Jim Lad - not just a cabin boy!

Having safely arrived in Weymouth on Sunday, the forecast for the next couple of days included gale warnings in our sailing area (Selsy Bill to Lyme Regis). So we decided to stay put, tucked well inside the marina. Jim decided to utilise the time on Monday to practise his culinary skills. Not only did he produce a magnificent loaf of white bread,

of which Paul Hollywood would have been proud,

but he also cooked up a storm for our supper in the form of Spanish chicken with chorizo.

The weather calmed down on Tuesday evening. Wednesday morning 09:45 saw the crew of Follyfin preparing to set sail again but again into a SW wind. Once through the 10:00 bridge and out of the harbour, we decided not to take the inside passage around Portland Bill (which we had done in 2012 on our UK circumnavigation) because (1) it was a spring tide and (2) it would have been the wind against the tide situation causing serious choppiness on the sea's surface. This decision added about 5 miles to the passage but it was worth it to avoid the discomfort and the danger of being drawn into the dangerous Portland Race - the most dangerous extended area of broken water in the English Channel. Apparently quite substantial vessels drawn into it have been known to disappear without trace!

A good wind W/SW4 for sailing but because we were sailing west, several wide tacks were necessary across Lyme Bay. The wind died towards evening meaning engine was required so we decided to put into Brixham harbour for the night rather than carry on overnight to Falmouth. Finding the visitors' pontoon in the darkness was interesting but eventually managed and all were tucked up in bed by midnight.

Overnight the wind had veered to NE, and although light at first was very favourable for our course around Start Point and then west towards Falmouth. Downwind sailing is sooooo much more comfortable! Departure at 07:15 in beautiful sunshine and by 09:00 it was shorts and T-shirt weather. As the day wore on, the wind veered more and became stronger, extra layers of clothing were progressively donned and the sky clouded over. We were pleased to drop anchor in Falmouth harbour at 21:00.

Now on a pontoon berth with boats of all shapes and sizes as far as the eye can see 

and waiting for the rest of the crew to join us before tackling the Bay of Biscay. Skipper has been hard at work finishing fitting new equipment. Those boxes have got to go...

Whilst the rest of us have been helping, baking more bread, wholemeal this time, and provisioning the boat for the crossing. Weather forecast is not looking too promising, but we can only watch and wait.

Another view of Poole Harbour before moving on

Last Tuesday we decided to move further into the harbour which meant passing through the two lifting bridges. The second of these, named Twin Sails (for obvious reasons, see photo below) was completed only a couple of years ago, and against vociferous local opposition. The problem for boat owners keeping their vessels up-stream of the bridges is that, of course, the bridges do not open simultaneously, so if one bridge is passed through successfully, the boat is inevitably trapped in the 'holding pen' between the bridges, at the mercy of the bridge operators. As we were the only boat going through on Tuesday afternoon, we were careful not to say anything to upset the operator, and  just glad that we were not negotiating these bridges on a hot sunny summer weekend morning or afternoon when we gather the holding pen is packed and totally chaotic!

Twin Sails bridge, Poole

Having negotiated both bridges, we arrived into Cobbs Quay Marina and received a right royal welcome, partly I think because they receive very few visiting sailing yachts (bridge issues, see above, and because most of their 'residents' are flashy motor boats), and even fewer visitors on the 'Passeport Escales', a scheme from our home port in Brittany whereby participating marinas provide visitors with 2 nights free berthing (very attractive to us of course!). Our welcome included a bottle of red wine and a burgee advertising their marina (not absolutely sure we will be flying it). The only snag with this apparently generous scheme is that you have to leave the marina for at least one night before you can claim another two free nights. This we did on Thursday evening, knowing that we would probably touch bottom as Poole Harbour is notoriously shallow except where the recognised channels are dredged to maintain their depth. And with our lifting keel (see many references in previous posts) the Skipper was quite happy to drop anchor just over the drying ground area ... suffice to say we did not end up like the unfortunates shown below but there were a few scary moments when we might have done, as we weighed anchor to return to the marina berth on Friday morning in a very strong wind!

High and dry at low tide

On Friday we were joined by our Cabin Boy (aka Jim lad) who quickly got into cahoots with the Skipper. Delivered by Wendy his wife, he/they came bearing all sorts of goodies, including not one but two fruit cakes (intended for Biscay crossing next week but doubt if they will last that long) and the wherewithal to bake bread and cook at least two main meals - great news for the quartermaster (me) - plus a fantastic Boat Cookbook. 

And on Saturday, former crew members and not-so-newly-marrieds Laurel and William arrived for the day and to pick up our car which they will be looking after for us whilst we are away.

Sunday dawned and although the weather forecast for the next few days was not encouraging, there was a 'window' of about 12 hours as the current bad weather cleared away East and before the really high winds would come through from the West to our part of the coast. Besides which, we really needed to start our journey West towards Falmouth from where we will be embarking on our Big Adventure across the bay of Biscay, and collecting two more crew members. So once back through the Twin Sails and the town bridges, the good ship Follyfin carried us out to sea, south past Anvil Point, past St Albans Head and then west-North-west towards Weymouth. Wind speed was mainly Force 6 (classified as 'Strong Breeze' by the Met Office) with occasional gusts up to Force 7 ('Near Gale'). The sea was correspondingly lumpy and with the sails close-hauled and well reefed, Follyfin was routinely heeled at about 30 degrees. Needless to say, it was not a comfortable ride but it was reasonably speedy, despite having to tack several times. Maximum boat speed recorded was 9.0 knots ... pretty good! 

Arrived into Weymouth just before the wind really got up, and once safely berthed, tucked well inside the marina, we headed out for a well earned meal of fish and chips at 'our' restaurant right beside the Town Quay. This was the scene of my 'baptism' back in 2011, the first year we had Follyfin, when I accidentally lost my balance when jumping off the boat to moor up on the waiting pontoon beside the town bridge, and disappeared into the drink - in full view of the Saturday afternoon crowd watching from above. Very embarrassing!

Waiting pontoon in front of Bennetts Fish and Chip Restaurant

Now it's Monday, and the weather forecast for area 7 where we are is dire:

So discretion being the better part of valour, we have decided to stay put in Weymouth for a day or two until the situation improves.

Installations and Modifications in Poole

Our purpose in visiting Poole was (1) to have a pole fitted to the mast which will hold either of our fore sails out and in position when we have a lightish following wind and (2) to have our rig (basically all the steel cables holding the mast in position) checked before our forthcoming ocean passages, and (3) to allow the Skipper to continue and finish fitting the new ocean-going equipment and install all the wiring for the associated and new electronics. So this is what happened during the first week we were in Poole, as the following photos will testify...

Expert half-way up - note the 'boss' is on his phone!

Expert right to the top.

First Mate's blood drawn after over an hour on the floor with hand pushed through tiny hole under the floor, trying to grab that b#^*~y white wire!

Skipper in stern locker with some of aforementioned wires.

Light relief provided each day by resident swan turning up for early morning drink!

We did have a welcome break provided by four friends who turned up for tea on Thursday, lots of chat and then a tasty meal in a Turkish restaurant in Poole centre. But after 8 days constant work on the trot, we decided it was time to move on... see the next post on this blog.

Phase one of The Big Adventure complete

From St Peter Port, we sailed North-East up the east coast of Guernsey, timing the transit through the fast-flowing Little Russel Channel and Alderney Race perfectly (even though I do say so myself, the navigator). In both these stretches of water the tide can run at up to 6 knots so you definitely don't want to be going against it. Regrettably the wind was 'on the nose' so we had to rely on our trusty Yanmar engine (hoping this comment does not tempt fate ... it seems that as soon as a fault in one area gets fixed, another raises its head somewhere else) to get us through until we turned the corner of Cap de la Hague and could sail again. Although Cherbourg is a huge and impersonal Marina, arriving there in the dark was - almost - a piece of cake as there was plenty of space and lights by which to manoeuvre. So we were safely moored by 00:30, and able to sleep in on Saturday morning. It had been a satisfying passage.

A provisioning run was required on Saturday. Making for what we assumed to be the building housing the 'hypermarket', since the word "Carrefour" was inscribed in large letters on the outside, we had nearly walked round the entire large building without finding an entrance before we realised one had first to go inside the entrance to the modern American-style 'mall' before one can access the simple supermarket. As seen below, the French really like to dress up their hypermarkets with some style.

Very early Sunday, in the dark again, we slipped from our mooring and headed north across the English Channel. Motor-sailing to start with, the wind had backed (from NW to W) by midday, after which a cracking beam reach sail was enjoyed, despite it being rather tiring with the boat heeling over and bouncing a bit in the cross-swell. In fact we did so well, we arrived just outside Poole Harbour too early to get in on the flood tide. What else to do but drop the anchor in beautiful Studland Bay and have a cup of tea ... Poole Harbour was duly achieved on Sunday evening, as planned, with Follyfin safely berthed by 20:30.

There was one further task to achieve before Phase One of our Big Adventure could be said to be properly complete, and that was to retrieve our car which had been languishing in Redon in southern Brittany since we left her there on 3 May. Armed with only a small rucksack and the car keys, Fiona set off at 08:15 Tuesday morning. The project involved various modes of transport as follows: Shanks' Pony, train, plane, bus, Metro, train, Shanks' Pony, own car, car ferry, car. Arrived back at boat at 08:45 today, a mere 24.5 hours later. Whew, mission accomplished!

Back to cleaning duties today, this time attacking the white GRP, only torn away briefly by urgent phone call ... but now ready for bed!

Different kinds of work

Now sitting safely inside Victoria Marina, St Peter Port, Guernsey, it's blogging time again! First off I must apologise to all those multitudes of people who no doubt will have been all agog to see our progress on marinetraffic.com since the last post. It turns out we have an intermittent fault on our AIS transponder, and this fault is connected to another intermittent fault on our main VHF radio. They share the same aerial and as I understand it (not being v technically minded), if one is working then the other isn't, and sometimes neither is. Just as well we have a reliable handheld VHF radio on board (actually two!). So until the on-board Engineer has had a chance to check the earth and all the wiring, I'm afraid you will have to rely on these occasional posts to follow our progress. Although you may see us intermittently. I say 'until he has a chance' because he has been a bit busy since we arrived here on Monday afternoon ...

Briefly, from St Evette we timed our departure for midday to coincide with the North-going flow through the Raz de Sein and then the Chenal de Four. Easy to see why the 'Raz' acquired its name.

But it is well marked with a plethora of lights, beacons and towers,

as is the Chenal de Four. This lighthouse below has a dark 'skirt' around the bottom, presumably where the stone never dries out thus allowing all sorts of seaweed and algae to grow.

We enjoyed a very pleasant beam reach sail through these sometimes treacherous waters, the wind behaving itself nicely as a SW4 all the way. We were lucky! Arrived in L'Aberwrach at 20:30 on Saturday evening, it could not have been a better passage. Total of 51 miles in 8.5 hours.

Sunday morning was spent relaxing, enjoying the ambience of the lovely small Breton harbour. Again we felt we would have liked to stay a little but the timetable and the tides were such that a night sail from L'Aberwrach to Guernsey was on the cards. Made all preparations - food most important of all - during the afternoon and then we were off again at 17:00 on a beautiful evening. To start with the wind was kind, SE4, but by 19:00 it was starting to veer and by 21:00 it was SSW3, right on our tail as it were. So until just after dawn we motor-sailed. 09:00 time for hot porridge breakfast, which may look disgusting but was eagerly consumed by First Mate.

Sustained by porridge and with a light wind still on our tail, we were able to hoist the magic gennaker sail (the colourful one in the photo under the blog title). So the last couple of hours up to St Peter Port were blissfully quiet with no engine and clipping along at a creditable 5 knots. Arrived at 12:30 LT, 101 miles in 20.5 hours. Crew then went for a well earned nap. Just as well because ever since Tuesday morning there has been nothing but work. Mine, as FM, quite mundane, including shopping, washing,

And cleaning the silverware

Whereas the Skipper/Engineer has been fitting all kinds of gear, requiring all kinds of tools.

The simplest piece of equipment is the manually operated water-maker which really only needs to be stowed somewhere safe but accessible. 

The clue is in the name, so the Biscay and Atlantic crews will be comforted to know that this cunning little device will produce a whole litre of pure water from salt water in only an hour of pumping. Work to look forward to.

Our plan is to leave here on Friday afternoon and make for Cherbourg, where we will have our final Gallic 'fix' in terms of food and wine. All being well and weather permitting we plan to head back across the channel on Saturday night or Sunday morning and be back in Poole Harbour by Sunday evening.

Storm blown over - in every sense!

All heave a sigh of relief as that particular Balls of a storm has finally blown itself out ... here in France things have calmed down a lot too. As predicted, we were able to leave Crouesty by Wednesday evening. After a 'lively' exit from the marina into a very rough sea, we enjoyed a close-hauled sail tacking west across Quiberon Bay towards Port Haliguen, arriving there shortly after sunset. Then it was off again earlyish Thursday to catch the favourable current through the rocky Teignouse channel. That bit was the interesting bit. The rest of the day was motoring for 40 miles with very light wind behind us (boring!) across to the pretty little port of Loctudy in Benodet Bay.

Skipper made good use of the time, getting into character.

We would have liked to stay a little in the charming little spot but we had a tide to catch, as they say,  so we were off again by 10:00 this morning, venturing west and north around the rocky coast towards our current anchorage at St. Evette, near Audierne. Below is just one of the many prominent markers of dangerous rocky outcrops that pepper this coastline.

Nevertheless, vessels of all shapes and sizes run up and down this coast. Here are just three seen today on our lovely broad reach sail.

Tomorrow we tackle two notorious tidal races going north, the Raz de Sein and the Chenal de Four, to just 'round the corner' above Brest. Timing is everything! Full report in next post.

P.S. If you are interested in following our progress, you should be able to see us on the website marinetraffic.com . Just search for 'Follyfin'.

En route

Follyfin was duly launched on Saturday 2 May in the pouring rain! Prior to launch, the keel needed to be anti-fouled, as whilst on the ground the keel is folded up inside the hull. So once the boat was hoisted into the air to be taken down to the water, there was a brief 'window' during which this task could be completed by the skipper.

The photos above will give comfort to those people (not least those crew members joining us across the bay of Biscay and the Atlantic Ocean) who may wonder exactly how deep the keel is when fully let down. Now you can see, it is almost as deep as the skipper is tall!

Gale force winds are currently confining us to port, in Crouesty on the eastern side of Quiberon Bay. We managed about 40 miles yesterday with a nice following wind, which at least allowed us to emerge from the shelter of the Vilaine River. Hopefully the weather will have abated by tomorrow evening when we aim to cross to the western side of the bay, and then begin the journey north in earnest. Our aim is to be arrive in the Channel Islands by early next week.