After a Scary Start, South Brittany Has Charmed Us

From Camaret we motor-sailed through the Raz du Sein, down a 3 knot current.  Normally this would be a blast, but here now came along a summer afternoon fog that Maine sailors know so well.  Visibility was down to 50 yards (about 100 feet beyond our bow, and so we crept along with radar set at 1.25 miles. 

Just after passing the rocks, visibility improved to about 100 yards as we safely passed a sailboat that had been ahead of us.  Then, at the Point, we picked up a good sized radar return a mile away and a few hundred yards on our starboard bow: but no AIS signal received.  Port we went 20 degrees and as we crept along the radar blip was staying put, so we would pass safely about 500 yards leaving it to starboard, and evidently it was a fishing boat motoring slowly.  All was good until that darned radar blip started moving quite quickly and towards our path. Port another ten degrees we went, and JFK exclaimed to Nancy, “It’s moving towards our heading! Watch out on Starboard! “

As JFK watched the radar, on the darn thing came!  Port another ten degrees. Then Nancy: ‘Watch out!  Ship on starboard!!”  Full astern went Adventuress and ground to a halt, and just 50 yards across our bows steamed way too fast “L”Horizon”  a French fishing trawler.  To say we were shaking is not an exaggeration.  Suddenly the darn bugger stopped, and we guess he had just noticed us!  On the VHF radio JFK practiced some old French he had learned as a teenager, but no reply! So we issued a “Securite” alert to all ships naming the damn culprit.  That “Securite”  is heard by the Coastguard, so it is quite an effective, as well as warranted, warning! How could a sizeable fishing boat be in dense fog, suddenly alter course and increase speed, not be transmitting AIS, and evidently not be watching radar?  Possible answer:  French. Possible adjective: Anglo-Saxon, begins also with F.

We resumed our way and the fog blessedly lifted. 

By cell phone we learned that Audierne did not have room for Adventuress and so we spent a somewhat rolly night at anchor off St Evette.  Next day we arrived at the Odet river, and its literally thousands of boats in the harbours and marinas of St Marine and of Benodet. 

We sailed past these and up the river just two miles, where we anchored safely in a peaceful bucolic landscape, with no one within a mile of us! 

Back down river by dinghy to Sainte Marine: a lovely harbour, here dried out at low tide.

Since then we have explored the South Brittany islands: Groix, Belle Ile, and Houat.  In Groix we were jammed in a sardine raft with 20 other boats.  All quite safe but definitely not to The Admiral’s liking!  Here we are rafted fore and aft on buoys: we were the last sardine in the tin, and acting on instruction from the harbour master, forced our bow between two boats just ten feet apart! By the time we had squeezed our fourteen feet of beam plus fenders into the raft, the whole darn tin was tight as a sardine's whatsit!

Then in Belle Ile we had a unique “Island Packet Minivous” in the Basin a Flot at Le Palais.  We rafted with Paul and Elaine Bragg, “Jennie B” IP380; and with Haakon and Judith Jacobsen,  “Touche” IP380, who were already there waiting for us.  So we had lined up astern the UK flag, the Danish flag, and the US flag, all flying French courtesy flags! A party night followed, with champagne on Touche, and an eye opening Chilly Supper on Jennie B. What fun!

Picture by Elaine Bragg, from the far side of the basin: lined up on Adventuress, L to R: Paul Bragg, JFK, Nancy, Judith and Haakon Jacobsen.

Here are the three Island Packets L to R  Jennie B, Touche, and Adventuress.....

and here is Nancy's selfie, capturing the moment Haakon poured out champagne....."The Widow"!

 We toured Belle Isle by bus, and enjoyed Sauzon, a classic fishing harbour on the NE coast....

...where we had traditional galettes and beer for lunch: and yes, my friends, that is Nancy's triple Belgian 8.5% beer on the right.  Fortunately, JFK was there to help her back on the bus!

The cliffs and rocks of Port Coton may be not so famous as the Needles of the Isle of Wight, but the French have all kinds of stories about throwing the invading English "Roast Beefs" back into La Mer....

and Monet painted this picture....Aigulles de Port Coton....but he was not thrown in!

And here we are anchored in a cleft just 100 yards wide in Port Gulphar: this was a classic Adventuress adventure: on our bus tour we saw this spot from the cliffs above....and next day, there we were!

Monet would have enjoyed our view from our anchorage among the rocks.

Nancy is celebrating our departure from the craggy coast and we did not even scrape a rock!

Next was a superb anchorage on the Eastern end of the island of Houat....

..where we dragged our Caribbean-sized dinghy up the beach. We definitely need a six foot "rubber ducky dinghy" for beaching in Europe!

Mind you, sometimes we need a dinghy with room for provisions...

....which we had found in the little village up the hill....overlooking idyllic bays.

 From Houat we sailed to Presqu' ile Quiberon, where we rode our bikes and admired the scenery.

Best to all,

Nancy and John

PS unlike the last time we prematurely blogged that we had no air in our diesel, this time we really don’t have any more air in our diesel! And the engine, and The Admiral, are both purring very happily.

Brittany via The Channel Islands

In persistent optimism we sailed to Alderney, timing the 4 knot tide to sweep us around the corner of Normandy and into Braye Harbour at Alderney, Channel Islands.  There we spent a few rainy days and ordered a new diesel pick up tube from USA, the last part of the supply line from tank to engine. that we had not replaced.  Her are some pics taken in a few windows of sunshine:

The mooring field at Braye Harbour is quite large...

 ...and here is the view from the boat, back to where the above pic was taken.

 Many remnants of the Victorian fortifications from the Nineteenth Century, and of the German occupation in WWII are scattered around, giving Alderney a "goose bumpy" feeling to its history.

 Exploring one sunny day we found some interesting short cuts and enjoyed stretching our legs.

Then we were off to Guernsey, through the tidal race of The Swinge and on 14 NM to Beaucette Harbour, where we waited outside for half an hour until the gauge showing the water depth over the entrance sill reached 1.7 metres - about 5 feet 6 inches: Adventuress draws 5 feet.  While we waited amongst the rocks outside the diesel continued to have air bubbles in it....and so we were relieved when we finally docked inside, in a lovely spot.....

 ...berthed in Beaucette in a prime spot: thanks Ricky and Steve for a second great stay in your unique marina!

 We showed you this view in last year's blog, but this pic shows the water at low tide, and you can see the rocks at the waterline.  It is an entrance that requires a bold heart, and ideally, no air in your diesel supply!

Nancy composed this pic, and I just simply pressed the button! Here you get an idea what happens when you have a tidal range more than 20 feet.

Almost low tide in Bordeaux Harbour, Guernsey, and the local tiny fishing boats are just afloat.

St Peter Port Guernsey was calm in the early morning after we had a big celebration the night before. What were we celebrating? Read on:

When our new pick up tube finally arrived from the USA we were disappointed but not surprised to find it was definitely not what was promised in writing: it was just a new duplicate of our existing original defective part!  So off we went by bus to St Peter Port, the main harbour in Guernsey, where within an hour a machine shop made a new pick up tube to JFK's specifications.  We took it back, fitted it, and that very day we went on a sea trial the four miles back to St Peter Port: PERFECT!  No air in the diesel.  Finally!  And all we have to say here about the outfit in the USA is: shame on you.

And to our Island Packet friends: ask and we will tell you all the sorry details!

 With a fully functioning engine off we went back to France, this time further West, to Brittany. We found lovely uncharted anchorages, and here in the river sails past a traditional schooner on its way into Morlaix harbour.

 We spent two days anchored in the mouth of Aber Benoit, and here was an active dinghy sailing school to keep us entertained.

Another 180 degree picture: from the boat back to the shore line from our anchorage.

Rounding the point on the way to Camaret...

where we tied up in the Marina and walked into town past the "Boat Cemetery".


Best to all,
John and Nancy

At Laast.....St. Vaast!

For you geographers: from Amsterdam we sailed to Schreveningen; then Ostende  in Belgium; and into France at Dunkirk, Boulogne, Dieppe, Fecamp; and today (18 July) we were going to Deauville: but the favorable and rare Easterly wind easily persuaded us to ride it some 50 miles further westward to St Vaast.

Dunkirk, now that was a happy stop! At the Yacht Club Marina we were greeted by Isabelle, the harbourmaster, and her helper Penny. They were waiting to take our lines on the visitors’ pontoon. Later they were literally running around the docks to help other visiting boats. Then, at check in, we were greeted by a happy sign: “Order here for delivery tomorrow morning your fresh baguettes and croissants!”  Now it must be said that ashore Dunkirk is no Harlingen: but the warm greeting made up for the lack of charm.

Dieppe is one of our favorites, because it is an efficient “all states of the tide” harbour, with a helper on the dock to tell you where to go and to take your lines: and the marina sits in the old harbour surrounded by a charming town scene with restaurants, bakers, butchers, greengrocers and typical French cafés.  And the small supermarket is only a couple hundred yards away.

From Dieppe a quick four hours away westward is Fecamp:  but no help there to find a spot or to tie your lines: and though we had a super lunch at La Matelotte (“The Lady Sailor” - had to take Nancy there!) we found the town otherwise to be unappealing.

So here we are in St Vaast, our favorite French port so far.  Here’s why:

 On the way downwind to St. Vaast:  main and jib at wind angle 145.

We arrived in good time to celebrate Nancy "Bedhead"'s birthday!  Thanks to Zahava at Hideaway for the ideas and the wrapping!

Don't want that fishing boat falling over into the mud, do we?

But here is something falling down a throat: a tasty plump Number Two Royal oyster!

The Bike rides in St. Vaast take you along the seaside, but also into the countryside.

Aha! What have we here?  An expert seamstress repairs some stitching on our Cutter Staysail. Great work, Nancy!

Sunday morning tradition in Normandy: the farmers come into town and set up wood-burning racks and barbecue chickens, lamb and pork.  What a treat!

St Vaast has everything, including an active fishing fleet and a pretty harbour front....

...and even dresses up the town and the spotless marina with joyous flowers.

Adventuress in a lovely spot on B pontoon.

Best to all,
Nancy and John

Relaxing in Holland's Inland Seas

After our previously reported troubles in the North Sea, we gently sailed the Waddenzee and Ijsselmeer South to Enkhuizen, and there found smoked fish 50 yards from our bow in the Old Harbour: mackerel, salmon and yes! for breakfast, kippers! But of course, we started with smoked eels:




But is it only eating and drinking we do in Europe, you ask?  Alright, don't get envious of our gourmet fun: here come some pics for sailors:

Sailing in the flat green waters of the Ijsselmeer ...

...with the classic old Dutch barges.

And talking of classic old, how about this short canal leading from the Ijsselmeer into Enkhizen's Old Harbour: that is a pedestrian drawbridge that is opening up for us to go in and berth alongside the wall that is just discernible beyond the bridge.

 And there we are, tied up in the heart of this old Dutch East India trading city. 

Enkhuizen's charm is on full view here, in one of the "backstreet" canals.

So after enjoying the medieval, off we went to Amsterdam and met up with our Dutch friend Willem, who gave us a short tour of history less quaint, and more imposing:

JFK and Willem pose in front of a canal, and beyond it a Can Can bar!

While Nancy found far more natural beauty than the girls in the windows!

Willem studied Philosophy at the University: he took us to his favourite bar just around the corner from the lecture rooms. Here Willem is giving forth on the Dutch view of ....what? philosophy of contrasts and horizontal versus vertical thinking? Anyhow, and it must be said that this will come as a surprise to many readers.....but this is NOT photoshopped!  JFK is really listening!

Well, the Cambridge Backs it isn't, but it does have an urban charm.

Ah yes, if you cannot find enough space for all the bikes, then why not invent a two-story bike parking garage?

Now we are finally in France, and what happened on the way here will be our next chapter.

Best to all,
Nancy and John

Recuperation in Historic Harlingen

The last three weeks have been difficult, mainly because of engine problems from air in the diesel fuel supply which resulted in:

Five stressful port entries .

Forty five minutes of pounding surf and loss of engine when we crossed the numerous sand bars as we left Holland for Helgoland.

Six miles outside of Helgoland – a powerful microburst storm that buried the starboard deck of Adventuress.  The wind speed was measured in the sheltered harbor of Helgoland at Beaufort 12 (65 knots.)  We estimate we had apparent  wind at 75 to 80 knots…..and two subsequent storms at   40 to 45 knots.

Having to be towed into Helgoland harbor by a very efficient and helpful German SAR crew.

We thought we had solved the air in diesel fuel problem when we left Helgoland, but no!  After 19 hours of motor sailing down wind and just as we are sailing upwind in the channel to anchor behind Vlieland  (it is pitch dark at midnight), we lost the engine and once again discovered air in our diesel.  We tacked to our anchorage with the engine on low RPMs and dropped anchor.  (The mechanic we hired in Helgoland foolishly inserted a gasket in the compression fitting fuel connection at the top of the diesel tank.)

So, we hope that this is all behind us and we have just  spent three relaxing days in Harlingen, a beautiful Dutch city, enjoying the architecture and old streets bustling with all kinds of interesting little shops. And last night we had a delightful fun evening with our good Dutch sailing friends Werner , Ad, and their daughter Ann: we shared a tasty dinner at Restaurant Noorderport and swapped lots of stories.

 

Here are some pictures of this beautiful old trading harbor:

Here's to better sailing!  Cheers!

Nancy and John Knight

(If you with to provide feedback, please post directly on the blog or email us at: jfk48jfk@gmail.com or nshaubknight@gmail.com.

No more air bubbles!

John has found the culprit!  We now have a new "air tight" Racor Diesel filter system.  We hope to leave Helgoland tomorrow, Tuesday the 26th.

Best

John and Nancy

Helgoland

We are in Helgoland.  We were towed into the harbor.....We still have air in the diesel fuel.  We continue to try to solve the problem.

Best

Nancy and John