1-5 June: Passage details - Douarnenez to Belle Ile via Loctudy,River Odet and Concarneau

Gaudeo
John and Prue Quayle / John Quayle
Fri 1 Jun 2007 17:45
Douarnenez to Belle Ile: 1st - 5th June.
Early departure from Douarnenez on a murky day with slight  SW head wind in order to get to the Raz de Sein at slack water. The evil reputation of this turbulent rock strewn point at any other time, especially with a spring tide, makes precise arrival important. A remaining westerly swell after last week`s gales took its toll on the newly joined crew member who remained confined to quarters until an hour or so of our completing an otherwise uneventful 60 mile passage to Loctudy.
 
We had not visited this port before and were pleasantly surprised by the happy combination of a busy fishing port and yachting centre, and the pretty picture-card Breton village of Ile Tudy nearby with its magnificent beach. The lure of an excellent fish market, particularly the plentiful supply of native oysters (not as easily found in Biscay as the Pacific oyster) and live langoustine, dictated a further night`s stay, an easy decision since  spring tides and thick mist, caused by a ridge of high pressure across Biscay, had ruled out our usual sun drenched sojourn on Iles de Glenans.
 
Onwards then to the beautiful river of Odet up toward Quimper, 10 miles inland, the attractive medieval capital of the region. Crew hunger and tides militated against the final push upstream as we approached  a splendid chateau, Keraudren, described in Frank Cowpers 1900s "Sailing Tours" as " a new and rather stuck-up-looking chateau",  where we anchored  for a more than ample lunch,  during which we were entertained for approximately half an hour by a friendly, playful bottle nosed dolphin which virtually posed for photographs (attachments later) and used our anchor chain  as a back scratcher. The presence of circular scars around its neck suggested previous entanglement in fishing nets, and a wedge on the dorsal fin indicated another major incident. Extraordinary that he should have ventured so far up the river to find us - must have heard corks popping!
 
The windless day gave way to a perfect evening off-shore breeze to carry us on to Concarneau, a bustling fishing harbour with  charming granite castle on an central islet  - 14th C, completed with ramparts in 17th C - where were to rendez-vous with a service engineer for our Eberspacher marine air heater which had been put out of action by water ingress  during the earlier bumpy passage down Cardigan bay.  Though there were groans from the crew who felt that it was inappropriate to waste time on a piece of equipment which may not be required for at least a year, it was fixed with remarkable speed and flourish  to allow us to enjoy a trip around the castle. Its narrow alleys of shops offered mouth watering confectionary, nautical Breton clothing, surprisingly tasteful tourist trinkets, and delicious ice cream of every imaginable flavour, whilst echoing around the fortified inner courtyard, were sounds of Celtic music provided by a highly talented group of musicians - Gaudeo now has copies of 2 CD recordings, an essential purchase for which to remember the occasion. 
 
As it was her last night, Andria treated us to Chez Armande`s harbour side restaurant - the rotund, lugubrious, physiologically much advanced chef being the very archetype of his profession, a cardiac case in waiting - and scrumptious fish courses were liberally washed down with a Dezat Sancerre and Pinot Noir, and puds with an excellent Coteaux du Layon. 
 
With sore heads, and in a light NE breeze and burning haze, Gaudeo cast off for Belle Ile, a lazy 50 miles SE and to the present  pretty and almost deserted anchorage in Port Kerel on the West coast. This side of the island has previously been denied to us on account of its exposure to prevalent SW winds and westerly swell, though I had visited the Grotte de Apothicairerie ( this must have been study leave) a little north of the present anchorage by bicycle - not my favourite means of transport- after a marathon sailing/gastronomic week in bad company in the  mid 70s.