Friday 14 June
After a night of almost no sleep in an anchorage less sheltered than we would wish, the dratted alarms still shrilled at the ridiculous hour of 0430 to ensure we caught most of the West-bound tide that follows high water in these parts. The theory was that we’d leave at first light, the better to play ‘Spot the Pot’ and avoid collecting too many shellfish for breakfast en route. Due to a very overcast sky, however, daybreak didn’t really arrive until 0530, by which time Mate had pretended a normal routine including an anti-seasickness tablet and a light breakfast. Along with wearing every layer for Winter sailing, and catching a sneaky nap when needed, she succeeded in achieving an almost unprecedented ‘clean’ passage.
We picked up the notoriously tricky Canal de l’Ile de Batz, another triumph for a detailed chart plotter, and were soon out in the far Western reaches of the English Channel – although still not as far West as Newlyn, on the North shore. The wind, of course, was on the nose, but the mainsail was optimistically set for a close reach.
Quickly proving that the genoa created more heel than Mate was happy with, it was no sooner out than replaced by the staysail, and Mate entertained (distracted?) herself by sailing as close to the wind as possible to achieve the best course towards our destination. This involves sailing by numbers: holding me 40˚ off the wind when it is 10-14 knots, today from around 210˚, and when it increases and backs to around 190˚, making the most of the opportunity to luff nearer to our desired course, with the added benefit of spilling some of the wind when it gusts – it topped out today at about 25 knots, a low F6 – the yachtsman’s gale.
In due course, Skipper relieved Mate at the helm, and took the opportunity to baptise BobbyCool (merci, mes amies), our newest crew member, the WindPilot. He sits on the back step, right in the middle of the bathing platform/dinghy boarding deck, but will earn his keep many times over steering by wind angles, meaning less drain on our batteries by thirsty Jeanny, our electronic autopilot. Even knowing the theory, Skipper was delighted at the ease with which the system is set up and then holds the set course. Good seamanship is still essential, as the sails need to be set correctly to achieve the right balance so the WindPilot steers accurately, and an alert watch must be kept, as always, to deal with wind shifts, to be ready to increase or decrease sail area, and to avoid close encounters with scenery and other vessels.
Having made the inevitable tack back in towards shore, we found ourselves leading a fleet in the same direction, including sister ship Wireless, that we’d met in St Malo last week. While they seem to have tucked into the marina at l’Aber Wrac’h, we opted for dumbbell moorings at the top of the navigable river at Port du Paluden, and enjoyed a long siesta after lunch. A peaceful evening may be less likely, however, as a collection of marquees on shore at the dinghy landing pontoon, and tantalising aromas of barbecue, suggest some kind of party – an evening stroll ashore may be in order…