St Evette to Benodet / river Odet

Jean-luc was as good as his word with the bread delivery albeit 30 mins late. So it was at the ungodly hour of 9 o'clock that we were able to drop the mooring buoy, raise the main and carefully head out to the west Cardinal marking the edge of the rocky shoal known as La Gamelle. We then turned south for a long passage past a coastline strangely reminiscent of Lancashire, albeit with sunshine! There was the long featureless beach of Ainsdale, and there in the distance Blackpool tower..........of course it was a trick of the eye. But flat and featureless the Bay of Audierne certainly is.

The wind began light but soon settled to a lovely force 3.

The sea was as flat as a stamp or more correctly " slight" as Lynne has recently taken to referring to it. She's been swotting up on weather terminology, yet more words for stuff!

We were making a comfortable 6 knots down the large sandy Baie d'Audierne drinking coffee and watching a veritable armada of yachts heading up towards the " Raz". We guess the majority were Brits heading home to the south coast.

After three hours or so the wind fell fitful and died to a force 1 just as we were fighting the first of the flood tide around the Pointe of Penmarche.

The sea became " smooth " and for the first time in Brittany, we had a real flat calm.........

 

We passed the Men-Hir light beacon and Eckmuhl light ( the unusual name is a reference to a Marshall in Napoleons army ) very slowly, which gave us the opportunity to appreciate the many reefs and rocks extending out up to 200 Mts and a mere precursor to the extensive rock garden and reef bonanza to come!

Keeping us company, but disconcertingly heading in the opposite direction was a continuing fleet of yachts.

The weather was by now HOT......although there continued to be just enough breeze to cool us down. We continued around the south coast passing the point de Penmarche which officially marks the start of South Brittany and is known as " The Gateway to the Sun " 

Very true today! The wind continued light and on the nose for a good few miles as we buoy hopped the cardinal buoys marking the edge of the offshore reefs, as long as we kept to the outside in theory we cleared all dangers. We approached the final Cardinal in my approach plan " Le Boulanger " and then as the tide had risen we chanced a dash over the shallow banks toward Loctudy.

This was not however our destination, a few more buoy hops brought us to the entrance to the Odet river at Benodet.

We slid past the beach at Anse du Trez, noting it as a future anchorage and continued up river past the very crowded Marinas and moorings passingg under the road bridge ( clearance 30 mts ) to the peaceful meanders of the beautiful wooded river Odet. We finally decided after failing to find an anchorage that wasn't filled with mooring buoys to pick up a vacant one opposite the rather lovely Chateau Kerouzian.

Again here is our AIS track, about 35 miles or so.

And here is a bit of chart showing the many rocks, reefs and Cardinal buoys on the south coast past Pte de Penmarche.