About this site

Piers and Lin du Pré bought their new Fleming 55 / 129, Play d'eau, in 2003.

She was berthed in Beaucette Marina, Guernsey in the Channel Islands at N49° 30’.197 W002° 30’.350 until she was sold in October 2021.

This site charts the thrilling adventures they had in her.

You can contact us here.

Where’s Play d’eau?

If the new owners have the AIS on, you can find where Play d'eau is right now.

Click here.

Zoom in and our position will be shown on a map.

Recent Posts

Leg 25 – St Helier to Beaucette – 26 September 2013

Back at our berth in Beaucette where even the pigeons were there to welcome us

We didn’t want to go home. Having spent three months and six days of cruising to new and exciting places, the explorer bug had set in. Yet, we both knew the time was right to be back home in peaceful Beaucette, Guernsey …

Continue reading Leg 25 – St Helier to Beaucette – 26 September 2013

Leg 22 – Roscoff to Tréguier – 6 September 2013

The cold front hovering over Roscoff and the Bay of Morlaix

Let’s call this leg, ‘Never poke your tongue out at the rain’. The last few days of our week’s stay in Roscoff had seen thick fog which didn’t really clear until after lunch, leaving the air cold and damp. …

Continue reading Leg 22 – Roscoff to Tréguier – 6 September 2013

Leg 20 – Camaret to L’Aber Wrac’h – 29 August 2013

We left Camaret in thick fog

Yes, yes, yes! Fog – and lots of it. Maybe 100m maximum. So today we’d be on full weapons using our new radar seriously after all these hours of practising. And let’s not forget the Kahlenbergs and their auto-signaller for those four second blasts every two minutes …

Continue reading Leg 20 – Camaret to L’Aber Wrac’h – 29 August 2013

Leg 18 – Port Louis to Sainte Marine – 26 August 2013

We reversed between the pontoon and the trawlers

This was a perfect journey. So gentle, so beautiful. Why Sainte Marine when we had planned for one our favourite marinas, Port La Fôret? Vendée Globe racing yachts had filled the marina leaving no room to spare for Play d’eau, but Sainte Marine opened their arms to us …

Continue reading Leg 18 – Port Louis to Sainte Marine – 26 August 2013

Leg 15 – Les Sables d’Olonne to Pornic – 15 August 2013

A lovely calm sea for cruising

Looking forward to another FLIR experience, we cast off from Quai Garnier’s pontoon A ‘exterieur’ and headed into the black an hour and a half before sunrise, destination Pornic in the départment Loire Atlantique, some 60nm to the North …

Continue reading Leg 15 – Les Sables d’Olonne to Pornic – 15 August 2013

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

Lin at the flybridge helm under the bimini for shade from a very hot sun

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 …

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

Leg 2 – St Peter Port to L’Aber Wrac’h – 18 June 2013

Our first cold pression this year - hard not to order more....

The sea was calm as the sun woke from its night’s dreams to peek over Herm, creating an orange brushstroke between the dark grey sky and sea, as we motored out of St Peter Port. Such a contrast from the previous evening’s strong E’ly F5 blowing swell and white caps into the harbour the previous evening …

Continue reading Leg 2 – St Peter Port to L’Aber Wrac’h – 18 June 2013

Play d’eau is featured in MBY

Motor Boat & Yachting April 2013 edition

After 10 years of glorious cruising, we decided it was time to upgrade Play d’eau’s electronics. We spent considerable time researching which equipment, suppliers and installers would be used, and work finally began in the winter of 2012 and finished before the season started in 2013. …

Continue reading Play d’eau is featured in MBY