Channel crossing and beyond

We have finally started our Journey to the Mediterranean, we left Plymouth on Friday 11th May at 14:00hrs and set sail for Fowey, we had originally planned to go on Thursday the 10th but as usual the weather scuppered our plans.  We stayed in Fowey for a couple of nights and on the Saturday we took a coastal walk to Polkeris beach which was about nine miles there and back. Although it was very windy the sun was shining for a change, as we got to Gibbons point on the way back to Fowey and looked out to sea it appeared that every man and his dog was sailing to Fowey so we were not surprised to find another boat rafted up alongside when we got back to Miss Lilly.

Yachts approaching Fowey

Whilst in Fowey we recieved a visitor, a rather grand looking mallard who had obviously taken a shine to the boat.

Having scrutinised the weather forecasts we made the decision that the best day to cross the English Channel would be Sunday 13th, our original plan was to go on the Monday. We left Fowey at approximately 12:00, the sky was clear blue but again windy and cold, although we both noticed we had caught the sun. We lost sight of land at 18:47 and crossed into French waters at approximately 23:00hrs. we had hoped that we would be able to catch the tide at the other end so that we could sail straight down the Channel Du Four to Camaret but by 20:30hrs it was clear that we would be too early so we changed course for L’Aber Wrac’h where we moored up to get a couple of hours kip before setting off again for the Channel Du Four and Camaret.

Having arrived in Camaret we planned to spend two or three nights there, during the first night the wind well and truly picked up getting to a force 5/6, and so the boat was rocking about on its mooring so not much sleep was had. On getting up in the morning the sun was shining but the wind was still in full swing, and on looking out to sea it looked rough and uninviting, there was only one mad person out there sailing. Whilst we were in Camaret we met three other couples who were also making their way to the Med, one couple was going via the French canals, the second couple were awaiting a crew to arrive as they intended to cross the Bay of Biscay in one hit, apparently the wife was going to do the sail across Biscay but after crossing the channel had decided against it. The third couple were doing the same as us, no fixed plan but generally heading south.
On looking at the weather to determine the best day to move south it looked like the Wednesday would be the best bet. When we got up the sky was clear blue and with light winds so we were good to go. It appeared that everybody else in the marina had the same idea as there appeared to be a mass exodus from the marina making their way to the Raz De Sien, another passage where you needed to get the tide just right and just for a change we got it spot on making 10.5 knots over the ground at one point.

Raz De Sien

Originally we had planned to sail to Audierne, but the weather was predicted to get very windy again, approximately force 5/6 from a south westerly direction which meant we would not get much shelter in the bay so we made the decision to keep going and head for Concarneau. The trip down was very pleasant brilliant sunshine all the way but again a cold wind, so we were togged up in several layers and wet weather gear to keep warm. At one point Kevin saw a couple of dolphins but by the time I had made my way up on deck (I was making our lunch in the galley) they had gone.
We arrived in Concarneau at about 21.00hrs, and for the first time on our journey we were able to sit out on deck until 22:30 partaking in a glass of wine and a late tea before it got too cold and we had to head below decks.

Oh how the weather changes, during our first night the winds again increased and the rain started, and at one point we even had a thunderstorm. Our first day in Concarneau was spent cleaning, doing the washing and Kevin trying to get the MiFi unlocked to no avail, it turns out that it was a French bank holiday and all the shops were closed. On his return to the boat several other sail boats were getting ready to go off on a race, the preparations and departures in strong winds kept Kevin entertained for a couple of hours before he got bored, he’s not used to having nothing to-do.
On the Friday we again tried to get the MiFi unlogged but apparently in France they can’t do this and we would have to buy a French Dongle and Sim card at an exorbitant price which we can only use in France, so we gave up, although we may end up having to pay up if we can’t get reasonable internet access through free WiFi during our stay in France, we use the internet a lot for getting weather forecast’s . We also took a stroll into the old walled town which is very quaint and from the parapets we were able to watch the race goers leaving the marina again in very strong winds.

Race day at Concarneau

We also did a bit of shopping in the market and even though neither of us speaks French we were able to get everything we needed, though at times trying to explain what I wanted was like something out of ello-ello.

We are now in the process of planning our points of call on our journey to La Rochelle which we hope to be at by early June weather permitting. We aim to leave Concarneau tomorrow and head for Ill De Groix which is a small island just west of Lorient, where we will spend a couple of days, one of which will be to cycle round the island.

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