Brian Dempsey

Wind: 16 - 20 knots SW Sea State: good

We departed Les Sables around 11am after a bit of breakfast. Overall the marina at Port Olona was a little disappointing but the conditions were great for sailing so off we went! We soon had the kite up and we were doing a steady 4-5kn in flat seas with only 7kn on the beam. We did some reading on the deck under uninterrupted blue skies and trailed a fishing line behind. Right on time for lunch we caught a mackerel,which cooked fresh, went well with our baguette which had been delivered fresh to the boat that morning. As we approached the Ile de Ré bridge and causeway the wind shifted and picked up so we dropped the kite and sailed upwind crossing under the arch of the bridge with plenty of clearance, though it didn’t feel that way especially with Martin and Peter slagging Gareth that he had his calculations wrong and he was going to hit the bridge! Passing LOTS of sailing boat of all shapes and sizes we approached La Rochelle along the long channel and it was quite an experience to come between Cardinal Richelieu’s towers into the Port de Plaisance. The visitors pontoon was easily found on the left after the ferry pontoons and we rafted outside an English Southerly 110 making the most of the brisk SW wind to bring us alongside. On arrival we saw police riot vehicles,as there had been a demonstration that day, but they soon left and the restaurants and bars opened as normal. La Rochelle Port de Plaisance is amazing! We were surrounded by cafes and bars and lots of hubbub. We were settling in for a change of crew the next day and Sipadan wasn’t going anywhere for a while , which was just as well, as the next morning we discovered that the toilet was blocked. Despite Gareth getting his wetsuit on and diving under the boat and running all sorts of drain blockers through we couldn’t fix the problem so we were going to have to call a professional on Monday. C’est La vie! There are worse places to be stuck!

After a well earned full nights sleep (after a few pints) we were up for Café au Laît and croissants in Port Joinville followed by a trip to the local chandlery for a few bits and pieces. The marina which had been packed solid the night before was now relatively empty. The sun was shining, and there was a lovely warm breeze from the WSW. We flew the spinnaker for a while and Gareth sat at the bow with the kite flying while reading a book and Peter was sunbathing on deck as the water went by. After a lovely sail slightly in the wrong direction we had to head dead downwind to get a line on Les Sables d’Olonne. We headed to the Port Olona marina and after some confusion about berths and navigating a 1-2kn current we were alongside. The marina was a boat lovers dream with lots of racing boats for the Vendee Globe literally with the plastic wrapping still on! There was also an Imoca class foiling yacht (https://www.imoca.org/en/boats/la-mie-c-line). Our own pontoon had some of the new Ovni 40+ boats and a Sirius 40 which was a really fine boat. Boatporn complete and after some lovely tuna steaks cooked with pasta sauce by Peter, we headed out on the town. The #6 pub in Les Sables was Les Guine’s Pub, with a vaguely Irish theme and they were delighted to have some bona fide Irish people in the pub. The waterfront was packed with a great atmosphere. After a brief stop at Molly Malone’s, it was back to the boat, ready for the final leg to La Rochelle the next morning.

Once across the TSS , conditions settled, but we had very little wind. We had beautiful flat calm conditions all along the coast passing south of Iles de Glenans accompanied by hundreds of dolphins. Brian and I had a swim off the boat in 97m deep water 20nm offshore, accompanied by a small shark, which we only noticed afterwards! As we were going to be quite late getting into Audierne or Benodet, we decided to push on overnight for Ile dYeu. We were skirting the exclusion zone of a wind farm under construction north of Ile d'Yeu and there was a regular "Securite" announcement on the VHF, the English version being given by a familiar Irish accent! We arrived into Port Joinville and after a quick stop for an eye watering amount of diesel (after all the running of the heater in the Celtic Sea and the motoring though flat calm conditions), we tied alongside at the Marina at Port Joinville. As we were there early we got a prime spot, although later on, they1 Marina staff packed in a very impressive amount of boats by rafting. Ile d'Yeu was idyllic, and the scorching hot sun was a stark comparison to the rainy grey condition we had left behind at home. We rented bikes and cycled to La Meule on the other side of the island where we had a swim right next to the " Baignade interdit" sign, though all the locals were doing likewise! After a lovely drink at the little bar next to the little harbour we returned to Port Joinville for a lovely seaside meal, a few drinks and a very well earned full night's sleep! We had done 420 nautical miles in 3 days, non stop, averaging 140 miles per day and we were all feeling quite proud of ourselves.

Gathering on the dock our crew was comprised of Gareth ,Peter, Brian and Martin. The craic was mighty but the conditions were grey and rainy. We were seen off at the dock by friends and family, and with a bit of an audience we slipped lines, only to snag our stern line and after brief kerfuffle we were off! 5 minutes later we were called to be told that Gareth's phone was still ashore! It had been handed over for pre trip photos and never taken back. We hovered off the Cunnigar as Seamus kindly brought out the phone in one of the club boats. NOW we were departing around 11am and we set out (as usual) in less than ideal conditions. The wind was from the SE and the sea was quite confused. Lots of wet weather gear and the heater was used to a great extent, particularly for drying the wet weather gear. The wind was initially 16kn E but gradually fell to 6kn overnight though conditions gradually cleared and the next morning we were greeted by sunshine as we passed the Bishop Rock. We decided to pass the Isles of Scilly to the west skirting the TSS, which was uneventful apart from a course change to avoid a ship. We decided to pass Ouessant to the west, which means staying well out to sea to avoid the very busy traffic separation scheme (TSS). The distance between the end of the IOS TSS to the Ouessant TSS is only 53nm, although the English Channel itself is over 100nm across. We had a glorious crossing, on a broad reach gaining at one stage 11kn boat speed! Under sail, crossing the channel, we had an impromptu sing song with Brian on guitar and Gareth on Ukulele, which was surreal. We got into an easy pattern of watch changes and hot food and coffee and soup and porridge for breakfast and felt like we could have kept going like this indefinitely! Martin had us flying the asymmetric spinnaker at sunset on night 2 as we approached the TSS. We came on to the exit from the Ouessant TSS around 1am night 2, and had all hands on deck initially as we had many ships in play. At one stage we heard a voice on channel 16 announcing "Chinese Warship coming through, we are on your starboard" which was an eye opener. On morning 3, keeping 20-30nm offshore, we had glorious sunshine though the wind was (as forecast) very light. The seas were oily calm and it was difficult to judge where the sea ended and the sky began. South of Iles de Glenans, we had hundreds of dolphins all around us, breaching and playing in our bow wave. At sunset, Brian and Gareth went for a swim off the boat, 20nm offshore in 97m of water. After hosing down on deck. that doubled as a shower. As we had quite a distance to La Rochelle and since everyone was feeling fresh and well rested, we decided to push on for another night and make for Ile d'Yeu.

4am start to avoid incoming storm. Needed to be 60nm N before 4pm. 32kn gust coming out, but then settled into steady F5/6. Average speed 7.4kn for 190nm but overnight the weather was against us with heavy rain and motoring directly into F5 (as forecast) Fast passage 21h. Crew: Gareth Higgins Paul Ryan Brian Dempsey Oliver Clancy

Early start from Ile de Sein, winds light so motoring to Chenal de Four, fog from CDF to Ouessant TSS. Flew kite until wind hit 21kn. Some difficulty getting it down as the snuffer line had snagged on a spreader. Busy TSS but AIS very useful. Paul cooked up a storm! Running too fast and would have arrived too early, so reefed down so as to arrive at dawn. Hugh Town for fuel and water and breakfast with Hugh and Austin from Lioness, then on to New Grimsby Sound. Crew: Gareth Higgins Paul Ryan Oliver Clancy Brian Dempsey

Light winds and fog for much of journey. Motoring for much of it. Left in company of Lioness though they opted for Audierne rather than Ile de Sein as Ile de Sein suggests insufficient depth though experience proves otherwise. Raz de Sein in our favour. Lovely evening in IDS anchored under lighthouse.