Month: May 2015

The English Channel crew has left, the Biscay crew has arrived. Today was a very rainy day with a lot of wind which was forecasted some days ago. The next week is dominated by a high pressure area forming over the Azores providing relatively light winds for the crossing of the Biscay.

Yesterday morning, the wind instrument started to work again (!?). Despite of the heavy downpour it is still working properly. Also, when I wanted to demonstrate the problem I have with the heating (which turns off automatically 5 minutes after normal operation) I realized that it had also magically repaired itself. I had tried so many things over the past 6 months but couldn’t get it working… This afternoon, as if nothing had been wrong with it in the past, it did provide warmth for 2 hours continuously until I switched it off. It is great this thing is working again now where I am heading into warmer climates and won’t need it anymore.

Rainy day in Brest – Moulin Blanc marina

Falling dry. I suppose they know exactly what they are doing but would you do that to your boat??

May the 12th …or maybe April the 12th? It has been quite cold and wet with thick fog and no wind all the way through the night. Temperatures ranging at about 10°C, humidity 85% and visibility almost zero. The Radar provided some sense of safety locating fishing boats operating without AIS (Automatic Identification System). The only dangerous objects that couldn’t be seen were the lobster cage buoys which are spread all along the Brittany coast. Such a buoy with its rope produces a distinct noise that you won’t forget easily again and forces the engine to stop immediately when caught and wrapped around the spinning propeller. Without any wind, your vessel is not under control anymore and drifting with the tide. Nothing you would like to experience in these waters.

Anyway, at about 8:00 in the morning the wind was suddenly switched on by someone. The fog was gone and it started blowing with F5. It took a while for the sun to clear up the sky and the day finally turned into what we had been waiting for from the beginning of the voyage.

The Atlantic Ocean seas, big but smooth like hills, were running in from the west. The boat adapted to the conditions steadily sailing its course. Everything felt lighter such as Matilda had broken free from the lines holding her in the gray wet and cold English Channel. A feeling of freedom came up.

It is time to head south into warmer climates.

The morning after the cold and foggy night

The wind is back

Heading south through the Chenal du Four

Brest fisher

Passing Pointe du Petit Minou on the way into Rade de Brest

We arrived yesterday after a great sailing from Cherbourg through the Alderney Race. Wind was about 4 Bft from south. Although the Sailing Almanac says “Avoid any wind over tide situation” it was a very smooth and pleasant ride (what does “any” mean? more than Force 6??? ).
The crew is out exploring Guernsey. Plan for today and tomorrow is to sail to Brest.

We will be leaving Guernsey at about 15:00 local time.

Next blog entry in Brest.

Dolphins came along and accompanied us for a while

Great sailing on the way to “Little Russel”

Guernsey we are coming!

Entering Saint Peter Port

A nice pint of John Smith’s finally. Cheers!

There is always something to repair on a boat. This time, the wind instrument refused to do what it should. No wind speed and no direction indication. Not only because Benno is the lightest member of the crew, but also because he has done this job many times in the past was he lifted up the mast to check the newly installed wind sensor. The connector was showing some evidence of corrosion (!!!!???). It was cleaned with WD40 and reconnected. Now the wind speed indication works again but the direction is still faulty…

Wind is still SW. We will stay in today. Plan is to leave for Guernsey tomorrow with the afternoon tide.
According to the weather forecast it should be possible to make it to Brest by the 13th.

We left Boulogne on Thursday at 07:00 in the morning. It was still blowing with 6-7 Bft and the sea state was quite rough. We had the second reef in the main and the headsail half rolled away.

Waves on Boulogne breakwater

I think I have to secure that outboarder with a rope before it goes overboard…

After 8 hours trying to make way west (we only managed to do 16 miles in 8 hours), we decided to start the engine. A few hours later the wind died away completely and the sea calmed down which was a great relief for one of the crewmembers who was suffering from severe seasickness.
We arrived in Cherbourg Friday in the morning just before the turn of the tide after 24 hours of motoring.

Another day in the harbour… Gale warning is still valid. We will leave Boulogne Sur Meer later today and try to arrive in Cherbourg by Friday evening. The wind is expected to decrease but will still be coming from the wrong direction. There is another low expected for Saturday with strong winds and gusts up to 9 or 10 Bft.
Next blog entry won’t be before Saturday.

It’s quite windy today even in the harbor with strong gusts; gale warnings still going on for the eastern English Channel. We will enjoy the day in Boulogne and have a good rest.

There have been many gale warnings for the area over the past 24 hours but the “Severe Gale Warning of Force 9” for the Dover Strait issued by the Dover Coastguard finally changed our plans and we decided to search shelter in Boulogne Sur Meer. We arrived at 22:00 in a downpour and made fast in the marina. We will probably stay in for the coming 24 hours.

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For some reason I have not realized yet that I am on my voyage to Greece. It still feels like a week’s trip with friends in northern Europe….

French Customs seem to like the boat. This is the second time I sailed to France and the second time I was checked.