LA ROCHELLE AND PASSAGE TO ST MARTIN DE RE
Aquila
Alan and Sarah Bennett
Tue 17 Jun 2014 11:28
Monday 16 June. We have enjoyed a couple of days in La Rochelle’s tidal basin; our pontoon remained reasonably un-crowded despite it being a weekend (phot). However due to noise ashore in the evenings (someone said there was a football match on somewhere), we re-located to the aft cabin – such luxury to have a choice! Days were a mixture of domestics and ‘fixing boats in exotic places’ – see phots of skipper preparing an Indian rope trick (the Mate has been complaining about the state of some of the shore warps) and whipping those selected, and attempting to trace an electrical fault on the heater (not that we need it now, but it still needs to be fixed).
Today, after awaiting the flood tide to make sufficiently in the afternoon, we enjoyed a brisk close reach to St Martin de Re with two slabs in the main and the staysail; the bright sunshine and warm NNE 4-5 is so different from the usual UK fare! St Martin was surprisingly busy, despite it being Monday - we are moored as 5th boat out! The newly made up, longer shore lines came into their own; and it's a good job the shore power cable is the length it is.
We will probably spend a couple of day here, before making for Bourgenay.
