I am only a poor onion seller!
Setting off in the dark from an anchorage is always interesting. You have to be careful that all the boats at anchor have actually got their anchor lights switched on. on this occasion it was like a plague, every boat seemed to have the same idea.
This was the point where we said good bye to Ti A Fi as they were heading back to the Netherlands and so they planned to go straight to Roscoff. Bolero said that they wanted to go to Ushant which is a bucket list sort of place. It is an island off the coast and technically it is the most western part of mainland France. It is shaped like two u's set at 180 degrees to each other providing a harbour at each end. The western harbour being the bigger of the two has the most going in, but it lack appeal because whilst it is beautifully protected from winds from the east , North east and south east it is completely open to the west and so Atlantic swells enter the harbour even with an east wind. The harbour provides a number of free buoys for visiting yachts but the maximum size is 15m so we would have to anchor. If we are to go there I want to arrive early so that if I don't like it I have time to go somewhere else.
We left the anchorage and so Sea Crusader and Bolero went to the west under sail whilst Ti A Fi motor sailing north to transit the Chenel du Four. We were doing quit nicely, it was a long way to go but the conditions looked ideal. By about 2pm a change if wind direction put the kibosh on us going the computer said it was going to take another 5 hours and then we would be five miles to the west so we would have to motor or tack so that's six hours. I looked at Linda and said we have been sailing for eight hours already and I really didn't see the point of another five just to sleep for the night. We need to go and plan to stay two or three nights so we peeled off and headed for Cameret and what a god decision that was. As soo as we changed direction we were doing 8.6knots straight in the hole. In 90 minutes we were tied up with me marching to the restaurant to book a table for later. That evening we had a lovely meal sadly they only had space outside which was cooler than expected but it was still good.
The next day we set off to go to Roscoff, Bolero was due to meet us there but owing to the tides said that they would arrive late…Linda was excited because Roscoff is famed throughout France of it's onions and they were holding an onion festival and she had been wanting to go. As we go to the top of the Chenel Du Four, Bolero were two miles to our west, we turned the corner and had to motor but eventually once yo are past the headland you have turned right enough to sail so we were able to pull out the sail and switch off the awful engine.
We arrived in Roscoff and went for a late supper on Bolero and they were coming to us the next day for pizzas. We didn't stay late everyone was exhausted.
I was first out the next morning and I went into town as I wanted to buy some clothes and some presents for my staff. The town was bustling. I called Linda and we met at 1:30 at the customs office and were stamped out of Europe. I went back to the boat dumped the things I had bought took out the infamous shopping trolly and headed back into town to meet Linda.
The festival was in full swing and Linda had bought me a beer (wow) I needed it. It wasn't long before that trolly was nearly full Linda in full festival mode…
This was the point where we said good bye to Ti A Fi as they were heading back to the Netherlands and so they planned to go straight to Roscoff. Bolero said that they wanted to go to Ushant which is a bucket list sort of place. It is an island off the coast and technically it is the most western part of mainland France. It is shaped like two u's set at 180 degrees to each other providing a harbour at each end. The western harbour being the bigger of the two has the most going in, but it lack appeal because whilst it is beautifully protected from winds from the east , North east and south east it is completely open to the west and so Atlantic swells enter the harbour even with an east wind. The harbour provides a number of free buoys for visiting yachts but the maximum size is 15m so we would have to anchor. If we are to go there I want to arrive early so that if I don't like it I have time to go somewhere else.
We left the anchorage and so Sea Crusader and Bolero went to the west under sail whilst Ti A Fi motor sailing north to transit the Chenel du Four. We were doing quit nicely, it was a long way to go but the conditions looked ideal. By about 2pm a change if wind direction put the kibosh on us going the computer said it was going to take another 5 hours and then we would be five miles to the west so we would have to motor or tack so that's six hours. I looked at Linda and said we have been sailing for eight hours already and I really didn't see the point of another five just to sleep for the night. We need to go and plan to stay two or three nights so we peeled off and headed for Cameret and what a god decision that was. As soo as we changed direction we were doing 8.6knots straight in the hole. In 90 minutes we were tied up with me marching to the restaurant to book a table for later. That evening we had a lovely meal sadly they only had space outside which was cooler than expected but it was still good.
The next day we set off to go to Roscoff, Bolero was due to meet us there but owing to the tides said that they would arrive late…Linda was excited because Roscoff is famed throughout France of it's onions and they were holding an onion festival and she had been wanting to go. As we go to the top of the Chenel Du Four, Bolero were two miles to our west, we turned the corner and had to motor but eventually once yo are past the headland you have turned right enough to sail so we were able to pull out the sail and switch off the awful engine.
We arrived in Roscoff and went for a late supper on Bolero and they were coming to us the next day for pizzas. We didn't stay late everyone was exhausted.
I was first out the next morning and I went into town as I wanted to buy some clothes and some presents for my staff. The town was bustling. I called Linda and we met at 1:30 at the customs office and were stamped out of Europe. I went back to the boat dumped the things I had bought took out the infamous shopping trolly and headed back into town to meet Linda.
The festival was in full swing and Linda had bought me a beer (wow) I needed it. It wasn't long before that trolly was nearly full Linda in full festival mode…
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bolero on the way to Ushant -
nick beaming because he had made it to Ushant without using any fuel -
Low tide -
"I am only a poor onion seller" -
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Men making clogs -
Basket making -
