Saturday 7 December 2013
Stats for our summer sailing
Days: away 63, on which we sailed 29
Hours underway: 471.75 of which 49 were motoring
Distance travelled: 633 nm
Longest passage: 133 nm (from La Ciotat to Gruissan)
Shortest passage: 14 nm
Average passage: 22 nm (which equates to about 4 hours sailing)
I suspect that we spent less time motoring than most cruising yachts because having a lightish weight catamaran (and not being bothered too much about how fast we sail) we sail in wind strengths that most monohulls would barely be moving in.
Friday 11 October 2013
End of sailing for 2013
We had a somewhat eventful final sail as we had not spotted that the lashing for the throat halyard block was worn and it gave up as we were beating towards Barcelona and in F4/5, so the main came down. However, we realised that this was the perfect opportunity to try out the trysail and it worked brilliantly: we were doing around 5 knots to windward (after letting out all the jib) and it works well with the our normal mainsheet set up. It was good to have the trysail up as we spotted a couple of improvements to how we attach it to the mast which will improve it.
Prior to laying up we had a day trip by train to Barcelona to get a taste of what it offers and visit Parc Guell. We saw the outside of a lot of the Gaudi buildinds and it was a great day out, we will be going back. Unfortunately the camera battery died in Parc Guell.
Tuesday 24 September 2013
Award for best cala to date
This assesment is a little unfair as we suspect that there is some pretty dramatic under sea stuff on the rocky shores of all the calas, judging by the number of snorkellers we see. However, we are limited to what we can see when at anchor. We also have not spent any time in the calas around Cap Creus which we suspect may be as good if not better.
Monday 23 September 2013
Reached Blanes
In the height of th summer it is probably very crowded but in September it is fine, the air is warm, the water is clear and warm and once you are South of Palamos the weather is more reliable as the NW winds tend to go straight on. Below are some recent pictures we have taken.
The distinctive 'Eagles Head' by La Ciotat |
West side of Cala de Sant Pol |
Collioure Entrance |
Lateen boats in Collioure |
Port de Selva, top of the bay (Tiki 21 Parana lives here) |
Palamos beach front |
Palamos beach front by anchorage |
Ancient terracing on Cap Creus |
Saturday 14 September 2013
Further South
We would have liked to spend more time in the bays around Cabo Creus but after 3 days in Rosas Marina the forecast was still looking unsettled so we decided to head south down the Costa Brava. We have reached L'Estartit which is a ex fishing village in an attractive location opposite the Isla Medes, which are a popular destination for divers.
The chart shows lots of little bays along the coast which we aim to visit on a gentle sail South.
Thursday 5 September 2013
Arrived in Spain
We spotted a Tiki 21 (Parana) on the beach as we approached; they came over and we ended up going for a sail on her.
All in all another fun day.
(original typos a by product of writing an email quickly on my phone)
Friday 30 August 2013
Back in Gruissan
We had a variety of winds on the trip; most frustratingly the NW which was getting us to Gruissan at a steady 6+ knots went into the West when we were about 25 miles off which meant a beat and 3 times the distance to cover.
We were towing a fishing line yesterday and noticed that it had gone slack. When we pulled it in the paravane and all the tackle was missing. It was a clean break, so we are wondering if a big fish had it.
We sailed through the night but did not see any other yachts, very different to night sailing in England.
Thursday 29 August 2013
Heading West
As the weather is looking unsettled and we do not want to get stuck in or East of the Golf du Lion we have set off in the direction of Sete rather than heading direct to the Balaerics or Port Vendres.
We are expecting some stronger wind over the weekend and hope to make Gruissan before it arrives as there is a good anchorage there.
Tuesday 27 August 2013
La Ciotat
La Citotat is an old town which still has an active ship yard and the old harbour is surrounded by a church, houses and shops, very much the focus of the town. We are enjoying our stay here: good markets on Sunday and Tuesday, delicious swordfish steaks last night and a nice atmosphere walking around the old narrow streets. The only downside has been loud music till late at night from the restraunt behind the visitors moorings.
Outside the town, paralleling the beaches, are busy tourist developments (we were anchored off them) but you would not know it when in the town.
Friday 23 August 2013
Heading back west
Below is a photo of the 2 smaller islands that are adjacent to the Ile d'Embiez and below that a photo of the anchorage off the marina (though we suspect anchoring is discouraged out of the main season) with Mango in the background. The ile d'Embiez is all about Paul Ricard who bought the island in 1958. The island is very clean, well laid out and has all the signs of being extremely well run, we would certainly go back again.
There is another strong wind warning for a couple of days time so we are debating where to go. La Ciotat would have been a good anchorage but there there is an anchoring exclusion zone which extends a long way off the beach so we are in 6m of water rather than the 2m of water that we would prefer for sitting out a gale.
Today we sailed from La Ciotat to Cassis and back. The scenery along the coast is stunning with wind and rain sculptured cliffs and the sail would have been fine, despite light winds, if it was not for motor boat wash. We had thought to stay in Cassis but the anchorage is open to the current wind and swell and the harbour looks as if it could be a tight fit for us so we came back to La Ciotat. Below is a photo of the back of the Bec de l'Aigle, the very distinctive headland just south of La Ciotat.
The water here is so clear that although we are anchored in 6m of water, I can stand on the bows and follow the anchor chain along the bottom and clearly see the anchor.
A bit about Mango
The picture above is Mango at anchor with the swimming ladder deployed, it has taken ages for us to find something that will work. In addition you can see the pod, our Forgen wind generator mounted on one of the pushpits which we have added and the wind vane steering. You can also make out the new netting and bow and stern netting beams that we have added if you look closely. The big grey bucket like thing you can see in front of our mast is for the anchor chain and rode.
The picture below is of the chartroom. We used to do all the navigation in here, but it is inconvenient to be constantly climbing up and down so now we use it as an office and for planning and do most of the navigation in the pod.
Below is a picture of the pod. You will see that there is a wide ledge in the entrance to the pod which is a great place to sit. We have also added a cover over the engine which doubles as a table and we put in canvas screens in the hatches into the hulls to keep out the spray when going below in rough weather. We also added a canvas spray dodger to the pod entrance to give standing headroom there. You can also see the new aft netting which makes a great space to relax on.
Below is a picture of the galley with its alcohol cooker. The only changes we have made here are to add the shelves along the side of the boat which give additional storage a work space.
And finally, the pod. We built a whole new centre section for the boat in order to have the pod and it has made a huge difference to the comfort aboard. There is the option to convert the pod into a dinette but with just the two of us aboard and warm dry weather we tend to eat in the cockpit and leave the cushions down as it is easier to put the bottom boards from the dinghy on top of them to make a navigation area rather than use the table. To the left of the picture is an instrument panel which hinges back out of the way against the bulkhead. We need to move the VHF radio in here and I would like to redo the switch panel at the front of the pod.
Wednesday 21 August 2013
We left the Rade d'Heyers on the 17th as a strong NW was forecast, we needed to re-water etc, and the Marinas there are expensive and full. A beat into a W4 got us to Toulon where we anchored off Saint Mandrier. Toulon harbour is a fantastic stretch of sheltered water with a dramatic backdrop of mountains. We had one night in the marina at Saint Mandrier which we used to do all our boat jobs and go up the mast to check that all was well. We liked the town but the wash from ships and ferries is bad.
Heading west from Toulon having passed Cap Cepet |
We are now anchored behind the Ile d'Embiez after a pleasant day sail yesterday which included anchoring (under sail) behind Cap Sicie in crystal clear water and swimming with a school of little blue fish. We discovered that our new aft netting is an ideal place to lie and dry off in the sun and also to sit and read.
The forecast was for a light NE but as usual a sea breeze predominated so we had a beat and a fetch to get round Les Magnons cardinal to get round into the back of the island. We had hoped to anchor away from everyone but the weed on the bottom was so thick that the anchor did not get through it so we had to move to where we are now. The upside is that we are within an easy row of the island.
Friday 16 August 2013
Cruising the Rade d'Hyeres
We have now had 6 nights on the boat since leaving Frioul (and not been off the boat other than for swims). We still have about 4 days water and plenty of fuel but are out of fresh food as we had not anticipated being on the boat quite so long without shopping. We are not sure what we are going to do next as it depends on the weather but aim to stock up so that we have the option of heading for Corsica or the Balaerics if we get a good weather window.
Thursday 15 August 2013
Heading to the Porquerolles
We left Port Frioul on the 11th August with the intention of sailing straight through to the Porquerolle islands. However, the initial NW 2-3 died away until we were motoring as we approached Cap Sicie so we ended up anchoring for the night on its East side were a small number of other boats were anchored, a real find.
We had a couple of notable events on the trip: a swordfish jumping out of the water nearby and a helicopter with 'Marine' written along the side circling very low around us before hovering behind a boat going the other way. We assume it was an arranged practise!
As we got close to the Porquerolles the number of yachts and motor boats we saw increased dramatically; it would appear to be a major destination for yachties and all the anchorages were very packed. Fortunately, the coast here is different to that south of Cap Sicie and we are able to get into shallow water and anchor where the other yachts can not get (we just have to wait for the day trip motor boats to go at the end of the day if space is short when we arrive). The downside to being here is the wash all the motorboats blasting around create. The water is warm and clear so we have been enjoying swimming and being able to see where we have dropped the anchor and how it has set.
Visiting Marseille
The two highlights were the Beux Arts exhibition of impressionist era paintings (though the paintings we have liked most are still the ones in the exhibition we saw in Sete) and visiting Le Corbusiers' City Radieuse.
Roof top of the City Radieuse |
We climbed up to La Garde, the Catherdral overlooking the Marseille, which gives spectacular all round views.
Friouls and Ile d'If from La Garde |
Looking North from La Garde |
The Friouls
Port Frioul is an old navy harbour created by building a seawall between the 2 islands. As the islands are immediately off Marseille and are wind and sun blasted their main use appears to have been military and they are covered with fortifications dating from the late 1600s to WW2. The other main use was as a quarantine island. All around the islands are small bays (calanques) and people come out from Marseille to spend the day there either on their own boats or the via the ferry. The pictures below are from a walk on our first evening after most people had left.
Unusually, we had an alongside mooring; but this was because we were a catamarran, all the other moorings are stern to except on the North side of quai 1 which appears to be for large boats or overflow.
Thursday 8 August 2013
Photos and update to Marseille
Gruissan with new bow beam, netting and passarelle |
After Gruissan, where we had 3 days at anchor in the outer harbour waiting for the window to improve, we had a fast reach to Sete where we visited a fabulous impressionist exibition at the the Paul Valerie museum.
on visitors pontoon in Sete Marina |
From Sete we wanted to go direct to Marseille but the wind was on the nose so we ended up in Sainte Maries, a very pleasant old fishing village in the Camargue. Very flat wetlands all around which is not our cup of tea so one bike ride was enough and we left as soon as the wind served. For once we were not the most unusual boat in the harbour as a proa arrived whilst we were there.
Camargue flamingos |
After some initial motoring we had a spinnaker reach from Saint Maires in the Camargue to Marsellie which was fabulous. The weather is still unsettled (that means high liklihood of strong winds) so we are still in Marseille being tourists which we are enjoying a lot.
Saturday 3 August 2013
Thursday 25 April 2013
Getting ready to go off again
Picture above is of the new netting beam and netting in the bow. Unfortunately the roller reefing is in a direct line between the existing anchor roller and a putative roller on the netting beam so we are going to make a removable flap in the netting to allow the anchor to be deployed from the existing roller and see how we get on.