Watching & Waiting

Saturday 29 June 2013

Ile d'Oleron, France

It’s a curious irony that there is much more blogging when preparing for the voyage than during the voyage itself!  Clearly this reflects the time that keeping the boat in a cruising state takes up – also the time spent together actually having a holiday.

To bring you up to date: we arrived in Ile d’Oleron (just South of Ile de Re – a stone’s throw from La Rochelle) on Thursday, intending to make for Spain the following day, but deterred by weather reports of rough seas and a generally grey and cold outlook.  Yes – we try our best to be fair weather sailors!  This is not just because we are softies – it’s also because it’s good to get our hands in and our systems tested before setting out on a longer voyage.  We still have winds at a decent strength of between 5 and 15 knots, and a favourable direction – N to NE.  Every day we study all the useful weather reports we can get (about 5 thanks to the I’net) and review our plans.  Currently we will leave tomorrow on the tide at mid-day.

The weather picture is dictated by a high pressure system that has been hanging out in the Atlantic for almost a week now, and looks like staying until Tuesday, our intended arrival in Spain.

The trip over from La Rochelle was quite frisky with a fresh Westerly breeze, meaning a close haul.  We had calculated on a bit less wind, so had put on the number 2 working jib.  When we got out there it was clear that we would sail much better with the number 3 and a reef in the main.  The first-time-this-season sail change took us half an hour, but was worthwhile and we made good progress to St Denis.  The church spire and starboard pole line-up more-or-less happened, and we were able to go alongside a larger boat quite gracefully.  A rally was in and we had an evening of party music… 

The marina here is friendly and the new shower block is fabulous – heated, enough room in the shower stalls, water at the right temperature and your clean clothes don’t get wet.  Heaven, especially on a cool day.

I have to confess that yesterday the spell of Oleron really had us, and a sort of miasma of laziness kept us in our cosy cabin most of the day!  We managed to escape it for a while in the afternoon and went for a short walk, then dragged ourselves out again in the evening to eat at the Royal Moule – great fish soup and moules consistently the best here.  I do feel sorry for them, though.  I feel like the Carpenter – that casts Al as the Walrus.

http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/173170

Now, more planning, organization, putting waypoints into navigation instruments and stocking up on fresh fruit, vegetables & bread. The Bay of Biscay looks big on our chart – until we look at the rest of the Atlantic – at which point it starts to look quite small.

Al is at the market, renewing supplies - crab sandwiches for lunch - we are merciless on the invertebrates.  

COMING SOON: Spain (I'mshalla), HINTS & TIPS, FAVOURITE THINGS