30. Feels like summer

La Forêt-Fouesnant, Finistère

Campside 200m behind top of snap

Beside the estuary

Trente jours on the road today.  No mortal wounds inflicted (I missed), all present and accounted for.  Yesterday's delight was a email from our removals company stating that as we won't be living in NZ when our personal effects (junk) arrives back in NZ on the twenty third, said junk will be valued and we will be charged GST and any duties applicable on the total value. Wonderful, it never ends.  Seems the only solution is to export wife as well..... Stand by for updates on that one.  As I only read the email, Friday evening I will have to wait to evaluate options when Kiwi and Pommie offices open on Monday.

Single handers

High tide was at one thirty today so I popped down the road a couple of times prior to see if I could sail from the village, walking the boat from the camp.  Doable but limited sailing, two hours either side of high tide.  Also did some research on Wifi repeaters as the current system on having only one device at a time is driving me nuts.  Looks like this one is a good option.  Readers opinions and advice appreciated.

Family explore on bikes, having a look around the estuary.  Today felt like summer, twenty two degrees and that lovely summer smell in the air, warm trees, grass etc.  Lovely bike track skirting the edge of the estuary to stumble upon one of the biggest marinas I have ever seen, including, what I assume are Vendée Globe boats - very impressive.

We biked to the coast and were absolutely dumfounded - beautiful, with a gentle warm breeze.  After an hour we biked home, via the patesserie and returned with togs and beach paraphernalia, staying till six.  Certainly was a treat as we weren't expecting beach life till way further south.  Many boats sailing, keen to join them.  Watched a couple of 49ers making a hash of it but then they are dreadful boats. Helped drag them up the beach, couldn't believe the weight.

We have two more nights here then we might try the beachside camp.

Watched Darling Buds of May tonight, children totally charmed by Ma and Pa Larkin.

27. Successful invasion, four hundred years later

Camaret-sur-Mer - Coast Atlantic - Oct 11, 2017

View of Camaret from the Giantavan

Sidewalk cycling

Dismantled half the living area of the Giantavan trying to work out why the hot/cold pumps were not working. Not as easy to trace as a car as there is no ground in a caravan so it takes a bit of thinking to work out what is missing. Long story short, J’s umbrella in the back of the wardrobe had knocked a terminal off a retro fitted fuse box that I didn’t know about. That left us with a midday start. Weather looked favourable so we biked the four kilometres into Camaret-sur-Mer village. The climb was reasonably consistent with a steepish decent into town which was nerve wracking for the shepherds. Audrey set the record by biking in front of cars while looking the other way, three times 😱

The town is a sailing mecca with lots of hire boats, big and small, mostly Hobie 16s but still fitted with twin trapeze which is pleasing. Most things shut for the offseason. Itching to get our dinghy out. Loved biking through the deserted little streets. Going by the number of artisan shops, even in the back alleys the place must be absolutely heaving in the summer. Lunch a a great little patisserie we were the only customers and the proprietor was happy to run a slate so she had a steady flow of business.

Loved biking out on the break-water with the now abandoned fishing boats from when the lobster fishery collapsed in the 1960s. They were never stripped as it was expected that the fishery would recover. One thing Europe has sorted is the rape of the fisheries. I shudder to thing what will happen in the North Sea in two years time.

Camaret-sur-Mer was one of the busiest fishing ports in France and the chapel, built to seat two hundred, is delightful. The alters and fittings had clearly been built shipshape by sea folk.

On our way home we got sucked into a nautical shop and I got a waterproof duffel bag which I am very pleased with and a classic french marine shirt (boat GAS*).

Optis with Bermuda rigs on standard masts

Took the walking track home avoiding the bulk of the road climb which gave us a gentle off road experience.

Pauls Planet Explorer App tells us that we are on Camaret Bay, the beach that the British failed to take four hundred years ago. Had a run around on the beautiful beach. Phone was flat so no snaps. Roman stood in a rock pool learning the hard way that still waters run deep. Only got his shoes wet but that was not popular as they are his leather shoes.

Wore my raincoat for the first time this trip, mostly to keep the wind out.

*Gear Acquisition Syndrome

eh

7. Best day ever

Sailing the Norfolk Broads

Woke to the sound of wind in the trees - Yes!  I had already looked and the slack tide was 1300 so the late start following the 0200 bedtime following last nights board meeting didn't matter. After shower and breakfast the priority was fixing the microwave cupboard door which would open unexpectedly when doing dishes or cooking either barking ones shins or giving a good crack to a toe causing the utterance of a choice Latin word or two.  Thanks to my new cordless screwdriver and hex drive bits I was onto the job before the majority of the family had risen.

Jobs done I turned to the boat, resplendent in its fitted cover.  I cobbled up a shoulder strap from a tie down strap and headed for the slipway one hundred metres away the dinghy rumbling behind me on its new wheels - most satisfactory.  It was high tide so I rigged, which takes only minutes thanks to the gaff rig and under Roman's direction slipped the boat into the water where it bobbed expectantly while I looked on grinning like a duffer.

Stock snap as I didn't have a camera on the boat

Sliding aboard and cast off by Roman I was delighted with the balance.  The rear sheeting main takes a little getting used to and manning the main and jib single handed had me doing some lovely macrame and I am sure I saw a decent cats cradle at one point.

The wind which I guess was gusting ten knots was running about 20º port of directly down the River Yare which meant tacking at right angles then doing an angles beat up the river - grin still in place. The rushes at the sides are, I guess about six feet tall and line both banks.

One can sail right up to them before tacking.  It was very amusing watching the Hullabaloos trying to judge how to get past me as I tacked back and forth alternatively overpowered or rapidly rounding up in the lulls. Had some nice reaches down parts and was delighted that I had, by eye, stood the rig up four side stay holes and enjoyed a perfectly balanced helm. Headed for the Hardley Mill which is fully operational.  Though I was constrained for time I couldn't resist and had a quick peak, joining a tour of three with the operating engineer right to the top.  Absolutely fascinating with everything rumbling and creaking.  It was only on writing this that I learnt there is a £3 visitor fee!

Tacking home for the first fifteen minutes was slow against the tide but is slacked and once round the first corner I enjoyed the tight reach, sitting well forward with the water gurgling off the bow.  I must saw I am very impressed with the Mirror Dinghy, it is a delight to sail and didn't ship a drop of water.

After lunch I took the kids for a sail but by now the tide was on the ebb so at best I only got fifty metres upstream with each of them in about ten tacks.

Reedham Railway Swing Bridge 

A mile downstream from camp is the Reedham Swing Bridge

Ro departing the Rotating Bridge

which I have been very keen to visit ever seeing it in the excellent BBC film of Coot Club. It was a lovely bike ride there, Jacqueline was in Great Yarmouth for a few hours.

While we didn't see it open we did enjoy seeing a computer train clattering overhead.

Thinking we will depart for Kent, Saturday and have booked the ferry from Dover for Monday morning.  £117 which is very reasonable considering the size of our rig and six people.

Watched Kevin McClouds Escape to the Wild - Chile which is on Lucy, Jago and family's life in Chile.  Absolutely inspiring and we are lucky to have them as friends.