Morlaix, It May Have Taken Two Years But Was Worth It!

 

Crew:  Team Alize

Saturday

 It was the most pressing of our cruising aspirations, we’d tried to get there two years earlier but the weather had been against us. We’d been stymied the previous year so this year it was Morlaix or bust. The day before we were due to leave everything looked good, a well prepared passage plan and a favourable forecast.
First thing Saturday, everything went to plan, we left in good time, got the parts we needed from Lymington and even arrived at Ginns at almost the same time. What’s wrong, everyone even had their passports! The weather seemed fine, cloudy but clear with a light breeze so we got on board with the traditional mountain of food and gear but even that was put away by 11am. Our planned departure time was 12 so we had time for a quiet cup of coffee, as we did our last minute checks and the safely briefing before leaving in an unusually leisurely manner.

In a half hour’s time we were in the Solent but the weather was not as pleasant as it seemed earlier, it was nothing like the forecast or as planned. The expected westerly force 3-4 had changed into a south westerly force 6-7; not good for a trip to Morlaix, over 150 miles away on a bearing of 230 degrees. After putting in a couple of rather reluctant reefs we were making steady progress towards Hurst but much of that was due to the tide rather than Alize’s windward capabilities which were weak in that wind strength. Being full on a Spring tide the current really zipped us along leading the Skipper, on seeing many masts in the murky visibility to momentarily mistake Newtown river for Yarmouth much to the amusement of the crew who immediately awarded the first Malcolm point of the trip.

Thoughts of well over thirty hours of uncomfortable bumping about crossing the channel was universally declared unattractive so the trip was reluctantly re-classified as a shake down cruise and a diversion made to Yarmouth.

Safely tied up in the harbour we reflected on the reality that it was better to be on the inside wishing we were out rather than the outside wishing we were inside. This change of plan turned out to be particularly sensible as it was the first sail of the season and varying amounts of sleep deficiency had built up over the previous week. There were lots of jobs to do so we got stuck into these before going ashore to sample the hospitality of the pubs and becoming ensnared by the newly relocated second hand bookshop. A light dinner at the newly refurbished Wheatsheaf and an early night set us up well for the trip the following day.

Sunday

In the harbour we were surrounded by a number of Bavaria’s best plastic eggshells. Switching on the VHF we were subject to a cacophony, people either misusing the calling channel or doing something silly keeping Channel 16 and the coastguard unnecessarily busy. It was clearly time to leave for less crowded places.

With a brisk easterly, sailing down the Needles Channel was a delight, the light house and cliffs making a memorable backdrop to our departure. That afternoon the tide was west going, so by evening we were well offshore and south of Weymouth Bay as we approached the shipping lanes. With the turn of the tide, our track over the ground changed to due south which was safe to across the lanes; just as we wanted and had planned. Sailing just off the wind, we made about 220 degrees through the water which was fine, at that rate we would be able to make Morlaix on one tack, if it held. 

The East going lanes were not too challenging but we still waited to have dinner on the central reservation, seafood lasagne and peas. The west going lanes were very different, quite a nightmare as the traffic bunched up as it neared the Casquets. At one time soon after midnight in the middle of the lane we had 9 ships to contend with all approaching us at the same time but a varying speeds. Needless to say we went straight across the direction of flow, combining this with the need to make a number of course changes we lost a considerable amount of time. Fortunately the visibility was very good so with a combination of radar set at 8 miles, and visual bearings, we were able to keep out of trouble. It was only when we were five miles off Alderney that we considered it safe to change course and follow the inshore zone past the Casquets. Just before changing course, north of Alderney, we were able to take a good fix on the three great lights of Alderney, Cap de la Hague and Casquets to check our position and so relax a bit. In order to keep north of the Casquets light we had to head due west, directly into the wind so were forced to motor for a while. Tacking in these restricted waters at night with the rocks on one side and a steady stream of traffic on the other was not conducive to a peaceful cruise.

Passing the Casquets light we changed watches which had been arranged on a four hours on fours hours off basis for this trip as conditions were not particularly demanding. This worked well and resulted in a better rest that the 2 hour watches we normally chose. Sunrise was at 4pm and apparently, quite spectacular. By the time the off watch had returned to duty we were sailing along just off the wind in a steady 12-14kn of breeze; Ideal for a breakfast of toasted hot cross buns. Guernsey steadily disappeared from sight on the port quarter and once more we were alone with nothing on the horizon in any direction, very tranquil. The VHF had quietened down, no more pan-pan’s or radio checks, just the occasional short professional call.

The weather was bright and sunny so not at all uncomfortable as the wind picked up to 20, then 25 knots, quite enough to get Alize really moving. With one reef in the main and the Yankee fully furled we were making over 6kn and had a glorious sail just off the wind. The forecast had changed to a North-westerly 5 occasionally 6; being somewhat behind plan this made the entrance to Morlaix in good time potentially difficult. We therefore decided to stop off at Treburden first and make our way in the following day when we would be less tired and had time to negotiate the river. Closing in on Treburden our track took us close to Les Sept Iles in order to clear the reefs around Le Traigoz light. Here, it became rather rough, and the wind did increase further making the theoretically large gap less easy that anticipated to navigate. Later in Treburden we found that the crew on a Storm going the same way from Guernsey had experienced considerable difficulties in conditions that Alize took in her stride.

We were concerned not to arrive too early as entrance was limited by the tide so we eased off and eventually got to Le Crapeau, the mark off the entrance, at about 4pm. Our calculations showed that the earliest time for our entry would be 16:30 to be sure of sufficient water over the sill; with four miles to go it seemed we had got it just right. Turning downwind towards the harbour we could see line after line of breaking waves all looking rather threatening, especially so if we had to turn round and come back. Clearly visible on the port side were masses of white water breaking over the many rocks which did not add to our feelings of comfort.

Trusting the pilot book we continued towards the entrance but still had some anxious moments until we had clearly identified the south cardinal mark which marks the channel between it and the island just seaward of the marina. It would have helped to have had a few marks further out but probably few people would enter in such conditions for the first time. Just to make matters worse, at the moment we were struggling to see the mark, pilot book in hand we were circled by a French Customs Launch.  Although we were expecting a call on channel 16 at any time they were evidently satisfied we were genuine yachtsmen and not smugglers and roared off to trouble someone else.

Once past the Island, entry into the marina of this pretty town was relatively simple; there were good marks, a clearly identified sill and even a tide gauge to confirm our rather cautious tidal calculations. With the traffic lights signalling two way traffic (two greens over a white) we put the open sea behind us and entered the tranquillity and safety of the sheltered harbour. Being early in the season there were many empty visitors berths so we had the pick of the place and soon moored up in time to get to the Capitainary before closing time which meant hot showers! A few beers at a friendly bar with a very accommodating bar maid, convinced us that this would be a good choice to eat that evening; the beers hardly touched the sides as they slid down! We returned without lingering as the evening drew on all too quickly, we had a solid meal of steak and chips followed by a sound nights sleep firmly tied to the pontoon.

Tuesday

We awoke to find a beautiful sunny day with no signs of the cold or the strong stuff we encountered the previous day. A quick walk around town convinced us that this really would be a nice place to be but at the end of May it was definitely out of season. We bought some papers for the forecast, resisted the market due to the immense volume of food on board and had a coffee overlooking the port before reluctantly moving on.

The plan was to leave in the mid morning, motor round to the Lannion River, anchor for lunch, then sail across the Bay to Morlaix where we thought we could get in at about 7:30 pm. The first bit went entirely according to plan; we kept clear of all the rocks and anchored in 9m of water in the Bay of Lannion, a delightful, secluded spot.

We had the anchorage to ourselves so were able to choose a really well sheltered corner of the bay, with more than adequate holding for a few hours over lunch. The anchor was clearly well embedded in the gravel and sand bottom with no signs of dragging; nevertheless we took transits which confirmed we weren’t moving at all.

A light lunch was followed by an hour or more reading, we enjoyed the relative peace and quiet. It was such a contrast to the Solent and all the frenzied activity of the previous couple of days. All too soon though, we had to get moving and rather reluctantly raised the anchor which came out completely clean. It had been nice while it lasted, but now we had to get on our way.

With full sails hoisted and hard on the wind we made a good turn of speed towards the rocks off Primel where we would be able to crack off down to the Baie de Morlaix. Being rather concerned about the many rocks that could lessen our enjoyment we had adopted the practice of plotting fixes every ten minutes when we were in areas where caution was required, adapting the naval practise of 3 minute fixes allowing for our lower speed; this made us feel safer with little extra effort. Naturally we used the GPS much of the time but with the many landmarks it was not difficult to include plenty of compass fixes to confirm the track; after the first few we were plotting tight cocked hats in a couple of minutes.

The wind was not entirely obliging; although we were able to have a splendid sail in the 15knots of wind it would not quite let us clear the rocks on one tack, how tiresome! Passing Primel the wind piped up a bit and the sea state became agitated but we were soon able to ease off and were making over 6 knots through the water directly towards our destination. At that speed, in no time at all, we were approaching La Pierre Noire beacon which marks the approach to the Channel de Treguier which we had chosen as there was plenty of tide to cover the rocks that otherwise present a hazard. The mark was pathetic, just a pole with a tiny topmark, so different from the massive channel marks we could clearly see further on by the islands and potentially a source for concern if you were not familiar with the area. With sails down so we could manoeuvre easily we edged towards the Ile Noire Light where we turned to go up the river. Tom Cunliffe was right in his pilot book; the channel was much less onerous that it had appeared on the charts. With two pairs of solid stone markers it was not difficult to stay in the wide channel. The Chateau de Toureau (Built to keep the Brits out!) was clearly identifiable, a massive stone structure standing on its own in the middle of the Islands and reefs.

From Ile Noire we entered the estuary, sheltered from the boisterous following sea that we had experienced earlier. The tranquil nature of this land locked but still very open water was a real contrast. The channel markers were fairly clear so we had little difficulty in following the deep area into the river itself and the little hamlet of Le Dorduff where the river splits in two.  Now in the river proper we carried on past the larger village of Locquenole where houses line the banks and the channel gets quite confusing due to the many moorings scattered around the limited amount of deep water.

It really was very beautiful, reminiscent of the Fal with steeply sloping, wooded hillsides bordering the river. It must have been here that the Men of Bristol got massacred by the returning menfolk of Morlaix after they had successfully sacked the town but stayed too long to sleep it off amongst the trees. After a mile or so the river narrows and there is a peculiar system of transits to keep you in the supposedly deep water. This turned out to be alarmingly shallow in places and not at all tolerant of the helm drifting off course. With three quarters of an hour to spare before the next lock opening we moored up on the rough stone quayside, not the most forgiving of moorings with heavy chains dangling from the top which we used to stop us being blown towards the Lock by the gusty wind behind us.

 On checking out the visitor’s berths we found 

that there was an excellent floating restaurant “Le Sterne” just past the lock on the inside which was prepared to stay open for us at that late hour. With a celebratory glass of wine the minutes soon past and we were making our way through the lock into the basin. We’d failed earlier to get to Morlaix so there was a lot of jumping around and waving of hands to celebrate our success; to our surprise this was reciprocated by a group of people watching us make our way it, it was probably best though, that we didn’t use the flares Ellen McArthur style.

The meal was outstanding, excellent seafood in innovative combinations such as monkfish and andouille. A great start to our stay in the town we had wanted to visit for such a long time. Even better, on the way back to Alize, we were able to have a couple of glasses of “Coreffe” the only beer in France that we felt was worth going out of your way for and is native to Morlaix.

Wednesday

Lay day! This was premeditated so there were some rather heavy heads in the morning due to the excesses of the night before, which had continued until the early hours. Breakfast was a rather subdued affair but at least we did have fresh croissants. Eventually we made it to the attractive and very memorable town dominated by the massive railway viaduct. After a short walk around we settled down for lunch in the “Bistro de Cathy”

Feelying very mellow, we sat outside in the square eating and drinking for a couple of hours. We chose salads, exotique, vegetarian and Landaise; a restaurant in France acknowledging the presence of vegetarians was a new experience for us. Food, service and ambiance were all excellent making in a memorable lunch.

The town is a particularly appealing combination of a sense of history, attractiveness and nice people. They were all easy going, friendly and even drove considerately!. Set in a valley with trees high above us, even above the Viaduct it’s a location never to be forgotten. The architecture is clearly a strength with a variety of timber framed houses and stone buildings including a remarkable church with a blue, star studded ceiling. There seems to be a particularly strong sense of civic pride, its well looked after with trees planted thoughtfully along the main roads to make them attractive. The backstreets have a variety of interesting little shops and ateliers, a great place to stroll around for a couple of hours.

Tired from our exertions in the heat we just had to recover with a couple more Coreff’s at the bar overlooking the harbour. There are boats in berths of one sort or another along much of the basin which is quite long and clearly had been a busy, industrial place in the past with huge factories that once processed tobacco. Now it's home to a motley selection of craft from the idiosyncratic steel yachts with astro domes that only the French can build to little fishing boats as well as many classic yachts rather than just uniform modern ones.

Back on Alize and with a couple of chores completed we were ready to eat and tried the well recommended “Bleu Marine”, another restaurant that accepted veggies with a deceptively informal atmosphere and a passion for good food.  Breton seafood St Jacques style, Lieu Jeaune or Colin with cheufleur was followed by cheese. This was a highlight of the meal, three carefully selected slices and a ball of camembert ice cream, delicious! It’s pleasant once in a while to have a lazy day and there’s not a much better place than Morlaix for it.

 Thursday

Up early to have a cooked breakfast before lock opening time in preparation for whatever the weather has is store for us over the next two days sail. The forecast is for the high to remain over the UK channel area which means a northerly airflow. Some forecasts say a north-easterly, some a north-westerly; we’ll just have to get out there, see what happens and go where we can get to. The plan is to make for Poole which is about 150 miles on a course of 035 degrees; other options are much less attractive.

We enter the lock in good time accompanied by a couple of other yachts and a motorboat. Right on time the gates open and our little flotilla heads out into the river. Retracing our steps we successfully traverse the shallow bits and keeping religiously to the transits following the winding river in the bright morning sunlight. It’s quite different from our entrance with the opposite side of the river highlighted by the sun, we pass the trees, winding roads and picturesque houses accompanied by nothing but birdsong. Soon the river opens out into the estuary and we get ready to make the transition from being land locked and peaceful to the wide open sea with it’s much more variable moods. The vista of the Islands, rocks and marks that form the entry to Morlaix lies before us with Chateau Toureau right in the centre dominating the approaches. It’s the stuff of post cards and easy to be distracted when we really do need to keep our wits about us to make sure we pass through the Grand Channel safely. Like the Channel de Treguier this is also well marked and easy to follow, especially so in such benign conditions with only 8 knots of wind and a relatively smooth sea.

On leaving the Stolvezen mark to port we are finally clear of the hazards and on our way. Sailing doesn’t prove to be a good option, no matter how hard we try we can only make just over three knots so reluctantly have to motor for a while. Fortunately the wind soon fills in and after a couple of hours are briskly moving along a over five knots with a 10 knot breeze coming from about 320-330 degrees; a North Easterly, perfect! It’s bright and sunny so reading becomes the main activity after we leave the coastline behind us, the incongruous golf ball of the communications museum on the coast near Treburden eventually disappears and le Traigoz and Les Sept Isles slip past to starboard. By late afternoon we are well out of sight of land and completely alone, a wonderful feeling in such perfect conditions and complete a contrast to our usual sailing areas. The fine breeze keeps up all evening together with the sunshine so we celebrate a perfect day’s sail with a beer each before having dinner, pasta al arabbiata. With the onset of twilight we gradually watched the moon, Mars, and then the major stars start to appear in the deep blue sky before tuning into a mass of milky stars studded with brighter ones against the blackness as the light faded.

Switching to night time sailing the first watch had a splendid sail through the sunset and into the night reaching the shipping lanes at about 1pm. Predictably it was busy so there was no alternative but to put the engine on and motor directly across the lanes, straight into the wind. This had been blowing at just over 15knots for the previous two hours so conditions changed from a comfortable sail to become rather lumpy, noisy and uncomfortable slog by comparison. Adding to our displeasure, the tide, which had just turned was now against us making progress towards our goal excruciatingly slow compared to the exciting sail we'd experienced earlier. The channel light ship seemed permanently fixed on our starboard beam for what seemed like hours, and at the time of the night when everyone is at their lowest. Fortunately the traffic was quite light so although there were plenty of ships to watch out for we only had to take avoiding action a couple of times. The clear sky may have meant that it was a bit cold but the visibility was excellent making it a relatively stress free crossing whilst we continued to be mesmerised by the stars out in profusion. It’s so pleasing to see the minor stars like so much dust, a view usually denied on land by light pollution.

With the change of watch at 6am we changed course from crossing the lanes to a more direct heading or 045 degrees straight for Anvil Point. Due to our enforced diversion we were now further away as the crow flies than we were hours earlier before we started to cross the shipping channels. With nearly sixty miles to go we had to hope for a big lift from the tide if we were to get to Poole in time to enjoy the last night of the cruise. Unfortunately, when we could have done with some help, the wind dropped right off and went north, then north east so we ended up having to motor sail close hauled. With the engine just ticking over, under 2000 rpm, it wasn’t objectionable so we made a pleasant and steady 5.5 knots in the bright sunshine that came with the high pressure zone.

Early morning on a cruising yacht is breakfast time and this morning we made sure we didn’t miss out by having a full, all day breakfast with plenty of coffee, a great way of passing the time!

During the morning and early afternoon Portland Bill gradually appeared ahead, passed by to port and finally slipped behind us as we kept a steady course for Anvil Point. Such ideal conditions as these for a spot of celestial navigation could not be missed; a series of fixes on the hour gave position lines within 5 miles of our actual position shown by the GPS as was the midday fix at 13:07 to establish Latitude. The running fix put us 8 miles off, all very satisfying for the skipper but less impressive for the crew who were repeatedly disturbed from their slumbers.

The tide really did give us big push from behind that afternoon and much of the time we were doing over 7 knots over the ground allowing us to make Anvil point just before the tide turned at 15:30; we couldn’t have planned it better if we had tried. Passing the stark white light house on the hillside we had another beer to celebrate safe in the knowledge that Poole was just around the corner but sorry that such a perfect passage was drawing to a close.

Passing Studland we were in a very different world form the solitude we had experienced the other side of the channel; we were anything but alone in Poole Bay, the land of motor boats. This negative turn of events was to seem to become worse when we found that the marina was full even though we could see hardly any masts over the breakwater, Sunseekers had taken over. Fortunately there was plenty of space for Visitors on the Quay and we were able to moor up in splendid isolation. Fixing up a fender board and long lines we were ready for boats to come alongside us but none came. We stayed alone even though many yachts turned round outside the marina, had people forgotten what it was like only a few years ago? Had they forgotten how to moor against a harbour wall?

After a welcome shower and a few beers to refresh the parts that needed refreshing we were able to tackle one of Poole’s best curries.  Indian food Al fresco style has much to commend it in warm weather, the Singa beers went down well and we didn’t miss the inside of the restaurants which turned out to be in mayhem as two hen nights competed to be more outrageous than each other.

Saturday 

Brilliant sunshine (Again) and hardly any wind. Not the best conditions for us to get back or for the Round the Island race which had just started, but it was after all the last leg and we were going home. After dropping off Julian to get back in time for a pressing engagement and taking on fuel and water we headed out to the Chain Ferry at the Harbour entrance. Just as we went through the Brittany Ferry “Barfleur” came in with the Harbour masters launch trying hard but failing to keep the ill behaved mass of little boats out of its way. It gave “Limited in ability to manoeuvre” had a real meaning. The trip across Poole Bay well offshore had more than usual interest as we watched the Race Competitors struggling through Needles channel with very few rounding the light and heading off to St Catherine’s Point. As we approached at 12:30 the majority of the fleet were laid out along the channel and further back into the Solent; a sad spectacle hundreds of boats going nowhere very fast and standing very little chance of completing the race.

To avoid interfering with the fleets, we took the North channel instead. The only difficult bit being at Hurst where the competitors we desperately trying to beat through the adverse tide whilst we were being whisked along with it. Once in the Solent it became much easier as the thermal wind had begun to dominate so what wind there was to be found was at either side with a flat calm of sinking air in the middle. This left us a clear channel to follow allowing us to keep clear of the competitors that were now in deep

trouble, many having put out a kedge and given up for a while.

With the tide and a few jobs to do we soon covered the last few miles and entered the Beaulieu river after making sure we turned into the channel at the right yellow racing mark. This only happened after a bit of confusion by the crew but we soon were heading  into the familiar river entrance with its little lighthouse standing out in the sunlight and the lateral marks spread out either side as if open arms welcoming us in.

Once safely moored up we reflected on a great cruise, just over 350 miles in total, most of it under sail. We had made it to Morlaix, and was it worthwhile!