22nd July - Making plans at the Ile de Groix and on to Belle Isle.
Posted at 9:00 PM, Monday, July 27, 2009
Took a few photo’s when in Lorient but regret not getting one of the WW11 Submarine Pens close by the entry. Impressive to see so long after it was built and obviously hardly marked by any bombing.
But here’s Layni in Lorient about to make her wish at her Birthday party. We all crossed our fingers and hoped it was a wish for sunny weather.
Here’s a shot from where we were parked up in Avant Port at Lorient, admiring the dark blue night sky as we shared some late night vin and chocolates with Al and Debs close by the city centre.
We slid out of the Avant Port Tuesday fully togged with wet weather gear as the rain continued pour down, to motor across the eight miles to Iles de Groix. Really for the change of scenery. Sunboy went ahead as we stopped off to top up fuel - just in case we got the chance to make the big leap and head off across the Bay from there.
Here’s a couple of shots of us taken by Nikki from Sunboy as we arrived.
Both boats circled, waiting for a large ferry to exit Port Tudy, before we could enter the harbour mouth.
Yes that’s me with my el cheapo Lymington Market rimmed specs. You’ll note when the rains buckets down one often stands guard on the helm whilst one other takes shelter!
The harbour area open to big ferries is kind of restricted. There is not room for even one yacht to circle inside whilst the ferry swings itself around as it has barely 10 metres clearance to the harbour wall off each end. Tight.
Ile de Groix is a small holiday island, barely one mile from top to bottom and maybe five miles wide. More bicycles and scooters put around than cars. Port Tudy is very pretty and each harbour bar has a veranda so you can overlook the action.
This port two centuries back was a major tuna fishing centre, but it is now given over almost 100% to the tourist trade. The small harbour is made up of three smaller parts.
The main outer harbour crowded with perhaps 15 fore and aft mooring buoys and just enough added space for the big ferries to get in to discharge and pick up passengers and cars. A second separate, but still tidal section, with finger pontoons mainly for locals but also some visitor space plus the ports fishing and the life boat as well as limited space for smaller foot passenger ferries. Then a third section only accessible through lock gates an hour either side of high tide but that seemed fully occupied by locals.
We were given a special spot in the middle harbour rafted up together down on the Capitanaires floating dock right in front of the lifeboat. It proved a bit of a rusty climb up and down iron ladders at low tide.
Despite the small size of the place and the continued lack of sun, what with ferries seeming to arrive and depart each 30 minutes and usually huge groups of families and pals either singing and flag waving people in or out, it all seems pretty lively here. Lots of visitors must like it to as their yachts are jammed in, bunched up and banging together on the moorings each time a ferry comes and goes. Also surprisingly seeing multiple inexperienced yacht people charging around in what’s very limited space at far too high a speed, resulting in a few entertaining collisions and bumps. We only stopped smiling when one narrowly missed ramming us as we sat tied up to the dock! It is obviously a popular place and despite the wet weather one could see many people obviously still enjoying their seaside – including us!
Some sun came through but failed to stay around for long. When it started raining again we four adults decided to hoof it off up one raaaaather long steep country lane to the local super-marche, rather than spending another arvo below on the boat. What with Al and Debs hospitality and Al’s unrivalled culinary skills we all needed some exercise anyway!
Pausing at a dock side bar on our heavily laden return we all agreed that if (and it is still and IF) the weather does swing as predicted this coming weekend and give us something other than south westerly winds, then we’ll both head off to cross Biscay to perhaps Gijon or La Coruna. Hopefully there we’ll both find some needed sunshine.
And sod the rest of S. Brittany.
So on Thursday we sailed onward in company the 30 miles further south to the much larger but magical island of ‘Belle Isle’.
Have to say it lives up to its reputation.
There are lots of sheltered anchorages but as we both wished to stock up if we were to cross the bay, we went into its main port on the eastern shore.
Le Palais has a quite large by Brittany island standards outer tidal harbour, not unlike Ile de Groix with moorings alongside its northern harbour wall. But in this case lots more room as they oftenhad three ferries all manoeuvring at the same time. But this basin and the town are dwarfed by a huge Vauban Citadel that was built to keep the English out. Despite it’s impressive scale, it failed.
Then below the citadel lies a 25 metre wide channel that curves along the front of town, into a drying harbour appearing to be the town centre and full up around the edges with small local boats. They all sit on the mud each 12 hours as the tide receeds. You can see the inward channel below as captured from the moorings in the outer harbour.
Then but then if you time the tides right (which we did) you can slide through this town centre basin and proceed towards a ridiculously small gap between two stone walls, under a slowly raised footbridge and through some lock gates, to end up parked slap bang on the towns roadside. The lock gates shut one hours after high tide, leaving you still afloat as the tide goes out.
I guess for Dutch and Belgium boats that might be used to parking in canals and town centres that this form of mooring is perfectly normal. But for both of our crews it was unusual and actually very special. Provided of course that that you’re happy to be studied close up by everyone who wanders along the roadside. Had a lovely hesitant conversation (qui – en Francais) with an elderly local lady who was admiring Swagman’s rig. She obviously knew her stuff. Fortunately for both of us lots of boat bit words are pretty international.
Here’s Sunboy rafted up further in than we were. The bar directly opposite them did not stop pumping music until 3 am. And they still enjoyed the location!
The town in Le Palais moves on at a buzz. Not big but sophisticated. Small crowded streets dotted with cafes, art galleries and seemingly overstocked with car and scooter hire firms. We were all pleased to experience more of that buzz but a request for a second night in the inner basin was a no go because two ‘ships’ were due tomorrow so not just us but many other yachts had to go elsewhere.
We now know the small inner basin is used as a transfer dock by some quite large sand dredgers operating some days just off the harbour mouth, and we later admired the skill of their respective skippers as we watched them drive in the next day. Barely a tyres width each side as they squeezed through the lock gates. One of them in reverse!
Well before they arrived we’d got out as requested at 6 am and simply dashed to grab a couple of vacant moorings from the outer harbour vacant buoys.
Did I say I say simple?
Thursday saw the sun arrive in it’s full glory. Lovely jubbley we thought, but it was very hot,anf caught us at the wrong time. It came out of hiding as we were pumping our way up a steep hill covering the 4 km to the out of town big store. Almost turned into a sweat-ball lugging both stores and heavy damp clothing all the way back down.
Guess it provided enough of a work out to last another week. For me it justified the big ice cream on the harbour wall. But why do the French plan their supermarket locations like this? Don’t they like fat visitors?
Todays later forecast (Friday) promises a return to the rain and S W’ly winds at 20 + knots, and tomorrow THEY SAY we should see some settled warmer weather plus a swing in the wind that should give us a light but tight reach for Gijon some 290 miles away over the horizon. The passage should take us less than 2 days and our plans are to hopefully leave early Saturday with an ETA in maybe in daylight Sunday evening. Sunboy as an Australian registered ship has to go through Spanish entry formalities whilst we enjoy one advantage of EU participation, so we’ll aim to head out early hours so as to make Gijon with time to spare.
Currently all snugged up below with heater on and rain pattering down on the deck. Cannot access internet in the outer harbour so this will not be posted until we get to Spain.
Lots of love and kisses and with our fingers crossed for a safe passage.
Sue and John