28th June – Saturday – Les Sables D’Olonne to Ile d’Yeu

8.00am start for the 33 miles which took six and a hour hours.  The weather forecast was for showers, showers my eye!  It started raining about 1 hour after we left and bucketed down for the next five and a half hours.  Soggy sandwiches and rain diluted tea.  We arrived at the Island in pouring rain and a sea swell which prevented us from laying fenders and ropes for safety’s sake until we got into the harbour, which we knew we could, having visited before.  I have never been so wet without being in a swimming pool.

We have returned here as it is a perfect mid point between Les Sables D’Olonne and Pornic, our next new destination.  We came today even though ‘Showers’ were forecast because the yacht race was due to re-commence on Sunday and parts of the approaches to the town were restricted for the race, so we thought we would make a quick exit.

29th June – Sunday

Windy day forecast so staying put.  Quick walk around the Sunday market.  Supermarkets are all closed.

The summer season is making its presence felt with the arrival of many visitors from the mainland.  Great people watching, during a second walk along the harbour-side and breakwater.  Watched a two masted, traditional galleon type ship taking passengers out into the bay at approximately 18.00.  The wind and swell made the large vessel pitch and roll through the waves and we were sure we had made the right decision to stay another day.

25th June – Wednesday - Les Sables D’Olonne

10.30 start for the 37 miles sail from La Rochelle which took eight and a half hours as we were sailing against the tide for two thirds of the journey.  It was very sunny but windy, so no sunshade required, but we had had enough of the constant wind by the time we arrived at 19.00.  We got a good berth on ‘H’ pontoon and had a good view of the racing yachts.  (Previously we were on ‘B’ pontoon a little near to the football bar – they were in fine voice until 2.00am – the perils of travelling during the World Cup – I love my earplugs).

26th June – Thursday

Big shop at SuperU in the morning, small incident as one of the wheels came off the trolley, so roadside repairs were required. 

Part of the marina had been given over to the ‘La Solitaire du Figaro’ which is a yacht race for ‘Le Figaro Beneteau 2’ yachts which are 10.10 metre, 1 design, mono-hull’s.  The race is in its 45th year and is considered a precursor race for yachtsmen and women hoping to compete in the Vendee Globe.  The route is from Deauville, Plymouth, Roscoff, Les Sables D’Olonne and finishes in Cherbourg.  Many previous winners of the Vendee Globe have competed in this tough race.

The yachts made quite a spectacle and the public were able to look up and down the pontoon and observe the preparations for the next leg.  A sideshow of journalists, stalls and pop-up bars were following the race so lots to look at.

We had a walk to the main town and shopping streets and along the promenade.

27th June – Friday

Took the opportunity to dye my hair as the showers are free with no time limit.

Walked to the Flea Market which was a little disappointing, but signs appeared to promise more during the ‘Season’.

Took the solar bus to Le Chaume, the older part of town at the other side of the river, Mick observed the solar bus also had a large re-charging plug. (its not Mick in the picture)

Continued with a walk around the headland to the large lighthouse ‘L’Armandche’ and found a nice footpath which passed an open air public swimming pool filled by the sea, an old church with an Art Exhibition and old gents playing boules.  All very pleasant.

Mick also enjoyed watching a large new expensive (probably more than half a million pounds) Catamaran being launched.  It was simply towed like a small boat by a tractor and launched down the public slip with little ceremony.  The traffic was stopped, people stood and stared and there was not a yellow jacket or method statement in site. (observe the man stood on top on his phone)

We really enjoyed Les Sables D’Olonne, as previously stated it is the best operated marina we have so far encountered.

24th June – La Rochelle Cont…

Very relaxing day.  I made the sunshade a bit more useful by threading some string through both the longest edges, so now it can be tied to the boat at 4 points and moved around as the sun moves around.  3 or 4 moves a day does the trick, it really makes a big difference to the comfort of sitting inside and outside of the boat.  Ideally it would be a couple of feet longer, we may stumble on a suitable piece of cloth.

I had also previously fashioned some cardboard window shades which are used to let the windows be open for air-flow but prevent the sun making the inside of the boat too warm.  Again more suitable materials may present themselves but at present these do the job.

Mick mended the computer.  The backlight had stopped working on the screen, so it was dismantled and re-assembled and started working.  So we are now back to full computer power.

The marina at La Rochelle is massive and has to be seen to be believed.  They are currently making it bigger!  So there was a bit of noise from the JCB’s moving massive rocks to make another breakwater.  They seemed to work in the cooler hours, so all night.  It was some distance from us but the noise did spoil the relaxing atmosphere.   

The marina cost Euros 24 per night, but we got 3 nights for the price of 2.  The facilities were clean and modern, but you had to pay 1 euro for 7 minutes for a shower at a machine.  Wifi was 1 euro per day extra and was very fast.  There is a very small supermarket on the marina and many cafes and restaurants, but we needed a big shop.  There is a Monoprix in town and a Carrefour but we did not find it.

We had intended to stay longer but cut the stay short as we had explored the town. 

22nd June – Sunday – La Rochelle – Big Day

Another early start to sail to La Rochelle, before it gets too hot.  We set off in good weather, and waded through a flotilla of small fishing boats, we think it was a competition.  We were soon followed by large ominous clouds, which grew and grew, then the storm started.  The sky was very dark behind us and we took some good video of the lightning.  We are travelling in a huge lightning rod so I should have been scared but I love storms.  Mick put the phone in the Microwave (Faraday cage) just in case, as all our navigational equipment is electronic and a strike could have made everything pop.  The storm never quite caught up with us but we got some rain, big Pleur.

Lightning always reminds me of Nellie (my ex Grandma-in-Law and one of the nicest ladies I have ever met) who was scared stiff of lightning, due to a near miss in her youth, real hide-under-the-table scared.  God Bless Nellie.

Another high-light of the day was sailing under the Ile de Re bridge, which connects La Rochelle to the Island.  You have to pass under a particular section which is well marked with Red and Green signs.  The water is only 6 metres deep at this point and tidal planning is required to ensure sufficient water is available, allowing for any swell (but none today).

Once under the bridge you get your first glimpse of La Rochelle, and boy is it busy.  There were tens of vessels in the approaching channel from Tall Ships to canoes, so we needed to be vigilant.  As it was a beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon it felt like all the residents of La Rochelle were out on the water.

Following the buoys and the pilot book we aimed for the Marina, which is one of the largest in Europe.  The marina is undergoing major work and the entrance was not quite as described in the book.  No visitor pontoon was indicated, so we radioed the Capitanerie for instructions.  After a short conversation in French a small boat came out to meet us, as we were circling awaiting instructions.  The boat told us to follow him and we were taken to the Visitor Jetties and allocated a berth.  We tied up and went to the office where once again the small boat driver turned out to be the man on duty.

It has been a long held dream of Mick’s to sail his own boat here and today he succeeded.  I do not underestimate the years of planning and navigation which have brought us safely to La Rochelle today and praise his skill and tenacity.

We had a quick walk around and then had tea and lots of wine to celebrate.

23rd June – Monday

Walked into town, a good 40 minutes along the waterside, and what a lovely town it is.  There is a large castellated turret and the town wall fortifications which make another impressive entrance to the inner harbour, there are pleasure boats moored here but there is a lock to enter and you have to pre-book.  The harbour is surrounded by shops and restaurants and the town itself has many arched shopping Arcades which make for good shelter in todays light rain.  Had a coffee and watched the world go by and then walked back to the marina.

There is a water bus (Bus de Mer – 3 euros) which goes from the Marina to the centre of town every half hour, but we timed it badly twice.

We have decided that La Rochelle is going to be our most southern port of call this year.  We are going to slowly make our way back up the coast to northern France and the Channel Islands, visiting the places we missed on the way.  There are a couple of reasons.  The first is the heat, neither of us had banked on it being so hot, so early in the year.  The thought of the heat in Spain and Portugal hundreds of miles south in July and August does not appeal.  We are northern folk and are good at being cold but not designed very well for the heat.  We need more gradual practice in the heat.  Secondly we have spoken to many people over the passed few weeks in France and many are going home.  There are varying levels of bureaucracy in other countries where it is very difficult to get a definitive statement of what you can and cannot do as a live-a-board on a yacht and what regulations your yacht must comply with.  We can do without the stress.

The whole purpose of this trip was for us to sail our boat and visit new places, and we are certainly doing that.  We are enjoying France very much and are looking forward to our onward journey and more of Northern France.  We were sorry to miss the Channel Islands on the way here and are really looking forward to them.  Then we may spend some time roaming around the south coast looking for somewhere to leave the boat for winter.  We are going to make full use of our time and are not planning to come home early.

20th June – Friday–Les Sables D’Olonne

Sailed 6 and a half hours from Ile d’Yeu to Les Sables D’Olonne.  Mostly windless day, some cloud, sunnier later.  Mostly motor sailing.  It was so calm I did some bear making.

Les Sables D’Olonne is the start and end point of the famous (Ellen McArthur) Vendee Globe sailing race.  We arrived mid afternoon and made our way through the buoys and down the river, which has high walls and walkways at each side.

Arundel castle makes an impressive town entrance.  Large signs (and the pilot book) advise visitors to moor on the outer portside pontoon by the Port Olona Harbourmasters office and register. 

The new building was well appointed and we were welcomed into the office for a seat.  We filled in the forms and were then given the best welcome sheet so far.  It showed a map of the marina, our allocated berth number and which orientation it was (Babord/Port side), locations of all the facilities and the entry codes.  All for the reasonable price of 21.40 Euros per night.  The facilities turned out to be good and clean with free showers.

We moored up and waited for the sun to go down a bit before walking to town. 

The town reminded us of Southampton, very yachty, with many sailing outlets, chandlers, servicing and boat producing businesses.  The town has many shops and all appear to lead to the extensive promenade and beach area.

21st June – Saturday

We washed our sheets by hand in a large bucket and they were dry in 2 hours.  We had used machines previously for sheets but I appear to have a rash from the detergent, so resorted to good old Fairy Snow and people power.  Hand-washing is strangely therapeutic and has saved us a lot of Euros. 

Mick re-sealed the Eberspacer pickup pipe, which had been leaking slightly when the diesel tank was full.

Updated blog and stayed in the shade until 5.30pm, still very hot, but went for a walk to find a Supermarket.  There is a smaller old town called Le Chaume near the castle where we walked first but no supermarket in sight.  Finally found a large SuperU behind the Marina housing development.  (Walk from the left most bar, with the boats behind you, and walk diagonally through the houses and onto the road, keep walking to the roundabout and there it is).  I understand why the shop, bar and restaurant owners do not want you find the supermarkets but a few signs would be useful.  The only sign we did see was for a L’Eclerc on the way into the main town, but we didn’t find it.

Managed to acquire an electric fan, cool bag rucksack and a flat grater (the one we have takes up too much drawer space and is just annoying).

16th June – Monday–Pornichet to Ile d’Yeu

33 miles and 6 and a half hours sailing.  The weather was sunny and windy, just lovely, not too sunny that we needed the canopy and windy enough to sail for a few hours.

I spoke to the harbour master on the phone – IN FRENCH – and booked us a mooring for the night prior to departure.  I then radioed on Channel 9 as advise on our arrival – IN FRENCH.  We were told to go to berth ‘ECHO 28’ in perfect English, went to moor up.

It is always a treat trying to spot the number on the jetty before you pass it and not after. They are not always very well marked.

Ile d’Yeu appeared on the horizon as we sailed to it and looked lovely even before we landed.  It is the first place so far that has had terracotta roofed houses and gave the impression of a Mediterranean destination.

The marina was around the corner in a separate dock to the Fishing boats which were picture perfect and very well cared for.  The outer most dock held the ferry boats and formed the picturesque harbour front of Port Joinville.

The Marina had good free facilities and was 20.90 Euros per night.

17th June – Tuesday

Walked to the other end of town and purchased a 30 Euro sim card for the spare phone. 

We ate out at a harbourside bistro, I had Moules and Frites and Michael had a Pizza.

Found good wifi in a bar and was introduced to ‘Leffe Ruby’, beers answer to Rose Wine.

18th June – Wednesday

Mick got out the folding bikes and we attempted an Island ride.  There are hundreds of bikes on the Island and many hire shops.  Our folding bikes have small wheels, so we were passed by several pensioners on bikes with big wheels.  We took some butties and ate them half way.  Once you have seen one of the houses with the blue shutters you have seen every house on the island, they just come in different sizes, and are eye-wateringly expensive.  Orientation is therefore quite tricky as every street looks the same.  There are lots of street names and the map shows most of them!  The other ‘town’ was nothing more than a few houses and a Tabac.  There were however miles of beaches and we saw 2 decent camp sites, but very few hotels.  Many of the houses are for rent during the ‘season’ July and August.  The books say the prices are going to rise in ‘The Season’.

Popped to the supermarket to top up.  There are 2 supermarkets a ‘Casino’ just off the Promenade across the first crossroads and a ‘SuperU’ at the other end of the harbour hidden a few streets back.

19th June – Thursday

I made a sunshade to cover the cockpit sliding door which is perspex and lets in light but also heat.  I had brought a large piece of plain white drill, which I thought I might need for the quilt which I simply hemmed and it works a treat.

Very hot day, so hid inside for a while until it was cooler.  Good chance to get on with the Work-Shirt Quilt.  I had previously pieced together 25 squares.  Today I joined the 25 large squares in a 5 x 5 pattern.  I had 13 mostly dark and 12 mostly light.  I had drawn it out but the pattern only emerged when it was complete.  The dark squares match up nicely.  I now have to find a large piece of cloth, maybe another sheet to make the back.  Linen-ware seems to be expensive here, need to find the french Dunhelm Mill.

Meanwhile Mick was planning our next route and reading.  Alot of time is spent planning routes from place to place.  Especially as we keep changing our minds, or getting wind of a good destination.  The number of British boats we are encountering is getting fewer.

Lovely walk around town at 16.00 and had Ice Creams.  There are more small shops in little streets behind the harbour, including a french vintage shop and a fabric shop selling all the lovely lace blinds we have seen in all the house windows.  There was also a Artisans co-operative selling the hand-made things people make on the Island.  You would really need something to pass your time if you lived here, as there is little except shops, restaurants, bicycles and boats.

20th June – Friday

Reluctantly leaving this pretty place, for Les Sables D’Olonne, the home of the Vendee Globe sailing race.

13th June – Friday–Lorient Cont… and Pornichet

Walked to huge Supermarket l’Eclerc, approx 20 minute walk in blistering heat.  Need to buy a Cool Bag Rucksack.

Walked past the Submarine Pens created and used during WW2, they are impressive, but a bit of a eyesore.  Wonder what they could be made into or used for?  The Ghost ship in the foreground is quite a common site.  We have seem them in many places so far.  Artists and photographers seem to like their ‘rustic charm’.

I would come back to Lorient, but would like to try the Port Louis Marina.  Kernevel has no water bus stop and nothing much in the way of a town, unless we missed it.  That can be a problem, you arrive somewhere and have to orientate to find food etc, the shopping areas are not signposted and you sometimes really have to ferret them out.

14th June – Saturday – To Pornichet

The sailing at present is mostly motor sailing as we are covering quite a lot of ground.  Meaning we have the sails up but also have the engine on to achieve the 5 knots which will get us to the next place at a reasonable time.  We could sail more but the days would be very long and you may arrive in the dark or at an inappropriate time for the tides, especially as quite a few of our stops are up river estuaries.  So we use the sails alone only when we can achieve 5 knots with the sails.  This is usually for 2, maybe 3 hours per trip.  The wind direction is another element as the boat only sails when the wind is in the right direction.  So often the wind is either in front or behind us.

11 hours sailing today.  08.00 to 19.00.   Does this count as weekend work?  It was very sunny, so we used the canopy and it was so much nicer to ride along in the shade.  Just as we got to Pornichet the wind blew up to 20 knots, so we hung a quick right into the marina and tied up to the first boat we could raft on.  The Marina Dorey turned up quick-smart in his small boat and took Michael to see the berth and then brought him back, whilst I talked to the French man whose boat we had moored against.  He was leaving early doors, so we would have had to move anyway.  We then moved the boat to its new position, and went exploring.

Pornichet is quite a change from the small quiet places we have been to recently.  The marina was large with good facilities, free showers (25.50 Euros/night). The marina has many restaurants and several chandlers and boat servicing outlets.  The bars got quite lively on Sat night and a birth near the shore would have been interesting.  Fortunately we were just out of earshot.

15th June – Sunday – Pornichet

Pornichet seafront looks like Benedorm, but walk a little further and it is a maze of small streets with charming little houses which all have ladies names.  We walked about half way along the extensive Promenade and then cut back through as the town changed name and were pleasantly surprised.

 

As it is Sunday the supermarket was only open til 13.00 so we just managed to get the few things we needed to before it closed.  If you walk out of the marina the first thing you see is a Spar, but look to the left and there is a round market house with every kind of deliciousness, and several small shops.

It would have been nice to investigate Pornichet further, as the other end of the Promenade appeared to have a large town centre, but it was too far to walk at this time of day.

Tapestry – today I started the tapestry given to me by the Craft and Chat group.  I think it is going to take a while.  It is very absorbing, once a plucked up the courage to start it, after much counting and re-counting to make sure I was starting in the right place.