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Cruising

Leg 14 (2015) – St Martin de Ré to Les Sables d’Olonne

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St Martin de Ré marina, taken from our quadcopter
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John and Beryl’s fortnight of cruising on Play d’eau had come to an end.

Amidst tears, damp handkerchiefs and endless wavings, the taxi drove slowly down the road, over the roundabout and on to La Rochelle’s airport. We stood a while, looking, and hoping beyond hope that the taxi would turn around and come back.

You see, John and Beryl are accepted as part of the family. We recognise this, my parents recognised this, as do our children. Family occasions of all sorts just wouldn’t be the same if John and Beryl weren’t there.

That’s why it was so hard to say goodbye.

St Martin de Ré

Surrounded by its early 17th Century fortifications originally designed by Cardinal Richelieu and later strengthened by Vauban, the small town of St Martin on the Île de Ré gleams with worn pavements, small alleyways adorned with hollyhocks, and square stone buildings with blue shutters and roofs of old, warm orange Mediterranean tiles.

A moat surrounds the fort’s inner sanctum half of which is locked to form the marina. No longer a citadel, the inner sanctum is now a few small street cafés and shops. St Martin de Ré is abuzz with life.

The weather changed

The small town is a maze of alleyways adorned with Hollyhocks
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Almost as soon as John and Beryl left, the weather changed.

Winds increased and the seas began to deliver a short, marked swell. Temperatures dropped and the humidity rose uncomfortably high.

The next two nights saw lightning and dramatic thunder storms bringing rain laden with copious amounts of dirt and dust held suspended for these last many weeks. Play d’eau became filthy and needed another one of her soapy bubble baths.

Where now?

Given only Lin and I were on board, it was quiet. No exciting tastings of the challenge to find a drinkable red wine as close to €2 as possible (it was €1 nine years ago); John wasn’t there to raise or strike the ensign at the correct times (two alarm clocks as reminders), or to source morning croissants. The list goes on. As I said, it was quiet.

Interestingly, it didn’t seem to matter where we went now. We couldn’t make our minds up. We found ourselves saying, ‘John and Beryl would have loved…’

The option was either Les Sables d’Olonne (again) or the beautiful, small Île d’Yeu. With the weather closing in our feeling of adventure was at a low ebb. We chose the safe option of Les Sables, but to use the Olona marina rather than Quai Garnia.

Our homeward journey northwards had to start.

Our last night

Having had such a great meal at Les Embruns with John and Beryl we had to return before leaving.

Welcomed back by the Chef to this small, boutique restaurant with its 13 tables, we had another magnificent meal. Some of the most adventurous and exciting cooking we’d had in years. We tried calling John and Beryl to share the fun. The calls went unanswered.

En route

The crew of this white, British yacht was fast asleep on the deck in their sleeping bags
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The lock gate opened at 7am, but a large, white, British wooden yacht was in the way. We couldn’t bring ourselves to wake the young crew so fast asleep on the deck in their sleeping bags. It was two hours before they woke and moved the yacht, allowing us to motor gently out of the marina into the moat and out of the fortifications.

Being sheltered by the island, the sea was flat. A number of shoals of sardines were creating energetic ruffles on the surface. We wondered what was chasing them for their breakfast.

As we neared the north of the island the swell rose and the ride became uncomfy.

Nearing Les Sables, the numerous trawlers and small fishing boats which inhabit (plague?) this area appeared on the radar.

Checking into Olona’s Capitainerie we were given one of the best moorings in this large but quiet marina.

Where next- and when?

The weather has certainly changed. The wind and swell are both high angered by a series of tight depressions ganging up against the west coast. The forecast shows we could be stuck in Les Sables for well over a week.

So where next? We have no idea. We may end up making an unsightly dash up the west coast and around the Finistère Peninsula to be in Roscoff for the 19 August where we hope to pick up our next guest, David, whom we’ve known since the early 1970s. We’ll see.

Met data

Les Embruns served some of the most exciting and adventurous food we’ve had in years
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St Martin de Ré: NW2, 8/8 cloud (stratus), good, calm with a swell
Sea state: 1½m swell from the west
Les Sables d’Olonne: Clear skies, NW3

Nav data

Times are FST.

Date: 21 July 2015
Departed St Martin de Ré: 0920
Arrived Les Sables d’Olonne: 1242
Pinchpoint: St Martin lock times
Longest leg: 17.5nm
Time en route: 3hr 22min
Planned distance: 25.9nm

Tech issues: Nil

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

(click on the photos below to enlarge, and use the left/right arrows)

Click here for a slideshow, or click on a pic and arrow left/right

Cruising

When do we return to Guernsey?

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Calm seas as the sun rose
taken from the saloon on leaving St Martin de Ré
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Whilst moored in Port Garnier marina, Les Sables d’Olonne, thinking or our return plans to Guernsey, local trawlers of all sizes pass us by heading for their cooperative some 300m beyond the marina.

Since they bring fresh catch every moment of the day, we really don’t mind the noise or being tossed around by their wakes since the cooperative’s huge Poisonnerie displays the most amazing range of fresh fish and crustacea you can imagine.

None of this “it has to be sent to Grimbsy to be irradiated and tested for foot and mouth (or whatever it is)”. Straight from the sea to Play d’eau’s galley. What could possibly be better?

So what are the plans to return to Guernsey?

So, our plan is to be back in Guernsey by the end of September.

To achieve this, there are two possible neap tide windows in which to navigate the Brest peninsula and its Raz de Sein and Chenal du Four, namely the 31 August and 14 September.

Whichever we take, we’ll spend the remainder of the time exploring Brittany’s north coast before heading for Jersey to meet Graham and Francis of yacht Woolly Mammoth and finally heading home to Beaucette Marina.

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

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

Cruising

Leg 14 – St Martin de Ré to Les Sables d’Olonne – 11 August 2013

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Ian and Wendy on their Moody 422 bound for the Caribbean
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A UNESCO World Heritage site, St Martin is Île de Ré’s historic capital and ancient port surrounded by the citadel.

Small, old, full of history, buzzing with life. We cherished our time there.

You have to live the dream

Ian and Wendy’s Moody 422 yacht, Silver Slipper, was moored directly behind us. Having met in March 2012 and married in April 2013, they are gradually making their way to Las Palmas to take the ARC to the Caribbean.

‘We’ll cruise the hundreds of Caribbean islands until we feel it’s time to move on to the Pacific through the Panama Canal.

‘You have to live the dream – you must live the dream,’ emphasised Ian, ‘so we’ve sold everything to make it happen while we can.’

Watch the video of their departure from the UK bound initially for Guernsey, complete with their dog, Bumble.

Play d’eau makes a graceful stage exit

‘Living the dream’ captured as the sun rose behind us
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With clear skies, a calm wind and the temperature already in the mid-twenties, it would be another perfect day for Play d’eau.

Ten minutes before our 0800 ETD we still had two 53’ motor boats and three yachts rafted against us. With one foot clearance behind, we were hemmed in by two boats in front, our bows in the gap between them by six feet.

At ETD plus ten they’d all moved and we cast off. We sidled, went forward a few feet and finally swung Play d’eau’s stern out and towards the lock, gracefully reversing out of the marina as though making a stage exit after the final curtain call.

The nav plan

Only one pinch point today, and that was the opening time of the St Martin lock. Not a problem, and given the travel time to Les Sables d’Olonne was only some three hours we’d arrive before lunch when hopeully there’d still be a space for us at the Quai Garnier port.

The Journey

The radar screen erupted with yellow targets as we neared Les Sables d’Olonne (30 second trails in blue)
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A really gentle and calm crossing with the fun beginning in the last few miles when the radar erupted with a rash of yellow targets as the world appeared to be out on their boats. There were dozens and dozens, everywhere.

Arriving

As planned, there was space for us on pontoon A, but within an hour of mooring up (and Lin having hosed Play d’eau down) boats were being turned away.

The tecky details

Departed St Martin de Re – 0810
Arrived Les Sables d’Olonne – 1141
Total distance – 25.8nm
Longest leg – 17.5nm from Les Islattes NCM to Bourgenay SWM
Tech issues – nil

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

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

We overhung the boats in front by 6 feet and had five boats rafted against us
click to enlarge
Only 1 foot clearance between us and Silver Slipper
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Cruising

Leg 13 – St Denis to St Martin de Ré – 8 August 2013

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Port St Denis d’Oléron marina was a huge parking lot for Merry Fisher boats
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Port St Denis d’Oléron was crowded. The only visitors’ pontoon was tightly packed and Play d’eau was on the inside of a raft of four; the bulk of the marina seems to be a huge parking lot for Merry Fisher boats.

The Capitainerie staff was brilliant. Under their direction boats were shuffled to give us an outside position against an old beautiful (but actually brand new) 60’ twin masted sailing boat for the last night so we could leave early for St Martin on Île de Ré. Perfect.

The nav plan

The two pinch points (it always seems to be two, doesn’t it?) on this journey were the entry/exit times at both Port St Denis and St Martin de Ré, but given the passage time was just over two hours, it wouldn’t be a problem.

The Journey

St Martin de Ré – our mooring overlapped the yachts in front
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Casting off at 0551, we used the FLIR camera to pick our way through the unlit buoyed channel to the sea. Exciting!

The journey itself was lovely with twilight changing to dawn as we neared Île de Ré. So beautiful.

The forecast was for W/NW winds F2 but reality was entirely different with an E’ly F3. It’s been interesting that forecast winds seem to bear nothing to reality in this area of the Vendée.

Arriving

Calling the St Martin Capitainerie on ch 9, we were told there was no space until the evening. In the hope this would change as more boats left in the half hour before the lock closed, we hooked onto one of the visitors’ buoys. Determined to keep Play d’eau in the forefront of the Capitainerie’s mind, I called again to announce we were moored to ‘bouée seize’. ‘D’accord,’ came the reply.

A few minutes later we heard, ‘Vedette Play d’eau, ici St Martin. Il y a une place maintenant. Venez vite puisque l’écluse se ferme en dix minutes’. (Please excuse my dreadful knowledge of French…)

We unhooked, venezed vite, très vite, and moored to the smallest pontoon space I’ve ever seen between two rafts of boats four deep, just as the lock gate closed behind us.

There was not a lot of space behind, either
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As we all know, mooring is not so much a skill but a spectator sport. Finally, as we eased Play d’eau against the pontoon with her bows overhanging six feet into the space in front between the bows of the two rafted yachts, we were give a round of applause!

Whilst taking a bow, a cheery Welsh voice drifted across the marina, ‘Hi Piers!’ It was Mike and Heidi of Yacht El Aranque, whom we’d met in La Rochelle. For Mike, read Dale Nelson.

Within moments we had a Princess 52 and four yachts rafted alongside.

Memories

Looking at how the boats were stacked reminded me of Kim Hollamby leading his MBM cruise in company fleets. You needed to use a feeler gauge to measure how close he’d packed them all in….

The tecky details

Departed Port St Denis d’Oléron – 0551
Hooked St Martin de Ré visitor’s buoy (No 16) – 0802
Unhooked the buoy – 0818
Moored St Martin de Ré – 0830

Total distance – 16.6nm
Longest leg – 12.9nm from Port St Denis WP to Grand Greffe ECM
Tech issues – nil

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

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

Cruising

Leg 10 – Les Sables d’Olonne to La Rochelle – 18 July 2013

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Pre-dawn long-range pic of Les Sables tralwers off-loading their night’s catch
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As dawn was preparing to make her golden appearance to grace another red hot day, there was just enough light to see the trawlers off-loading their night’s catch at the maritime cooperative.

La Rochelle’s Bassin des Chalutiers was today’s destination.

Leaving Les Sables d’Olonne

Play d’eau was moored port side to. Having singled out the warps, Lin took the helm. Using a forward spring and a touch of starboard throttle, Lin gently eased the stern off the pontoon before engaging reverse power to take us off the berth at our planned departure time of 0730.

Neat, so neat.

The Journey

Flat calm and hot as we headed towards La Rochelle. On days like this it can be difficult to distinguish between sea and sky
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Flat, calm seas, under a hot sun. We almost succumbed to having the air conditioning on in the Pilot House, but noblesse oblige came to the fore. Instead, we baked (and regretted our decision).

Arriving

Access to the Bassin des Chalutiers is through a lifting bridge and lock gate, which is only opened for around two hours at top of tide. Hence, our early departure from Les Sables d’Olonne.

As we travelled under the huge bridge that links the beautiful Île de Ré with La Rochelle, we passed the deep water port before turning into the approaches to La Rochelle.

Giving the Capitainerie 30 minutes notice of our pending arrival on channel 9, we were met by M. Christian, Harbour Master, in his dory. Within moments the bridge lifted and M. Christian led us though the lock gate into the basin and to our berth.

We have electricity, water and Wi-Fi.

The tecky details

M. Christian, Harbour Master, guided us through the lock gate and to our berth
click to enlarge
0730 FST – Departed Quai Garnier, Les Sables d’Olonne
1245 FST – Arrived Bassin des Chalutiers, La Rochelle
Planned distance – 36.3nm
Longest leg – 13.7nm – Bourgenay SWM to NNW of Pt Grouin
Waypoints – 13
Tech issues – None.

Note: The oil leak reported on Leg 9 is under watch and will be repaired when back in Beaucette. The stabiliser pump and gearbox will have to be removed before the flywheel housing is exposed, after which the offending seal can be replaced.

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

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

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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