North with the Pineapples for French coast                                                                    

We arrived tight on P. Heaven for a big black cat must be a fishing port!

With no open wifi the red boxe locked into 4g signal in an instant

Palma to St Feilu north, next the weather would run bad to Wednesday, we had a last slot between twelve and six as the first front cleared before the fronts went big. It was time to try for French coast of the Mediterranean. As we ran north the coast was soft but building in height, falling to windy headlands, we hugged the edge but waves pushing 1.5m so backed down to 1500 revs for 15kts, no banging on the hull, lots of spray. Steamy spectacles dried with salt. It was steady, sticking the bow out to take a look around each corner of headland, nothing got worse so we left the target of Bay of Roses and cleared the main headland of Creus, it was variable, wind ran up and fell away, ran up again and repeatedly fell away, munchy sea for one and half meters, able to hold 15knts and use plus and minus ten on the autopilot to keep the worst of the spray at down below the screens. What looked a straight coast gave many perceptions of headland, one and then another. Each gave shelter but each became lower and some wind tunnels built in wat looked like the lea. Some pots to avoid, three close by and well spotted. Then a very unusual pineapple heading towards us, A giant green and yellow blow up pineapple beach toy, you don’t see that every day! Many of these headlands later our way point target was upon us, six pm exact to the weather deadline and the wind was indeed building. Approaching Nouvelle to what looked a pair of transit posts, they turned out to be the port and starboard markers of the narrow port entry channel, just to confuse us a dredging rig sat close to the side of the channel. Life without a plotter. Turned in the shadow of the wall, French fishermen dancing their rods on the rocks all watched our entry. Bow to channel and we took more than twenty knots of wind to run steady by a giant gravel factory of aggregate works.

No answer to our radio, a very easy fuel pontoon and then may boats on a small marina at the head of the channel. Capitanery waving from the shore. Best French to shout pontoon P. There was a hammer head, not much room to turn so we circled in the fishing dock, lined up and arrived tight on P. Much as Pontoon p hammer head looked big, our 20m Sunseeker predator appeared like a jet ski on the plastic ramp moorings of the beach. ‘Noo!’ We pulled off. Capitanary pointed to the fishing port. Wow, really! Ohh so cool to bring the Sunseeker into the hallowed walls of the fishing trawlers, long tall wall protected with truck tyres. Capitanery drove round al speed to meet us. Lines on the trawler cleats easy, are we really permitted to be here, ‘no problem’ shouted the capitanaery. All tied up for teatime on the fishing dock. The boat adorned with crusty sea salt spray from bow to stern, we looked weathered, red in the face from sea salt sunshine. ‘Rest, bring your papers tomorrow.’ Tied up safe, the wind began to howl, the river channel building, water roaring by the windows.

Capitanery could not have done more to help, chatted about our ports opportunities to enter the Midi via Sete. Capitanery found a huge water pipe for us, then some electricity, a French two pin on an extension lead, mega this ran the phone chargers and boiled the kettle. Green forklift trucks dashed about with polystyrene boxes of fish as trawlers unloaded.

We plugged the red box in, bliss, loads of wifi but all secure, the red box popped on to 4g and we were on wifi, well done Mailasail. Worked first time.

Sunseeker in a fishing port, with a red box and lots of wifi