L'Arberwrac'h
Vega
Hugh and Annie
Fri 17 Jul 2015 13:04
We have made it to France and it feels like we are properly under way!
The time in Padstow was useful - final adjustment to Hydrovane, altered sail cover that now works properly, AIS beacons fitted to lifejackets. It drizzled much of the time and reminded me of living in Plymouth. We met Roy and Barbara on the Colvin 35 next to us and at 80 and 75 respectively were a real inspiration for life! We left Padstow provisioned by Rick Stein. I must tell Rick that his pasties are lovely but a little genteel - butter pastry and tender meat is all very well but I prefer a more rugged style with a taste of swede and black pepper and a crust chunky enough for a miner to hold.
The wind from the NE was perfect for a sail down to Lands End when the sun shone and we had a wonderful sunset as we headed south. At night in the Channel the phosphorescence was so bright it lit up the sails and you could see fish darting away from the boat - much more interesting than in daylight! As we crossed the shipping lanes the low cloud set in and visibility reduced to less than half a mile. A freighter at less than half a mile seems very close in broad daylight and so when bearing down on you at 17 knots unseen is a nerve wracking experience. A combination of AIS and radar was brilliant for seeing what was going on but goodness knows how scary it must have been before these aids or if the electrics go down. We radioed up a couple of ships and it was reassuring that both had us on their radars and one even altered course for us.
The morning brought sunshine and the wind died so we gently motored through a glassy sea into L’Arberwrac’h. Its amazing how much hotter it is down here just 70 miles south of the UK. We’ll sit out Friday here and try out the bicycles before heading across Biscay on Saturday……………
ps I have to put the coordinates into the message for our position to be picked up for the map. I have even worked out how to backdate coordinates so that you don’t think that much of our journey has been over dry land. I will even start to upload a few photos as soon as I have worked out how. It has taken all morning to get to this stage so don’t hold your breath.