Ile de Re to Royan - Monday 1st June

Our three days on the Ile de Re were fabulous. Dinner at the Balleine Bleue, watching the sun go down and sipping champagne was doubly fabulous! We spent a couple of mornings doing chores – cleaning the windows then deciding that they were too smeary and needed cleaning again…and again…and again, plus catching up on other odds and sods! We were told that it was a holiday weekend in France, and that was probably the reason why the marina was so full. Apparently they managed to squash 360 boats in there on Saturday night, and it was almost possible to walk from one side to the other just by hopping from deck to deck. Such a busy marina provides endless entertainment, from unskilled skippers trying to avoid other boats (sometimes successfully, sometimes not,) to impromptu parties, from dogs being winched down the wall onto yachts to enthusiasts who spend their entire time tinkering on their boats, there’s never a dull moment.

The weather was glorious throughout the weekend and on Sunday we hired bicycles and cycled along the dedicated paths through vineyards and market gardens to La Couarde, a pretty little town where the market was just winding up, stall holders putting away the local cheeses, saucisson and pineau which had been on sale that morning. We continued our bike ride to Grandjonc, where we spent the rest of the afternoon lying on the beach; well, I did, whilst Frank braved the cold and the waves and had his first dip of the year in the northern hemisphere!

We had intended staying until Tuesday, but with good seas forecast and the wind in a favourable direction, we decided to cut things short and depart this morning. After a quick trip to the market to stock up on essentials like ripe cherries and melons, we battened down hatches and headed once again into the great blue yonder. Our course took us under the famous bridge linking the Ile de Re with La Rochelle, then around the outside of Ile d’Oleron, which meant we were further south than on any of our previous boating trips. We decided to make today’s trip a relatively short one, so turned into the Gironde River and headed up to Royan, putting ourselves in pole position to depart early tomorrow morning. All being well, tonight will be our last night in France and by tomorrow evening, we will finally be onto the Spanish coast.

Hasta la vista, baby. Is that Spanish?