Dept Chatham Marina 16.00 bound for Stangate Creek

We eventually depart Chatham marina nearly three weeks after our original departure date. It is amazing how long it takes to get things organised at home and on the boat. After glorious hot sunny weather for a couple of weeks it started to rain as we entered the lock. We motored down to Stangate for the night with the plan to leave at 4am at the top of the tide to take the ebb down the estuary.

Stangate creek

The alarm went at 3.30 and it was pouring with rain so Barry reset the alarm, 4am still raining and the weather forecast was not good either, gale, near gale and rough seas in the channel so we abandoned today’s departure and went back to sleep.

Later in the morning we watched the sailing barge Xylonite depart under sail. The rain cleared up but the wind rose and we hibernated inside with our books and had an early night ready for an early start tomorrow as the wind is supposed to be moderating.

15.10local

Up early the wind still sounded strong but less than yesterday. After motoring out of the creek we put up the sails with 1st  reef in the main and sailed out into the estuary. Planning to take the Princes channel but with the option of diverting to Ramsgate if the weather was too rough. We had a cracking sail to North Foreland where the sea became a little choppy as usual but we carried on and it settled a bit but it got rougher as we came out of the lee of the Kent coast. We put another reef in the main and rolled up part the genoa and were still doing 7 knots. It became more comfortable so we carried on and reached Calais in record time. We were immediately allowed to follow The Pride of Canterbury (ferry) into the port and picked up a holding buoy. We saw "Petit Fleur" with some club members on board also waiting on a buoy but we had hardly settled when the bridge opened and we had to cast off and move with all the others to enter the marina. We rafted up next to a "cat" owned by a couple who came from Benfleet. After tying up they offered us coffee and cake so we sat and chatted for a while. After tidying up the boat we were just going to have a nap when "Never Blue" arrived mob handed and rafted up next to us. Some time later they moved to the pontoon as boats shifted to be ready to leave early next morning. We invited our neighbours Mary and Terry from the cat called "Cover Girl" for drinks and nibbles and later the four of us went into town for our first "moules and frites" of the season and then to bed for an early night after a long day.

Calais

A quiet night was followed by a  lazy start on a warm sunny day. Barry went to the Boulangerie for pain au chocolat and other goodies which we had in the cockpit with fresh coffee. We went shopping for supplies in the market and later I took some photos of the dried out fishing harbour and the marina before having a beer then lunch before the lock opened and the hoards arrived. As three larger boats were trying to raft up outside us putting a lot of strain on the cat inside of us we decided to move to the other side of the marina for the night along with the cat.

Dieppe arrive 18.00 UT

We were up for the last bridge opening at 7.40 local time together with a large number of other boats and we all streamed through the open bridge. As the lights were green in the inner harbour we proceeded into the outer harbour where we met three red lights so we all had to hold station, like the beginning of a race waiting for the gun, as a ferry backed out and spun round in front of us. We were then allowed to follow the ferry out. Most boats headed west but some were heading back over the channel including "Never Blue". The wind was on the nose or thereabouts so we motor sailed for the morning. Most of the boats peeled off to Bolougne but we carried on with "Cover Girl". Barry tried fishing for mackerel but with no success. The wind improved and we turned the engine off just after 2pm local. Now we were going slower we caught a gare fish. I could not face the turquoise bones so it went back along with four baby mackerel all too small to keep. After two hours we were being drawn into the bay de Somme and the wind was lessening so we turned on the engine and set a straight course for Dieppe arriving about 8pm local time.

The entrance can be identified by the church to the north east on the hill and, if your lucky, the ferry which ties up on the port side of the entrance. We entered the marina, which was packed, and had to raft up on about 5 boats out between the visitor's pontoons. Later two more boats arrived and rafted up outside of us.

Dieppe

A fairly quiet night but an early start as a boat inside of us wanted to leave. As several boats had already left we found a berth on a finger. After pain au chocolat for breakfast we visited "Cover Girl" and then went for a meander around the town. We had planned to sail overnight to Cherbourg but Mary and Terry arrived, we got talking, so it didn't happen. Had an enjoyable time though and settled down for another night in Dieppe.

18.40 local

Interesting painted tiles on the outside and lovely stained glass windows.

We stopped to take some pictures from a spot overlooking the port and by the time we got back to town the shops were shut for lunch so we had lunch out opposite the marina. A quiet afternoon prior to our departure. Light wind on the nose so motor sailing again. Tried out the new para vane which worked well and we caught 4 mackerel.

Arr 14.00L

A quiet night, motored all the way to Cherbourg. Clear but cloudy. We manoeuvred around the big ships going in and out of Le Havre and the Sienne. Barry got the tides right so we had 2 knots of tide under us as we approached Cherbourg. We tied up on the holding pontoon and had the mackerel for lunch. We then took on diesel and found a berth. The wind had got up a bit so a little difficulty manoeuvring but backed in OK, very short finger and no cleats again only a big D to tie up to on the end. Showered on board as 2 Euro per shower at the reception building.

Part of the museum is the nuclear submarine Le Redoutable which we were directed to first. We were each given a hand set which gave a commentary on all that we saw inside the sub . After this we went into the museum where there were many exhibits and displays about diving and submersibles and several aquariums containing different fish and sea creatures. A very enjoyable afternoon and well worth the effort.

Cherbourg

Rain, rain, rain!! Hibernated in bed with my book for the morning and still it rained. The weather improved by the middle of the afternoon so we ventured out to the supermarket with our backpacks as the supermarket was quite a walk. It being Friday the world and his wife were in there too. We had to pick a checkout where some Solent types did not know you needed a passport to use a credit card so delays. Still uncertain about tomorrow

Arr 15.00L

Arr. 16.00L

We motored to the S/E point of Guernsey to ice up the fridge and then set all sail in a fresh west/ north west wind and a slightly  lumpy sea. When we cleared Guernsey we needed the first reef in the main and jib. A course was set hard on the wind which cleared the Roche Douvre by a least 5 miles and brought us the entrance of the Treguier River with the entrance marks on the nose. It is quite a windy entrance but not difficult when you realise that the big blocks of concrete there have tiny green cone top marks. We carried on up the river and anchored just down stream of Treguier town below the chateau de la Roche-Jagu.

One of our neighbours in the anchorage.

Treguier

A very quiet night and a beautiful spot. The wind died completely and we were moored inside the boat in the picture. We seemed to be in a back eddy so we did not even swing round with the tide. At midday Barry pumped up the dingy and we set off for Treguier. There is a considerable tidal drop of about 7.5 metres so we tied up on one of the floating pontoons in the marina and walked into town. After buying bread and pate we looked around the cathedral which has the typical Breton tower with fretted holes to reduce wind resistance. Apparently the spire has had extensive restoration which was  finished only last year. Inside the cathedral there was a variety of stained glass windows from different periods, some obviously just after the first world war and many were done in 1977 although copying a Byzantine style. There was a large tomb to St Ives patron saint of lawyers with many tablets of messages of thanks. On our way back we came across an art exhibition by Henk Meeder of acrylic and watercolour paintings. He was in attendance and he had some very interesting work. Some work was obviously influenced by Dali and the surrealist school as one room was taken up with paintings of pebbles against a sky. In another room there were watercolours with a collection of paintings of men playing boules/petanque and row boats. Several of these paintings had no background just the white paper and only an indication of shadow or reflection giving the impression of bright sunshine. After leaving the town in the dinghy we motored up to the bridge, which looked much lower than the pilot book suggests, and then returned to Lucia for a late lunch of pate, brie, bread and wine . Although sunny in the morning it clouded over later and the wind got up.

Trebeurden arr 4.45L

A quiet motor down river and then the day got worse. Motored all the way with increasing seas and rain. Not pleasant. Quite an easy entrance after we had identified the south cardinal. Many welcome hands to help us tie up in the now strong wind, glad to be in. Berth quite comfortable, a bit of rocking at high water and of course the usual short finger with no cleats. Poured with rain most of the evening so did not venture out. Want to go home.

On our way we could see the entrance and the sill which comes up at low water.

After lunch and a siesta and later, as it was low water, we had a walk around one of the piles of rock and onto the rocky part of the beach.

We saw people with mussels they had collected so we had to go onto the beach to collect some to try. On returning they all opened when cooked and tasted very nice as reported by Barry. We ate out and had a lovely meal, best I have had for a long time.

Arr. 13.20

Left mid morning as the wind seems to have reduced and weather report not bad. A gentle motor across the bay to Roscoff. We found some buoys across the channel from the harbour with several yachts tied up so we joined them. Roscoff is a drying harbour so, not wanting to dry out and wanting to keep our departure options open, we did go in. We arrived at slack water with a gentle breeze. We hoped to get ashore by dingy for the evening but the wind got up or we noticed it more as the tide rose so we stayed put and looked at rocks. Barry thinks this one looks like a bulldog, I think it is a tortoise. The boat got very rocky over high water but not as bad as Guernsey.

Arr 14.10 L’Aber-Wrac’h

Weather dull and grey. We wondered whether to go back and see Morlaix but we were a bit late to be sure of the last locking so we motored on with wind over tide and an Atlantic swell, all making for a fairly uncomfortable sail. We have seen quite a number of gannets over the last few days but Barry has now seen a postcard with puffins on it so he wants to see them.   We picked up a buoy just off the pontoon and were thankful for hot soup and a hot shower onboard. I do not know how I managed on Maxixe with no hot water let alone a shower. Luxury! Still asking for a crew change.

A very quiet night and very foggy in the morning but must be local as lighthouse foghorn has been turned off. Fog soon cleared to give a lovely sunny day at last. We took the dingy ashore to get bread etc. but failed to find a shop after walking some distance in several directions (we later found out that the only shop is about 2km up the hill away from the port). Eventually found out that one of the bars sold baguettes so we had to stop for croissant and coffee before returning to move the boat to another buoy as 120 boats are expected this evening from a race .

In the afternoon we took the dingy up the river to Paluden. Very pretty but with a lot of fore and aft moorings. These had fenders like dumbbells in the middle so that boats can moor two abreast. Picture also showing typical green buoy/concrete tower nearing low water.

The racing fleet arrived late afternoon. About 120 cruiser/racers rafted up on 7 or 8 buoys! We went ashore after dinner for a drink thinking it would be quite lively but all was quiet and the crews must have gone to bed early as there was not one light to be seen in the fleet !

One buoys' worth !

We came through the Chenal du Four with 5 knots of tide with us but, luckily, no wind so the sea was relatively calm (I don't think I would want to be there on a bad day). After exiting the C de F we motored south east all afternoon, a nice warm sunny afternoon, towards our destination Douarnenez. On arrival we tried to get into the marina at Treboul on the opposite side of the river to Douarnenez but we were really too big and had to back out gracefully. We finaly rafted up to an English boat on the pontoon in the entrance. We had to try rafting up to two boats before Barry was satisfied with the position. After a shower in the local yacht club (free for visitors but you need to pay a deposit for a pass card from the harbour office) we stopped for an al-fresco pizza on the way back to the boat.