but not too crowded. It was still a bit swelly but not too bad, and after a celebratory G&T we had a reasonable sleep. The photo is the anchorage at Port Andro.

We had expected rain today but although it had rained a bit overnight, it was a fine morning. They have a really good display of the weather forecast from Meteofrance at the Capitainerie. There is also a vending machine outside where you can get a lovely fresh baguette for €1. What a great idea! Bourgenay doesn't have much of a town or shops, just a few cafes by the marina. Despite the rain forecast the weather was looking OK so we decided to go off on our bikes and we headed South. There is a super bike track which goes along the coast for a while and through some woods, and then across the salt marshes. We stopped for our picnic in the woods near the beach, then carried on to Talmont St. Hilaire. It was sunny but a fresh breeze which was very pleasant, and for once there weren't too many people about. There is a very ancient ruined castle at Talmont St. Hilaire so we decided to have a look round as it only costs €6 each. There has been a castle there since the 11th century and Richard the Lionheart made it his home. The history is very interesting. On our way back to the boat it started to rain as we were cycling back to Bourgenay. Fortunately we had taken our waterproof macs with us so didn't get too wet!