SIRENA IV 2022

Oops. Missed a day, again. So, yesterday ... Got up late after excellent Dave Hankin Big Band concert the night before. Shame about the singing and the small audience but the 16 piece band was crisp and clean with great solos esp drummer and saxophone.  Went for a walk, despite the on/off rain, up to Berry Head (pics). Great views and handy cafe. This is June and we were wearing coats, hats, hoods up and gloves, and leaning into the wind to make progress. On the way back we had a look at the seawater pool just up from the marina; waves breaking over it and full of seaweed. Madness. Afternoon was a few jobs and Nic prepping for another ROS strategy meeting. Evening saw us staggering out into the rain and wind again. 10 minutes down the side of the harbour to the first restaurant. Really good food, comfortable and soft house music at just the right volume. Splendid. Back on the boat early enough to watch 2 episodes of The Crown (just started series 4) on our ancient portable DVD play...

Happily today was cool and quiet. The stinking heat was gone along with the tonedeaf busker of yesterday. We ventured into Brixham in the morning for a mooch, food shopping and delicious lunch at a brunch place.  Lesley scoured a few charity shops and we had ice cream by the harbour looking at the beautiful historic boats and steep terraces of coloured cottages. (See pics) Now the wind is wailing in the rigging and only fools would go sailing. Nic has doubled our lines in advance of the Big Blow, but nonetheless we are planning to go out on the town tonight, to a Big Band concert at Brixham Theatre. We will be appropriately togged up for storms.

Bob & Sue, the Rally leaders, set up an online library for high quality photos here https://bobgarrett.smugmug.com/CA-Channel-Rally-2022/n-NztrC9 We include here the 4 so far with us in.

Two days ago in Carteret ... We had a lazy day in the heat, showed our faces at the Rally bbq though it's really not our thing. We talked a bit to our West Country section friends; the other 13 boats remained strangers and seemed to have a different vibe. We took a taxi down to the Gare Maritime for the meaningless ritual of stamping passports. We gave a lift to Paul & Liz, the West Country leaders, who also didn't fancy the 40 minute walk there and back. One woman asked our boat name, one man looked us up on his computer, another man stamped the passports, and a third man just watched. They came here especially to stamp 8 passports tonight. As others report across the CA, the French are being as accommodating as they can, they are just forced to jump through the hoop. In fairness, we yachties have been reduced to the same cursory checks that apply to plane, train or ferry passengers ... except that there the authorities control the entry points, whereas for boats it's ...

We left Guernsey with some pangs. One day is not enough to enjoy the island. Nic expertly turned Sirena around in a crowded rafted berth, and we waited around for several hours on an outside pontoon for the right hour to set off.  Massive tides govern all your timings around here, and we could only leave St Peter Port and enter Carteret in France at specific times. It was a straightforward trip to Carteret but winds were so light we had to use the motor against the tides at first. On the chart, the approach to the harbour is green not blue...in other words, half the time there is no water to get in to the harbour, just mud. We and our rally buddies had worked out when to arrive safely when there would be enough tide to cover the green stuff. There is a metal sill which operates when the tide rises. A tidal gauge shows how many metres of water are available, which is quite comforting! After we arrived safely we did a clichéd yachtie thing, and had a pleasant G&T with two rally f...

Last night's Rally dinner at the Guernsey Yacht Club was a noisy affair, not because anyone drank too much, just the effect of 37 people talking. (pic) The food was excellent, and went down quickly. The panorama from their balcony is splendid. (pic) We slept in past 9am. Shocking. After a porridge breakfast we went in search of a pharmacy for Lesley's sunburnt face and a map for Nic - he does like a map. We then caught the No 91 bus that goes clockwise round the edge of the whole island. Fixed fare is £1.25 however far you go, so that was a very good value tour. We ate our sandwiches on board, naturally. The whole island is just lovely, although there's hardly any of the road without houses, mostly bungalows, along it. So it feels like one long village. Also we saw none of the Guernsey cows, famous for their milk. Probably they and their green fields are in the centre where we did not go. After the obligatory ice cream (we are on hols), we got down to passage planning for t...