Audierne to Ile De Groix (Near Lorient) - Saturday 10th August - this is the furthest south we went

The trip from Audierne to Ile De Groix involves sailing along a fairly straight coastline, rounding the Point de Penmarc'h keeping well south of the point by about four miles to clear the outlying rocks and reefs ............

 

Rocks of the Point De Penmarc'h

 

Eckmuhl Light at Pointe De Penmarc'h

............... leaving Benodet to port and sailing east towards Lorient where Ile de Groix is found about five miles off the coast.  As it turned out there was hardly any wind so we motored most of the way and the engine noise aboard Nanuk was driving Pete and Carla potty so we decided to divert to Benodet entering the Odet river in which there are two marinas.  One on the east bank at Benodet and the other on the west bank called Sainte-Marine.  We chose the Benodet marina and took a berth there.

 

Bridge over the Odet River

 

Boats in the Odet

 

 

FACILITIES
We have been becoming more and more frustrated by the French attitude to the facilities they provide.  The showers are frequently cold, cramped and often not maintained or cleaned properly and the loos are something to behold often with no seats, paper or hand wash facilities.

One of the marinas gave us a leaflet which stated that it they wanted all yachtsmen to adopt a green approach, to not deposit anything in the sea or rivers and to encourage others to have the same attitude.  We totally agree with this sentiment however in all the marinas they have pump out facilities for toilet holding tanks but we couldn't find one anywhere that worked.  We frequently saw sewage floating by and when you look at the sheer number of boats in this part of France you would not choose to go in swimming.

Our long standing problem of where to empty our holding tank appeared to be solved as Benodet but again the pumpout was out of commission.  I asked the harbourmaster why it hadn't been serviced and he said that nobody ever uses it so why bother. I told him that we had tried to use one in Camaret with the same result and that we thought it was pretty poor service in that the harbours in Brittany were all promoting the ideal of throwing nothing into the water but when we, the sailors, try to uphold these ideals, the machinery C'est casse.  I maintain that if you want to promote these clean/green ideals and encourage people to comply, you really need them to have confidence that the machinery will work when needed otherwise you will just get people using sea toilets in marinas - NASTY.

RANT OVER

Benodet itself is the main town on the river entrance and Chris and Carla went to do some shopping for supplies while I stayed with the boat to do some much needed maintenance (in other words I had a snooze but don't tell Chris).

 

 

We stayed in the marina for the night and the following day decided to explore the Odet river by boat.  We motored up river with the tide for about 4 miles or so until the depth prevented us going any further.  In a motor boat with no keel you can get nearly as far as Quimper but we need at least 2m of water so are restricted a bit. 

 

A Chateau along the river

 

 Another Chateau

The tide in the river runs very fast and we made the trip up stream in record time but had to motor against a 3 knot tide on the way back which made the going very slow.  We picked up a vacant buoy for the night (a freebee) and sailed the following morning for Ile de Groix.

 

April Dream under Cruising Chute

on passage to Ile De Groix

 

 

Sorry can't seem to get this pic upright!!

 

 

While on Ile De Groix we went walking and bike riding so here are some views:  Carla left us all for dead she was like a bicycle mounted torpedo!!!!

 

 

 

View across to Lorient from Ile De Groix



 

 

 

 

Anse Pen Hir to Audierne - Wednesday 7th August

The plan was for us to leave Anse Pen Hir at a time to link up with Nanuk on her passage from Camaret.

The forecast was for a settled morning F2 to 3 with wind increasing in the afternoon.  The journey involved sailing through "The Raz De Seine" rounding La Vieille - a large lighthouse on the headland.  I have included here a picture of the chart for the area which clearly shows the headland and the off-lying rocky islands.  When the tide rises here the Atlantic water fills up the bay to the north and south of the headland and islands and forces water to rush through the gap either northbound or southbound causing over-falls.  This is where the tidal flow gets turbulent being caught and funnelled through the gap and for yachtsmen you need to time your transit to coincide with slack water.

 

 

The Raz De Seine

 

 

Cardinal at the end of the Raz

 

 

La Vileille Light House

We weighed anchor and motored on our course emerging from the bay just as Nanuk was clearing the headland and we sailed along quite nicely until we reached the overfalls.  The wind had risen a bit but we made a smooth transit emerging south of La Plate West Cardinal mark just in time for the sea breeze to kick in increasing the wind to a good F4 from the south.  We turned east along the south coast of the peninsula towards Audierne and had a cracking beam reach all the way there.  Audierne is a short way inland up a river so we took a mooring buoy at St.Evette - a small yacht haven just in the entrance of the river protected by a big concrete sea wall.  We were met by the berthing master - a young man called Antoine who was a language student and he took the opportunity to practice his English on us and was very welcoming and exceedingly helpful.  The mooring at 6 euritos including a free water taxi was probably the best value for money so far.

 

St.Evette harbour from the sailing club beach 

We read in the pilot book that it was feasible to make the journey up to Audierne in the rubber-dubber so we got it out and inflated it and put the outboard motor on it which promptly refused to start so we asked Antoine where we could get it serviced and he said there was a marine mechanic by the bridge in the town so P & C offered to tow us there using their rubber dinghy to see if we could get it fixed.

 

TT Nanuk towing TT April Dream

The mechanic spoke zero English so between Carla and Chris we managed to explain and asked if he could look at it - No problem, Carburettor he announced and said come back later at 1800.  So we went away and did shopping, had lunch in a Creperie, looked at the boats, Chris and I went to look at the old church on the hill and sat and watched a film about a local artist painting a picture of a cabbage - WEIRD I know but what can you do?  It was cool in there after the blazing sunshine outside.  Pete and Carla were doing their own thing but they also ended up in the cabbage painting audience for a time!

After a bit we went back to the mechanic who greeted us at the door with parts of our engine all over his bench.  He said he was working on it so we waited a bit but it was obvious that he wasn't going to be ready any time soon so we said we would return in the morning.   Pete towed us back down the river - we must have looked a complete hoot.  The river was flat but when we got outside the end of the sea wall there was quite a chop in the water and Chris got soaked by the bow wave while I hid behind her using her as a shield.  In the morning Pete and I returned around noon, did a bit of shopping and then went to the mechanic again who said he was still working on it and come back at 1800.  So we decided it was beer o'clock and went to a bar.  After killing time all afternoon we went back again and this time we thought he had cracked it but he said NO C'est Casse at this point I said we'd have to take it back off him and =get it fixed when we got home.  He agreed - I was worried about the cost of all of this but he wouldn't take anything.  I think he was upset that he had failed to fix it so I gave him some euritos and said at least have a few beers on us for trying.  FRUSTRATING.

 

S and P in TT Nanuk going to get the outboard

While we were killing time Pete and I talked about stuff and laughed as I remembered a story that when I was a young guy working for my dad (who was a builder).  He used to send me out to do drains tests for local estate agents.  One of these was quite a large house so he sent a labourer (Peter Jellett) with me to help.  Peter was an older guy and always wore a boiler suit to work which his elderly mum washed for him every day.  To do a drains test you have to open the man hole cover and plug the pipes using an inflatable sausage.  Once plugged you then fill the drain with water up to the gully say by a kitchen window and wait to see if the water level drops.  If it drops it leaks if it doesn't it's good.  When the drain serves an upstairs bathroom there is no gulley to look in so you just fill it up tapping the pipe with a small hammer and when you think the note changes and sounds like the pipe is full to about 300mm above the ground you estimate the level and put a pencil mark.  then come back after 30mins and estimate the level again and compare pencil marks.  On this occasion we left the tap running to fill up the stack pipe but forgot to turn off the water.  When I tapped the pipe I realised that the water level was about 10ft up the pipe and peter was standing by the manhole.  I called to warn him to get out of the way but before he could do anything the pressure blew the plug out of the drain and a column of foul water shot up out of the man hole, about 6ft in the air all over Peter's clean overalls.  He just stood there and raised his arms like a scarecrow with gossamer wings.  I don't think he ever forgave me.

While Simon and Pete went to sort out the engine, Chris and Carla decided to go for a swim in the inky blue sea.  By goodness ,was it cold, but very refreshing.

 

Marina in Audierne

 

Chris and Carla on the beach at St.Evette

 

 

 

Meerkat impressions

 

Nanuk moored in St.Evette

 

 

 

 

Camaret Sur Mer to Anse Pen Hir - Tuesday 6th August

Camaret is a pretty little port but we'd been there for some days and we were getting stir crazy so we decided to go and anchor in a bay just a short way down the coast a bit south from Camaret.  It has the advantage of being free rather than paying 24 euritos in a marina.  So we filled up our water tanks, checked the engine and off we went.

Here are some of the pictures we took along the way:

 

 

More rugged coastline

 

and again

 

Chris at the wheel again

 

An old gaffer (another one)

 

The Bretons call these Vieux Grement which I think means Old Rigging

 

 

At anchor in a bay called Anse Pen Hir

 

Captain Birdseye catching Mackerel

 

ANCHORING - nautical stuff not for my brother!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Anchoring is something you either love or hate.  It has the advantage that it's free and private, but it has the disadvantage of being only as safe as your anchor's holding power.

 

When you anchor overnight you are either visible by moonlight or you are invisible if there is no moon or thick cloud blocking out the light.  Under these circumstances you are, in effect, an uncharted obstacle so it is important that during the day, when you are anchored you hoist a round, black ball in your rigging to say to others that you are attached to the seabed by anchor.  At night you are obliged to show an all round white light to indicate that you are there and prevent collisions.  Some old boats use a hurricane lamp but most modern yachts have a light fitted at their mast top.

 

The skipper of a small boat needs to know that his boat is staying where he anchored it, in other words he needs to know his anchor is not dragging so he will record compass bearings on three immovable objects so he can check his position (alternatively he can set an alarm on his GPS).

 

When you first anchor you find that you are up half the night worrying about your anchor dragging but when you get used to it you can sleep soundly having confidence in your anchor.  On one occasion we were anchored in the river at Treguier where the tide runs at about 3 knots.  I slept soundly but Lynsay sat up most of the night worrying about the holding of the anchor.

L'aberwrach to Camaret Sur Mer- 1st August

We left L'aberwrach behind with a forecast of wind south-westerly, force 4 to 5 with a risk of a F6 gust and that is exactly what we got.  The passage plan was to exit the L'aberwrach river by the main channel and sail west towards Cape Finisterre where we would have to tack in a SW direction against the prevailing wind or motor down the Chanel Du Four.  As we are in sailing boats we always want to sail if we can and tacking against a tide is usually unproductive as every mile you gain you get pushed back by the tide so we chose to go when the tide was running in the same direction, i.e. running towards the prevailing wind.  Any yachtsman knows that wind over tide can cause rough seas so we tried to plan to get through the Chanel Du Four before the wind strengthened.  From entering the Chanel to leaving it is approximately 5 miles which would normally be about an hours sailing.  Chris and I tried to tack but eventually gave up and turned on the iron donkey while Carla and Pete attempted to sail the whole way.  The first three and a half miles went by without a hitch but the stronger wind arrived and we found ourselves in very confused and aggressive seas.  The waves were approximately 2 to 3 metres in height but with no regularity.  The boats bucked and rolled and was thrown about unmercifully.  The autohelm couldn't cope with it so we had to steer manually and keep the boat tracking through the deep water to avoid the worst of the over-falls.

As we were passing the St Mathieu Light House a large ferry was approaching the Chanel from the south.  Of course this sea is nothing to him but he saw us struggling to keep on track and stopped till we had passed and were safely on our way again.  Once we were through the overfalls the sea miraculously smoothed out and we had a fabulous sail across to Camaret Sur Mer where we tied up in the marina and cracked open a bottle of bubbly.

Chris' feeling during that really terrible journey -

I always wonder why I like sailing being buffeted up and down, white horses, cold wind in your hair, the loud engine and wind on the b ****y nose but then the sails go up and you are gliding along like a bird giving you a sense of freedom.  Everything seems OK and then the waves start getting bigger again and all I can think about is getting into the marina for a nice gin and tonic.  At one point the sea decided to throw a wheelie bin full of water in the air which landed on top of Simon.  Luckily I was down below making a cup of hot chocolate.
We've been through rough seas before and for longer periods of time but never so confused and impossible to predict, which made that hour of sailing one of the most challenging we have faced to date. 

 

Ferry giving way to NANUK in the Chanel Du Four

 

Point St.Mathieu

 

 

Chris helming in the Chanel Du Four

 

Approaching Camaret Sur Mer

 

 

Camaret's Boat Graveyard

 

 

Marina at Camaret

 Sunday 4th August

 

Chris and Robin have childhood memories of Morgat just a short bus ride from Camaret so we took a day trip there, found the hotel they stayed in and had lunch in a nearby restaurant.  Chris particularly remembered how she had been buried in sand by her brother and was still finding it in unmentionable places all these years later!!  The manager of the hotel remembered Robin and has an outstanding bar bill that he'd like settled!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Day trip to Morgat

 

Beer O'clock  (Please note Jenny Britt - it was called 'Britt' beer)

 

 

 

Langoustines 

 

 

 

Hotel de la Baie (where Chris and Robin stayed when young) 

 

The legendary Morgat Sweet Shop

 

An old gaffer

especially for Lynsay

 

Lollipops at Morgat