S/Y Cherish - Cherish update #4

Cherish update #4

S/Y Cherish

Peter Gray

Mon 5 Sep 2016 20:06

So here I am in La Coruna on 5 Sept. Arrived 3 Sept in dreadful visibility - <200 metres for the last 8 miles! Coruna Port Traffic Control were brilliant, though, talking us through conflicting traffic, even though we had radar and AIS.

So here's a quick catch up on the last 500 - 600 miles (log is under reading):

20 Aug: Wendy Jane and Carrie Taylor join, plus Claire Taylor (no relation) and partner Greg join in Brest. CT and Greg located through the Cruising Association crew list, which is fantastic. As a group, we gelled immediately, proving (again) that there really are very few unpleasant yotties.

21 Aug: Easy day then sailed to Cameret, French seaside town - just 10 miles. Moored on a mooring buoy. Spent the following day just chilling.

23 Aug: Early start for Sauzon on Bel Isle. Wind light and/or adverse, so motored all the way, arriving after dark on another mooring buoy. Some 60 miles in 14 hours. Beautiful location, though, where we spent the following day. Awesome fish shop - Greg did fantastic spicy calamari as a starter and I prepared tuna steaks.

25 Aug: Off again early, to Port Joinville, Isle d'Yeu. Not so far, but still had to motor the whole way. Good trip, but not sailing!

26 Aug: Easy morning, then off to Les Sables d'Olonnes (France's Cowes) where we found a berth at the marina eventually. Motoring again!

27 Aug: Refuelled (just 540 litres, none of your proxy car fuel tanks on this boat!) then off to La Rochelle. Stopped on the way at St Martin, Isle de Re, where we moored a mile offshore on a mooring buoy (see photo, but you'll need to zoom to identify Cherish) and took the tender in to this amazing walled town. I can recommend the ice cream shop! I was the skipper from hell, giving the crew just an hour ashore, due worries about getting to our next stop. The island is attached to the mainland by a road bridge, which the chart said was 30 metres above the sea. But it didn't look like 10 metres higher than the main mast of Cherish, so we drifted backwards under the bridge with me ready to apply a burst of power in case we graunched, which we didn't. In to La Rochelle at 1930, where we were joined by son Anthony and GF Catrin.

28 Aug: The big one (so far!) - La Rochelle to Santander, some 190 miles overnight. Left 0812 and arrived 1750 the following day. Crew were fantastic and at last we got in some decent sailing, though there was a fair bit of motoring, too. Our wedding 34th wedding anniversary was celebrated at sea and bless the crew for the card! Awesome sunset over the Atlantic!

It's now late on 5 Sept, so I'll deal with the rest of the trip so far - including the hilarious irate Spaniard at San Vincente, who deserves a full account - tomorrow.

Good night all!
Peter