Chasing the Recouvrance

The BThe Anglo,French, Dutch fleet waking up

for the parade of sail..,

After a jolly evening of wonderful French hospitaily in the OGA 's french headquarters the beholden baguette was retrieved! 

ip early to get the fleet ready and out through the lock and find the Recouvrance in the outer harbourbour 

Here is a photo of the very special present given to each skipper by the French OGA 

A big thankyou for all the food and fun put on for us by Yannie? Jean Yvonne and all the helpers of the French team

The fleet with the Recouvrance 

Over the sea to Jersey

A warm and gentle breeze helped us all south again.

Now our boats have come together behind the high stone harbour walls of St Hillier. A lifeless marina of resting gin palaces polished to a gleam, their owners many miles away, but clever with their taxes 

The arriving gaffers stir up some interest at last for  the dreamy shore staff. 

The 'Sailors Rest' cafe at the top of the ramp provide the spot  for a crew get-together.,, sharing notes and plans for the morrow. It's very English stewed tea and plastic muffins but the beer is 'Badgers' and we suspect Mark Woodhouse has passed this way before us! 

The fleet assembles in St Malo

RLast night jean Yvonne Combot and Jacques Briois arrived from Brittany in their boats

More French boats to arrive today and The fleet will ready to greet the Recouvrance  tonight! 

But first and above all we must retire the golden baguette! 

St Malo

After being told by vodaphone that my number was up I have wifi here outside the capitainerie. It's takes skill this blogging!

All our 11 OGA have arrived in St Malo inner harbour and that feels like an achievement - when it pronably isn't! 

Los of interest in our traditional

boats from the many tourists passing 

by, there is a real buzz about town with its many market stall busy restaurants 

and bustling beaches

I

Alderney to Guernsey

We left Alderney in a stiff NW breeze once again it felt like our fate was in the hands off the gods

The Swinge, said the locals is best taken at slack tide when the overfalls show a little mercy! 

The remains of the gale had left a short sharp swell compressed by the currents surging past the jagged coast 

Cine Mara soon took the lead and setting our course Step Back In Time and Betty 2 set the helm for Guernsey a patch of land on the horizon 

4 hours later we entered the smooth waters of the little Russel and St Peter Port with its plan lined marina, it's cafes and busy traffic.

We had a quiet night woken early by the sounds of ships engines and dockside cranes 

Anchorage off Sark Island

Famous for its total restriction of cars 

Dark is a horse drawn community 

And has some of the best and cleanest fishing waters in the Channel Islands 

Tiny jelly fish however inhabits its depth so one might resisted a swim!

But it was in one of the secluded rocky bays that we met two more of our fleet catching after the channel storms 

With Morgaine and Moon River joining us from Yarmouth 

They too had rough crossings staying only one night in Alderney 

But the swell came in again and all but the Kiddles beat a hasty retreat back to port and s quiet pontoon for the night 

Betty 2 sailing in company wth the OGA to St Malo t

Thoughts on making a channel crossing in a 100 year old 25 ft yacht

Crossing the Channel 

Yarmouth to Alderney. 

As we passed the Needles  in the early daylight hours of Saturday, the grey waves of the Channel seemed to be particularly ominous. We're we being sensible to leave with a forecsst of strong winds in such a frail craft? 

The Channel seemed big , lumpy and very wide in the cold dawn wind..

 The crests were steep and breaking  drenching us with spray and cascading over our bows. 

To turn back at that stage of the 12 passage might have been sensible. But I was reluctant to do so, sitting this out in Yarmouth would have meant a wait of several days for another workable weather window. Gales were predicted. 

we were not alone on this trip 

Cine Mara and the even smaller Step Back in Time were with us. Cine Mara's presence gave  our little boats a sense of courage beyond our proper our bows bucking the spray ..

The wind was  NW and with reduced sail  our chances of a  'downwind' sail all the way to Alderney promised good speed. 

On board Betty 2 in the meantime  quiziness set in, neither of us was wanting our breakfast! 

Alderney

Alderney welcomed us just as a blustery day got stormy. Dark clouds appeared from the west the winds streaming the rain in horizontally.

The waves outside the breakwater exloding high in the air, cascading down on the walkway and boats below 

We reached for the warmth of our camping stove and hunkered down

shore the islanders welcomed us. 

The little sailing club with its dry sofa and it's afternoon teas was a wonderful contrast to our cramped ships quarters. 

As the gale raged out at sea, three days spent walking along the islands wild and rocky coast line. 

Resting our weary legs at its beachside taverns, soaking up the island spirit