Ribadeo N43 23 W7 02
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04/07/09
Saturday was market day in Audiene so we wandered
around looking at the stalls and then went to the supermarket as an easier way
to buy food. We thought we might give another look round later but the whole lot
disppeared in about 30 minutes at lunchtime. The market was very colourful and
typically French with plenty of gossiping going on.
  05/07/2009
Weather reports have shown strong winds in Biscay
so visiting an internet bar we looked at weather on line which showed gusts of
40-55 and 60 miles per hour. Not wanting to put ourselves into force 10
conditions, particularly at night, we have decided to delay; it is the windiest
we have had in harbour so we are quite glad we did.
We are now sitting in the cockpit listening to Breton music – sounds a bit like bagpipes; there is something happening in the town as two people are in traditional Breton costume, black but covered in embroidery & decoration, and there are lots of people around them shouting HA! Perhaps they have heard that Andy Murray has lost at Wimbledon. The procession is moving on and the tune sounds quite medieval.
06/07/09 Still in harbour, forecasts for Biscay start to improve tomorrow.
We are moored next to a local French boat with a
half French half Welsh owner who used to be the harbour master here. His mother
was from Port Madoc, he has spent a lot of time there and still visits
frequently – he speaks English with a strong Welsh accent. There are now two
Welsh dragons fluttering in the harbour as the UK boat behind us is also
coincidentally from Port Madoc. We now have a German boat alongside us as space
on the pontoons is very limited for larger boats. 07/07/09 Woke feeling the worse for wear after a very disturbed night. At 2.00a.m. We were woken by loud & animated conversation which I thought must be from the French/Welsh boat next to us as it was in French not German. Chris got up to investigate and when he opened the doors into the cockpit there were three young men and a girl drinking beer and talking loudly as they pretended to control the boat! I heard them say “Ca va?” to Chris who promptly told them to.... various things off! “So direct,” they said as they trooped off to an empty boat further along the pontoon to carry on loudly again and shout a couple of obscenities. Eventually it rained quite hard and they went away throwing an empty bottle down the pontoon. As morning came we decided to go along the coast to Benodet to anchor and get some rest before the Biscay crossing as we are both tired after lack of sleep last night and I have a head cold. However, Benodet is six hours further on so it does shorten the crossing a little.
Set off leaving the Germans to sort themselves out as we eased our way out between them and the pontoon. Crept down the channel as is is shallow and the water at half tide gave us little margin for error. We got down to 1.6 metres, our keel is 1.7 metres. Perhaps our depth sounder under reads or maybe we ploughed a little sand with the keel, anyway we got out using the channel way marks and were soon in the swell rolling in from the rough weather elsewhere, winds NorWest force 5. DOLPHINS at 11.25a.m., our first sighting, Chris spotted about 20 of them belting toward our boat, riding the waves and passing astern, obviously in pursuit of something dolphin delicious further inshore. Sailing just under jib in company of 2 other yachts. Entered Benodet harbour and were tied to a mooring buoy at Le Cambrit in the Odet river by tea time. No rolling although wind howled through the rigging occasionally. There are literally hundreds of grey mullet in the Odet river, the water was as flat a fluke except for the rumply disturbance of the fish.
08/07/09 Starting out on the Biscay crossing we left Le Cambrit under sail at 8.00a.m., there was total silence until we got down river to the harbour where a few boats were about their business but we were the only yacht to leave at that time. The French weather forecast gave NorWest force 4 – 5 which was excellent. The wind was at the stronger force 5 for a couple of hours and we steamed along at just over 7 knots before it slackened off to an average force 4. Saw one other yacht going the opposite way, a couple of ships going across our stern, a few fishing boats then nothing until 17.00p.m. when sited a large tug towing what looked like an oil tanker, it was full of derricks and equipment on the deck, travelling at the same speed as us across our bows then the sea emptied. There is quite a swell but the sea state is generally very good. We have waited 4 days for the wind to decrease, hopefully this force 4 will continue for the next 2 days or so. We are bowling along through blue black waters clipped with the occasional white horses. The lowering sun has laid a silver path to the boat which narrows as it nears us, it is warm but the breeze is getting cooler now. The rhythm of noises from the waves and the sails is soporific.
09/07/09 Fairly boring day, Dolphins at 7.00a.m. on Chris's watch – lots of babies in the pod. Seen only one bird - a gannet, the bird we have seen most frequently wherever we have been; one ship early this morning; a lost fishing float speeding its way to France; 4 more dolphins at 2.00p.m. but our speed has dropped and they couldn't ride on the bow wave so left us quite soon; nothing else sighted. We had the spinnaker flying for a couple of hours but it ceased to fill properly. Now have the cruising chute which has been variable but is now pulling us along at 5 knots. We have done 174 miles – 115 more to go. Studying the manuals for the SSB radio seemed fascinating at the time. As evening advanced the wind fell away completely, the sea looked flat and oily. Motored for 8 hours during the night, wind started lightly at 6.00a.m., sails set and full by 7.30a.m. and continued to sail steadily as wind settled in. 10.30a.m. Spanish coast sighted and 14.20p.m. moored in marina at Ribedeo. |
