The Brittany And West Country Triangle

   Crew:  Kieth Seston, Tony Keegan, Paul Daniels

Saturday

The plan was to have a leisurely start and make sure the boat was in good order before leaving at about lunchtime for the first leg of the weeks cruise to Lezardrieux and beyond. The weather was bright and sunny, the wind a moderate south easterly and better still it was expected to continue for the weekend. We set off in good form after a pleasant lunch at the Square Rigger at 1pm and soon had the sails up and making brisk progress in 16kn of breeze.

We passed the Needles at 4pm maintaining a steady 6 knots towards Cap de la Hague and kept east anticipating a strong west setting tide by the time we had crossed the Channel. Those new to the boat got themselves organised for a night sail and dinner was prepared as we were going through the shipping lanes. By midnight we estimated we were at least15 miles away from the coast, but seeing lots of lights, were concerned that they were Cherbourg. In reality we were too far east, they were from the Nuclear Power station and we were right on track. Unfortunately the wind had dropped and forcing us to motor for a few hours to keep the speed up.

Soon after 2am we approached the Alderney Race and felt a blast of warm air coming off the Cherbourg Peninsular. We were soon travelling at 10kn over the ground in good conditions, well satisfied with our position, which was established with a fix. The lights of Alderney, Cap de la Hague and the Casquets were all clearly visible. Dawn broke at about 4am with Sark ahead and the French coast to port. As daylight broke, the wind picked up and we were soon sailing along in a bright, sunny morning. At one point all the Channel Islands were visible from Jersey ahead to Alderney well behind us with Guernsey, Herm and Sark to Starboard.

Soon after passing Desormes to port the wind died but we had an uneventful passage across to the Plateau de Barnouic, which we carefully avoided before approaching the Ile de Brehat and the entrance to the Trieux River at lunch time. The Island was not easy to distinguish from the coastline until we were quite close; fortunately La Horaine lighthouse is well offshore with its cardinal and clear channel marks which we used to guide us into the River. How anyone could use the leading marks of Bodic and La Coix is a mystery as they were quite indistinguishable from a distance in daylight. We found the large stone channel markers were adequate to verify our position as we made our way up the river past the rocky outcrops and rugged scenery to the more moderate seaside views further on. We carefully avoided the yachts from the Glen Annas sailing school, eventually passing the Perdix Light and into the Port de Plaisance where we finally moored at 4pm local time.

It had been a great passage,  a total of 157 miles logged in 26 hours, much in ideal sailing conditions – 15kn of wind right on the beam! That evening we had a fine meal at the Auberge de Trieux, a restaurant with a strong yachting ambiance and clearly visited by other Royal Southern members.

Monday

The plan was to go to Paimpol so we left at 8am in order to enter the port at high water. Motoring out in bright sunshine we soon came to a halt when confronted with a wall of sea fog. This forced a  mooring close to the Vielle de Bodic tower to waited until after lunch when the visibility had improved and we were satisfied we could leave. With the tide dropping fast we revised our plans and headed for Treguier via the Moisie Channel. By the time we had reached the Ile de Brehat the visibility had deteriorated, but adequate enough, or so we hoped.

Cautiously we headed NorthWest into the channel taking a back bearing using the white pyramid on the island lined up with the church. By the time we reached the Roche Moise cardinal the Island had all but disappeared but we had kept clear of the rocks by keeping close to the markers and were soon in clear water  off Les Heaux. Not wishing to try any other inshore passages we kept well out passing La Jument before heading into the Grande Passe which was well marked and took us in to the river without incident. The scenery soon changed to a distinctly agricultural setting as we motored up the river to Treguier which is a good five miles from the sea. The characteristic spire of the church in the middle of the town welcomed us as we rounded the last bend in the river and led us to the marina. Fortunately this was quite empty and the tidal stream not very strong so berthing was much easier that is often the case. As June was considered out of season, the Capitainerie had closed at 5:30 so we improvised as best as we could.

A quick survey of the town showed that dining options were quite limited and after a few beers in several bars to stimulate our thoughts we finally opted for Le Saint Bernard which was recommended by the Guide Routard and close to the marina. It was a shame that the splendid fish shop only opened in July and August but is was pleasant enough to have a walk round the delightful old town.

Tuesday

In order to get to Perros Guirec we had to leave at 5am to get there in time to enter the marina, which had very limited access. The weather had changed with a vengeance and it was absolutely throwing in down when we left; Tony  & I took first watch whilst the others stayed nice and dry in their berths. Gingerly we went from buoy to buoy which fortunately were well lit as we groped our way through the murk towards the open sea.  As luck would have it the weather cleared just in time for a change of watch as we cleared Basse Crublent at 7:30 and headed south west along the coast.

It only took two hours to reach the Anse de Perros and we were struck by the number of small boats out fishing. Obviously good for fish and as the area was clearly popular for retirement, the locals had plenty of time for it. The marina was not visible until very nearby as it was tucked behind a small promontory; we then had to negotiate a tight entrance through the lock that lies at the end of a sill. A well-sheltered and large marina but run very casually! We were able to moor where we liked so ended up quite close to the impressive Capitainerie in time for morning coffee.

The area around the marina is not particularly impressive, just a modern sea front, but the centre of town, a few kilometres away was quite chic. In the afternoon after some wonderful boudin noir we went for a walk around the headland to Ploumanac’h  via the sentier de douaniers. The weather had cleared by the afternoon and the cliff tops were brilliant, it was quite a walk but well worth it. A great dinner in the evening at Le Suroit,  where some excellent fish took the edge off the disappointment of England being kicked out of Euro 2000. There were quite a few places with Welsh sounding names such as Ty Breizh, where we had lunch, apparently large numbers of Welsh moved there in the 19^th century and there still are strong connections.

 Wednesday

The weather forecast for the trip back across the channel was not ideal for a fairly long passage, force 7 but at least it was predicted to be on the beam or further behind. Disregarding the original passage plan made weeks earlier to leave at midday and sail overnight we hoped to take advantage of the conditions and have a quick passage mainly in daylight by leaving as early as we could. In practise this meant passing through the lock at as soon as the water got over the sill, which was at about 8am. By 0815 we had the jib up with one reef in the main and were cruising at speed in 20kn of wind making 6 kn towards Les Sept Iles.

 It was a grey morning so the Islands had lost all the colour and liveliness we had seen the day before during our walk in perfect conditions. Now looking rather dark and threatening we gave them a wide berth, passing them to port as we headed north. We soon settled down to a comfortable sail heading on a course of 000 degrees with the wind just aft of the beam in a lumpy but uncomfortable sea making between 6 and 7 knots throughout the morning. The only incident to break the monotony was when two French naval vessels changed course to converge on us then break away at the last minute, all revealed precisely by the radar, seemed like cat and mouse for a while.

By 1pm the wind had built up as forecast and was in excess of 25kn so we put the second reef in the main, the boat was still quite manageable although the wave height had increased to 3-4m. These were good planning conditions and we were frequently blasting along at over 8kn in what was now bright sunshine; a bright exciting sail with none of the drabness of the early morning. Between 2 and 3pm we actually travelled 7.8 nautical miles through the water and were continually revising our ETA at Dartmouth, we were able to speculate about arriving before closing time! Naturally it didn’t last and by 6pm the wind had dropped to 20 knots and the sky had clouded over. We were still going fast but had quite a shock when we hit a log floating just below the surface; fortunately not a large one.

With Start Point in sight we thought we were nearly home but as usual the last miles took longer than expected. The headland only gradually got bigger and eventually crawled past the port beam as the evening progressed. The entry to Dartmouth was more challenging than expected in the dark although I had entered many times in daylight. Due to the many lights on the hillside it was difficult to pick out the buoys marking the hazards off the entrance and then the leading lights themselves which were only visible close in. Several times what appeared to be the light turned out to be a house and we had to be patient, it was close to water level by comparison with the clutter. 

Once in the River, just past the castle, we had to take great care as there are many yachts moored well out towards the middle of the channel. This was not that well lit as it wound its way amongst the mass of moorings. Finding a berth was not that easy either in the dark, it's easy to see why for many boats anchoring is the favourite option. Eventually we tied up on the only space left on a visitors pontoon that we found out in the morning was reserved for boats under 28ft.

Having got the boat sorted out we had a few celebratory drinks and congratulated ourselves on a great passage – 107 miles on the log and an arrival time of 11pm, we were nearly in time for a pint! A total journey time of only 16 hours with an average of 6.7kn; apart from entrance all in daylight, its amazing what you can do when as it’s mid summers day!

Thursday

Almost a lay day, the weather had deteriorated further so we planned to spend the morning in Dartmouth then go out round Berry head to Brixham in the afternoon. Dartmouth was busy as usual with plenty of tourists including a large Cruising ship full of Americans with names on them like “Joe”. The customs officers seemed more accommodating than usual and had set up a presence where they all came ashore by the Royal Dartmouth YC, perhaps they had a tip off! We stocked up again and said farewell to Kieth who made his way home by train, had lunch and were soon at sea again leaving the River in 30kn of wind which had gone southerly.

We pounded out past the Mew stone and were just about to head north when we noticed that the log was not working. A quick inspection found the forward compartment full of seawater, the slamming had dislodged the paddlewheel of the log and water was making its way in steadily past the flapper valve that fortunately stemmed most of the flow. Although quickly identified and fixed it was quite alarming for a moment or two.  The crew were not entirely certain things were ok when they saw the skipper was throwing bucket after bucket of water out into the cockpit.

It was not far into Tor Bay so were soon made fast at Brixham marina sheltered from the elements that had become rather unforgiving. The first priority was to find an acceptable place to eat, so we were rather surprised and pleased to find a new, pleasant restaurant just off the Strand in the middle of town called the Yard Arms. This was an old sail loft sympathetically restored and serving both excellent seafood and vegetarian fare. Before dining we had a pleasant few beers watching the Brixham Yacht Club fleet set out for the mid week race in the Bay, fortunately for them the conditions had improved and they were clearly having a great race in about 20kn of wind.

Friday

The evening forecast was ideal, SW 5-6 for a quick crossing to Weymouth. We set off at 6am in order to get to the Bill during the period of “slackish” water at high water Portland and be able to take the inshore passage round the Bill. By 8am we were well out into Lyme bay making a steady 6Kn. The wind was not quite what was forecast the night before but as the shipping forecast predicted, a westerly, force 4-5. We poled out the Geona and headed off dead downwind but soon found that the boat went much faster with the wind on the quarter, so we took the pole down and headed across the bay in a series of long gybes. By 1pm we were approaching Portland and kept well north of the tip so that we would be taken round by the tide. By this time it was bright sunshine and we rounded the Bill in great shape at 13:50 without incident thanks to some careful planning. It had been a good crossing, a comfortable ride and 46 miles in just 8 hours.

Heading north up towards the harbour and Weymouth on a reach was a pleasant change from the run we had been on all morning. Passing close to the great breakwaters of Portland harbour we narrowly missed being chosen for some rescue practise by a SAR Helicopter who buzzed us before picking another yacht further out who could hold a steady course more easily. It was quite an education hearing the very precise instructions given to the yacht by the pilot and quite reassuring to see such superb aircraft handling as a crew member was dropped to the yacht and retrieved.

At 3pm the engine was put on and we steadily motored to the fuelling berth followed by the waiting pontoon for the bridge. We wanted to avoid being delayed the next day by mooring against the wall. The Bridge opened to let us into the marina on the dot at 4pm just giving us enough time to book up at Mallams for dinner which is on the Quay right by the waiting pontoon.

It was a great evening, bright and sunny so we had a good walk round the old town with it's attractive but strange mixture of seaside “attractions” on the beach and the traditional fishing harbour. After a few lessons for the skipper on how to play pool we had a fantastic meal then crashed out on the boat with not even a call for a nightcap.

Saturday

We left at the civilised time of 8am when the bridge opened together with the usual small flotilla of yachts making their way eastwards with the favourable tide. The wind was now a North Easterly starting off at 15 and increasing to 20 kn. We were one of the last out and certainly the last to set sail so it was particularly gratifying to find that we gradually overhauled one yacht after another, many of them much larger than us. The boat certainly was fast off wind and when the wind got up to marginal planning conditions we just shot ahead and left them all standing. By the time we reached Anvil point we were beam reaching at 8+ kn again – really exciting! the others had been left far behind. We crossed Poole bay in 2 hours and entered the Solent at Hurst via the North Channel so that we could maintain the fastest point of sailing for as long as possible.

By 2pm we were off Yarmouth and changed plans, rather than stop off at Cowes for the night we decided we would be able to get back to Port Hamble and still have time to clean up the boat that day. We finally moored at Port Hamble at 16:30, completing a week's sailing covering 450 miles. The boat had given a really good account of itself, it had performed exceptionally  well showing that it could cruise really fast and hold up under challenging conditions – especially if the wind was a bit aft!