Camaret & Douarnenez

Thurs 23rd July Camaret

The first thing that happened in the morning was a visit from the Gendarme! There were two officers and they visited the English boat next door first then came aboard the Islay mist for an inspection. It was actually OK they just wanted to check our passports, insurance and travel plans. The whole experience was made better by the fact that the two officers were very pleasant and one especially was VERY good looking. We made them a cup of coffee each as Ali interrogated them about life as a gendarme and I appreciated the beauty!
We decided it was time to give the boat a good clean out and we had a washing backlog. Unfortunately the washing machines at the marina were broken so Ali decided to tackle the job with a bucket and a stick. It took him about three hours! I cleaned the inside of the boat as the girls had been talking to the two boys next door and went over to watch a dvd. The weather was lovely and sunny for the first time in days meaning Ali’s bimini got its first use as it was intended as a sun shade not a rain shelter! We went for a walk into town to get some supplies for lunch. In the super market it was good to see that most of the products were from France. It is almost my idea of heaven buying food in new countries and testing it all out. This is why Ali usually tries to do the shopping as he knows I will drag back all manner of strange things.
I had to run back to the boat because rain clouds were approaching fast and the washing was strung up all over the boat. It is actually a rather long walk from town back to the visitors marina as it is right out on the end of the sea wall around the bay. The rain turned out to be the first of a few showers but boy what heavy showers they were. I had strung all the clothes under the bimini but the rain was coming sideways and upwards so it all got fairly wet again! Here I was thinking that sideways rain was a Scottish phenomena.
We went over to the boat next door for a dram later on. Steve and Helen’s boat is a Westerly and is lovely inside. The kids watched another dvd whilst the adults socialised! We were introduced to a ‘Kir Bretagne’ which is crème de cassis and Bretagne cider instead of champagne as in a ‘Kir Royale.’ Helen’s mother Marjorie was also sailing with the family and it turns out she is the most avid sailor of all of us and has crossed the Atlantic and done al her tickets after taking sailing up in the last fifteen years. Marjorie puts the likes of me who frets over each leg of a small journey to shame! Marjorie also agreed that the Gendarme officer was very easy on the eye!

Fri 24th July Camaret

After a torrential downpour in the morning Alex and Ben from the boat next door came over to play with the girls. They had a great time playing hide and seek and treasure hunts etc. We decided to all go to the beach over the hill in the afternoon. It was a lovely afternoon the beach faces out on to the Atlantic and has big breakers coming in which you could play in. there is no swimming allowed there because of the current which Ali said was wise as he went slightly out of this depth and nearly got swept away. The kids had a great time first in the sea then making sand castles and burying Ben. Ben tried to teach Kaylee how to play boules but not very successfully!

We all went for a pizza for tea which was very good for us but I pitied the people on the table next to the children as they were all a bit ‘excited’ The two boys were horrified when Kaylee let out a large burp at the table I don’t think they have met girls quite like ours before!

On our way back to the marina there was a Bretagne pipe band playing which was very good. Then after they had passed a group with a range of wind instruments set up in the street which you could only describe as a quirky Bretagne version of the group Madness! We all went back to our boat for a nightcap and Steve gave us some tips for sailing further down the coast. Marjorie has given us her email address and says we are to get in contact if we ever need an extra crew member to cross the Atlantic! I would quite happily give up my place!!

Sat 25th July Camaret

It was a nice day and although we had been thinking to set off again when we went into town tables and a stage was being set up and so we decided to stay and see what was going on. The kids had a last play before they set off to Brest to leave their boat and fly home on Sunday. The girls were quite upset that there new friends were leaving as they had really enjoyed the company. After they pushed off Alisha and I ran up to the sea wall to wave. No one aboard saw us but we got a few photos. After tea we headed into town. There were a few food stalls and a drinks stall and the place was packed. Everyone seemed to be having moules frites even the little kids eat mussels here. What we thought was the first band was playing and lets just say for a Shetland comparison think Corbies/Proclaimers. It was a French songs at first then suddenly it was the Irish Rover and Country Roads! There was a little poodle at the table next to us which was being fed chips by its owner then when she ran out it started looking soulfully up at us so we felt compelled to give it some chips too. It damn near bit my finger off little bugger! Before we left there was some crowd participation to a French song I have heard before but don’t know the name of. It involved everyone swaying back and forth and occasionally singing ‘Way way way.’ Easy enough even for us! We walked home around the bay to the strains of another rendition of Country Roads…..

Sunday 26th July Camaret

It was my birthday but as usual a certain person had to be reminded of that…… We went for a walk around the headland to Point de Toulinget to see the sea state as it had been quite windy and it was getting stronger. We decided not to sail that day although it was OK as the girls said no one should have to sail on their birthday (don’t know where they get their attitude from!) The walk around the headland is full of the remnants of old watch towers some from WWII there were old tunnels and gun placements to climb around. The old tower Vauban at the end of the Marina is from the 17th century and was built to repel an Anglo-Dutch landing. Camaret must have seen a lot of ’action’ over the years because of it’s strategic position on the coast.
For the rest of the day we decided just to get some things organised on the internet etc as we had bought some ‘surfing time’ which we could only use at this marina. I was on blog duty whilst Ali made a nice tea and did the dishes. I spent most of the evening with the phone ringing which was great to catch up with everyone. One lady even gave me a rendition of happy birthday down the phone which was much appreciated!

Monday 27th July

We set off early to get some posting done and to go to the supermarket (as it had been closed on Sunday - shock horror!) Then we set off to Douarnenez just twenty miles or so around the corner. It was a nice sailing day, sunny with enough wind to propel us at about six - seven knots but not enough to complain about! We tacked out to the Point de Toulinget where Steve had advised us to ‘hug the beacon’ which we did. We probably should have tacked a little longer as we hugged the La Louve beacon a little closer than we wanted to. Or so we thought but when you see the local guys sailing out here it is amazing to see them zooming in and out of places we wouldn’t dare! The best example of this was the rocks at the South end of the beach - the one we were at on Friday. We thought we were being bold sailing quite close to the westward rocks of ‘Les Tas de Pois’ (I asked our French expert Ali’s sister in law Mary for a translation - the pile of peas - well it is the largest rockiest pile of peas I have ever seen!) The next thing we see is French boats about the same size as us sailing around and in and out of the rocks for fun. We tried some fishing but didn’t get anything.

We now have our Shetland and UK flags flying together on the gantry.

Douarnenez has two marina’s that visitors can go to the first is in the Grande Passe which is basically the through route into town. We tied up here rafting to a smaller boat and it seemed very ‘bouncy’ and it wasn’t even that bad weather. We decided to go and look at the other Marina which is just up the river and is locked except 2hrs +/- High water. It looked much better and so we decided to go for it. Ali called up the harbour master for Port Rhu and as soon as he realised that he couldn’t talk English threw the phone at me!?!? I managed a higgledy conversation that went like this

‘Bon soir je voudrais un berth pour un nuit sil vous plait’

The reply was French talk out of which I could only pick out d’accord so as I had no idea how to end the conversation I said

‘tres bien see dee in a peerie meenit!’

All I got back was laughter!! Ali was also in hysterics cheeky bugger.

As we approached the bridge it opened so something I said must have been understood. It was definitely a good move as there is much less movement up the river. The pontoons are along one side of the river before the bridge that we can’t go under so you have to make a quick decision and sick to it on where you are going. We got tied up to a French boat and set off down to the harbour office which is on a boat tied up next to the lifting bridge. The exchange between us and the harbour master was quite comical but eventually we managed to pay for a couple of nights and get the key for ‘les sanitaries’