Les Sables to Ilse d'Yeu
The Voyages of Richard and Amanda
Tue 29 Jun 2010 16:11
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POS: 46:41.59N 002:18.65W
No further excitement at Les Sables, no owners
demanding to get back on to their berths just a nice quiet evening. We
ate chez Justine Gabrielle with avocado and
prawns followed by salmon fillets with a lentil salsa then choc blamanche. All
very good except avocados weren't ripe enough and so had to be hacked to pieces
with knife and fork before attempting to chew them. Everything else was great
though.
We left marina at 9.00am for the trip to Ilse
d'Yeu. This a small island about 10 miles off the coast and 26miles
northwest of Les Sables. Needless to say the wind was non-existant at the
start (the forcast was for NW 2-3 and F4 in the afternoon) so we were motoring
for the first 3 and half hours, then the wind did start and from the forecast
direction so we switched off the engine and started to tack upwind to the
island.
I have to say I am impressed with French forecasts,
the winds did exactly as expected so we ended up having a great sail for the
last 4 hours in winds that were blowing up to 20 knots across the bow. We had
all sail up and J G handled beautifully with just a bit of weather helm doing
6.5 to 7 knots through the water at times. Then, just when we thought it
couldn't get any better we were visited by a couple of dolphins who just wanted
to check we were OK, doing a couple of passes under the boat before disappearing
off to wherever dolphins go when they are not entertaining boat
crews.
We were aiming for Port Joinville, the main harbour
on Ilse d'Yeu but we decided that we would try anchoring for the night. There is
a little bay on the South coast that is recommended so we headed into where we
could see 4 or 5 other boats anchored, motored around a bit to find a good spot
then droppped anchor in about 8metres of water.
I have to say this is partly to avoid having to
call up the harbour on the radio, which can be nerve racking at the best of
times but when you can't understand what they are saying when they answer, it is
even worse. I can manage "Avez vous un place pour un bateau de onze
metre pour la nuit, s'il vous plait?' the
problem is when they answer the equivalent of 'yes, please moor behind the large
yacht in the central basin behind berth B2' said in rapid French.
Amanda's nerves were just calming down from not
having to make the radio call when she saw the just submerged rock on our port
side about 75 yards away. It was shown on the plan but as it was unmarked it
would have been a problem if we had come in after dark. She also found the
thought that there is no land to the SW of us till you reach S. America slightly
unnerving - " What would happen if the wind shifts????" The anchorage is just
off a popular beach and in a little rocky bay so is quite spectacular and should
be safe for the night, it might be a bit rolly though as we get occaisonal
swells coming through.
There were two English boats here when we arrived
including a Dufour 48 that we had tied up behind on St Denis, they are
also heading home with the same timescale as us but going to Port
Solent.
We are getting wary of stating what our plans are
going to be because every time we do something alters, but as of tonight (Tue)
we will try our luck with our French radio procedures and see if we can
stay in Port Joinville tomorrow, then leave early Thu morning to go to Belle
Ilse about 40 miles north. This will be very dependant on the winds, that are
forecast to be NE for the next 2 days. If everything goes OK we should be coming
round the Raz du Sein into the English Channel during the 1st week in July,
then across to the Channel Isles, finishing at Cherbourg for the crossing back
to the UK about mid to end of July.
All this of course dependant on the
weather.
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