The Rhone

Leaving our 1st Rhone lock, big isn't it 31st July we entered the mighty Rhone. Wow! It takes your breath away. The locks are huge with a fall of 10m or more but very easy to negotiate because they have large floating bollards recessed into grooves in the sides of the lock so all we had to do was loop ropes around bollards fore and aft. In Spring when the snow melts on the mountains the water level rises so much that large boats can sail directly over the wiers to the side of the lock.

Dick & Anna on Anna Mare We arrived at Valence on the 1st August after spending a night en-route at the charming old town of Condrieu with it’s narrow streets. The marina is about 3km out of Valance but there is a good service for 1 euro. Dick and Anna were also here. We watched otters swimming around the boat in the evening. We liked it so we stayed three nights.

We hadn’t planned on stopping at Viviers because the book said it was too shallow but a call from Dick and Anna ahead of us said it was ok. How pleased we were, it’s beautiful and the cleanest town we’ve been in. We stayed for 6 glorious days, swimming in the Rhone and exploring the town and met Kitty and Rob again.

Viviers Left Viviers on the 10th again in the company of Anna Mare. On the way we were stuck at the bottom of the Bollene lock, 32 metres down and 40C for over an hour. There was Dick and Anna, our boat and ANOTHER 42CC. The only other 42CC we had ever seen. Spooky! We spent that night at a place called Port2 which is in and industrial zone but the people are nice and it's a good place to break the journey to Avignon.

We arrived at the magnificent city of Avignon around midday after a swim at anchor above the lock. Dick and Anna accompanied us. What a wonderful city, the marina is tucked in behind the famous Pont d'Avignon and there is a moderate current so the water is good for swimming, We swim several times a day in the warm water with small fish swimming around us. There are a couple of supermarkets within 10 minutes walk, the biggest being Casino but the road traffic noise is almost continuous. We stayed for 12 nights, partly because we loved it so much and partly because I had gastric flu for three days. What a way to loose weight! We have since heard that the marina was destroyed in winter storms and has not been rebuilt.

Stuck 32m down in Bollene lock at 20C for 1 hour We left Avignon early on the 23rd and arrived at Arles, famous for it’s Roman Amphitheatre, around midday. It’s a very small pontoon with good water and electricity but no facilities, however there is a good Intermarche and boulanger close by. It supposed to be €12 per night but they don't collect it very often. The town is fantastic so much to do and see but it's very dirty, dog mess everywhere. We arrived just in time for the end of the market and met Dick and Anna again. We also accompanied Dick and Anna down to Port St Louis on their boat, said our goodbyes because they were going home to Majorca for the winter and got the bus back to Arles and our own boat.

Ten day later we left Arles on a windy day at 07:40 to catch the lock into Port St-Louis at 11:45 and arrived at Navy services at 12:30. The quay was full so we moored precariously on a corner then went round to the lifting bay at 17:30 for the night ready for them to step the mast at 08:00 tomorrow. Tan is very unhappy with the condition of the mast. It's quite dirty and there are scratch marks where the rigging has rubbed. The 3rd September, we are a sailing boat with a mast again. They are very professional and did an excellent job, all for €90.

The famous pont d'Avignon We found a place on the public quay, no water or H2O and quite a swell when the big boats go past but it's quiet. Connected the halyards and sheets for the mainsail then walked round to the chandlers at Port Napoleon. I managed to get the C-Map for the med by an enormous stroke of luck. They couldn’t write C-Maps so it would have to be sent to Paris but the owner (Nick) happened to have a spare sent in error so we did an exchange. It was expensive compared to UK prices (€180) but much cheaper than a new one. The next day I connected all the electrics and had the rigging tuned. We are now ready to start our next chapter, sailing in the Mediterranean, but the Mistral kept us pinned down here for 13 days. It was here that we shared some good times with Tony and Helen who had a junk-rigged boat next to ours.

South of France

Sete Finally we left Port St. Louis after saying goodbye to Tony and Helen and headed off down the very wide canal to the Mediterranean proper. The plan had been to turn left and go round towards Marseilles but when I asked for final confirmation from the Admiral, she said right! (view route) We motor-sailed most of the way but sailed the last half hour as the wind picked up to F3 and we managed 4kn. Early afternoon we arrived at Port Guardian. The mooring are very tricky, stern in to the pontoon between two very large posts with tour boats passing in the narrow channel. It's one of the most difficult mooring in the Med but we are still speaking. The town is a nice seaside resort with lots of restaurants, sandy beaches, and an Ecomarche. We can hear the sound of the waves breaking on the beach from the mooring, wonderful. Saw our first Camargue pink flamingos.

Two days later we left for Sete. We managed 5.5kn with a F3 under sail. The GPS failed when we were 3nm from port but fortunately the plotter still worked. I traced the problem to the Laptop interface and disconnected it so we were back on auto-pilot again. Sete is a big town and busy fishing port. Quite a lot to do and see but a good 10 minute walk around the harbour to get anywhere and the wash from trawlers and pleasure boats is also very uncomfortable so we only stayed 2 nights. Sete has access from the sea into the main port and there is also a canal that runs the length of the town. Many of the canal and riverboat people winter here.

Gruissan

A good but slow sail with minimal engine use. We ran into heavy mist about 14:00 with visibility down to 100m or less. People we had met on a beautiful wooden polish boat saw us and tagged along because we had radar and a plotter. Gruissan is a large purpose built marina with lots of apartments around and an old town with castle about 1km away. The harbour has good provisions and lots of restaurants that attract many tourists as well as the locals. It's very attractive with promenades and various palm trees and is well sheltered. I bought an SSB radio and a few other things here. Navtex reception is terrible here. Listened to the BBC world service news for the 1st time since we left the UK. Not much has changed.

Port Vendre Four days later we left with the wind 4-5 gusting 6 and the sea moderate, good sailing. The thermos flask was an unfortunate casualty of the day. When we arrived at St. Cyprian we were visited by customs probably they happened to be moored there that day. No problems. St Cyprien is a very expensive and slightly tacky seaside resort with little to recommend it. Shopping is inadequate but there are nice beaches so we only stayed two nights.

The forecast was for F3-4 but they never materialised so we motored most of the way. The sea was moderate and from astern our beam which given the late night and alcohol was not too pleasant. However, we are pleasantly surprised by Port Vendre. It's a charming working fishing port nestled in a cranny at the foot of the Pyrenees. Port Vendre is the largest importer of fruit in France and consequently large ships arrive occasionally. It is also host to cruise liners, Silver wings and Saga Pearl arrived and departed while we were here. There is also a large fish market where the trawlers unload. It's amazing with large tanks of live fish, crabs, and lobsters.

Collioure We have discussed our plans and decided that Soller was not an option at this time of year because of the lack of Marina's and anchoring is too risky. We have laid-in a course for Spain but don't know when we will leave, we are both very comfortable with this port and keep extending our stay. Shopping: Local market by the obelisk on Saturday, SuperU, Fish market.

Collioure Departed for Banylus-sur-Mer after fond farewells from Cyril and from Bill and Marie at Port Vendre. Just off Cap Bear Tan asked what the sea temperature was, it was 21C so we came about and headed for Collioure to anchor in the bay. It was a pleasant sail and we picked up a buoy in the bay. We spent the afternoon swimming and took the dinghy to the beach then to the harbour and walked around town. In the evening someone on the shore gesticulated that we were on his mooring so we picked up a large white buoy which was very uncomfortable so we moved closed in to the castle and anchored. It was a lovely calm night for our first anchorage but I didn't sleep well because of our close proximity to the castle and the harbour wall.

Next day we weighed anchor just before 10 a.m. and headed for Banyuls-sur-Mer. We motored for a while then sailed the last leg. The capitanierre is closed for the weekend but one of the fishermen directed us to a berth. Bought a new mounting for the flag and a Catalan flag. The marina is about half a km from town with nothing but the aquarium near. The town is pleasant and famous for it's wine which is grown on steep sided hills which go right down to the sea. There is a thriving diving community here with several boats packed with divers leaving and returning every couple of hours, It's very interesting and doesn't cause any inconvenience.

Costa Brava

Rounding Cabo Crues into Sppain On the 13th October we rounded Cabo Creus and into Spanish waters Our first port of call was Puerto Roses The yacht harbour is still under construction and is a building site and incredibly expensive because they don't go to winter rate until the 15th. Electricity is supplied by extension leads, miles of it and is very unreliable, the voltage having dropped to 185 by the time it reaches us. There is a huge beach and the town is quite extensive being a mixture of Blackpool and traditional Spanish.

Next day we left and went to L'Escala. The marina is very nice with excellent clean facilities, we even used their showers instead of the boats. There is a small commercial centre with a Champion supermarket just under a 1km away but the town is 2km away. We got to know the town quite well because we were pinned down for 6 days by storms. There are several life-size bronzes dotted around the beach and the town.

L'Escala Eventually the wind and seas abated so we went to L'Estertit. The scenery is fantastic with the mountains cascading into the water. We had a difficult time mooring because Tan had to pick up a buoy but the lead-rope was caught on the bottom, she really had to struggle hard. L'Esertit is a picturesque place nestled at the foot of the mountains. We found an Ironmongers that rivals Aladdin's cave and bought several items at very reasonable prices. It's mid-October and the trees on the hillside are still very green in the sunlight.

An ignominious departure from L'Estertit, I fell into the harbour whilst doing the warps, complete with mobile phone in my pocket. Tan was quick to put the ladder down and after a shower and change we got tangled in the buoy as we left, I hadn't made sure that the buoy lead rope was clear of the anchor. It rained heavily as we arrived at Palamos, Tan was cold and wet. We moored at Club Nautic in the Fishing Port but the office is always closed so we never had to pay. Palamos is a good sized town with lots of shops and facilities. On the Friday the wind has got up a little to F5 from the North. The new flag mounting complete with flagstaff and flag has disappeared. I obviously didn't use big enough screws!

L'Escala Three days later we had a miserable cold and wet sail to Blanes where we had to raft alongside another Yacht in the harbour. There are some lovely beaches along this coast but it's too cold to enjoy them. Looked around the town in the afternoon, it's got a lot of good shops but we didn't find a decent supermarket.

Tan at L'Estertit In contrast, our next short passage to Arenys de Mar was quite a pleasant sail although we had to motor two thirds of the way, the sea swell was about 1 metre but not uncomfortable. Good parking, stern on with lazy lines, fondly known as slime lines. This is a very nice port with a small fishing fleet and excellent Club Nautic with swimming pool. The C.N. people are marvellous. The town, just over half a kilometre away, consists mainly of a very long high street running steeply inland but as Tan said you can get anything from a ball-bearing to a ball gown, it also feels a very safe place. There is a certain natural charm to this town which takes a while to appreciate and is mainly due to the friendliness of it's people and the lack of tourist exploitation.

We haven't decided where to spend the winter yet so we ended up in Arenys for 23 nights! Tan had to go to the dentist here and he offered her 2 free tickets for the Barcelona boat show which he delivered to the boat in pouring rain. We took the train to Barcelona for the day and visited the boat show where we bumped into Tan's doctor who promptly introduced us to her family.

Arenys de Mar Finally on the 19th November we left Arenys and continued South, the swell was unpleasant but managed to sail about a third of the way. We entered the port Barcelona through the new entrance but had to wait until 16:00 for the marina office to open. We got a berth right next to the museum but only for 2 nights. The Marina has good security and is remarkably quiet considering it's in the heart of a big city. We are close to an area called Barceloneta which is a criss-cross of narrow streets with many small local shops, cafe's and bazaars. We had only intended to stay 3 nights but we loved it so much we just kept on extending.