Fair stood the forecast wind for france
'Sarf & West mate, Sarf & West'
Pete Bernfeld
Mon 9 Jun 2008 17:06
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48.35.63N 04.31.42W
Well, bid adieu to Guernsey at 1310 yesterday. I somehow feel
I'll be back (as usual!). No dramas leaving the marina (both props stayed on,
unlike Ocean Freedom ¬ bless her). Nice headsail run down the Little
Russell, then slightly contrary to the forecast 60deg to the appartent wind on
rounding the corner. Anyway, with a true F4 we were making 6+kts through the
water, but eventually 'it' was decided to raise the main & working gib. This
resulted in 7 kts through the water which was Ok for a bit, but after I'd had
enough of the 'crash bang wallop', I put a roll in the gib. This resulted
in......6.5 kts through the water and yet more 'CBW'. To cut a somewhat tedious
story short I went through the night with a reef in the main and two rolls in
the gib with only the occasional 'CBW'. A difficult boat to slow down, but it's
more comfortable when you do. Less then 6kts into a seaway is good!
After a couple of 'close encounters of the pecheur kind' I
arrived off the Libenter Buoy around first light and went up river, past
L'Abervrach to Paludin where I had to practice parallel parking between two
buoys, tricky when knackered! [Showing my age here, but I remember a TV prog
called 'have gun will travel' whose hero was Palladin (I think?)]
Just had to cough up 10euros for the night, but very peaceful.
An omlette, a couple of glasses of wine and off to bed. An overnight trip seems
more tiring than it did 13 years ago!
Oh yes, the collecter of fees in Paludin is still the same
guy, still has cateract problems in one eye and the other doesn't seem to good
now either but he still gets up and down the river in his dorey OK.
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