SIRENA IV 2022

Oh dear, we never finished the story – rather overtaken by events.   So, last Tuesday, 21 June, we went to Salcombe as planned, early morning to get the favourable tide around Start Point. Unfortunately the lighter easterlies were too light and dead behind (which doesn’t suit Sirena IV), so it was motor-sailing. So often in our cruising life there is either too much wind or too little or the wrong direction. It’s quite a surprise when we can sail a leg, as did happen a couple of times earlier in this cruise.   It was pleasant when met by the harbour dory on entering Salcombe to say with confidence “yes, we’ve been before, we’d like to go on the pontoon in The Bag” and have the man tell us there should be space on the inside. Lesley put her gently alongside. Before long the dory came round for his £22. High tide was at 12:30, meaning slack water and L was keen for a swim. N was ambivalent, feeling a bit tired and achy (blaming it on the...

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...

We left Dartmouth at 0415  which happily was pretty light, and had a 14 hour crossing with much checking of our position, as we motor sailed much of the long 74 miles to Alderney. There was some proper sailing later and some quite mountainous seas where the horizon became nothing more than a frilly line, so you couldn't see the container ships approaching on the marine motorway that is called a Traffic Separation Scheme. Alderney, we discovered, was a charming small island. (See pics) On our day off we walked around the main town, visited its splendid church known as the Cathedral of the Isles and bought some lovely artisan bread. Later we fitted in a swim from a white sand beach and had drinks at the yacht club and dinner in a local restaurant.  Today we made the 4 hour trip from Alderney to Guernsey through the notorious Swinge, part of the racing tidal madness that surrounds the Channel Isles. It was something like being in a washing machine but more like steering a ten ton...

Sorry, readers,got out of the blogging habit. As I write at 0530 on 10Jun we are1 hour out from Dartmouth on our way cross Channel to Alderney. Weather calm. The signal is fading. This section of the CA Rally is 6 yachts, all lovely people. I will try to write more tomorrow. 

After a yard survey in March, for insurance, we've only been out once. Happily it was when HMS Queen Elizabeth was anchored off the breakwater. This was due to family visits and much work on the house. Happily we're about to be off for 2 weeks on a CA cross Channel Rally.