Tag Archives: Ile d’Yeu

Cruising

Ambushed by the weather

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8am this morning, and endless black clouds and high winds assail us
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Own up – who turned our brilliant weather off?

The 6 weeks following our departure from Audierne on 12th June have been utterly glorious. Sun cream by the gallon (well, not quite), calm seas and blue skies, all courtesy of a friendly Azores high pressure system spreading its wings over Play d’eau. It was perfect.

But the moment John and Beryl left nine days ago, we’ve had thunder storms and high winds created by an endless march of depression after depression which have won the battle and sent the high pressure running.

Where now?

Good question. So far we’ve been holed up in Les Sables d’Olonne for six days and the first weather window seems to be next Thursday. If so, we’ll have been in Les Sables for nine days when we only intended one.

Our plan had been to visit Île d’Yeu, Pornic, Roche Bernard in the La Vilaine River, anchor off one of the beautiful, small islands of the Quiberon Peninsula, moving onto Lorient, the Glénans archipelago known as the Breton Tahiti, and finally Port la Fôret before heading for Camaret on the Finistère Peninsula on or around 9th August.

Looking further into the forecasts brings even more depressions. Growl.

Battle plan

Well, two can play at this weather game. So, planning for the worst, rather than seven stops en route to Camaret with time off to play at each, we’ll do it in three. Pornichet, Lorient and Sainte Marine, taking any available weather window.

Meanwhile, if another high pressure graces us with its presence and banishes the depressions, we’ll stay and play. If it doesn’t, at least we know ‘the plan’.

You see, there’s always next year….

Piers and Lin
from the Meteorological Observatory of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

Cruising

Leg 9 – Île d’Yeu to Les Sables d’Olonne – 11 July 2013

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The forecast was right. The NE’ly had reached F5 again. Looking over the harbour wall showed a mass of white. Masts of departing yachts were ‘bucking like broncos’ as they made headway with water cascading over their bows. I suspect that if I was a yachtsman, I’d be shouting, ‘Yee Ha!’ – or is that Dave of Yacht Akemi I hear?

Decision criteria

The chart of our planned SE’ly track to Les Sables d’Olonne
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We’d normally wait until the wind and seas died right down. I mean, why have an uncomfy ride?

So what was the pressure to leave? First, the forecast was continuing with NE’ly F5/F6 for the next five days; not good. Second, the national French swarm starts this weekend possibly precluding a future mooring; not good. Third, I want to take Lin to dinner on our (41st) wedding anniversary on 15 July and restaurants in Île d’Yeu leave everything to be desired. Fourth, we need to be in La Rochelle for the 26 July – a long time away, but still a pressure.

Looking afresh at the chart, our track would be SE meaning a beam sea, reducing the closer we inched (centimetred?) to the mainland. That would be OK given we have stabilisers. So the main ‘nasty’ would be the first 1.3nm as we left Port Joinville whilst heading NE straight into wind and swell to clear shallow ground before turning SE just south of the Basse Mayence NCM.

The SE corner of Ile d’Yeu. Why don’t photos ever show how rough it really is?
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Decision – if we were happy to take a head sea, we’d go providing we saw the wind drop to F4 by midday. We were, and it did.

The journey

By 1145 the wind had dropped to a mid-F4. Lin had rigged Play d’eau for ‘silent running’ (everything stowed and battened down) so we left.

Between the breakwaters we began to experience the head seas. Once out of the breakwaters and heading straight into the wind and swell, it become ‘exciting’ but in no way fearful. Play d’eau is just brilliant. Sea spray was flying everywhere!

Just to make the point, five of the yachts we’d seen leave earlier that morning had turned around and were returning….

Once we’d turned SE, the ride became manageable, and the more the journey progressed the more the seas quietened and the ride became enjoyable.

Port Garnier, Les Sables d’Olonne
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Arriving

Arriving at Les Sables d’Olonne was ease itself. Although the wind had risen to F6 it was from over the land so the sea was flat. We radioed Quai Garnier, were given a berth, and we moored up. Simples.

Play d’eau was covered in salt from the seas we’d taken. We’ll give her a good soapy bath in the morning.

The tecky details

1226 FST – Departed Port Joinville, Île d’Yeu
1646 FST – Arrived Les Sables d’Olonne
Planned distance – 29.7nm
Longest leg – 22.4nm – Basse Conche to the Petite Barge SCM
Tech issues – Stbd engine, small oil leak detected from the gearbox into the flywheel housing

Piers and Lin
from the Pilot House of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.

Cruising

A bus, a walk, a marriage, and another bus

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The proof that we took the bus!
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Lin won. It was 27°C and exceedingly hot.

I said we should hire a car with air-con; Lin said we should walk. Between these two extremes were hiring a mini-moke or cycling for which there are many Location de Vélos in Port Joinville.

In the end and by mutual agreement, we agreed a compromise. We’d walk. Lin began studying the map of this lovely 10km x 4km Île d’Yeu.

The bus…

We took the 1412 No 1 bus for its 17 minute journey from outside the Marie (the start of its route) across the island to the Plage des Sabias (the end of its route), whence we’d start our walk.

All roads on the island are really small, much smaller than Guernsey’s, and most buildings are painted white with Wedgwood blue shutters.

The coast we followed along the south of Ile d’Yeu
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Very much a Caribbean look and feel.

…the walk…

Having plastered ourselves with factor 30, we set off for the hour’s walk along the coast path which looked very similar to Guernsey’s south coast path, but scaled down.

En route was the 14th century ‘Le Vieux Château’, the Island’s only fortification, which becomes surrounded by the sea as the tide rises.

All that’s left is the main castle, but in its hey-day, the castle occupied a considerable area – see the pic.

Journey’s end was Port de la Meule, a tiny, pretty harbour mainly used by crab and lobster fishermen.

…the marriage…

Bride and Groom and Dad catch the bus home from the reception
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Just before climbing on board the No 5 bus for the return journey (the start of its route), a bride and groom appeared from the Port’s small but busy café. They’d just been married, had their reception at the café and needed to catch the bus back to the Port. I began taking photos…

In the bus they made straight for the back seats from where the groom asked if I would take some pictures of them with his camera.

They were so in love and so happy. Humbling.

…the bus

The No 5 took 11 minutes to return us to the Marie at Port Joinville (the end of its route).

We didn’t turn our heads to see what might be happening on the back seats.

Piers and Lin
from the Saloon of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.

The reception was held at
the café at Port de la Meule
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Port de la Meule is the only other port on this small island
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The description of Le Vieux Chateau showing the size it used to be
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Le Vieux Chateau which becomes an island as the tide rises
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Cruising

Out of Brittany into Vendée

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Oops! We hadn’t realised that by moving south from Vannes to Île d’Yeu we were leaving the Department of Brittany and sailing into that of Vendée, a department in the Pays de la Loire region of west central France.

We realised our error soon after arriving at Port Joinville where almost no Brittany courtesy ensigns were to be seen – apart from ours.

After Googling, and with no appearance of haste whatsoever (of course), down came our Brittany courtesy ensign. After finding the local Chandlery, up went that for Vendée.

Our humble apologies to Vendée.

Piers and Lin
from the Pilot House of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.

The courtesy ensign of Vendée now being worn from Play d’eau’s port crosstrees
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The courtesy ensign of Brittany was hastily replaced by that of Vendée
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Cruising

Leg 8 – Vannes to Île d’Yeu – 5 July 2013

Yacht Aquitaine (Chris and Sue) were our hosts
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I confess that far too much Breton cider and Pastis was consumed and far too many olives fresh from the buzzing farmers’ market that morning; black in herbs and green in pesto. We had been invited for drinks by retired Chris and Sue of Aquitaine, a British yacht moored three places along the pontoon from us, together with their friends who were cruising in company with them on Lady Day.

Chris and Sue keep Aquitaine close by at La Roche Bernard on the La Vilaine river. Having cruised the area extensively for many years I took advantage of their local knowledge.

The plan takes shape

Taking Chris’ advice that we needed to see the off-lying islands before the annual French swarm begins on 14 July, we planned to go straight to Port Joinville on the Île d’Yeu and stay for a few days or more before returning to the mainland. A telephone call to the Harbour Master secured a mooring and the plan came together.

The Kerino swing bridge opened, three greens came on and we were off
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The forecast promised a week of light NE’ly winds, high temperatures and clear skies from an Azores high of 1028mb. In honour, we erected the flybridge bimini cover to protect us from the impending rays.

The nav plan

The only pinch point for the route was the need to be at Vannes’ Kerino swing bridge at 0730, the morning’s only opening.

The Journey

Starting grey and overcast, by midday the forecasters were right. The clear blue sky had appeared and it was hot, very hot.

A small queue of boats waited for the 0730 Kerino swing bridge. As we exited into the narrow channel we came head to head with a coaster about to moor at the small commercial dock. Pulling as far over to the side of the channel as we dared the coaster slid by. Its skipper made a point of thanking us. Nice one.

We edged to the left of the narrow channel to make way for this coaster
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The ebb tide carried us all the way to the mouth of the Golfe averaging an extra 2kts which peaked at 5½kts close to the Grand Mouton.

Apart from one really silly fisherman in his small boat being intent on preventing a British boat from overtaking him by intentionally weaving to and fro in front of us, the ten mile journey through the Golfe was uneventful. My finger itched towards the Kahlenbergs but with discretion being the better part of valour I restrained myself, waited my time, attacked and won.

Passing close to the many reefs and islands which extend to the SE of Presq’ile de Quiberon, we espied some lovely places to anchor, especially the beach on the east of Hoedic. We marked map.

From Presq’ile to Île d’Yeu, we had a calm open Atlantic sea, its gentle swell, and a hot sun. It was lovely in the shade under the bimini.

Arriving

The tide was ebbing fast by the Grand Mouton beacon
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Île d’Yeu slowly appeared out of the haze seven hours after leaving Vannes and we pulled into the Port Joinville marina just ahead of schedule and the Harbour Master guided us to our berth. Perfect.

The tecky details

0720 FST – Departed Vannes
1558 – Arrived Port Joinville
Planned distance – 67nm
Longest leg – 29.1nm – Sud Banc Guerande SCM to Port Joinville WP
Tech issues – nil

Piers and Lin
from the Pilot House of
Play d’eau
Fleming 55

You can get in touch with us any time by using our Contact Form.

Lin at the flybridge helm under the bimini for shade from a very hot sun
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Play d’eau’s wake en route to Ile d’Yeu
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