9th June – Monday–Camaret–Raz de Sein–Benodet

The Raz de Sein is a test for any sailor.  We spent our time in Camaret consulting various veterans of this trip and received plenty of good advice, and some horror stories.  The issue is that a large part of the 1,000m deep Atlantic, twice a day wants to get through the 20m deep space between the mainland and the Ile de Sein, a small island approx 3 miles from the mainland.  Due to the Rocks around the island a circumnavigation would mean a large detour.  There is a 15 minute time slot twice every 24 hours and obviously everyone wants to be there in the daylight, so everyone who has been waiting in Camaret charges like a bunch of leemings to the same spot for the same time.

It was like Monday morning on the M6, no it wasn’t, but it was the yachty equivalent.  At least 30 yachts left Camaret over a 1 hour period from approx 10.00am to finely tune their arrivals to the Raz by 14.00.  Our most skilled veteran advised 50 minutes before High Water Brest as the best time to be abeam (at the side of) Le Plat (Stone Pillar Cardinal Buoy – a strategic point in the Raz).

As everyone’s boats are different and go at different speeds and slightly different directions to the wind, we ended up in a line (like ducks) in a very orderly manner through the passage. 

 

The weather forecast was for 3s and 4s with slight showers.  It rained from 11.00am until approx 15.00.  Big splodgey drops, in France rain is called ‘Pleut’ it is said ‘Plur’, repeat this word to understand what the rain sounded like for many hours.  The swell is worth a mention as many sailors comment on its height and rolling waves, they have obviously never sailed in Hartlepool basin.  There was a swell and the waves were 3-5m high, but we only lost sight of half a sailing yacht as opposed to a whole tanker in Hartlepool.

It fined up in the afternoon and we came into Benodet in lovely evening sunshine and finally moored up in the Benodet marina at 20.45pm.  The course into Benodet is well marked and has lighthouse type structures as the leading lines to navigate by.  You enter past the town and it’s many beaches.

I cooked chicken stew to celebrate our 11 hour trip and fell into bed exhausted and relieved.

We had intended to go to St Evette, but we were passing there by mid afternoon and it seemed a shame to cut the journey and take a mooring when we could go to the marina at Benodet.

10th June – Tuesday – Benodet

Big rest day, walk to supermarket ‘Carrefour’ along the river bank.  Quick walk into town later (15 minutes to centre).

Benodet Marina is clean and well run.  The shower tokens are obtained from the office and are free, but the shower timers are brief.  The marina fee was very reasonable.

Benodet is an affluent town, with large houses and hotels.  The centre does not have many shops but a walk along the beachfront will provide clothes shops, cafes, restaurants and ice cream parlours.  There is a ferry to take you to the other bank of the river, which ultimately leads to Quimper.

11th June – Wednesday – Benodet

Julian Dunn’s Big Birthday.  Spent the morning writing an Ode to Julian.  He is the loveliest man and we are sorry not to be there to celebrate with him, but we are sure the rest of the family will do him proud.

Mick went out for bread and then after lunch we went for a walk out of the town on the beachfront, just meandering, taking piccies, having a sit etc, when we had a ‘Sliding Door/Butterfly effect’ moment.  We have a friend/old work colleague called Keith Bottomley who is married to the lovely Holly.  He has always had large Jaguar cars with his initials in the reg.  Well actually, jokingly, his would be initials, should he be knighted.  So they are ‘SKB’ and variations on the theme.  We had just stopped a lady to take our picture (below) and had turned around to go back to town, when we saw a Jag going into a complex, I said ‘Oh Look Sir Keith Bottomley’, Mick said ‘It could be him he was coming to France this month’.  So after a bit of deliberation we quickened our steps and the car stopped just past the main gate.  Mick walks up and Keith says ‘Bonjour’, thinking he was French, then Mick said ‘Don’t give me Bonjour it’s me’.  We were all quite taken aback for a few minutes.  The number of linked decisions which got us to that point on that day were immeasurable, Keith had only stopped the car to buy some bread otherwise we would have lost him.  His holiday should also have been two weeks ago.  We also have to mention this in the blog, he refused a drink as he was not feeling well.  A WORLD FIRST.

We had tea out on deck and stayed out until 10.00pm reading, we have not done that in England for more than 7 years.