Piriac to Ile de Re (Thursday 28th May)

Today started with a cup of tea in a gloomy Piriac and finished with a glass of chilled rose, sitting in glorious sunshine in St Martin, the prettiest port on the Ile de Re.

After a windy night, we assumed that we would be stuck in the marina at Piriac for a couple of days, but when we stuck our heads out this morning, the wind had dropped away almost completely and the calm sea offered the perfect opportunity to move on. So, instead of the lay in we had anticipated, it was a quick trip to the bakery for a fresh baguette, a visit to the Capitainerie to settle up and then, by 9.30 we were off, making a more elegant exit than our entrance into Piriac.

All went smoothly for an hour or so, until an alarm rang out to warn us that the joystick control was no longer working – bad news, as it meant we had no stern or bow thrusters for use when mooring up. We tried everything we could think of to reset it, including shutting down all the engines and restarting, but to no avail. After an hour at low speed whilst we tried to mend the problem, Frank had a lightbulb moment and by using the emergency stop on the joystick control managed to fully reinstate the facility, much to our joint relief.

Coming along the coast past Sable d’Or, we had our first view of the terracotta roof tiles which told us that we were in a very special place – still relatively close to home but nearer in spirit to the south of France. It was an exciting reminder of the delights ahead of us when we near the end of this, our delivery voyage, later this year.

Due to the tides, the earliest we were able to get into St Martin was 6pm, so we detoured around behind the Ile de Re and went into La Rochelle to refuel. By now, the skies had cleared completely, the sun was shining, and in the shelter of the harbour, it was blazing hot. Once the tanks were full and the bank account drained, it was quick hop skip and jump to our destination, the beautiful port of St Martin. Zaffina is probably about the largest boat which could fit into this marina, and there wasn’t much room to spare as Frank skilfully negotiated her through the narrow entrance, with an audience watching from the harbour side.

A glass of rose was followed by dinner a deux sitting in a warm and sheltered cockpit, watching other arrivals and enjoying the ambiance of this delightful marina.

Ste Marine to Piriac

After three nights in Ste Marine, it was time to get back on track and continue our journey south. We had anticipated leaving port first thing in the morning, filling our tanks as soon as staff arrived at the refuelling berth on the opposite shore, and then getting on our way. However, we were advised by marina staff to wait until low tide when the river would not be running so fast and the crossing would be easier, so we delayed our departure by several hours. What a mistake that was! At 8am the river was almost motionless with no breeze to disturb its calm surface, whereas at 2pm, when we made the crossing, the wind had risen and conditions proved far more challenging. It was after 3pm by the time we were ready to depart and we were in two minds as to whether to go or stay.

We decided to head out to sea and see what things were like…and we were pleasantly surprised. Although there was quite a breeze, the swell was minimal and once the wind was behind us, the going was fairly easy. The trip along the coast was also a trip down memory lane, as we recalled events and experiences from previous holidays in the area: the barbeque on the Ile de Houat, swimming in the Aven river, spotting a pod of whales nearby, and, oh yes, the time I almost drove us straight into the side of a yacht! Maybe that one is best forgotten!

As we made the final turn into Piriac, our next stop, the wind hit us full on and we had a few unpleasant minutes as we were heading into port. Once through the entrance, Zaffina was hit by another strong gust, which almost sent her careering into pontoon D – not a good idea when you’re booked onto pontoon C and your fenders are out on the other side! Frank fought with the controls and narrowly managed to avoid the collision, and it was with relief that we finally tied up in our appointed place and poured a couple of strong drinks to restore our shattered nerves.

Brest to St Marine

After the long trek from Jersey, we planned a shorte trip for our next outing, but one which we knew could be uncomfortable - from Brest down to St Marine, one of our favourite marinas. The uncomfortable bit was the Raz de Sein, a notorious piece of water which we have negotiated several times in the past, in varied conditions from reasonable to very unpleasant and, on one memorable occasion, in a storm with thunder roaring and lightening flashing around us.

As we left Brest behind, the swell started to rise again and the nearer we got to the Raz, the stronger the sea became. We altered course slightly to avoid the worst of the slop and promised ourselves that if things got too bad, we would turn tail and head for Morgat. As we approached the lighthouses, Zaffina took a couple of waves side on, but she shrugged them off with almost no effort and suddenly we were past the worst and cheered as we turned the corner.

From then on, conditions just got better and better, with the remaining swell pushing us along. Seagulls were playing chicken by flying under the bow and only just avoiding being hit by the rail as we motored along, and the sea took on that oily appearance which tells you that the wind has dropped off completely.

Mooring went like clockwork and in no time at all we had the covers up and were sitting in the cockpit soaking up the sun - I'd like to say with a Pimms to hand, but it was just a mug of Earl Grey!

On a glorious, calm, warm evening we sat outside the Restaurant du Port for dinner, as the sun disappeared and a pearly night descended. This is the life!

Or it was until 2am when a massive storm broke and we had to drag ourselves out of deep, deep sleep to get the cockpit covers rolled down and back into place!

Jersey to Brest

The blue sky overhead is slowly being replaced by white cloud as Frank and I sit here in the Port du Chateau in Brest, tired but happy. Today we undertook the first leg of our mammoth trip from Jersey down to the Med on board Zaffina, our gorgeous Azimut 62.

Christian (my son) and Leonie (his girlfriend) elected to join us for this part of the trip, along with another friend, Danny. I’m not sure they still thought it was such a great idea once underway, as we were less than an hour out of Jersey when we encountered a messy swell. Zaffina handled the sea brilliantly, she is a fantastic boat in unpleasant conditions, as we had found out when we sea trialled her prior to purchase, but even so, the confused movement of the waves made us all feel a little queasy (a sensation not helped by the consumption of red wine at La Cantina last night, which was now causing my brain to tap against the back of my skull.) The swell eventually abated, only to be replaced by more chop on the water as we neared the coast of France, and from then on and throughout almost the entire journey it was either swell or chop. Considering this was a bank holiday weekend in both France and the UK, we were surprised by how few boats we saw en route – perhaps they knew something we didn’t!

After more than five hours, things finally improved. As we passed out of the Chenal du Four, the sea calmed to the sort of conditions we had anticipated and would have liked for the whole journey, and we eventually motored into Brest in brilliant sunshine. The torr du Chateau has only been open for a few months, and although some of the facilities have yet to come on line, they made us very welcome and we feel very happy to be here.

Christian, Leonie and Danny were relieved to get back onto Terra Firma, safe in the knowledge that their trip back to Jersey on Condor will take less than two hours! We’re looking forward to our next step and hoping the weather will be a little kinder to us tomorrow!