La Trinite to Pornichet

We left our berth in La Trinite after having determined our fuel level and proceeded to the fuel berth to fill up with diesel. There was quite a crush of boats all trying to leave at once and as we have discovered in France the Colregs ( collision regulations ) are not universally accepted. However common sense prevails most of the time and after fueling up we proceeded down the narrow channel and out into the bay of Quiberon.

It was a bit chilly so I was wearing my fluffy jumper.

The wind which had shown promise soon dropped to a 3 and although we were sailing we were only making four knots or so, this required another change of plan to head for Piriac sur Mer as it would take too long to reach Pornichet at our present speed and we didn't want to resort to using the engine.

The day was a little cloudy but the most surprising aspect to the day was the sheer number of sailing boats that were out in the bay. I literally couldn't count them and they mostly seemed to be heading for the south beach on the island of Houat.

As the wind continued to fall light we employed our secret weapon the gennaker. We now had another problem, we were going too fast! We could only enter the harbour at Piriac Sur Mer about three hours before local high water as the harbour has a cill to maintain water levels this meant we couldn't arrive much earlier than 6.30 that evening.

We dropped the gennaker, and then the wind decided to force another change of plan by increasing to a healthy force 4. Dark Tarn was doing over six knots so we quickly plotted a course towards the plateau de Four which was a collection of rocks with a distinctive lighthouse which if the wind held would lead us to Pornichet.

Lynne helped to helm as we fairly romped towards the passage between Le Four and Le croisic.

The wind held and we made good progress. The day was turning into a great sail!

Our course brought us close to shore as we passed the headland at Le Croisic and we were able to spot the low lying cliffs and many beaches that south Brittany is justly famed for.

At one point we were passed from ahead by a French 12 metre racing yacht, who only reluctantly gave way to us at the last minute, Colregs again! A very lovely boat however.

We got a phone call from Dave just as we were negotiating the channel into the Baie de Pouligen, Pornichet being located in the far corner after the wide sweep of beach and hotels that were the holiday resort of La Baule. The bay is protected by a reef of islands and rocks and there are only a few ways to safely enter. We dropped sails and motored towards the marina entrance. Lynne spoke to the marina staff who allocated us the last berth available after assuring us we would fit in as Lynne now questions this as a matter of course.

Well we did fit just.........although you couldn't really get much more than a hand between us and our neighbour. The marina was absolutely full and as we walked ashore to find a bar it was obvious that we hadn't had such a bad deal after all.

We had covered 36 nautical miles that day and were tired but happy to within striking distance of St Marc and visiting the beach where Jaques Tati filmed " Mr Hulots Holiday"

La trinite sur Mer/ Carnac

We left Belle Ile early, the forecast was for light winds from the north which were perfect for our planned trip to Periac sur Mer. As we got all sail up it was obvious that the wind was in fact from the SE and was blowing directly from where we wanted to go. Not for the first time that day I did a bit of navigation " on the fly " and decided to head for the Teighnhouse passage between the Quiberon peninsular and the several small islands including Houat and Hoedic. This has a reputation for being rough in any swell but there didn't seem much chance of that in the light easterlies, however as the wind increased to a force three Dark Tarn was sailing along at a respectable 5 knots. The passage was as flat as a stamp.

My plan was to get north of the island chain and then to see if we could lay a course to Periac sir Mer. As we approached the rock littered passage the wind became fitful and died away to a force one again from the SE. We would never cover the twenty miles in a month of Sunday's without resorting to the engine. I considered alternatives and Lynne studied the pilots, the only two places we could actually sail to were La Trinite and Port Halguen on Quiberon. I hardened the sails in the light airs and we could just make a course for La Trinite, it was a place I had considered in the past few weeks as I had always wanted to visit the standing stones at Carnac which was just next door. We drifted in the right direction only making three knots or so but we weren't in a hurry. The bay was full of yachts all enjoying the splendid sunshine and attempting to get the most out of the light airs. Some more successful than others. We resorted to the engine as we approached the outer marker buoy for the river off the Pointe de Kerbihan. I knew the channel was narrow even though the river appeared wide it was in fact very shallow on our port side. We were met by an inflatable and after the usual faffing we were found a berth. The marina is truly enormous and we were a bit shocked at the price but it seems that the prices everywhere go up in August as its holiday time.

The local guidebook says to be sure to admire the road ridge so we spent some time doing that, but in actual fact despite being very busy La Trinite sur Mer is quite a pretty place.

We acquired the necessary bus timetables and after a bit of a walk around retired to bed, however the band in the local bar played until after 1 o'clock but it was all stuff we like so it was no bother.

The following morning was begun with the usual hunt for fresh croissants, and we prepared to catch the bus to Carnac. So far we have been well impressed with French buses and today proved no exception, for very little money we travelled in comfort the few miles to Carnac passing the impressive beaches of Carnac Plage on the way. It is but a short walk outside of the town to discover the first of the ' Menirs ' .

 The stones are arranged in rows called ' alignments '

It's really very impressive, to think that 30,000 years ago Neolithic people had enough leisure time and could cooperate together to create something is quite staggering. Some of the Menirs obviously weigh some tens of tons and the effort involved must have been enormous because there are literally thousands of individual stones in many groups of alignments, usually east west. I'm guessing that this may explain the several theories extant suggesting that a religious significance based on the Suns path, the stones being some kind of giant celestial observatory are based. The truth is no one knows what they were built for.

 Lynne and I had a very nice lunch looking at the Menirs as we eat our sandwiches under the shade of some scrubby oaks and pine trees.

It really is a beautiful part of the world and as we had a look around the information centre I suggested we go and have a look around the museum of pre-history in town as the stones were a little bit ' touristy ' now, it's not possible to wander about at will you need to pay to go on a guided tour.

We walked the short distance back into town and found the museum which is housed in an imposing building just outside the town centre.

The exhibits depict life in the Neolithic, the period of the Menirs, and also the bronze and Roman ages. There was also an exhibit about some famous local amateur archeologists who had been involved in extensive digs and discoveries on the islands of Hoat and Hoedic that we had sailed past the day before!

 

After all that history we were in need of a coffee, so we wandered into the town centre looking for a cafe. I remembered that the pilot book had suggested that the church was worth a visit.

We tried an obvious door beneath the church tower which had a statue of St Cornely in a niche above it. Sadly it was locked, luckily I decided to look around the corner and found the proper entrance.

As entrances go it was pretty majestic, however nothing prepared us for what awaited inside.

The church dated from the 1600s although there was a church on the site from much earlier. The original building was extended in the late 15th century and in 1717 the vaulted ceilings were covered with wooden wainscotting and painted by a man named Le Corre. They are the largest covered and painted vaults in Brittany and depict various scenes from the Gospel or representing scenes from the life of St Cornely.

Lynne was particularly taken by a small chapel that was painted in a type of Trompe l'oeil.

Again these are from the 1600s.....and very fine.

A beautiful church and a real surprise.

Eventually we did get our coffee, rather later than we had planned, we also explored a little more of Carnac and as well as discovering a Lidl supermarket we also came across a charming antiques and curio shop.

This was full of essential items such as boat rudders bronze horses heads, glassware and statues, a wardrobe I was convinced had Narnia on the other side, and all kinds of interesting stuff.

Lynne decided she wanted to stay another day so the following morning on our way to the supermarket for bread ( the local boulangerie had proven a disappointment ) we discovered it was market day.

We love French markets!

Of course it made us hungry but we did manage to buy a ' flute' from a stall holder that was much better quality so that was lunch sorted.....

A day at the beach seemed in order so after consulting our maps we decided to walk to the beach at Plage de Paulbert, after retracing our steps to the market ( which had now gone ) we climbed a little up the hill behind town and before long had plunged into some lovely countryside.

The path cut through some woods of oak pine and alder and it was easy to see why the area was so attractive to our ancient ancestors as there were berries and fruit in abundance, when you also consider the rich food supplies available from the sea ( several French people would be harvesting cockles on the beach today) it was a very easy place to live.

We soon arrived at the beach and had yet another lazy day however we struggled to swim as no matter how far out we walked the water never got any deeper, however being shallow it was at least warm! We also walked out to a small island called isle du Stuhan which was joined to the mainland by a sandy causeway.

Lynne is beginning to cope a little better with the heat, but we are now being a little more sensible about the amount of time we are exposed to the sun, lathered in factor 30 and Lynne wears a sunhat.

The Quiberon peninsular always reminds me of pine trees and sand. I think because it seems to consist largely of those two things, that's not to say they don't present a pleasing aspect but It was nice on our return to see some variety in the woodland, an extremely pleasant day.

Still loads of pine trees though!

P.S.

On a sad note I have to report the demise of " lettuce" we bought it in April and our everlasting lettuce has been doing sterling service and providing salad leaves for lunches and teas ever since. However lettuce as well as Lynne has not been coping with the heat so as he was obviously wilting we decided to consign our friend to the deep just after the Teighnhouse passage. Sadly missed.

Lorient to Belle Ile

One last trip aboard the " Bateau bus " to the Port de Peche in Lorient to pick up my charts and we were ready to go, it was just necessary to say farewell to our host at the bar in the walls that we had grown to love and were made to feel very welcome. The owner even served us drinks " on the house" a first for us in France, it was like being back in Ireland! The owner was a football fan so we left him a Bolton Wanderers team shirt, not a lot to do with football I grant you but it was all we had on the boat.

  An early start saw us heading out past the Citadel into the Chanel Sud and from there heading south the winds were light as promised for a change and it was a slow trip with a bit of troublesome swell down the thirty miles or so to Belłe Ile.

The winds continued light is hall day and I regretted not putting up our gennaker as it would have made all the difference, Lynne however has become quite sceptical of French weather forecasts so was fully expecting a force 5 any minute so we didn't bother, she does own half the boat after all !

The day was a real scorcher although both Lynne and I felt quite cold in the North westerly breeze. We were accompanied by a quite ridiculous amount of other boats, probably as it was a Saturday, however it is becoming obvious to us that everyone in France goes boating!

We had planned to anchor outside La Palais which is effectively the capital of Belle-Ile, however we were nabbed by the Capitainerie boat and directed onto a "boule" ( bouy) which already had four boats attached to it. We were then charged a quite incredible 20 € for this dubious privilege!

We soon forgot about that however after blowing up the dinghy we went ashore and explored a bit of this fascinating island. As our neighbours and ourselves sorted out our shore transport I began to notice the imposing fortress at the end of the harbour

This turned out to be another of Vaubans constructions and was considerably more extensive than was first apparent.

The picture above shows the entrance to the inner harbour where we could have stayed but as it turned out it wouldn't have been any quieter. The town is very quaint but was very busy with holiday crowds.

However charming it certainly was, the area around the harbour was full of cafes and bars and a great deal of clothes shops, Lynne bought a few bits and pieces however our afternoon coffee was neither as good or as cheap as Port Louis, didn't even get a wee biscuit!

We climbed up a way through the town and found a small beach tucked away.

We had also noticed some kind of fortification which we looked around on the way back.

They were very extensive extending all the way back into town

For some strange reason there was a replica of the " iron throne " from the TV series, Game of thrones. Couldn't resist a sit in it!

We returned to the boat just as a group of Frenchmen attempting to berth on " boule " adjacent to us succeeded in bashing into Dark Tarn three times, as it was a 50 foot fibreglass Benetau I'm afraid it got slightly damaged. I do think however an apology would have been nice........

We returned to town after determined to explore the citadel de Vaubans we could see from the boat.

It turned out to be quite a thing! We were a bit puzzled by the firemans hosepipe running into the entrance but that mystery would be solved before the evening was over.

We managed to climb up through the maze of ditches, glacis, portcullis, drawbridges and other military architecture and were rewarded by a superb view of the harbour.

The ferries were just finishing for the night and were berthing against the harbour wall.

The fortress is now a museum, hotel and restaurant.bas it grew dark we descended the impressive walls and sought out a bar for a quiet drink. As we sat at a pavement cafe the number of people passing made us think and as we made our way back to the harbour it became apparent that something was expected and a huge crowd had gathered beside the small shops and cafes beneath the Fortress walls. The lateness of the hour and the gathering dark made it all too obvious that we were going to have a fireworks display. And what a display it turned out to be!

I managed to capture about 30 seconds of video as photographs taken with a mobile phone really didn't do it justice.

I will try and post it when I have a decent connection.

 

Downtime.....

We had a couple of days to wait for our charts towards the Spanish border to be delivered. As we had been visiting museums and so forth which is something Lynne and I enjoy doing we decided to do something we almost never get the chance to and spend a day on a beach. Twice in one week is something of a record for us. We went to the Grand Plage which is immediately adjacent to the Citadel. We lazed about and went swimming.

I found it very restful, but Lynne was not coping with the heat even with regular swims in the cool water. None the less a fine way to spend a hot afternoon, of course if we had been in proper French mode we would have spent the first two hours having lunch!

The following day was thankfully a little overcast and a lot cooler. The previous day Lynne had noticed a path running along the town walls, you had to walk through gateways in the walls in order to get to the beach. We decided to take the path and see where it led us. I didn't think Lynne was thinking things through at the time as the top of the walls seemed a long way up to me and there was no handrail. Lynne is very sensibly in my opinion, wary of dangerous things and it seemed slightly out of character for her to volunteer something that was potentially risky. I put it down to too much sun!

However it soon became apparent that Lynne wasn't happy.

To add to the mounting tension the narrow path along the ramparts went on for ages,  also becoming increasingly narrow! At one point the path was about 18 inches wide and sloped downward too boot. Needless to say at the first opportunity ( which was a long time coming ) Lynne returned to ground level and left me to enjoy the views.

Port Louis was surprising us again, the fortifications seemed to go almost completely around the peninsular.

Eventually we, with me in the sky and Lynne on the ground, came to the opposite side of the peninsular and a rather charming place it turned out to be with extensive views towards the Isle of Gavres and the inland sea.

There was even a helpful Dias telling you where everything was.

It seemed to be the kind of place that attracts artists, it had a feel of St Ives in Cornwall and indeed there were several gallery's and a great deal of " found art " as my friend Brian informs me it's called.

Some old, and some new........

The most surprising thing however was when we found a map of our walk and we discovered it was almost a complete circle and within five or ten minutes we were back in the church square in time for our afternoon coffee.