La Rochelle to La Coruna

Bootlegger of Mann
Frank Newton
Sun 17 Jun 2012 14:48

Sunday 17 June 2012

 

43:22.09N 08:23.173W

 

La Rochelle to La Coruna, Spain ( Passage Three )

 

Conditions: Wind: NW 2 - 3 Sea state:slight Visibility: Good

 

Fuel 600 litres. Water 850 litres. Gas 1.5 Bottles

 

After a period of refitting by Amel and others both on the hard and in the water in La Rochelle, Bootlegger was finally ready for the off on the 04 June. Unfortunately weather was to prevent our departure until 12 days later !.

 

One depression after another came through bringing with it strong SW winds up to Force 9 with very rough seas whipped up in the Bay’s shallow waters.

Unfortunately there was ever only a two days respite between depressions, not enough time to get across the Bay in the remaining rough seas before the onset of another depression,

 

Finally, we start to get good forecasts from Sunday 17th June to Thursday 21 June. At Last ! We are off. Sadly to late for one of the crew – Terry Braid who

Having travelled to LR to join Bootlegger for this leg returned home after a two week wait. Fortunately Jackie was able to rejoin the boat to make the leg to Lisbon rather than the original destination of La Coruna due to lack of time caused by the delay.

 

Crew: Frank Newton; Jackie Fehle, Andrew Webster and Mike Stanton

 


12.30 46:08.815N 01:09.996W Amel Pontoon. Minimes Marina, LR : Slipped our mooring on # 2 berth and, after taking on some 220 ltres of fuel at the fuel dock beneath the Capitainerie building we headed out from the marina into the river and the open sea.

Lunch is served in the cockpit shortly after putting to sea. Jackie has prepared a finger food lunch of carrot sticks, tomatoes and radishes with cheese, pate and sausage sandwiches. Gets lot of compliments.

Put all sails out; motor sailing with engine at 2200 rpm CSE: 237 SOG 6kts (pushing tide )

 

2:45: 46.80N 02:23.5W Engine Off .

15:00 Mike starts the 3 hour watch system.

18:00 Andrew takes watch

 

18:30 Called up fishing vessel Le Sphinx which was closing on a converging course. He ducked us at the last minute and passed safely astern.

 

19:00 Jackie serves up a most tasty pasta con sugo for dinner, but due to sea conditions, there is a general lack of appetite apart from Frank .

 

19:30 Andrew resumes watch

 

21:00 Jackie takes watch. Winds increase to 25-30 kts, with gusts of 45 kts in thunderstorms. Heavy rain so heavy it flattens the waves. Reduces sails and rolls them out again between each thunderstorm.

 

23:15, 45-38.175N 02-47.82W Changed to Bearing 190° , reduced genoa again as gusts up to 50 kts from NW.

 

Monday 180612:

 

00:00 45/35.738N 02-53.135W Mike takes watch.

Thunderstorm NW 15 kts. BRG 234, lightening, and more of it.

 

03:00 Frank takes watch. Pulls all sail back out as wind drops to 15 – 18kts. CSE 239 degrees. SOG 7.2- 7.5 kts. s/y Ozoure now abeam of us some 3.8nm to port.

 

03:30 Wind increases to 25kts over the deck. Pull in main and reduce genoa.

 

03:45 Gen. switched on as batteries down to 24.1 v.

 

05:00 After a good sleep Andrew feels better and takes watch with Mike on standby.

 

06:50 Gen switched off. Batteries at 97% ( Run time: 3 hrs )

 

08:45 All up and about. Noted boat speed of just 5 kts; engine put on at 2,200 putting boat speed to 8.1 kts

 

09:00 Mike takes over watch

 

09:45 44:58.272N 04:22.37W. Motor sailing, close hauled Wind W 08kts SOG 8.0 kts. .

 

A pigeon comes to rest on Bootlegger-s dinghy. Mike’s attempts to feed it remain unsuccessful. After 3 hours of rest and clean-up, he flew away, leaving feathers and a few droppings on the deck. He was ringed. A green ring on his starboard leg, a yellow and a red ring on his port leg carrying the numbers 1183 and 2483.

 

Noon position: 44.52.22N 04:45.82W

 

12:45 24 Hr summary; We have done 190nm at an av. speed of 7.9kts

Jackie brings a tray of radishes, celery sticks and sandwiches with stuffed artichoke bottoms, ham and pate.

 

18:00 Mike on watch

 

19.15 Jackie does another excellent dinner: Mixed salad with garlic vinaigrette and yesterday’s pasta al sugo is now eaten with great relish washed down by a very smooth red.

 

21.00 44:23.66 06:15.46W Jackie on watch SOG 8.1kts CSE 251 84nm left before first approach WP into La Caruna

 

We still have the company of dolphins that we have enjoyed on and off all day. Andrew continues to do bird whistles at them for some reason ...

 

Discover many of my entries for today are lost when the system shuts down for some reason. Laborious job re-typing it all.

 

Tuesday 19 June 2012

 

00:00 position 44-15.727N 06-47.80W, bearing 242. NE 12 kts, waves 0.5m.

Andrew takes watch as we can see the loom of Gijon against the clouds.

 

15:3044:07.34N 07:17.40W 48.3nm from first La Caruna WP

 

Noon Position: 43:48.546N 08:20.676W Reached WP 303 being approach to La Coruna and now heading for harbour.

 

13:00 Coruna Marina. FWE. A good trip with no incidents or issues. After securing and tidying up the boat we relaxed in the cockpit for a celebratory drink. Followed by a siesta. Plan is then to do a little exploration of the town before having dinner ashore.

 

Trip distance done from La Rochelle to La Coruna: 362nm Time taken from LR to LC. : 48 Hours Ave. Speed : 7.9 kts Total distance done from Peel: 1012.nm Fuel Tank: 300 L remaining; ( half tank ) 300 L consumed on trip.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Wednesday 200612

 

43:22.09N 08:23.173W

 

 

La Coruna Marina, Spain

After doing some shopping and postponing our departure due to bad weather around Cap Finisterre, we are invited by new acquaintances Christine and Loic’s, whom we first met on the Amel marina pontoon in La Rochelle, to be briefed on their weather forecast and have some drinks aboard S/Y Ozouri, their new Amel 65. We crossed the Bay of Biscay together and shared our impressions over the VHF. We are shown around their beautiful yacht and spend a lovely evening together.

 

Thursday 210612

 

After yesterday’s drinks with Christine and Loic, we decide to invite them for dinner on board S/Y Bootlegger. A trip to the local branch of that premier Spanish department store Corte Ingles was called for to buy some more lamb chops, a desert and some wine. On our return we prepared the saloon and cockpit for this impromptu dinner party. The table cloth is removed, place mats and candle holders are put on the highly polished veneered table.

 

Everyone is given the job of making S/Y Bootlegger as welcoming as possible for our guests who finally arrived in the usual French fashion. In spite of the wind, we are able to sit in the cockpit for aperitifs as the sun goes down. We then moved downstairs for melon and jamon iberico followed by a mix of carrots, onions and celery with potatoes sprinkled with fresh parsley to accompany the lamb chops. A fine Rioja wine completes this most tasty dinner prepared by our resident cordon bleu chef, Jackie. Desert is a colourful mix of puddings and cakes from Corte Inglis’s pasteleria.

 

Another pleasant evening with lively conversation in the convivial company of Christine and Loic. We are not to see them again as the following morning with a favourable forecast it is decided to leave for Porto.