Brest to Carentan (July 2012)

The second leg of our trip from Brest to Carentan was drastically different than the first leg. I wasn't miserable. The clouds parted, the rain stopped, and the sun came out. Thank god. And in the end I decided against taking the train back to Paris. I took the helm when we left Brest and I commanded my crew as I saw fit...ummm right. Anyways, we had to make a lot of zigzags (I promise my sailing terminology will evolve over time) to leave the bay. I felt well and Thierry mentioned to me that the conditions were perfect for sailing. The perfect amount of wind, no waves, no rain, and it wasn't too hot or too cold (I thought it was a bit chilly on the water...temperature was probably perfect on land...). While he was telling me this he had a big grin on his face. He was really relishing the moment. However, in my head I was thinking...this is as good as it gets??? It took us bloody three hours...maybe longer to go 16 nautical miles (30km)...When we were making our zig-zags sometimes it felt like we were going backwards!!! loosing ground. Paul was also content so I kept my feelings to myself. Our destination was the Isles of Scilly in the UK! However, this meant we needed to cross the English Channel...24hours of non-stop sailing. It would be another first for me. To be a contributing crew member I realized (Paul gently told me) I would have to take a shift during the night watch...out on deck in the blistering cold, with hardly any protection from the elements, and in the bloody dark, alone. Paul took the first shift, Thierry the second, and then it was my turn. I mentally prepared myself and I wasn't nervous or annoyed when Thierry knocked on our cabin door to signal my turn. I was ready. I never experienced sailing at night with Arbutus before and I wanted to try. I wasn't dreading the experience. Then out of nowhere Paul told me not to go, that he didn't want me to go outside. I was shocked. I told him it was ok...that I could go. He insisted I stay inside...and I didn't argue. Afterwards he told at times it was difficult to be outside, the wind was strong, the waves were big, it rained, sometimes it was hard to manage the boat, and the AIS wasn't functioning properly. He was worried that I would come to HATE sailing if I would have gone out that night, and I probably would have hated the experience. But I'm assuming you can't sail across the Atlantic in one afternoon and there will be some night sailing involved, so it's something I will have to learn. Fact. The Isles of Scilly are made up of over 100 islands, only five are inhabited, and when we arrived at St. Mary's (the largest island) the original plan was to anchor in a well protected cove that accommodates three boats. However, when we arrived the wind was strong, the waves were big, the entrance to the cove was narrow, and there were already two boats anchored. So we chose plan B and under motor we went to St. Mary's Harbour and tied up to a mooring buoy. The boys took a quick nap...I didn't need one because I had been sleeping the entire night. After their nap we blew up the dingy and went ashore. It's advantageous to put your rain boots and rain pants on before getting on the dinghy to avoid having your feet soaked by the water that accumulates at the bottom. Also a rain jacket is not a bad idea if you don't want to be splashed by the waves. Hmmm. Lesson learned. We took some much needed showers, ate lunch, walked around the town, and bought some groceries. Ah! Before going ashore Thierry had a swim...not by choice. He was standing on the swim platform and lost his balance when a wave hit the boat. What unnerved me the most was I didn't realize he had fallen in the water. I didn't hear anything. I only realized he had fallen in after he clambered back onto the boat and I saw that he was dripping wet. The next morning we anchored South of Tresco Island. It was magnificent because for a few hours the sun came out and it defrosted my insides. We took the dinghy to reach the island and when my feet were planted on the ground it felt oh so good. I felt this urge to RUN. My body ached for it. I had to shed some layers because I felt this unfamiliar sensation...or being hot!! It felt great to be on solid ground, but then I began to fell land sick...I never win. The boys caught up, we walked around the entire island and soaked in the relaxed island living. Early the next morning we sailed to Helford River in Cornwall, South West England and the following day to Salcombe. We anchored in the Kingsbridge Estuary just in front of the town and were flabbergasted when we were obliged to pay to around twelve pounds to anchor. Of all the years Thierry has been sailing paying to anchor was a first for him. I think part of the fee went towards the complementary biodegradable dish soap and garbage bag...but then it wouldn't be complementary. We stretched our legs and walked around town, threw out our garbage, and cleaned one of the cushion covers that stopped the path of the flying cup of coffee. The next morning we recrossed the English Channel and set our trajectory for the island of Guernsey, a British Crown dependency, off the coast of Normandy. Unfortunately there was no wind. Zero. So we used the engine and auto pilot the entire way. However, I earned my dinner this time. The boys were inside and I was on the deck singing to myself (it helps with seasickness!). making sure we didn't hit a cargo ship. The Engish Channel is the world's busiest seaway, traffic consisting of large cargo ships, ferries, fishing boats, sailboats. It was my job to make sure we didn't hit any boats. Highlights from Guernsey to Carentan: Guernsey – docked at Saint Peter Port – Great weather, lively harbour, very British city, drank beer at a pub, and listened to British karaoke. Sark – dropped anchor – population 600, has it's own parliament. We had great weather, visited the small island by foot, saw some sheep, took pictures of aforementioned sheep and shrub, walked to Sark bridge (not sure if it has a name) had an awesome view of Arbutus from the lookout. Alderny – dropped anchor – fantastic weather, Paul caught a fish, Sundy cleaned and oven baked it, it was delicious, went swimming with my wetsuit on, water was bloody cold, Paul called his mom to give her an update on our location. Unbenonste to us she had been calling harbours trying to locate us because she was worried something bad happened to us. There was some kind of miscommunication with his mom, she thought we would in France close to Carantan by now...and when she didn't hear from us she got worried. Cherbourg – anchored at night – sailed during the sunset, Cherbourg is the home of our last boat Baladin, saw a pod of dolphins early the next morning! They stuck around for awhile swimming alongside the boat's hull. Saint-Vaast – anchored – dinghy ran out of fuel when we were trying to get to ashore. We didn't take the paddles...Fortunately we stopped next to a large fishing boat that was moored. The fisherman allowed us to tie up to his boat and reach the walkway. Carentan – Great weather from Saint-Vaast to our final destination Carentan. There wasn't a lot of wind so we tested out the spinnaker. The port of Carentan is inland and can be reached by river. It takes an hour and a half to go through the river, and it's a relaxing drive. The lock just before the port is open two hours before and three hours after high tide. That afternoon Thierry caught the train to Paris and we stayed in Carentan, Arbutus's new home, for a few more days. Arbutus's transport from Port Leucate to Carentan was finished. Now it's time to prepare ourselves and Arbutus for an even longer journey :)