GETTING THERE

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July 7 ARS-EN-RE

GETTING THERE

Well, we left La Rochelle with the usual (for this year) NE 3 – 4. Number 2 foresail & full main, and a lovely tack under the Re bridge. We made good time – in fact, too good since we sailed past our waypoint with a good 90 minutes in hand.  Now the problem was how to ‘park’ the boat – well too deep to anchor.  Made a couple of attempts to heave-to, nether very successful as the number 2 pulled too hard – also a fairly strong incoming tide.  In the event we made a couple of reaches under the mainsail only – and, of course, had lunch.  We then raced for the waypoint – 2 reasons for this (1) to have enough depth when we reached our target marina (LA CREE) and (2) to make sure we got a place, it being on the run-up week to Bastille day, and sunny with it.  

     The approach to Ars can be a bit tricky for the first time.  This was our second but apart from remembering our ‘aground in the channel’ experience, we couldn’t remember too much about it.  Now, for you landlubbers, here’s a digression on GPS navigation that the tars amongst you won’t need. (Look away now – drop back in at the net paragraph). Since there aren’t any nice landmarks on the sea like roundabouts, traffic lights or shops, we work by co-ordinates – latitude and longitude.  Enter the numbers into the GPS and it will tell you when you get there.  Fine.  BUT – as we may have observed before – every bit of water looks a lot like another bit of water, so… the GPS alarm sound around 200 feet away – so we’ll carry on a bit, and we must be there NOW.  ‘How far off are we?’ ‘Oh, it’s behind us now, how far behind?’ ‘Not sure?’ ‘Oh well, we must be somewhere near it…’ Now turn the boat into the wind, take the mainsail down and…  where was that waypoint? Get the idea?

     We took the approach from the assumed-to-be waypoint and soon the depths began to plummet alarmingly.  No, we weren’t exactly where we were meant to be.  Al said ‘We’re going back to La Rochelle’ and I thought ‘Not likely – I want to be in a lovely, quiet marina tonight’ and suggested we had a look at the cockpit plotter to see where the green bits were so we could sail away from them.  Thanks to Al’s quick observation that the deep water had to be some way to Starboard, off we went and up went the depths.  Phew!  Cockpit plotter is ace!  Now we headed for the land on the prescribed course, past what we thought MUST be the green buoy mentioned in the pilot book.  Until we met the next one! (Neither pilot book nor charts are completely up to date through careful cost-benefit assessment.)

 By this time it was clear that we were in the right place, but I still found myself looking for a land based pair of leading marks that I knew (from previous experience) just are not visible and in any case belonged to the next course.  My point is – navigation is not easy, even with GPS, and it’s important not to take anything for granted.  We used to write out a list of key points on a waterproof pad (or bit of paper, depending on conditions) and keep it in the cockpit for quick reference.  Also I now have a strong preference for REEDS loose-leaf almanac – can take out a leaf, put it in a plastic thingy and tuck it into my pocket. While I am on waypoint issues – we had another one on the approach to St Denis d’Oleron where I eventually realized that the waypoint given for the approach is not necessarily going to place us on the leading line.  The approach line itself, as specified in the S Biscay pilot has never made much sense to me!  Again a quick confab with the chart plotter sorted out the problem, showing clearly the shallows that we needed to avoid. After that it was only a question of waiting until we could clear the bar into the harbour (dries at low water springs).

     St Denis itself is a good base from which to see Oleron – I may have mentioned before that it has a really good shower block – warm with plenty hot water and space in the shower cubicles. There’s bike hire nearby (try bargaining), and a daily market in the village.  The nearby campsite has a shop and a couple of modest eateries & takeaways.  Beaches on either side of the marina are swimmable at high tide, but much better beaches are to be had on the opposite side of the island at Les Huttes.

Apologies for the L-O-N-G gap!  We decided to take off for a week or so camping on the Isles of Scilly - a sort of recce for sailing there.  Not sure whether I feel more or less confident of the navigation but there are certainly beautiful anchorages and clear, cold waters.

And - please do sign up to follow the blog if you find our travels in any way interesting.  Comments welcome too - it all encourages me to carry on.

GETTING THERE

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July 7 ARS-EN-RE

GETTING THERE

Well, we left La Rochelle with the usual (for this year) NE 3 – 4. Number 2 foresail & full main, and a lovely tack under the Re bridge. We made good time – in fact, too good since we sailed past our waypoint with a good 90 minutes in hand.  Now the problem was how to ‘park’ the boat – well too deep to anchor.  Made a couple of attempts to heave-to, nether very successful as the number 2 pulled too hard – also a fairly strong incoming tide.  In the event we made a couple of reaches under the mainsail only – and, of course, had lunch.  We then raced for the waypoint – 2 reasons for this (1) to have enough depth when we reached our target marina (LA CREE) and (2) to make sure we got a place, it being on the run-up week to Bastille day, and sunny with it.  

     The approach to Ars can be a bit tricky for the first time.  This was our second but apart from remembering our ‘aground in the channel’ experience, we couldn’t remember too much about it.  Now, for you landlubbers, here’s a digression on GPS navigation that the tars amongst you won’t need. (Look away now – drop back in at the net paragraph). Since there aren’t any nice landmarks on the sea like roundabouts, traffic lights or shops, we work by co-ordinates – latitude and longitude.  Enter the numbers into the GPS and it will tell you when you get there.  Fine.  BUT – as we may have observed before – every bit of water looks a lot like another bit of water, so… the GPS alarm sound around 200 feet away – so we’ll carry on a bit, and we must be there NOW.  ‘How far off are we?’ ‘Oh, it’s behind us now, how far behind?’ ‘Not sure?’ ‘Oh well, we must be somewhere near it…’ Now turn the boat into the wind, take the mainsail down and…  where was that waypoint? Get the idea?

     We took the approach from the assumed-to-be waypoint and soon the depths began to plummet alarmingly.  No, we weren’t exactly where we were meant to be.  Al said ‘We’re going back to La Rochelle’ and I thought ‘Not likely – I want to be in a lovely, quiet marina tonight’ and suggested we had a look at the cockpit plotter to see where the green bits were so we could sail away from them.  Thanks to Al’s quick observation that the deep water had to be some way to Starboard, off we went and up went the depths.  Phew!  Cockpit plotter is ace!  Now we headed for the land on the prescribed course, past what we thought MUST be the green buoy mentioned in the pilot book.  Until we met the next one! (Neither pilot book nor charts are completely up to date through careful cost-benefit assessment.)

 By this time it was clear that we were in the right place, but I still found myself looking for a land based pair of leading marks that I knew (from previous experience) just are not visible and in any case belonged to the next course.  My point is – navigation is not easy, even with GPS, and it’s important not to take anything for granted.  We used to write out a list of key points on a waterproof pad (or bit of paper, depending on conditions) and keep it in the cockpit for quick reference.  Also I now have a strong preference for REEDS loose-leaf almanac – can take out a leaf, put it in a plastic thingy and tuck it into my pocket. While I am on waypoint issues – we had another one on the approach to St Denis d’Oleron where I eventually realized that the waypoint given for the approach is not necessarily going to place us on the leading line.  The approach line itself, as specified in the S Biscay pilot has never made much sense to me!  Again a quick confab with the chart plotter sorted out the problem, showing clearly the shallows that we needed to avoid. After that it was only a question of waiting until we could clear the bar into the harbour (dries at low water springs).

     St Denis itself is a good base from which to see Oleron – I may have mentioned before that it has a really good shower block – warm with plenty hot water and space in the shower cubicles. There’s bike hire nearby (try bargaining), and a daily market in the village.  The nearby campsite has a shop and a couple of modest eateries & takeaways.  Beaches on either side of the marina are swimmable at high tide, but much better beaches are to be had on the opposite side of the island at Les Huttes.

Apologies for the L-O-N-G gap!  We decided to take off for a week or so camping on the Isles of Scilly - a sort of recce for sailing there.  Not sure whether I feel more or less confident of the navigation but there are certainly beautiful anchorages and clear, cold waters.

And - please do sign up to follow the blog if you find our travels in any way interesting.  Comments welcome too - it all encourages me to carry on.

The Beach

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29 JULY 2013-07-29

The Beaches of Agnes (and us)

Agnes Varda, as some of you know, is a talented and influential French filmmaker, a central figure of the New Wave who is still working in her eighties.  She was married from time to time (‘a love story with a hole in it’)to Jacques Demy (Umbrellas of Cherbourg; Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)   The Beaches of Agnes uses the evocative powers of beaches to tell a story of her own life, and Demy’s. (For a review, check out http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/01/beaches-of-agnes-review)

     Agnes used the evocative power of place, and in particular beaches, to tell us something about her own life and internal processes. This summer we (Al and I) have been reflecting on many aspects of our lives and beaches are a good place to do that.   
    For me, there is an additional resonance.  When I was around 5 years old I was diagnosed with TB and that resulted in almost a year confined to home, initially to my bed, running frequent fevers and living in my imagination and dreams.  My parents tried hard to give me the material to keep myself entertained and one of those items was a bridge-like table that straddled my bed and could even be tilted like a desk.  I don’t think my Dad, who commissioned it, could have envisaged just how important that piece of furniture would be – or maybe he did.  It was made in unfinished pine with a very modern hard plastic top.  Most exciting was a ‘secret’ pocket under the top in one corner, next to a leg.  I realise now that it was just an artefact of the design, but then it seemed like a magical thing.  I digress.  The beaches: when I felt better my parents gave me a jigsaw, a beach scene; it took me a long time – days, weeks – time is different for children – and I think that for a few hours a day I lived inside that beach scene with its white sand, blue sea, bright light, bright colours and people frozen in the sun-bleached moment.  It represents the perfect beach day with no sunburn or sand in the pants or sandwiches.

Now the beach represents freedom and pleasure, especially when the water is warm enough for swimming.  Al completely turns into a sea creature and is instantly playful. He likes to swim with goggles and mask, so he can see the occasional bit of marine life – sadly not much of this in an area that must once have been heaving with fish. I love the freedom not to wear clothes, the tactile pleasure of the water and sand, the warmth of the sun on skin, the touch of shade when I most need it, an orange and a drink of tepid water – all good.

Coming next: The Vicissitudes of Navigation

The Beach

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29 JULY 2013-07-29

The Beaches of Agnes (and us)

Agnes Varda, as some of you know, is a talented and influential French filmmaker, a central figure of the New Wave who is still working in her eighties.  She was married from time to time (‘a love story with a hole in it’)to Jacques Demy (Umbrellas of Cherbourg; Les Demoiselles de Rochefort)   The Beaches of Agnes uses the evocative powers of beaches to tell a story of her own life, and Demy’s. (For a review, check out http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2009/oct/01/beaches-of-agnes-review)

     Agnes used the evocative power of place, and in particular beaches, to tell us something about her own life and internal processes. This summer we (Al and I) have been reflecting on many aspects of our lives and beaches are a good place to do that.   
    For me, there is an additional resonance.  When I was around 5 years old I was diagnosed with TB and that resulted in almost a year confined to home, initially to my bed, running frequent fevers and living in my imagination and dreams.  My parents tried hard to give me the material to keep myself entertained and one of those items was a bridge-like table that straddled my bed and could even be tilted like a desk.  I don’t think my Dad, who commissioned it, could have envisaged just how important that piece of furniture would be – or maybe he did.  It was made in unfinished pine with a very modern hard plastic top.  Most exciting was a ‘secret’ pocket under the top in one corner, next to a leg.  I realise now that it was just an artefact of the design, but then it seemed like a magical thing.  I digress.  The beaches: when I felt better my parents gave me a jigsaw, a beach scene; it took me a long time – days, weeks – time is different for children – and I think that for a few hours a day I lived inside that beach scene with its white sand, blue sea, bright light, bright colours and people frozen in the sun-bleached moment.  It represents the perfect beach day with no sunburn or sand in the pants or sandwiches.

Now the beach represents freedom and pleasure, especially when the water is warm enough for swimming.  Al completely turns into a sea creature and is instantly playful. He likes to swim with goggles and mask, so he can see the occasional bit of marine life – sadly not much of this in an area that must once have been heaving with fish. I love the freedom not to wear clothes, the tactile pleasure of the water and sand, the warmth of the sun on skin, the touch of shade when I most need it, an orange and a drink of tepid water – all good.

Coming next: The Vicissitudes of Navigation

Heat and Home

Sorry all - blog is WAY behind but I promise I will finish it at home.  We are packing the boat to leave.  Huge heat here as everywhere.  Meanwhile - if you want to check out our trip photos https://plus.google.com/photos/101071641620402583976/albums/5881415925577166305?banner=pwa
Au revoir.

Heat and Home

Sorry all - blog is WAY behind but I promise I will finish it at home.  We are packing the boat to leave.  Huge heat here as everywhere.  Meanwhile - if you want to check out our trip photos https://plus.google.com/photos/101071641620402583976/albums/5881415925577166305?banner=pwa
Au revoir.

Beach & Boat Holidays

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Ars-en-Re

10 July 2013

We are still here in Ile de Re – the weather is fabulous – a proper summer at last!  We have spent the last two early evenings at the beach – nice swimming at high water when the sea has warmed up over the sand.  Gentle surf and we had a tiny beach to ourselves.  We cycle with rented bikes, around 6 kms – not so far, although all the cycle tracks on Re seem to go uphill!  On the way back we went into the village of Saint Clement des Baleines to checkout a restaurant and almost literally ran into a bus load of string players there to give a concert in the church.  So we ate and then went to the concert – some good guitar playing followed by a string quartet, and still light when we pedaled back to the boat after 10pm.

 

Ars-en-Re basin de la Cree

Bird Reserve

Sea lettuce on Grande Jonc beach

The day before, we went to a beach at Les Portes and cycled back via the bird reserve.   There’s a video clip from the GoPro on a headband on the bike but it’s very wobbly.  I’ll put it in to give an idea of the landscape.  The best beaches are at the NW end of the island - accessed via the Phare de Baleines and the village of Les Portes de Re.

Can't upload video directly so please check out YouTube link below.

  http://youtu.be/8VKW9WQK_Mo

Re is much more wealthy island than Oleron, an up-market island served by an airport (La Rochelle – Re), with a lot of large private houses, sheltered by high gates.  A few British cars – the first ones we’ve really seen on this trip.  There are traces of the original population but holiday rentals dominate.  There are also wealthy French who have had holiday homes here for a long time.  Originally the island would have been all about fishing and shellfish.  There are huge areas of stony beach used for ‘peche a pied’ – gathering shellfish at low tide.  Very little fishing now – a few boats at St Martin.

Now we are asking ourselves ‘where next?’ as the North East winds persist under the influence of the same area of high pressure that is giving the UK its summer weather.  Could be Les Sables, maybe Ile de Yeu if there’s not too much North in the wind.  Meanwhile a few maintenance & housekeeping jobs on the boat – the VHF doesn’t seem to be receiving very well, so need to check the aerial connections. 

There’s always a bit of tension between sailing and holidaying – sometimes the two go together well, and sometimes we can’t decide whether to stay or go!  How long is too long?  When can we leave?  Where will the wind take us?

Watch this space!

Tips and Tricks:  Many of the boaters and holidaymakers here have bad sunburn!  Apart from covering up as much as possible we are using Eucerin factor 30 on cloudy days and Roc high protection on sunny ones, so far with good results and no burns.  Eucerin used to be available only in the USA but now you can buy it by mail in the UK.  I use factor 15 in the winter.  The Roc can be hard to find – I bought ours on the Internet.