With some sadness, on the morning of 29th September (coincidentally, the Skipper's daughter's 18th Birthday), we set sail from Eastbourne to Dover. 45 miles.
We had a lovely sail and reminisced about all the things that had happened over the last 5 months. A brilliant summer and we'll be doing it again next year.
The question is, will it be on Balmain Bug or Boat Two?
Currently, it's leaning towards Bugsy. She's a beautiful boat and sails wonderfully. Watch this space.
Total distance run this summer 920 Nautical Miles.
Wednesday, 29 September 2010
Brighton to Eastbourne 28/9/2010
And so we started to make our way back. We motored all the way to Eastbourne as there was no wind.
We were rather disappointed on our arrival to find that the "eat as much as you want" Chinese had closed down.
But the showers were just as good as we remembered them.
We were rather disappointed on our arrival to find that the "eat as much as you want" Chinese had closed down.
But the showers were just as good as we remembered them.
Fecamp to Brighton
So, on the Monday we finally set off to Brighton. And what a sail!
Most of the way we were doing between 6.5 and 7 knots and the whole journey of 68miles took 10 1/2 hours, and average of just under 6.5knots and we only used the engine to get us into and out of the marina at either end a total of 30 minutes in all.
The funeral was attended and old times relived and then we spent a few days in Brighton. The Galley Slave even managed to persuade the Skipper to visit 2 vegetarian restaurants in one day.
Most of the way we were doing between 6.5 and 7 knots and the whole journey of 68miles took 10 1/2 hours, and average of just under 6.5knots and we only used the engine to get us into and out of the marina at either end a total of 30 minutes in all.
The funeral was attended and old times relived and then we spent a few days in Brighton. The Galley Slave even managed to persuade the Skipper to visit 2 vegetarian restaurants in one day.
Sunday, 19 September 2010
Latest update
We were planning to sail up the French coast to Dieppe/Boulogne/Calais on our final run back to Dover.
Unfortunately, an old friend of the Skipper's died last week and his funeral is in Nottingham on Wednesday, so we changed our plan (once again). On Saturday we sailed from St Valery en Caux to Fecamp. this morning (Sunday 19th) we were rudely awoken by our alarm clock at 5:30am with the intention of sailing to Brighton, so that we could make our way home and onwards to the funeral.
The trip is 65 miles and in our little boat would take somewhere between 13-15 hours. So we were more interested than usual in the weather forecast as we would be out in it for sometime and quite a long way from land.
With dreary eyes, we scanned all the weather forecasts we could find.
We have never really sailed in much more than a F5 sea state moderate and have no real wish to try out anything heavier in a boat as light as Bugsy.
What was slightly more frustrating, was that at the time, the sun was shining and there was just a gentle breeze blowing. We were even hailed by a froggie French man on a Beneteau 31.7 who asked us if we wanted to go out racing with them. We didn't, we went back to bed.
All eyes today will be on the actual observations from the Greenwich light ship to see which forecast was correct. Results will be posted below:
As it happened:
06:00 W F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.2M
07:00 W F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.2M
08:00 SW F5 (17Knots) Wave Height 0.3M
09:00 W F5 (19Knots) Wave Height 0.3M
10:00 SW F6 (22Knots) Wave Height 0.4M
11:00 SW F6 (23Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
12:00 SW F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.8M
13:00 SW F4 (15Knots) Wave Height 1.0M
14:00 SW F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.8M
15:00 SW F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
16:00 SW F5 (19Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
17:00 SW F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
Now that's what I call F5-6 and moderate, I've seen more rough in a Woking nightclub. Oh well, let's see what the forecast is tomorrow. Apparently, at the moment they're forecasting the same, should we stay or should we go?
Who knows?
Unfortunately, an old friend of the Skipper's died last week and his funeral is in Nottingham on Wednesday, so we changed our plan (once again). On Saturday we sailed from St Valery en Caux to Fecamp. this morning (Sunday 19th) we were rudely awoken by our alarm clock at 5:30am with the intention of sailing to Brighton, so that we could make our way home and onwards to the funeral.
The trip is 65 miles and in our little boat would take somewhere between 13-15 hours. So we were more interested than usual in the weather forecast as we would be out in it for sometime and quite a long way from land.
With dreary eyes, we scanned all the weather forecasts we could find.
- XC Weather said SW F4 sometimes F5.
- Meteo (for the local French area) said SW F3-4 sea state moderate.
- Shipping Forecast said SW F5-7 sea state moderate to rough.
We have never really sailed in much more than a F5 sea state moderate and have no real wish to try out anything heavier in a boat as light as Bugsy.
What was slightly more frustrating, was that at the time, the sun was shining and there was just a gentle breeze blowing. We were even hailed by a froggie French man on a Beneteau 31.7 who asked us if we wanted to go out racing with them. We didn't, we went back to bed.
All eyes today will be on the actual observations from the Greenwich light ship to see which forecast was correct. Results will be posted below:
As it happened:
06:00 W F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.2M
07:00 W F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.2M
08:00 SW F5 (17Knots) Wave Height 0.3M
09:00 W F5 (19Knots) Wave Height 0.3M
10:00 SW F6 (22Knots) Wave Height 0.4M
11:00 SW F6 (23Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
12:00 SW F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.8M
13:00 SW F4 (15Knots) Wave Height 1.0M
14:00 SW F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.8M
15:00 SW F5 (20Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
16:00 SW F5 (19Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
17:00 SW F5 (18Knots) Wave Height 0.5M
Now that's what I call F5-6 and moderate, I've seen more rough in a Woking nightclub. Oh well, let's see what the forecast is tomorrow. Apparently, at the moment they're forecasting the same, should we stay or should we go?
Who knows?
Monday, 13 September 2010
More gastronomic success
For some reason the Skipper's Dad Skyped him in the morning and the conversation eventually got round to the evening meal (as it usually does with the Skipper's Dad). Was chatting with the Wicked Stepmother about onion preparation for my up and coming Onion Soup and she pointed out that when she tried to cook onions in the slow cooker with corned beef, that the onions always came out hard. Didn't have the heart to ask her what on earth she was doing feeding my Father corned beef, but took her comments on board.
So, the onions were fried (in the special butter previously mentioned) and then all the secret ingredients added to the slow cooker. Fortunately, my onions weren't rebelling against their close neighbours and this is what happened.
These French are going to have to take a back seat soon..
Well, OK, it doesn't look that good, but it tasted OK.
So, the onions were fried (in the special butter previously mentioned) and then all the secret ingredients added to the slow cooker. Fortunately, my onions weren't rebelling against their close neighbours and this is what happened.
These French are going to have to take a back seat soon..
Well, OK, it doesn't look that good, but it tasted OK.
Latest Life Saving Gadget
We have a lot of safety equipment on board, but this latest addition is just the ticket. A lot of sea-farers worry about man overboard situations.
We struggle a lot more with peg-overboard and flip-flop-overboard traumas. So we bought this:
Quite excitingly, we had to deploy it within 24 hours when the Galley Slave lost a flip-flop overboard whilst getting off the boat one evening. A highly efficient and successful mission with our new flourescent pink fishing net meant that she was soon re-united with her footwear. (lucky that, else the Skipper would probably have had to have gone out and bought her 2 or 3 more pairs to make up).
We struggle a lot more with peg-overboard and flip-flop-overboard traumas. So we bought this:
Quite excitingly, we had to deploy it within 24 hours when the Galley Slave lost a flip-flop overboard whilst getting off the boat one evening. A highly efficient and successful mission with our new flourescent pink fishing net meant that she was soon re-united with her footwear. (lucky that, else the Skipper would probably have had to have gone out and bought her 2 or 3 more pairs to make up).
Always an eye for a bargain
Alcohol prices (along with everything else) seems to have risen enormously in the last couple of years, so when the Skipper found this 5l box of Vieux Papes (affectionately known as Old Paps on board), at the knock down price of 10€ he thought he'd get himself a couple of boxes.
Imagine his delight when he got to the checkout to find that they were on Buy One Get One Free....
Imagine his delight when he got to the checkout to find that they were on Buy One Get One Free....
Sunday, 12 September 2010
Probably the best butter in the world...
This stuff is amazing....
But I'm surprised it doesn't have a health warning attached to it. It's just like normal butter except that has great big lumps of sea salt embedded in it. Not sure if it's available in England and to be honest, it's probably best if it's not. It can't be doing much for my blood pressure.
Yummy though.
Saturday, 11 September 2010
Burger & Chips
Can't beat a good burger, chips & peas.
There's nothing like showing the French a thing or two about gastronomy.
There's nothing like showing the French a thing or two about gastronomy.
Some Piccies of St Valery-en-Caux
Good Wifi, nice toilets and a bar right next to our pontoon, means that we stayed a little longer in St Valery than we originally thought we would. Here are some photos which neatly demonstrate tidal differences in the marina.
High Tide:
High Tide:
Low Tide
etc etc
Wednesday, 8 September 2010
Balmain Bug causes a stir
Moored up in St Valery, we were sat minding our own business in the cabin and Allister noticed that there were a couple of people on the harbour wall taking photos of the back of our boat. After a few minutes we heard a loud voice speaking French with a heavy English accent:
"Pourquoi vous avez nommé un bateau 'Balmain Bug'?".
The Galley Slave went up on deck and started trying to explain in French. The Skipper informed her that they were English. He was wrong. They were Australian, hailing from Sydney and were impressed that they had found a boat in France that had the name of a widdy little crustacean that only lives in that part of the world.
It made them very happy!
"Pourquoi vous avez nommé un bateau 'Balmain Bug'?".
The Galley Slave went up on deck and started trying to explain in French. The Skipper informed her that they were English. He was wrong. They were Australian, hailing from Sydney and were impressed that they had found a boat in France that had the name of a widdy little crustacean that only lives in that part of the world.
It made them very happy!
Off to Le Havre
Although Caen is a wonderful place, not only does it not have WiFi, but the electricity supply is extremely limited. We weren't allowed to use more than 300W. So no heater and no kettle.
Off to Le Havre.
Not a bad sail, but got a bit lumpy at the end.
Le Havre had more electricity, but the WiFi was incredibly unreliable.
It too has a Church, but this one wouldn't be out of place in a Flash Gordan film:
While we were in Le Havre, our friend Allister came to see us.
The WiFi connection was so bad that we had to move on. So we set sail to St Valery en Caux.
We sailed past Etretat, but the light was poor and there was a lot of haze, so I couldn't get any photos of the rocks. But they were most impressive.
Off to Le Havre.
Not a bad sail, but got a bit lumpy at the end.
Le Havre had more electricity, but the WiFi was incredibly unreliable.
It too has a Church, but this one wouldn't be out of place in a Flash Gordan film:
While we were in Le Havre, our friend Allister came to see us.
The WiFi connection was so bad that we had to move on. So we set sail to St Valery en Caux.
We sailed past Etretat, but the light was poor and there was a lot of haze, so I couldn't get any photos of the rocks. But they were most impressive.
A day out in Bayeux
After having looked round the Castle of William the Conqueror in Caen, we thought we ought to get the lowdown on the man who changed the shape of England. So we went to Bayeux for the day. Much fun was had.
The church is rather grander than the one we're used to:
Couldn't work out what this was on about, but no doubt some highly-qualified French speaker will post a comment with a translation:
These chaps were quite fun:
And I'm sure my clergy friends would feel much more at home in a pulpit like this, rather than the rather lack-lustre affair at St John's.
This chap was doing quite a good trade. I think people thought that there was an entrance charge:
I thought I'd try my hand at organ photography, but I think I'll leave it to the professionals. (note to self, must by a tilt and shift lens).
After the Church, we went to see the tapestry. Which was fantastic, but you aren't allowed to take photos of it. So I didn't.
Made our way back to Caen, but it being a Monday, all the shops were shut. The Galley Slave was a bit fed up that this was the second day on the trot that had taken her shopping when they were all closed.
The church is rather grander than the one we're used to:
Couldn't work out what this was on about, but no doubt some highly-qualified French speaker will post a comment with a translation:
These chaps were quite fun:
And I'm sure my clergy friends would feel much more at home in a pulpit like this, rather than the rather lack-lustre affair at St John's.
This chap was doing quite a good trade. I think people thought that there was an entrance charge:
I thought I'd try my hand at organ photography, but I think I'll leave it to the professionals. (note to self, must by a tilt and shift lens).
After the Church, we went to see the tapestry. Which was fantastic, but you aren't allowed to take photos of it. So I didn't.
Made our way back to Caen, but it being a Monday, all the shops were shut. The Galley Slave was a bit fed up that this was the second day on the trot that had taken her shopping when they were all closed.
Ouistreham to Caen
The canal from Ouistreham to Caen is about 8 miles long and rather fun in a sailing boat. There are three bridges that need to be lifted on the way and the nice man from the marina follows you down in his Renault van and lets you through them in turn.
The first bridge is Pegasus Bridge. It was the first bridge that was captured by the Allies. It wasn't quite as busy (or scary) as we passed through:
And finally we made it into Caen:
The first bridge is Pegasus Bridge. It was the first bridge that was captured by the Allies. It wasn't quite as busy (or scary) as we passed through:
On our way, we passed a ferry that was having a rest:
And finally we made it into Caen:
Not sure what this was all about, but it was quite fun!
The landing beaches
On Saturday 28th August, we set sail for Ouistreham. It was a lovely day, but we were so busy sailing, we didn't take any photos.
The wind was coming from pretty much behind us, so we gybed our way down the coast. For a couple of hours we were sailing straight towards Omaha Beach. It was a poignant time, thinking of those who had travelled much the same course 66 years ago.
It took us longer than we thought to get to Ouistreham and we made our first night arrival for a very long time. It was a bit scary, but we were reassured by managing to spot all the navigational lights that guided us in.
Waited for the lock and made our way to the marina. A couple of beers in the outdoor Caribbean style bar, complete with palm trees and sand and then off to bed.
The wind was coming from pretty much behind us, so we gybed our way down the coast. For a couple of hours we were sailing straight towards Omaha Beach. It was a poignant time, thinking of those who had travelled much the same course 66 years ago.
It took us longer than we thought to get to Ouistreham and we made our first night arrival for a very long time. It was a bit scary, but we were reassured by managing to spot all the navigational lights that guided us in.
Waited for the lock and made our way to the marina. A couple of beers in the outdoor Caribbean style bar, complete with palm trees and sand and then off to bed.
Sunday, 5 September 2010
Two weeks in St Vaast
Due to pressures of work, we stayed in St Vaast for 2 weeks. It's a lovely little town though, so we didn't mind at all.
It was at this stage that we realised that none of the marinas on the Calvados coast have WiFi. This presented us with bit of a problem as we had hoped to hop from port to port, Grandcamp Maisy, Carentan, Port en Bessin, Ouistreham, Deauville/Trouville and finally end up at Le Havre.
This plan had to be abandoned as we couldn't spend that long without an internet connection. So as it was the bank holiday weekend we decided to make straight for Ouistreham/Caen.
It was at this stage that we realised that none of the marinas on the Calvados coast have WiFi. This presented us with bit of a problem as we had hoped to hop from port to port, Grandcamp Maisy, Carentan, Port en Bessin, Ouistreham, Deauville/Trouville and finally end up at Le Havre.
This plan had to be abandoned as we couldn't spend that long without an internet connection. So as it was the bank holiday weekend we decided to make straight for Ouistreham/Caen.
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