Back Out To Sea
We were invited to a wedding in Bergerac on 12th May and ideally wanted to be in Les Sables D’Olonne by that time and hire a car. If adverse weather had prevented that then we would have headed back to Redon and gone from there. However once the wedding is over we will be looking for a window to cross Biscay, and Les Sables D’Olonne is a good place to wait and set off from.
Down River to Arzal
Val and I have undertaken numerous sizeable DIY projects over the years and to the bemusement of our friends we actually enjoy getting our hands dirty. We had antifouled Calypso at the end of last season (using a product that can be left out of the water for 9 months without losing its effectiveness) and were in need of work – so we offered to help Adam and Lynne antifoul and polish Charisma. After 2 nights at Redon we headed downstream towards Charisma’s appointment at the Foleux boatyard.
Up River To Redon
On leaving Arzal we immediately headed up river, beyond La Roche Bernard, and anchored in a spot recommended by Adam and Lynne Bispham who had anchored Charisma there – just short of Port Foleux, in 6 metres of water and on a short stretch of river between 2 bends, surrounded by trees and wooded meadow, on a beautiful hot summer’s day (remember this was the 21st April, most unseasonal!)
Leaving Arzal (Our Winter Base)
During January we had a trip to France, staying one night with friends Alan and Ros (Cruising Association members who we met in L’Herbaudiere and Ile D’Yeu last year) in their lovely Normandy home, and then for a couple of nights with Adam and Lynne, aboard their yacht Charisma, moored up the Vilaine at Redon. We took things to Calypso to ensure that we could travel light at the start of the season; we changed the dehumidifying crystals and we checked the batteries.
Returning Home Via a Vineyard (or Three)
When we returned to Calypso from our mid-season break in the UK we left our Citroen Berlingo at our winter destination, complete with a tent in the boot. After 3 days hard graft in the boatyard we headed South to tour the vineyards of Bordeaux.
2017 Review and 2018 Plans
We followed our intended plan for 2017 quite closely, and in spite of our fears of a delayed channel crossing whilst waiting for the wind in Weymouth we did arrive in France on the last day of May. We had a great time, and here are a few highlights, lowlights and numbers:
Winterising and Winter Berth
Before we had the boat lifted out of the water at our selected boatyard we dried and removed sails and undertook the first part of the engine service – oil and filter change.
In this part of France the winters can get very cold indeed, and we needed to take care to prepare Calypso for the very cold months ahead.
La Roche Bernard
The winds were fairly gentle as we headed north from La Turballe towards the Vilaine River, but we did have a very pleasant sail for most of the way, dropping the sails as we we reached the point where the approach narrowed and shallowed. We are perhaps over-cautious, but didn’t want sails up in case we needed to hunt for deeper water.
Sitting it out in La Turballe
On 7th September we started our journey North towards our winter berth – stored ashore on the hard – having pre-booked our late September lift-out date as early as February. We had intended to stay another day but the forecast of high winds over the coming days meant that instead of a leisurely trip North we would knock off 40 nm of the trip in the one day to give us plenty of time, sitting out high winds if need be, to get to our destination.
Ile D’Yeu – Cyclists’ paradise
Various people along the way said that Ile D’Yeu is a must see, and so we went on Friday 1st September, the day that the mooring fee falls from 38.50 to 22.00 euros! Whilst in the end we did really like the island and had a great time, the marina was not well situated and the town it sits in was OK but shops and bars are a long walk from the marina – and the bars and restaurants were not as attractive as in some places we’ve visited.