Thursday 20 – Friday 21 June
In a leisurely fashion, we pottered back downstream and into the Marina du Chateau, close to the centre of Brest. It was hot and sunny, and we made only a brief foray into the city, where Mate obtained a set of booklets from the helpful Tourist Information Office, that set out a collection of shortish walks, each highlighting a different aspect of the city’s history and architecture. Thus was an easy afternoon passed of armchair exploring.
After a morning spent washing the boat and filling our water tanks, we crossed to the Southeast corner of the Rade, into the River Aulne and to an anchorage just above the Pont de Térénez. This is one of Brittany’s pretty rivers, flanked by deeply wooded banks and pastoral scenery, but there was again no wind to sail and grey clouds obscured the sun and its warmth – so much for it being the Midsummer Solstice. Once the anchor was well bedded in and the engine quietened, the peacefulness was profound.