Wednesday 5 August 2015

Chasing the Recouvrance

The BThe Anglo,French, Dutch fleet waking up
for the parade of sail..,
After a jolly evening of wonderful French hospitaily in the OGA 's french headquarters the beholden baguette was retrieved! 
ip early to get the fleet ready and out through the lock and find the Recouvrance in the outer harbourbour 

Here is a photo of the very special present given to each skipper by the French OGA 

A big thankyou for all the food and fun put on for us by Yannie? Jean Yvonne and all the helpers of the French team


The fleet with the Recouvrance 

Monday 3 August 2015

Over the sea to Jersey

A warm and gentle breeze helped us all south again.
Now our boats have come together behind the high stone harbour walls of St Hillier. A lifeless marina of resting gin palaces polished to a gleam, their owners many miles away, but clever with their taxes 
The arriving gaffers stir up some interest at last for  the dreamy shore staff. 

The 'Sailors Rest' cafe at the top of the ramp provide the spot  for a crew get-together.,, sharing notes and plans for the morrow. It's very English stewed tea and plastic muffins but the beer is 'Badgers' and we suspect Mark Woodhouse has passed this way before us! 

The fleet assembles in St Malo

RLast night jean Yvonne Combot and Jacques Briois arrived from Brittany in their boats
More French boats to arrive today and The fleet will ready to greet the Recouvrance  tonight! 
But first and above all we must retire the golden baguette! 

St Malo

After being told by vodaphone that my number was up I have wifi here outside the capitainerie. It's takes skill this blogging!
All our 11 OGA have arrived in St Malo inner harbour and that feels like an achievement - when it pronably isn't! 
Los of interest in our traditional
boats from the many tourists passing 
by, there is a real buzz about town with its many market stall busy restaurants 
and bustling beaches

I

Friday 31 July 2015

Alderney to Guernsey

We left Alderney in a stiff NW breeze once again it felt like our fate was in the hands off the gods
The Swinge, said the locals is best taken at slack tide when the overfalls show a little mercy! 
The remains of the gale had left a short sharp swell compressed by the currents surging past the jagged coast 

Cine Mara soon took the lead and setting our course Step Back In Time and Betty 2 set the helm for Guernsey a patch of land on the horizon 

4 hours later we entered the smooth waters of the little Russel and St Peter Port with its plan lined marina, it's cafes and busy traffic.

We had a quiet night woken early by the sounds of ships engines and dockside cranes 

Anchorage off Sark Island

Famous for its total restriction of cars 
Dark is a horse drawn community 
And has some of the best and cleanest fishing waters in the Channel Islands 
Tiny jelly fish however inhabits its depth so one might resisted a swim!

But it was in one of the secluded rocky bays that we met two more of our fleet catching after the channel storms 
With Morgaine and Moon River joining us from Yarmouth 
They too had rough crossings staying only one night in Alderney 
But the swell came in again and all but the Kiddles beat a hasty retreat back to port and s quiet pontoon for the night