Roscoff to L'aberwrach

We left Roscoff on a hop to L'aberwrach which is a journey of approximately 43 nautical miles and involves rounding the Ile de Batz and keeping about 3 miles off the coast to avoid reefs of rock and isolated rocky outcrops.  The weather was fair and the sea quite calm and so the journey was uneventful.  This is the most exposed part of the North Brittany coast and the river at L'aberwrach is the last serious refuge before you round cape Finisterre going south..  If something goes wrong here you're on your own till the coastguard can get to you so for WAFIs ( a WAFI is a naval term for "Wind Assisted F*****G idiot") like us you don't go unless you are sure you have a good weather window.  L'aberwrach is the most common starting off point to move south towards the Rade de Brest through the dreaded Chanel Du Four.

Here are a few of the pic's we took along the way:

 

Lighthouse at Ile Vierge

This light is charted as Fl.5s77m27M

This means that it flashes every 5 secons, its light is 77 metres high (approx. 250ft) and the light can be seen for 27 miles.

WOW 

 

There aren't many lights in the English channel that can be as powerful as this.  The only ones I've seen are St.Catherines on the Isle of Wight, Barfleur near Cherbourg, Edystone and Wolf Rock.  This one is a true giant.

 

 

L'aberwrach is at the end of the dotted line

 

 

The following morning we woke to fog.

 

 

 

and more fog

 

 

The fog lifted so we took the opportunity to walk to a vantage point to see the view of the L'aberwrach estuary

 

The estuary

 

 

Time for a G & T

 

What a sky

 

Carla and Pete in Nanuk

 

Owing to the fog we stayed a day in L'aberwrach and sailed on 2nd August for Camaeret Sur Mer through the Chanel Du Four.