Early June 2016–Guernsey

4th June – Saturday – Cherbourg to Guernsey

0800 start for the 48 miles to Guernsey.  We started out fully wrapped up as it was a very cold morning, but fortunately warmed up later.  The tricky part of the trip should have been the over-falls in the Alderney Race, but we managed the smoothest of passages.  Well timed by Mick.  Mostly motor sailing we arrived at 15:00 to gather at the waiting pontoons for entry into the inner harbour at high water approx. 17:30.

The lighthouse on the Castle Cornet breakwater at the entrance to St Peter Port.

The new waiting pontoons at St Peter Port.  It is now possible to walk ashore, whilst waiting for the tide to rise.

View from the waiting pontoons just outside the sill.  The harbour dories tell you to raft up here before high water and then escort you inside one or two at a time, very civilised and orderly (unlike Jersey which is organised chaos).

The same sill at low water.  Note : Large concrete lab, not to be messed with.

After being Chippy Starved for over a month, we headed to the Fish and Chip Cafe, just behind the Town Church.  Pure Joy.

5th June – Sunday

Or should I say ‘Seafront Sunday’, an occasional pop up festival.  They appear throughout the year and are well attended.  An array of brightly coloured stalls started to arrive at 0900, representing all kinds of groups, hand made items, with lots of food and drink stalls.  Along with 4 stages for bands, performers and dancers, all along the seafront.

One particular young band managed to perform their full set on each of the 4 stages throughout the day!  The whole thing finished at 1700 and by 1800 you would not have known it had been there. Great people watching from the boat.

Also today Jill from Yacht ‘Peggy’ made herself known to us, we had been chatting via email last year as we were both travelling in Holland and it was lovely to put a face to a name.

7th June – Tuesday

Our friends David and Carol came to collect us and we had a trip around the island and a lovely coffee at a posh garden centre.  They then came back for lunch on-board.  It was really great to have a catch-up.

9th June – Thursday

Whilst washing the bedding the other day, Mick checked the stern gland, which is located under the back cabin bed.  It is made of rubber and appeared to be slightly perished, as it was only 2 years old, Mick photographed it and talked to the importer of the part in England, who contacted the manufacturer and sent them the photograph.  The manufacturer said they had never seen this before and would send a replacement part to Guernsey free of charge. 

Replacing this part involves taking the boat out of the water.  We could either use the marina crane costing hundreds of pounds or take the boat to the Drying Pad (concrete with wooden sleepers) on the harbour wall and wait for the tide to go out.  During which time the job has to be successfully completed.

Fleur on the Drying Pad.  My job was to constantly watch the ropes and alter them as the water level changed.  Very necessary but makes watching paint dry seem exciting.

We left our mooring at 12 noon and waited for the water to subside.  At approx. 15:00 Mick started to replace the part and checked all the stern gear.  It was 19:45 when the tide came in, no leaks were found and we were able to float back to the mooring.  A long, tense and challenging day.

10th June - Friday

Fish and Chips with Ferne and Steve from ‘Walkabout’ and later had drinks on board Fleur.

11th June – Saturday

To celebrate the Queens 90th birthday, the local museums were free to enter.  No prizes for guessing, we managed to fit two in.

First we went to Castle Cornet.  Every day at noon a canon is fired from the ramparts, today it was a 21 gun salute.

The castle is arranged on many levels and by noon there were people hanging from every vantage point.  Quite a spectacle. 

There are 4 small museums within the castle grounds, enough to keep us occupied for 3 hours.  Worth the normal £10 entry free. 

We had lunch and made our way to the town museum which is in Candie Park.  It currently has an exhibition of photos of all the small creatures that we can’t normally see that live with us.  I personally prefer to be in the dark on such things, so amused myself in the gallery, which is on a time line and features many works by local artists from the 1700s onwards.  The museum did not represent the £5 normal charge.  However it is undergoing refurbishment.

12th June – Sunday

Queens Birthday parade.

Lieutenant Governor of Guernsey, a serving Rear Admiral.

Inspecting the troops.  Guernsey brass band also played at the parade and were very good.

A group of old RNLI boats arrived today, there presence was heard long before they appeared.

14th June – Tuesday

We walked to St Sampson which is the next town from St Peter Port.  Approx. 45 minutes along the sea front.  It is a small town based around a harbour with a few shops and cafes.  We then walked to ‘Oatlands’, a visitor retail centre with a large craft shop ‘Craftwise’, two floors of everything crafty.  The rest of the centre was a little quiet as it is low season, but the walk was good.

Guernsey Marina

£31 per night.  4 nights for the price of 3, up to the end of May.  The small facilities on the harbour-side are adequate but small,  the walk to the facilities near the harbour office is worthwhile with proper hairdryers.  Washing £2, Drying £1 – Bargain.  Wifi is free and good depending on the height of the tide and the number of users.  Steve and Ferne took us to Waitrose, Iceland and B&Q which are a 20-30 minute walk.  Located along the seafront, walk to the traffic lights near ABN-AMRO offices, turn left and walk 500m.  The shops in St Peter Port are excellent and the M&S too good for fresh bread etc. 

A really good stay.  Next stop France.