Ouistreham Monday 1st
Thursdays Child
Robin & Joanna Minchin
Mon 1 Jun 2015 21:30
000.14.872W
Port de Plaisance, Ouistreham
11pm and four shattered people on board TC!
We have had a very special day and have been treated to a sea-tour of the five landing beaches with perfect visibility and a following wind giving us a broad reach. We have survived the Ouistreham Lock and are now tied up in the Marina a few hours before a F7 arrives (according to Jersey Coastguard!).
A little line of dots on our chart shows us creeping along the coast sometimes 2 miles off shore; Utah beach, Omaha beach, Port Winston/Mulberry harbour/Arromanches, Gold beach, Juno beach and Sword beach. An incredible lesson in modern history and with a week here hopefully much more will be seen and understood. Harry and Isabelle were called on deck throughout the day to see, and once again we said to them they needn't understand the enormity of the story yet, but hopefully they will at least remember visiting here.
At 5 knots it is a perfect speed for absorbing the lay of the land, the beaches and the cliffs, and to try to imagine what took place nearly 71 years ago. We are feeling very privileged to have seen this stretch of coast from the sea in such ideal conditions, and as we approached Ouistreham our thoughts were very much with Bol's father Harry Minchin as he led his group of "46 Commandos" ashore on Sword Beach.
Photos tomorrow xx