Z 13

After 4 weeks in the Canals we were very relieved to finally make it to the coast. We love the breeze from the sea which is such a relief after the stifling heat of in-land France. We especially love diving off the back of the boat in the sea to cool off, and it's lovely that the water is cool not cold. I've even attempted some snorkelling!

Our mast was stored Frontignan as it was too long for Port la Nouvelle (being over 16 metres long). When we arrived there it was a Sunday and the marina yard was closed, however, Jon spotted the mast through the gate and we all breathed a sigh of relief. It, and we, had made it (despite the language difficulties along the way - the transporter, Wolfgang, was German and the storage firm was French). At this point a big thanks to Lucienne for helping us out with the German!

The boat had to be prepared before the mast could be put back on and Jon had to spend hours in the heat of the mid-afternoon sun to get everything ready. At this point Niamh and I were neither use nor ornament and so we felt it was our duty to explore the beach instead and let Jon get on with the hard work!

The attached picture shows Niamh putting a �'�1 coin on the mast bed just before the crane lifted the mast into position. This is an old French custom and is supposed to bring the boat good luck.

After about an hour of grunting and groaning from 4 Frenchmen and 1 Englishman (Jon) the bolts were finally fastened and the mast secured. It then took another 3 days in total for all the rigging and electrics to be attached and checked. Well done Jon! Never again will that mast be detached from the boat!

After 4 days at Frontignan we pottered off to Port Camargue (more anchoring and swimming) and then to a wonderful little marina at Port Gardien. The town has a distinct Spanish influence with lots of Paella and Bull fighting, but my favourite place was a small fortified church in the centre of the town. It is very rustic with lots of exposed brick work and non-fussy decorations. It has the tiniest windows and a wonderfully calming atmosphere, helped by soothing background guitar sounds. Inside the church there was a lovely French poem for you to read and ponder, and a printed copy for you to take away. It talks about the generations of people who have come to the church to find peace and silence. If I get chance I will type it out on the blog for the French speaking readers of the blog (Caroline and Houri especially). It is just lovely!

We met some lovely English people in Port Gardien who moored next to us shortly after we arrived. Two of the girls aboard the boat were of a similar age to Niamh and they all had a great time playing top trumps and going to the beach. Niamh has posted a great photo of the 3 of them! Hi Tilly and Beth..and mum and dad and friends aboard.

And onto the next chapter....at Port Napoleon.

Bye for now.