Leaving Les Sables, we crossed the line of latitude 460 26’ 9 N and were now in new territory having never travelled further south than Bourgenay in 2019.
The île de Ré bridge, which marks the entrance to La Rochelle and the bay of Rade de Basques could be seen from 3 hours away. As the weather turned from very sailable to no wind at all and with the sea looking like a sheet of glass, Nina became engrossed with the online newspaper and I watched the Lionesses beat Australia 3-1 to gain a further win in the World Cup.
With the auto helm on, Le Jouannet did what she does best, she motored herself forward to the next waypoint.
At La Rochelle, it is customary to pass between the water towers which guard the city, even if this is not where you intend to moor for the night and so with the flood tide we made our way, cautiously, to the city centre. A quick spin round and on exiting the port, we found our home for the next week in Europe’s largest marina, Minimes.
I’m not sure what is considered a greater destructive force of nature – a force 8 gale or 2 grandchildren popping in for a visit …. Over the next 24 hours every button on board was pushed, everything else was spun, wound up, unravelled, pulled out and pushed in. They drove the dinghy, steered the boat, built sandcastles and collected shells on the beach, stubbed their toes, fell downstairs and constantly tottered on the edge but thankfully never fell in.
It was all over too soon and as we waved them off we returned to a boat that had the appearance of a crime scene which could wait ….
20th August 2023
Trip Mileage 37 miles
Mileage Completed 2189 miles