PASSAGE TO LA ROCHELLE
Aquila
Alan and Sarah Bennett
Fri 30 May 2014 09:04
46:09.4N
1:09.0W
What a lovely place St Martin-de-Ré is. We had a breakfast of hot smoked salmon and scrambled egg (courtesy of Ken on both accounts) in the cockpit in bright sunshine and no wind – perfect. Thereafter as the lock gate was not scheduled to open until 1500, we took a stroll ashore to the fish, cheese and veg market – sights and smells to behold: girls, you are going to be in your element! After dropping the purchased produces back on board, we made our way to the town church – more of a cathedral in reality, and as ever in France, a truly tranquil refuge from the bussle of the town. We found the advertised route to the roof, and after climbing the tiniest staircase enjoyed the panoramic vista; Vasco de Stuart got very excited re-identifying the various navigational marks he had used during yesterday’s pilotage!
We explored the backstreets a while, then returned to the quayside for an ice cream (c.75 flavours on offer) and a brief café stop – the phot below of Captain Haddock and Tintin says it all! With future visits in mind, the skipper then went off to recce the ‘waiting berth’ outside the lock – just as well, as it turns out the advertised 2m available depth below CD had completely silted up. Meanwhile, Stuart went off to find some crêpes (as he had dipped out on the yummy breakfast – his problem for being allergic to fish! He knows where to look for sympathy…).
We were all ready to sail on the dot of 1500, as there was a tidal gate to make if we were to make the inner basin in La Rochelle as planned. In a strengthening W3 we enjoyed a cracking reach to the bridge linking Île de Ré to the mainland; despite the advertised 30m clearance above MHWS, we nonetheless collectively held our breath as the mast passed under. Hardening up, we banged a slab in the main (another world record broken by this pole-position crew) to keep clear of a 70,000 tanker on finals to its berth, before bearing away for our own finals to the old port in La Rochelle. Today being a Bank Holiday in France, there were more sailing boats about than you could shake a big stick at, but Able Seaman Ken did a sterling job on the wheel and psyched-out all potential Rule of the Road transgressors as we entered the iconic twin Napoleonic towers that mark the entrance to this historic port.
A most helpful harbour master with perfect English guided us to our berth, the skipper opting to do an about turn and slot in stern first (in order to put us bows to wind and thus provided a sheltered cockpit). This ‘sporting’ manoeuvre was ably leveraged by an agile and most able crew; within no time we were snugly secured – we sensed that the assembled quayside grockles left somewhat disappointed that they had been denied an anticipated ‘crunching’ spectacle.
So: safely alongside in La Rochelle, it is ‘mission accomplished’ for this demon first crew. Dining aboard this evening on the fine produce we purchased in the St Martin market, will be followed by a gentle stroll ashore for some non-alcoholic beverages.
Tomorrow is designated a maintenance and clean ship day, in preparation of Saturday’s crew change over.
