European Crossing

On the way to Les Sables d’Olonne

We departed Les Belles Isles fairly early as we knew it was a fairly long leg to Les Sables d’Olonne. Not a great deal of wind … and over the quarter. I put up the gennaker, which gave us a good hit of speed for a short time, but it died out on us as the fog began to lift ( yes folks … for those DS and CS students out there, we had an advection fog come down on us … and yes, we were sailing in it. Actually the best bit of breeze until much later in the day!)

I fired up the port engine to give us a little help on our way. Kept watching the TTG on the plotter … “are we there yet? Are we there yet?” … by late afternoon the wind was increasing and backing … which was a bastard ‘cos I really wanted it to veer … never mind, I just had to put in a couple of gybes … and all was good. She started to go quite well under the Gennaker … I saw 12-13 knots a couple of times … mind you, she was also starting to surf the swell a little.

The approach to Les Sables is interesting …have to keep a weather eye out for all the fishing markers … like Moreton Bay crabbers these “pecheurs” drop their gear anywhere they like. A couple of … well actually, a few cardinal marks which you really do need to obey … nasty “points of interest” behind them. The entrance to les Sables is very much like coming into Mooloolabah … narrow, offset rock walls … a crossing swell … and bugger all water on the inside. You have to hug the starboard side for a bit then stay just starboard of the centreline until abeam of the commercial port … all the while dodging the Frenchmen coming the other way who also want to stay in the deeper part of the channel. Try not to hit the little electric ferry which crosses from the upper class side to the lower class side of the town (that’s how it used to be in the old days apparently … not so much in evidence now … but I’m sure the sentiment is still underlying with the inhabitants.)

Put ourselves alongside the dock outside of Privilege Marine and had a well deserved sleep.

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