I apologize to my readers about my fixation with my drive line issues, but it is severe enough to cause contemplation of throwing in the towel...were that possible!
I've tried to find a proper mechanic facility that could deal with this, first in Brest, then in Paimpol (where we lifted the boat and did some shaft alignment work)...but to no avail.
But I've now found a facility that has taken this problem on.
I was very reassured when I learned that their term for mechanic is Engineer!
The owner of the facility (Mount Batten Boathouse) Gaven got on board and agreed that my diagnosis was correct (the transmission needs repair) and that they had the expertise to rebuild it.
So, Armando, Bill and I pulled it and I walked it over the following day for a tear down.
Merv (the Engineer) found several bearings that were bad, which he was able to obtain locally and the repair is well underway as I write this.
I'm much less stressed out now as I'm dealing with real professionals that have given me every assurance that they will correct this problem....no if ands or buts.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Scott finds Heaven on Earth
The marina is on a peninsula and the town center is across the way, serviced by small ferries that run on the ½ hour (1 pound each way).
The ferry lands in an old area of downtown called the Barbicon, which turns out to be where a certain ship (the Mayflower) left for America.
The departure point is marked with an arch and some nice stainless steel work, every American that visits here will have had a photo taken of them standing there with an awed expression on their face.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the commemorative spot was underwater during that period in history (later backfilled)...my guess is they are still a bit pissed off that we stole an entire country from them and this is a nasty inside joke that they are playing on unsuspecting patriotic Americans!
Glad I learned that bit before I put a picture of myself standing there on this blog...I hate being taken for a fool by foreigners in their own country!
Since this was a major naval base during WWII (as it is in the present), the Germans bombed much of it flat, I'm not sure if the Barbicon has been reconstructed, just missed or had no military significance.
But I digress...
As we went looking about the town (read seeking a pub) we stumbled on the Plymouth Gin factory!!!!!!!
They had a bar upstairs and Bill and Armando watched in awe as I took the stairs 3 steps at a time at a dead run!
The ferry lands in an old area of downtown called the Barbicon, which turns out to be where a certain ship (the Mayflower) left for America.
The departure point is marked with an arch and some nice stainless steel work, every American that visits here will have had a photo taken of them standing there with an awed expression on their face.
Unfortunately, it turns out that the commemorative spot was underwater during that period in history (later backfilled)...my guess is they are still a bit pissed off that we stole an entire country from them and this is a nasty inside joke that they are playing on unsuspecting patriotic Americans!
Glad I learned that bit before I put a picture of myself standing there on this blog...I hate being taken for a fool by foreigners in their own country!
Since this was a major naval base during WWII (as it is in the present), the Germans bombed much of it flat, I'm not sure if the Barbicon has been reconstructed, just missed or had no military significance.
But I digress...
As we went looking about the town (read seeking a pub) we stumbled on the Plymouth Gin factory!!!!!!!
They had a bar upstairs and Bill and Armando watched in awe as I took the stairs 3 steps at a time at a dead run!
I reached the top, not even out of breath and came into a beautiful old church like (to me anyway) arch roofed room with original beams and the most beautiful woman I had ever laid eyes on (besides Diane) standing behind the bar ready to make me a perfect dry martini...in clear sight of the gin vats!
I knew right then the tide had turned and things were starting to go my way.
I inquired about lodging there and they are checking that out with management.
I knew right then the tide had turned and things were starting to go my way.
I inquired about lodging there and they are checking that out with management.
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Plymouth
The next logical port East of Falmouth is Plymouth.
The weather forecast called for rain and gale force (up to Force 8) West winds....perfect day to get out in the channel and blow on down the coast.
I called for the main to be raised and Bill Lowe asked whether I planned to put it all up, actually he asked that a few times.
Having a bit of a racer background and knowing it was a downwind sail, I said yes.
It's taken me a while to learn about “British Understatement” (a downpour in a gale might be referred to as a “spot of inclement weather”!).
And it took me a bit to understand that Bill was really saying “only a bloody fool would put up a full main under these conditions!” (he's from a background that precludes the use of “wanker”).
I think Americans have had some success because they actually “say” what they are saying, over here apparently that's considered rude.
Anyway, we pulled the main and put out a bit of genny, then reduced that to a handkerchief and shot down the coast at 7 knots.
Had I had my wits about me (I was still getting over being over served the prior evening by my own hand) it was a perfect day to run the storm jib...oh well, I'm sure I will have the same circumstances before I leave these waters to make the correct call.
We rolled (literally) into Plymouth in the late afternoon and pulled into a marina that Armando had stayed at previously.
Beautiful spot, with a set of yacht building and service facilities (maybe time to get the tranny fixed?), a sailing center (more on that later) and a sailing school.
Armando and I were looking for a spot to spend up to 2 weeks, to sort things out on the boat, recoup (lick our wounds?) and obtain Yachtmaster certification...perhaps we'd found the spot!
The weather forecast called for rain and gale force (up to Force 8) West winds....perfect day to get out in the channel and blow on down the coast.
I called for the main to be raised and Bill Lowe asked whether I planned to put it all up, actually he asked that a few times.
Having a bit of a racer background and knowing it was a downwind sail, I said yes.
It's taken me a while to learn about “British Understatement” (a downpour in a gale might be referred to as a “spot of inclement weather”!).
And it took me a bit to understand that Bill was really saying “only a bloody fool would put up a full main under these conditions!” (he's from a background that precludes the use of “wanker”).
I think Americans have had some success because they actually “say” what they are saying, over here apparently that's considered rude.
Anyway, we pulled the main and put out a bit of genny, then reduced that to a handkerchief and shot down the coast at 7 knots.
Had I had my wits about me (I was still getting over being over served the prior evening by my own hand) it was a perfect day to run the storm jib...oh well, I'm sure I will have the same circumstances before I leave these waters to make the correct call.
We rolled (literally) into Plymouth in the late afternoon and pulled into a marina that Armando had stayed at previously.
Beautiful spot, with a set of yacht building and service facilities (maybe time to get the tranny fixed?), a sailing center (more on that later) and a sailing school.
Armando and I were looking for a spot to spend up to 2 weeks, to sort things out on the boat, recoup (lick our wounds?) and obtain Yachtmaster certification...perhaps we'd found the spot!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Passing myself off as a Native
While I had no hopes of doing this in France, I figured I could affect an accent and start using words and phrases such as: whilst (turns out I was mispronouncing that), dear boy, cheerio, be so kind as to, I say there, may I, and you bloody wanker.
I was convinced it was going quite well, but apparently I have a bit of work to do on the accent as I've disappointingly been (repeatedly) asked where I'm from?
At first I thought they meant which of the 50 States but my curiosity on how I had been compromised (why would they ask if I were pulling it off?) has lead me to ask “where do you think I'm from” (which may be rude but I'm typically upset that they don't think I'm one of them).
Their guess has been (100%) Canada!!!
To which I (being kind to them) say that they are “quite right” (a proper British term that one!) and leave it at that.
This could take me another few days before I work out the bugs....worst case I will resort to a Cockney accent, give off a surly manner and dress in black leathers, at which point I think they will stop enquiring as to my nationality!
I was convinced it was going quite well, but apparently I have a bit of work to do on the accent as I've disappointingly been (repeatedly) asked where I'm from?
At first I thought they meant which of the 50 States but my curiosity on how I had been compromised (why would they ask if I were pulling it off?) has lead me to ask “where do you think I'm from” (which may be rude but I'm typically upset that they don't think I'm one of them).
Their guess has been (100%) Canada!!!
To which I (being kind to them) say that they are “quite right” (a proper British term that one!) and leave it at that.
This could take me another few days before I work out the bugs....worst case I will resort to a Cockney accent, give off a surly manner and dress in black leathers, at which point I think they will stop enquiring as to my nationality!
Flagged Again!!!
Whilst working down my scotch supply (I had to do the job myself as others failed to help) the discussion again turned to flags.
First, apparently these countries (France\England\Spain) don't actually exist as they have provinces\counties whatever that were included in national borders without consultation (and they refuse to let go of that)!
So, it turns out that there is a Cornish flag that the locals really want to see you fly.
Ok, I understand that but I've already spent $300 on flags and I'm not even in Croatia yet!
But there was worse to come...
Bill apparently had been politely biting his tongue (although it never seemed to slow it down) as a guest on the boat (Mike Collins if I remember correctly) asked me why I was flying the Union Jack as a courtesy flag and not the English Yacht Ensign (they have 1 primary one and dozens of variations based on things like sexual preference...although I may have misunderstood that one).
Which turned out not to be a good subject to bring up with a bit of a stressed out American after his 1st channel crossing, who had ingested a large quantity of a neighboring country's finest product!
The flag was then lowered (some may have felt it went down a bit quickly), was gently placed below (ok...perhaps flung down the companionway might be more descriptive) to the awe and admiration (make that shock) of the guests onboard!
Problem solved...and I did mention that I would not attempt to show courtesy again until I reach the shores of a country that properly uses their national flag as an ensign (which is about 100% of the world thank God!).
A few days later I did look into purchasing a British Yacht ensign, but my courtesy has some dollar limits and $25 is about $15 dollars past that (given my $30 original investment in the UK flag).
Moving ahead a few days....I was boarded by Customs in Plymouth. I was a bit embarrassed not to be displaying a courtesy flag so I told them (my version of) the story.
They informed me the only foreign yachts they encounter that fly the UK flag are Russian!
A fellow yachtsman (Tim) gave me a solution. He goes to a toy store and buys a child’s toy flag, problem solved for under $5.
So, now I have a new shopping mission, I just need to find a place where they outfit flag (yacht ensign to boot) waving children!
First, apparently these countries (France\England\Spain) don't actually exist as they have provinces\counties whatever that were included in national borders without consultation (and they refuse to let go of that)!
So, it turns out that there is a Cornish flag that the locals really want to see you fly.
Ok, I understand that but I've already spent $300 on flags and I'm not even in Croatia yet!
But there was worse to come...
Bill apparently had been politely biting his tongue (although it never seemed to slow it down) as a guest on the boat (Mike Collins if I remember correctly) asked me why I was flying the Union Jack as a courtesy flag and not the English Yacht Ensign (they have 1 primary one and dozens of variations based on things like sexual preference...although I may have misunderstood that one).
Which turned out not to be a good subject to bring up with a bit of a stressed out American after his 1st channel crossing, who had ingested a large quantity of a neighboring country's finest product!
The flag was then lowered (some may have felt it went down a bit quickly), was gently placed below (ok...perhaps flung down the companionway might be more descriptive) to the awe and admiration (make that shock) of the guests onboard!
Problem solved...and I did mention that I would not attempt to show courtesy again until I reach the shores of a country that properly uses their national flag as an ensign (which is about 100% of the world thank God!).
A few days later I did look into purchasing a British Yacht ensign, but my courtesy has some dollar limits and $25 is about $15 dollars past that (given my $30 original investment in the UK flag).
Moving ahead a few days....I was boarded by Customs in Plymouth. I was a bit embarrassed not to be displaying a courtesy flag so I told them (my version of) the story.
They informed me the only foreign yachts they encounter that fly the UK flag are Russian!
A fellow yachtsman (Tim) gave me a solution. He goes to a toy store and buys a child’s toy flag, problem solved for under $5.
So, now I have a new shopping mission, I just need to find a place where they outfit flag (yacht ensign to boot) waving children!
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Falmouth - 1st Landing in England
I've already mentioned that my original goal was Falmouth, but due to some basic lack of knowledge that almost didn't happen.
So I was really thrilled that we were able to work our way to Falmouth (the last few miles involved a number of tacks and our arrival was later than we had expected, but we did properly sail in).
So I was really thrilled that we were able to work our way to Falmouth (the last few miles involved a number of tacks and our arrival was later than we had expected, but we did properly sail in).
I immediately poured glasses of the last of Pam Meyer's rum (I believe that famous bottle has appeared previously in this very blog) and we each had 2 sips (the bottle apparently had a leak in it as there was very little left for the English landing).
We walked off the dock and set foot on the motherland!
Lots of people milling around, apparently tourists and we had a real Cornish pasty (those people from Green Bay and the UP know what I'm talking about).
Bill Lowe delivered as promised and guided us to a proper English pub where we procured a local bitter....none finer!
Nice place, but we decided to depart the next day...bad weather was predicted (you first have to understand what they consider good weather before that has any meaning) and we figured we may as well get some sea miles done instead of trudging around town in the rain.
We walked off the dock and set foot on the motherland!
Lots of people milling around, apparently tourists and we had a real Cornish pasty (those people from Green Bay and the UP know what I'm talking about).
Bill Lowe delivered as promised and guided us to a proper English pub where we procured a local bitter....none finer!
Nice place, but we decided to depart the next day...bad weather was predicted (you first have to understand what they consider good weather before that has any meaning) and we figured we may as well get some sea miles done instead of trudging around town in the rain.
Friday, August 22, 2008
The Channel Cross
My original trip plans were to sail to the Scilly Isles, then to Falmouth, cruise the English side of the channel (as far as the Isle of Wright at least) and cross at a narrow spot to France.
From there I would go West down the channel, turn the corner and head South for the Med.
Essential, one channel cross (quite enough to satisfy my desire to do that).
But, I heard about the Brest festival and figured I would just do the channel loop the other way (West to East on the French side, cross at a narrow spot to the Isle of Wright and then sail as far as Falmouth, on to the Scilly and then off to the Med).
This would require 2 crosses, but Scilly Isles are pretty far West so that's not really a cross.
A fine plan that we were putting into action when Bill Lowe hooked up with us in Guernsey (for a week or so of sailing).
When I told him of my East to West plan on the English coast he said “Fine, let me out when you get to the Isle of Wright and I'll head home”!
Hmmh...I think Lassie is trying to tell us something (someone tell Bill what that means when he gets back to Florida)!
It turns out that the plan had a minor (ok...perhaps a fatal) flaw...going East to West in the English Channel involves sailing in high winds from the West in strong currents going West (called wind over tide).
In my defense, I had no idea the channel changed directions when I made the plan.
So, discussing this with our new source of local knowledge (where was he when I made the Brest decision?) he suggested we shift up one island that allowed departure in any tide (hope you recall earlier posts) and that we go on the diagonal (outside the shipping separation zone of course) and get as West as possible on the cross.
This put our likely destination at Plymouth, meaning I would miss my goal of sailing to Falmouth, but I would have some coastal cruising going East prior to arrival at the Isle of Wright.
Bummer, if I had known that I would not have gone to Brest to start with.
So, now we would cross on the diagonal, add distance (85nm vs 55), but at least we could do that all in daylight with an early start from Alderney.
Plan made, now to work the weather window.
Oops, if we went to Alderney it would take an additional day, and the weather was favorable for our cross if we left the next day from Guernsey (we would get a rare Southerly backing wind at about 15nm).
New plan, we would depart early in the am from Guernsey for Plymouth....so now check the tide.
Oh oh, we're trapped in by a sill until 12:45pm, meaning that we will only cross part of the channel in the daylight!
Getting the picture?
Nighttime cross (for over half), diagonal, outside the shipping separation zone...seems like I do everything the hard way!
As it went, the winds diminished, causing us to motor for several hours.
I figured out that Falmouth was only an additional 24nm from the position we were at and we changed course for it (of course, that put us on a greater diagonal, but I'd given up on that a long time prior).
We came across the East bound shipping traffic 1st, it reminded me of inbound air traffic at O'Hare.
I wish I had screen shots of all the red arrows (AIS symbols) that were moving across our GPS display!
The further West we went, the more the ships were spread out as they funneled into the separation zone behind us.
Not too bad on the Eastbound traffic, we then encountered the West bound, of course in the dark.
The most worrisome encounter was a ship coming behind us...I was determined to stay on his port side no matter what, but you do want to maintain a steady, predictable course in case they do see you and are planning to take your course into account.
I was able to contact the ship (got his name from AIS...what a great thing!) and he told me he would alter course and cross our stern....not sure how things would have gone had I not gotten in radio contact.
Anyway, the winds came up during the cross, backed and allowed us to make Falmouth under sail, achieving my long time goal of reaching the English shores in my own sailboat!
From there I would go West down the channel, turn the corner and head South for the Med.
Essential, one channel cross (quite enough to satisfy my desire to do that).
But, I heard about the Brest festival and figured I would just do the channel loop the other way (West to East on the French side, cross at a narrow spot to the Isle of Wright and then sail as far as Falmouth, on to the Scilly and then off to the Med).
This would require 2 crosses, but Scilly Isles are pretty far West so that's not really a cross.
A fine plan that we were putting into action when Bill Lowe hooked up with us in Guernsey (for a week or so of sailing).
When I told him of my East to West plan on the English coast he said “Fine, let me out when you get to the Isle of Wright and I'll head home”!
Hmmh...I think Lassie is trying to tell us something (someone tell Bill what that means when he gets back to Florida)!
It turns out that the plan had a minor (ok...perhaps a fatal) flaw...going East to West in the English Channel involves sailing in high winds from the West in strong currents going West (called wind over tide).
In my defense, I had no idea the channel changed directions when I made the plan.
So, discussing this with our new source of local knowledge (where was he when I made the Brest decision?) he suggested we shift up one island that allowed departure in any tide (hope you recall earlier posts) and that we go on the diagonal (outside the shipping separation zone of course) and get as West as possible on the cross.
This put our likely destination at Plymouth, meaning I would miss my goal of sailing to Falmouth, but I would have some coastal cruising going East prior to arrival at the Isle of Wright.
Bummer, if I had known that I would not have gone to Brest to start with.
So, now we would cross on the diagonal, add distance (85nm vs 55), but at least we could do that all in daylight with an early start from Alderney.
Plan made, now to work the weather window.
Oops, if we went to Alderney it would take an additional day, and the weather was favorable for our cross if we left the next day from Guernsey (we would get a rare Southerly backing wind at about 15nm).
New plan, we would depart early in the am from Guernsey for Plymouth....so now check the tide.
Oh oh, we're trapped in by a sill until 12:45pm, meaning that we will only cross part of the channel in the daylight!
Getting the picture?
Nighttime cross (for over half), diagonal, outside the shipping separation zone...seems like I do everything the hard way!
As it went, the winds diminished, causing us to motor for several hours.
I figured out that Falmouth was only an additional 24nm from the position we were at and we changed course for it (of course, that put us on a greater diagonal, but I'd given up on that a long time prior).
We came across the East bound shipping traffic 1st, it reminded me of inbound air traffic at O'Hare.
I wish I had screen shots of all the red arrows (AIS symbols) that were moving across our GPS display!
The further West we went, the more the ships were spread out as they funneled into the separation zone behind us.
Not too bad on the Eastbound traffic, we then encountered the West bound, of course in the dark.
The most worrisome encounter was a ship coming behind us...I was determined to stay on his port side no matter what, but you do want to maintain a steady, predictable course in case they do see you and are planning to take your course into account.
I was able to contact the ship (got his name from AIS...what a great thing!) and he told me he would alter course and cross our stern....not sure how things would have gone had I not gotten in radio contact.
Anyway, the winds came up during the cross, backed and allowed us to make Falmouth under sail, achieving my long time goal of reaching the English shores in my own sailboat!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Next up...crossing the English Channel and we take on an additional crew member
Ok, next up is the white knuckle part, the crossing of the channel.
We've been joined by Bill Lowe, a British friend that I met on Treasure Island (he has a condo there).
He's an experienced sailor with many crossings under his belt and he's generously offered to join us for a bit of our sail on the English side of things.
I would add that he's an absolutely charming, quick witted fellow with a superb British sense of humor...walking into an establishment becomes an experience not to be missed (one dockmaster sent everyone behind us away, telling them to return and settle later, as our simple transaction had become a comedy show) but I won't say anything of the sort as Bill may actually read this and I do not want to either encourage him or let him know I've anything nice to say about him!
It is a good thing that I'm rather quick witted myself and was able to best him at every turn (hey...it's my blog)!
We've been joined by Bill Lowe, a British friend that I met on Treasure Island (he has a condo there).
He's an experienced sailor with many crossings under his belt and he's generously offered to join us for a bit of our sail on the English side of things.
I would add that he's an absolutely charming, quick witted fellow with a superb British sense of humor...walking into an establishment becomes an experience not to be missed (one dockmaster sent everyone behind us away, telling them to return and settle later, as our simple transaction had become a comedy show) but I won't say anything of the sort as Bill may actually read this and I do not want to either encourage him or let him know I've anything nice to say about him!
It is a good thing that I'm rather quick witted myself and was able to best him at every turn (hey...it's my blog)!
How to Cross the English Channel
Making an English Channel cross is on my short list of things I want to have done in my sailing years.
The main considerations are weather, currents and shipping.
The trick is to cross at either the Isle of Wight or Dover, where you have 2 advantages.
One, the distances are the shortest, making it possible to make the cross in the daylight.
Second at those two places there are shipping separation zones, where there the ships are constrained to defined narrow lanes, causing them to go through single file (in a straight line). Crossing at a right angle (required) allows you to slip between two ships, enter a safe zone in the middle and then repeat the maneuver on the next lane.
While you will cross a ship's bow it will only occur twice (once in each lane) and you know the ship will not turn.
Once through you only encounter ships that are en route to local ports.
The last advantage is that the trip takes about 12 hours, which means that you don't have to take into consideration the tidal current change...just point at a compass heading and let the ebb take you one way and flow the other.
To sum up, start at the right place, start at the crack of dawn cross at a right angle, it's a tough cross even then but you've made it as easy as possible.
The main considerations are weather, currents and shipping.
The trick is to cross at either the Isle of Wight or Dover, where you have 2 advantages.
One, the distances are the shortest, making it possible to make the cross in the daylight.
Second at those two places there are shipping separation zones, where there the ships are constrained to defined narrow lanes, causing them to go through single file (in a straight line). Crossing at a right angle (required) allows you to slip between two ships, enter a safe zone in the middle and then repeat the maneuver on the next lane.
While you will cross a ship's bow it will only occur twice (once in each lane) and you know the ship will not turn.
Once through you only encounter ships that are en route to local ports.
The last advantage is that the trip takes about 12 hours, which means that you don't have to take into consideration the tidal current change...just point at a compass heading and let the ebb take you one way and flow the other.
To sum up, start at the right place, start at the crack of dawn cross at a right angle, it's a tough cross even then but you've made it as easy as possible.
How Not to Cross the English Channel:
Cross on a diagonal, outside of the shipping separation zone at night.
Once you are outside the separation zone you enter a cone of ships that are all turning to line up with the separation zone and are jockeying for position or are leaving the separation zone and turning to get on course.
Faster ships overtake the slower ones, so you often have ships that are alongside each other and it is inevitable that you will have a ship on either side of you.
Crossing that on a diagonal, when the ships are not following a straight line, makes you guess at whether the ship will go in front of you or behind you (read you will cross in front of it!).
At night, your ability to judge distance is really challenged.
Ships do have “range” lights, with the forward one being lower that the stern light.
When they line up (lower in front) it is cause for alarm. If they stay lined up you've got a bit of an issue.
The worst thing, however, is when the lights are converging at a slow rate, meaning the ship is turning in your direction and you have no idea if they will go in front or behind you.
If you know where they are going you could guess their turn
This can become a great guessing game and one that all on board take an interest in “playing”.
Of course, taking the diagonal also means you are sailing a greater distance, decreasing your chances of making a daylight passage.
To sum up, do not cross at night, outside the shipping separation zones at a diagonal!
Once you are outside the separation zone you enter a cone of ships that are all turning to line up with the separation zone and are jockeying for position or are leaving the separation zone and turning to get on course.
Faster ships overtake the slower ones, so you often have ships that are alongside each other and it is inevitable that you will have a ship on either side of you.
Crossing that on a diagonal, when the ships are not following a straight line, makes you guess at whether the ship will go in front of you or behind you (read you will cross in front of it!).
At night, your ability to judge distance is really challenged.
Ships do have “range” lights, with the forward one being lower that the stern light.
When they line up (lower in front) it is cause for alarm. If they stay lined up you've got a bit of an issue.
The worst thing, however, is when the lights are converging at a slow rate, meaning the ship is turning in your direction and you have no idea if they will go in front or behind you.
If you know where they are going you could guess their turn
This can become a great guessing game and one that all on board take an interest in “playing”.
Of course, taking the diagonal also means you are sailing a greater distance, decreasing your chances of making a daylight passage.
To sum up, do not cross at night, outside the shipping separation zones at a diagonal!
AIS – Universal Automatic Identification System (a Godsend!) and dealing with LARGE ships
Most ocean sailors list ships as their biggest concern, above equipment breakage and seas and weather.
They are fast and, on the open ocean, often “sneak” up on you. You always keep a standing watch, but a 10 minute lapse can result in being overtaken by a ship (you would be lucky to spot a high bridge on a ship beyond 8nm and they can do about 20).
We use radar, with 2 alarm zones, which really helps.
However, visibility is not always good and rain reduces the effectiveness of spotting a ship via radar.
The sighting of a vessel requires a determination of whether you are on a collision course (constant bearing, decreasing range.
At sea, you expect the ship to stay on a constant bearing.
In a coastal or channel situation, there are a lot of ships in near proximity and you can't assume they are on a straight course.
The other big point is that your boat is small and thus harder to spot, you have to assume they don't know you are there.
All ships monitor channel 16 on the VHF, so it should be possible to contact them to sort things out.
However, in reality (my experience) hailed ships seldom respond, even when they have to know you are calling them (remember...you don't know their name). After all, if you're 800nm out and the range of a VHF is about 16nm, who the hell do they think is being hailed?
I have, on the rare occasion, been able to establish radio contact on the open seas.
One was with a huge US container ship and another was with a French ship (they hailed me just to see how things were going, where I was headed, etc....they are big sailing buffs).
Here's one “successful” exchange.
Eric and I were crossing from the Azores and the seas were running quite large.
We picked up a ship on radar and (it was daylight) sighted it on about every 5 wave (remember you both are going up and down quite a distance).
I was confident that they would cross, but I do like to know if they are aware that I'm around (it doesn't hurt), so I hailed the ship at such and such lat\lon.
After a few attempts, a voice came on saying that they didn't speak much English.
I asked if they had me on radar. The response was: No.
I asked if they could see me. Again – No.
Which confirms my general feeling that most ships really don't have any awareness of your presence.
Anyway, I informed him that we were both on a fine course (he probably didn't understand a word I said) and got off the radio.
I often call just in the hopes they hear a voice on their radio and perhaps take a look out the window or check their radar.
I've been told that some of the delay on replies must be from someone trying to find someone that speaks your language, but you have no idea what is going on...again only about 2 in 10 even respond.
But, I've digressed and probably have already covered this in the blog.
We first heard about AIS in Bermuda and I was determined to get one installed and working prior to my English Channel cross.
AIS is used by all ships (above some level) to transmit information.
This information displays on the GPS chartplotter.
The ship shows up as a red triangle.
If the ship is turning, a line appears showing the direction of the turn.
If you select a triangle a text box appears that tells the ship's name, the type of ship, the destination, speed and rate of turn!!!!
First thing....you now have their name and a ship is required to respond when hailed by name!
Note that the name UnKnown is displayed on about 25% of the ships...got to find out what that is all about!
So now you can hail them, you know where they are going (that breaks down when you have no idea where a city is), how fast, how big they are, if they are turning and in what direction and rate...
Eric got this working in the Azores, but then we had problems with it and made the entire cross without it.
However, we got it going again and I have it for the Channel Cross (more to come on that), I can't tell you how nice it is to have information like this when you need it!
They are fast and, on the open ocean, often “sneak” up on you. You always keep a standing watch, but a 10 minute lapse can result in being overtaken by a ship (you would be lucky to spot a high bridge on a ship beyond 8nm and they can do about 20).
We use radar, with 2 alarm zones, which really helps.
However, visibility is not always good and rain reduces the effectiveness of spotting a ship via radar.
The sighting of a vessel requires a determination of whether you are on a collision course (constant bearing, decreasing range.
At sea, you expect the ship to stay on a constant bearing.
In a coastal or channel situation, there are a lot of ships in near proximity and you can't assume they are on a straight course.
The other big point is that your boat is small and thus harder to spot, you have to assume they don't know you are there.
All ships monitor channel 16 on the VHF, so it should be possible to contact them to sort things out.
However, in reality (my experience) hailed ships seldom respond, even when they have to know you are calling them (remember...you don't know their name). After all, if you're 800nm out and the range of a VHF is about 16nm, who the hell do they think is being hailed?
I have, on the rare occasion, been able to establish radio contact on the open seas.
One was with a huge US container ship and another was with a French ship (they hailed me just to see how things were going, where I was headed, etc....they are big sailing buffs).
Here's one “successful” exchange.
Eric and I were crossing from the Azores and the seas were running quite large.
We picked up a ship on radar and (it was daylight) sighted it on about every 5 wave (remember you both are going up and down quite a distance).
I was confident that they would cross, but I do like to know if they are aware that I'm around (it doesn't hurt), so I hailed the ship at such and such lat\lon.
After a few attempts, a voice came on saying that they didn't speak much English.
I asked if they had me on radar. The response was: No.
I asked if they could see me. Again – No.
Which confirms my general feeling that most ships really don't have any awareness of your presence.
Anyway, I informed him that we were both on a fine course (he probably didn't understand a word I said) and got off the radio.
I often call just in the hopes they hear a voice on their radio and perhaps take a look out the window or check their radar.
I've been told that some of the delay on replies must be from someone trying to find someone that speaks your language, but you have no idea what is going on...again only about 2 in 10 even respond.
But, I've digressed and probably have already covered this in the blog.
We first heard about AIS in Bermuda and I was determined to get one installed and working prior to my English Channel cross.
AIS is used by all ships (above some level) to transmit information.
This information displays on the GPS chartplotter.
The ship shows up as a red triangle.
If the ship is turning, a line appears showing the direction of the turn.
If you select a triangle a text box appears that tells the ship's name, the type of ship, the destination, speed and rate of turn!!!!
First thing....you now have their name and a ship is required to respond when hailed by name!
Note that the name UnKnown is displayed on about 25% of the ships...got to find out what that is all about!
So now you can hail them, you know where they are going (that breaks down when you have no idea where a city is), how fast, how big they are, if they are turning and in what direction and rate...
Eric got this working in the Azores, but then we had problems with it and made the entire cross without it.
However, we got it going again and I have it for the Channel Cross (more to come on that), I can't tell you how nice it is to have information like this when you need it!
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Guernsey
Just off the West coast of Normandy there are some good size islands (the Channel Islands) that somehow became British possessions (some back and forth between the Brits and the French, with a temporary German intercession in WII).
We sailed from St Malo to Guersney, where we've spent 2 days plotting our assault on the English Channel.
Very interesting place, again with a marina right in the heart of a town.
Took a bus tour, no pictures as I've misplaced the memory card.
Arrival and departure occur twice a day, governed by when you can get over the 4.4 meter sill.
Currently that window is 3 hours. Boats raft up outside the sill awaiting direction from the harbor master (who runs around in a dinghy) and the outbound boats break out of their rafts (typically the inside boats are the ones leaving...which involves all kinds of trickery).
Last night a boat got stuck on the sill (on a rising tide) and provided a bit of entertainment for everyone for about 10 minutes as he worked to extricate himself. He ended up backing out and giving it a bit of a wait before he made his 2nd try!
We're planning on leaving on the noon tide for the channel crossing, the ideal time to do that would have been at daybreak, which (of course) is dead low tide...instead our departure will be at 12:45 pm.
Which means we will be sailing in one of the trickiest places in the world at night (for the last part).
Ideally we would have sailed to Alderny (just North of here) and left the next morning for a daylight crossing, but (as luck would have it) there is a low that is approaching and we had to rule out that option.
Note: Free WiFi!!!...wasted several hours on that getting an entirely new and novel messages saying I was logged in too many times (same old, same old but always with a new twist)!
Off to the free WiFi spot at the tourist center, which (of course) has no place to sit down or plug the laptop into.
We sailed from St Malo to Guersney, where we've spent 2 days plotting our assault on the English Channel.
Very interesting place, again with a marina right in the heart of a town.
Took a bus tour, no pictures as I've misplaced the memory card.
Arrival and departure occur twice a day, governed by when you can get over the 4.4 meter sill.
Currently that window is 3 hours. Boats raft up outside the sill awaiting direction from the harbor master (who runs around in a dinghy) and the outbound boats break out of their rafts (typically the inside boats are the ones leaving...which involves all kinds of trickery).
Last night a boat got stuck on the sill (on a rising tide) and provided a bit of entertainment for everyone for about 10 minutes as he worked to extricate himself. He ended up backing out and giving it a bit of a wait before he made his 2nd try!
We're planning on leaving on the noon tide for the channel crossing, the ideal time to do that would have been at daybreak, which (of course) is dead low tide...instead our departure will be at 12:45 pm.
Which means we will be sailing in one of the trickiest places in the world at night (for the last part).
Ideally we would have sailed to Alderny (just North of here) and left the next morning for a daylight crossing, but (as luck would have it) there is a low that is approaching and we had to rule out that option.
Note: Free WiFi!!!...wasted several hours on that getting an entirely new and novel messages saying I was logged in too many times (same old, same old but always with a new twist)!
Off to the free WiFi spot at the tourist center, which (of course) has no place to sit down or plug the laptop into.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
St Malo
St Malo was perhaps the highlight of the French side of the channel.
A walled city, with the marina right along side.
It is one of the top destinations of Parisians fleeing the heat of that city.
Beaches on the North side and hundreds of small cafes and shops inside the walls, with throngs of people wandering about.
It was bombed out in WWII, but (unlike Brest) restored to its original using rubble (when possible).
A walled city, with the marina right along side.
It is one of the top destinations of Parisians fleeing the heat of that city.
Beaches on the North side and hundreds of small cafes and shops inside the walls, with throngs of people wandering about.
It was bombed out in WWII, but (unlike Brest) restored to its original using rubble (when possible).
A veritable treasure of France, a wonderful place to just wander around in.
I'm glad we hit the cities in the order we did, as it was the jewel.
I easily could have spent a week or more there, but time is running short and we have to move on toward the English part of the trip.
I will not go into detail on our night departure, what we learned about locking through with a large ship (that sneaked up behind me and gave me a good fright) and a useless transmission that would not provide any forward power, no lock people to throw us lines to tie to, etc., it ain't all roses!
I'm glad we hit the cities in the order we did, as it was the jewel.
I easily could have spent a week or more there, but time is running short and we have to move on toward the English part of the trip.
I will not go into detail on our night departure, what we learned about locking through with a large ship (that sneaked up behind me and gave me a good fright) and a useless transmission that would not provide any forward power, no lock people to throw us lines to tie to, etc., it ain't all roses!
Transat Quebec to St Malo
We continue to be in the right place at the right time, with no planning (of course).
When we entered the marina at St Malo there were 5 racing catamarans in port, boats that I've only seen in magazines.
Over the next several days, we watched all kinds of high tech boats arrive, all greeted by horn blowing and a crowd of their family, friends and supporters.
When we entered the marina at St Malo there were 5 racing catamarans in port, boats that I've only seen in magazines.
Over the next several days, we watched all kinds of high tech boats arrive, all greeted by horn blowing and a crowd of their family, friends and supporters.
It turns out we were at the finish of a the Quebec – St Malo Transat!
The official tents were set up on the pier and they were providing media support (sail racing in France is hugely popular).
Great luck on our part...wonder what we will stumble on next!
The official tents were set up on the pier and they were providing media support (sail racing in France is hugely popular).
Great luck on our part...wonder what we will stumble on next!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Blog Posting
I would like to thank everyone for their comments and words of encouragement...and apologize for the untimeliness of my updates.
It's tough to get everything done and internet access has been a challenge.
I'm taking some “time off” in Plymouth to finally resolve my transmission problems (it is out of the boat in a mechanic's shop as I write this) and work on obtaining Yachtmaster certification.
So, I'm getting caught up on the blog and will tackle some of the boat issues that have been vexing me.
Here are some updates and thanks again for your interest and support!!!
-Scott
(Note from Diane - Scott sent about 3 weeks worth of blogs. I am going to publish them one or two a day so that I don't overwhelm everyone and also to stretch them out in case he ends up with another long stretch of writer's block).
It's tough to get everything done and internet access has been a challenge.
I'm taking some “time off” in Plymouth to finally resolve my transmission problems (it is out of the boat in a mechanic's shop as I write this) and work on obtaining Yachtmaster certification.
So, I'm getting caught up on the blog and will tackle some of the boat issues that have been vexing me.
Here are some updates and thanks again for your interest and support!!!
-Scott
(Note from Diane - Scott sent about 3 weeks worth of blogs. I am going to publish them one or two a day so that I don't overwhelm everyone and also to stretch them out in case he ends up with another long stretch of writer's block).
St Michel & Jean-Yves
I met Jean-Yves Rivier in Morlaix (he's the one that awoke me when I was snagged on the lock wall on a rising tide and later introduced me to Bretagne food).
He had left his car in Cherburg and suggested that he could visit us in St Malo (when he retrieved it) and take us around.
After spending a few days with him, I have to say that he is the special kind of person that you meet only a few times in your life...
Jumping ahead (just so you get an idea of the man) we came across a car in a parking lot at St Michel with a dog inside and windows just slightly lowered., the heat here is not the same as Florida, but no place to leave a dog (with the owner obviously gone on a several hour tour). We where aghast and determined to do something.
Jean-Yves made some calls and got the local town fire department (and later the gendarmes) to come to the car to free the dog.
St Malo, our current marina, turns out to be about 30 miles South of (one of) the most famous spots in France, St Michel (please google it and check it out).
In the back of my mind, I knew of it and thought it might be around here.
Jean-Yves suggested that we drive there and off we went.
Amazing, no way to properly describe the place. And, Jean-Yves (a very discerning individual) said it was among the top two places in all of France.
We climbed up (following Jean-Yves who trailed a bread vendor) and got to a set of stairs...the entry to the cathedral and everything above the town, the real treasures of the place.
I would have been quite happy to have taken the (long) line up and paid the 8 Ero to go in.
But, Jean-Yves is from here and I will always defer to local knowledge.
Jean-Yves took the group stairs, went up to the gatekeepers and procured 3 green stickers that had a time written on them.
We were given a warm smile and ushered past the waiting throngs wearing bright green stickers that said En Masse 11:45.
He had left his car in Cherburg and suggested that he could visit us in St Malo (when he retrieved it) and take us around.
After spending a few days with him, I have to say that he is the special kind of person that you meet only a few times in your life...
Jumping ahead (just so you get an idea of the man) we came across a car in a parking lot at St Michel with a dog inside and windows just slightly lowered., the heat here is not the same as Florida, but no place to leave a dog (with the owner obviously gone on a several hour tour). We where aghast and determined to do something.
Jean-Yves made some calls and got the local town fire department (and later the gendarmes) to come to the car to free the dog.
St Malo, our current marina, turns out to be about 30 miles South of (one of) the most famous spots in France, St Michel (please google it and check it out).
In the back of my mind, I knew of it and thought it might be around here.
Jean-Yves suggested that we drive there and off we went.
Amazing, no way to properly describe the place. And, Jean-Yves (a very discerning individual) said it was among the top two places in all of France.We climbed up (following Jean-Yves who trailed a bread vendor) and got to a set of stairs...the entry to the cathedral and everything above the town, the real treasures of the place.
I would have been quite happy to have taken the (long) line up and paid the 8 Ero to go in.
But, Jean-Yves is from here and I will always defer to local knowledge.
Jean-Yves took the group stairs, went up to the gatekeepers and procured 3 green stickers that had a time written on them.
We were given a warm smile and ushered past the waiting throngs wearing bright green stickers that said En Masse 11:45.
Jean-Yves had a sly smile (Ok, remember the part about the dog before you judge harshly)...it turns out he had explained that I was a devout Roman Catholic from the US there to attend Mass!!!!!
I was starting to sweat a bit as I thought I may have to fake my way through a religious ceremony, but we quickly took off the stickers and wandered around the place with the other pagans (the Mass would have taken an hour...might have saved my soul but I wasn't going to gamble 1 hour in a church against eternity in Hell).
By the way, if you are really a Catholic and do visit, take the line on the left...hey, it's a Catholic deal and why not play that card?
Absolutely one of the most fabulous places that I've ever been. Jean-Yves said it is one of his favorite places in France (not to take him to task, but it apparently is still considered a part of Bretagne...had it been considered Normandy I'm not so sure if he would feel that way).
St Michel....Thanks Jean-Yves!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Baie du Mont Saint-Michel
Returning from Mont St Michel Jean-Yves took the coastal road.
The bay is home to mussel cultivation and also some oyster farming (most oystering is done west of here...visa versa for mussel production).
Check out the pictures of Cancal (where there are oyster beds right off the city jetty).
Oyster Farm
Oyster Boat
The bay is home to mussel cultivation and also some oyster farming (most oystering is done west of here...visa versa for mussel production).
Check out the pictures of Cancal (where there are oyster beds right off the city jetty).
Oyster Farm
Oyster Boat 
Oyster Market
Jean-Yves
I know everyone must be sick of hearing about the tides, but bear with me as (if I'm understanding this correctly) this bay claims to have tides second only to the Bay of Fundy!
The large careened boat beached on a spring tide (highest...neaps is lowest). The spring tides will return in about 2 weeks, giving him that much time to work on the bottom.
Tricky business as springs have high and low, so if you were to run aground on the high spring you may have to wait 6 months for a high spring to return!
Thursday, August 7, 2008
Time To Hear From You
I agree with Jim - someone had to say it.
I get emails, calls, hear about it on the street, lots of people are reading this, and yet Scott gets no feedback. He is publishing in a void. I try to tell him that he is educating people - on Kafkaism, flags, tides, the French, the fact that some French don't even like the French, etc. And yet, as far as he knows, only Jim is listening.
I get phone calls and emails, not to mention people on the street in our neighborhood, that comment on the blog and how much they are enjoying it. I really heard a lot after Eric left and there was a great void as Scott attempted to find his voice.
My family, and most importantly, my Aunts (thank you Aunt June, Aunt Verna, & Aunt Mert), have followed it religiously. Scott's parents have shared it with their friends , our neighbors who ask after him on a regular basis and have shared it with their friends, some of whom were in the Azores during the war and had fond memories or love northern France, friends of mine from work, some of who know Scott, many who don't, Scott's friends from work(who all know him too well), our friends from Florida, from Michigan, from Portland, from Boston, from Denver, from San Antonio, from California, from Tennesee, and of course from Wisconsin, (you all know who you are!!!). We would be interested to hear from everyone this blog has touched.
I think it is time that Scott heard from his readership. (If no one responds we will know that Jim really is the only one still reading). If you don't know Scott personally, tell how you found him - friend of Diane, parents, neighbor, stumbled on it accidently, whatever.
Now - giving some of you (not you Les, no excuse for you) the benefit of the doubt. It is very confusing to figure out how to post a comment for the very first time. I myself (an I.T. professional of 25 years) posted my first blog comment twice and could not figure out how to delete it.
I have prepared a tutorial for you. In doing so I posted a couple of test comments before I got it right. Once you are set up it is easy, it either knows you automatically or you enter your email address and your password and it knows you.
First time you enter a comment it will ask you for your user id and password. You have to set yourself up with a blogger name. My is Diane, but for this tutorial I am going to set up a blogger account named 'Severance Groupie'. When it asks for your id and password it also says : "No Google Account? Sign up Here".
Click the "Sign Up Here" link and you will get this screen:
Next time you come in it will show that you are signed in as ?????. In my case it will be 'Severance Groupie'.
If it does not show that you are signed in, then it will prompt you to sign in. It will ask you for user name and password. Enter your email address for User Id (not your Blogger name) and the password you chose for the blog, then type in the funny letters and hit publish.
For people born after 1980 it is so easy, completely intuitive, but for the rest of us it takes a little experimenting - note my 3 test comments in order to document this.
So please whoever you are, where ever you're at, if you are enjoying these posting - leave Scott a comment. Doesn't have to be funny - just let him know you are there.
I get emails, calls, hear about it on the street, lots of people are reading this, and yet Scott gets no feedback. He is publishing in a void. I try to tell him that he is educating people - on Kafkaism, flags, tides, the French, the fact that some French don't even like the French, etc. And yet, as far as he knows, only Jim is listening.
I get phone calls and emails, not to mention people on the street in our neighborhood, that comment on the blog and how much they are enjoying it. I really heard a lot after Eric left and there was a great void as Scott attempted to find his voice.
My family, and most importantly, my Aunts (thank you Aunt June, Aunt Verna, & Aunt Mert), have followed it religiously. Scott's parents have shared it with their friends , our neighbors who ask after him on a regular basis and have shared it with their friends, some of whom were in the Azores during the war and had fond memories or love northern France, friends of mine from work, some of who know Scott, many who don't, Scott's friends from work(who all know him too well), our friends from Florida, from Michigan, from Portland, from Boston, from Denver, from San Antonio, from California, from Tennesee, and of course from Wisconsin, (you all know who you are!!!). We would be interested to hear from everyone this blog has touched.
I think it is time that Scott heard from his readership. (If no one responds we will know that Jim really is the only one still reading). If you don't know Scott personally, tell how you found him - friend of Diane, parents, neighbor, stumbled on it accidently, whatever.
Now - giving some of you (not you Les, no excuse for you) the benefit of the doubt. It is very confusing to figure out how to post a comment for the very first time. I myself (an I.T. professional of 25 years) posted my first blog comment twice and could not figure out how to delete it.
I have prepared a tutorial for you. In doing so I posted a couple of test comments before I got it right. Once you are set up it is easy, it either knows you automatically or you enter your email address and your password and it knows you.
First time you enter a comment it will ask you for your user id and password. You have to set yourself up with a blogger name. My is Diane, but for this tutorial I am going to set up a blogger account named 'Severance Groupie'. When it asks for your id and password it also says : "No Google Account? Sign up Here".Click the "Sign Up Here" link and you will get this screen:
It will ask you for your email id. It does not have to be a Google email address, any email address will work, but it does have to be a valid email address.
The reason for this is accountability. No one will be able to see or access your email address, but it prevents spammers or hackers from spreading viruses. When we first set up this blog we said anyone could contribute without signing in. The first day we got a comment that said 'Click Here" for something and it was a virus. By ensuring that everyone who responds to this blog has a legitimate email address it prevents hackers from getting control of the site.
After you enter a legitimate email address, it asks you for a password. Do not use the password for your email account. It is a password only used for this account. Use something easy like Severance, or Scott (or WeLoveDiane!!!). The password does not have to match your email address, it is for the blogger account only.
Finally, enter the name you want to appear when you post your comment. I chose 'Severance Groupie'. So you can see that I entered my email address, gave it a password that was not related to my email account (only valid for google blogging), and gave myself a blogger name. Now type in the funny letters (keeps people from hacking by using computer programs - requires the human eye), and click the acceptance of terms disclaimer - and voila!!! You can now publish as much bad poetry and good commentary as you want.
Next time you come in it will show that you are signed in as ?????. In my case it will be 'Severance Groupie'.
If it does not show that you are signed in, then it will prompt you to sign in. It will ask you for user name and password. Enter your email address for User Id (not your Blogger name) and the password you chose for the blog, then type in the funny letters and hit publish.
For people born after 1980 it is so easy, completely intuitive, but for the rest of us it takes a little experimenting - note my 3 test comments in order to document this.
So please whoever you are, where ever you're at, if you are enjoying these posting - leave Scott a comment. Doesn't have to be funny - just let him know you are there.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Severance Flag attracts interest of fellow boaters and the French Maritime Gendarmes
Since arriving in France our flag (a standard boating ensign with an anchor and 13 stars in a circle) has aroused a lot of interest.
In St Augustine (West Marine) I purchased 2 US flags that I thought would get me there and back.
I could have bought a US ensign, but I'm not the flag waving type (Ok, I'm a liberal....but shouldn't that be a good thing in Europe???) and thought I would do better making friends (again not being fired upon given the current occupant of the White House) if I flew a less (in your face) American flag...for which the US Yachting Ensign fits the bill quite nicely!
Instead, my flag has caused a bit of a stir and turns out to be a violation of international law!
Oh Mon Dieu (which is French for I can't win for losing...don't look that up as I'm taking some liberties here)!!!
Now, for a moment, back to the Brits who fly a different color (colour???) ensign based on whether the Prince of Wales might drop in for a drink (got to be careful here...they take the Royal stuff very seriously...I'm safely across the Channel in France but will be in their neck of the woods soon).
If you are a member of the Royal Yacht club, can you really fly a blue British flag internationally?
And, if so, why can't I fly my US (tax exempt) yachting ensign???
And so I continue to muddle my way through, depending on the kindness of strangers (new friends in my book) and always hopeful to bluff my way through!
P.S.
A brief mention of Roger and Sylvia Squire (Sylvia is a reformed American), whom I met by using my normal bad docking maneuvers (try it, you get to meet all your neighbors), I rudely informed Roger that (as an American under the Bush administration) I was not bound by international law and then went on to put a serious dent in their liquor supply....wonderful people, not sure if I should be going around representing our (young) country!
The armed officials that searched our boat (after we'd been in Brest for 10 days...nice of them to provide plenty of time for a criminal to offload anything illegal) asked me about the flag and I shrugged them off in the best French fashion.
But I continued to get inquiries from fellow boaters, particularly those from the UK.
They fly a red flag unless they belong to the Royal Yacht Club (yep...that's the one the Prince of Wales is a member) in which case they fly a blue flag. Note the question I have a bit later on that.
Anyway, I did a bit of research (google american boating flag and see all the facts and opinions...wikipedia is quite good) and it turns out Severance is breaking international (and perhaps US) law!!!
I was aware that the law requires the vessel to display the flag of registry from the stern, with courtesy flags flying on the starboard side of the country you are visiting (higher than your flag and above the yellow quarantine flag declaring that you've just arrive). The yellow quaratine flag must be raised when you first enter a new country and you must leave it up until you have cleared customs.
I'm flying a US Yacht ensign, which is accepted by the US navy (they will not fire at you) and was designed to avoid paying taxes that commercial ships had to pay (that flew the US ensign)...so there you have another part of US history related to tax evasion.
Apparently, a law was passed in the 80's that exempted boats (US) operating in US waters to display any flag (ok...unless it is documented and Severance is).
The US Yacht ensign (good to avoid being fired upon) is widely used by pleasure boats in US waters, within which there is no requirement to fly any flag (unless you ain't from there!!!).
When I bought around $300 of courtesy flags for just the countries prior to the Med (can't use the Euro flag...there is one but it doesn't absolve you of the international boating requirements) I didn't buy a US ensign.
But I continued to get inquiries from fellow boaters, particularly those from the UK.
They fly a red flag unless they belong to the Royal Yacht Club (yep...that's the one the Prince of Wales is a member) in which case they fly a blue flag. Note the question I have a bit later on that.
Anyway, I did a bit of research (google american boating flag and see all the facts and opinions...wikipedia is quite good) and it turns out Severance is breaking international (and perhaps US) law!!!
I was aware that the law requires the vessel to display the flag of registry from the stern, with courtesy flags flying on the starboard side of the country you are visiting (higher than your flag and above the yellow quarantine flag declaring that you've just arrive). The yellow quaratine flag must be raised when you first enter a new country and you must leave it up until you have cleared customs.
I'm flying a US Yacht ensign, which is accepted by the US navy (they will not fire at you) and was designed to avoid paying taxes that commercial ships had to pay (that flew the US ensign)...so there you have another part of US history related to tax evasion.
Apparently, a law was passed in the 80's that exempted boats (US) operating in US waters to display any flag (ok...unless it is documented and Severance is).
The US Yacht ensign (good to avoid being fired upon) is widely used by pleasure boats in US waters, within which there is no requirement to fly any flag (unless you ain't from there!!!).
When I bought around $300 of courtesy flags for just the countries prior to the Med (can't use the Euro flag...there is one but it doesn't absolve you of the international boating requirements) I didn't buy a US ensign.
In St Augustine (West Marine) I purchased 2 US flags that I thought would get me there and back.
I could have bought a US ensign, but I'm not the flag waving type (Ok, I'm a liberal....but shouldn't that be a good thing in Europe???) and thought I would do better making friends (again not being fired upon given the current occupant of the White House) if I flew a less (in your face) American flag...for which the US Yachting Ensign fits the bill quite nicely!
Instead, my flag has caused a bit of a stir and turns out to be a violation of international law!
Oh Mon Dieu (which is French for I can't win for losing...don't look that up as I'm taking some liberties here)!!!
Now, for a moment, back to the Brits who fly a different color (colour???) ensign based on whether the Prince of Wales might drop in for a drink (got to be careful here...they take the Royal stuff very seriously...I'm safely across the Channel in France but will be in their neck of the woods soon).
If you are a member of the Royal Yacht club, can you really fly a blue British flag internationally?
And, if so, why can't I fly my US (tax exempt) yachting ensign???
And so I continue to muddle my way through, depending on the kindness of strangers (new friends in my book) and always hopeful to bluff my way through!
P.S.
A brief mention of Roger and Sylvia Squire (Sylvia is a reformed American), whom I met by using my normal bad docking maneuvers (try it, you get to meet all your neighbors), I rudely informed Roger that (as an American under the Bush administration) I was not bound by international law and then went on to put a serious dent in their liquor supply....wonderful people, not sure if I should be going around representing our (young) country!
-Scott
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Paimpol to St Malo – Navigation Calculations
Just thought I would expand on some earlier notes about navigation and the tide.
Here's a sample nav plan.
1st, we've picked our next port (based on talking with others)...St Malo is a must see and we're running out of time for the French side of the channel.
So, the trick is to get to St Malo using the tidal current, which runs West to East starting 4 hours before high tide, turning back to East to West 2 hours after high tide.
Including the hour of high tide, that gives about 6 hours when the tide is running at up to 3 knots in our favor and not going against us at any point.
St Malo is 44km from Paimpol, so we need to make about 7.3 knots to make it. Which is beyond the theoretical hull speed of the boat, but the (up to) 3 knot current + a normal cruising speed of 5.5 under sail makes that quite “doable”.
So, 6 hours prior to high tide at St Malo, plus 1 hour to clear the lock here and get to the channel.
Note the gate (lock) that keeps the water high at all times within the harbor. You can see in this picture water leaking through. At low tide the gates are closed keeping the water high inside the harbor. At high tide the gates are left open so boats can come and go at will. In between the gates work as a lock, lifting and lowering the boats to match the water level on each side to allow the boats in and out of the harbor.
Next step is to determine what time that would be, so you consult a tide book (or your trusty chart plotter), find that high tide is at 10am, which puts your departure time in Paimpol at 3am (a bit early in this example...but we'll still go with that).
Then you check the state of the tide at Paimpol at 3am and find it is dead low tide, which means the only way to leave the port in the channel is via foot (see the low tide pictures of Paimpol)!
Ok, so that doesn't work
You can only leave Paimpol during the 5 hour period around high tide (the lockmaster does work nights)...so that's twice a day. During high tide, the lock doors are left open.
So, leaving at the 1st lock opening prior to high tide, you could get 3 hours of favorable tide, once you fight your way out of the water flowing into Paimpol and get into La Manche.
Then you have a few options. One, favored by someone we met, is to go against the tidal current and use the low speed over ground (SOG) to do a bit of fishing! Another is to find a port within range that you can enter 3 hours after high tide (good luck but sometimes possible) and the last option is to anchor somewhere, which can be a tricky proposition on this coast.
Armando found a good anchorage just 10 miles from Paimpol, so we left on the high tide (no lock skills required there) and made our way there.
I've left out one other step, which is to download a weather (grib) file and make sure the least bad thing that will happen is just wet, cold weather...
Which is, of course, what we're experiencing on this leg.
Then we go back to the original calculations and depart at dead low tide (we've gained 10nm on the original route), which (unfortunately) is at 5am.
If you get to St Malo outside of the lock operating times (I've read the paragraph on that 6 times and still don't get it...but we'll be fine arriving on high tide in the morning), you go to a mooring buoy in a basin and wait for the water to hit the necessary level (no big deal on a rising tide, but on a falling one you better have a good stock of beer aboard!).
And that's how it is done here. So far, we only sailed (most) of the Brest to L'Aber W'rach leg, winds haven't been favorable and the consequences of late arrival are sometimes quite severe.
We also do take note of other harbors en route, so we do have some options if things don't work out.
We're still West of Cherburg (our probable starting point for the Channel crossing), so we haven't yet hit the highest tides or fastest currents yet...hard to believe that given our experiences so far!
-Scott
Here's a sample nav plan.
1st, we've picked our next port (based on talking with others)...St Malo is a must see and we're running out of time for the French side of the channel.
So, the trick is to get to St Malo using the tidal current, which runs West to East starting 4 hours before high tide, turning back to East to West 2 hours after high tide.
Including the hour of high tide, that gives about 6 hours when the tide is running at up to 3 knots in our favor and not going against us at any point.
St Malo is 44km from Paimpol, so we need to make about 7.3 knots to make it. Which is beyond the theoretical hull speed of the boat, but the (up to) 3 knot current + a normal cruising speed of 5.5 under sail makes that quite “doable”.
So, 6 hours prior to high tide at St Malo, plus 1 hour to clear the lock here and get to the channel.
Note the gate (lock) that keeps the water high at all times within the harbor. You can see in this picture water leaking through. At low tide the gates are closed keeping the water high inside the harbor. At high tide the gates are left open so boats can come and go at will. In between the gates work as a lock, lifting and lowering the boats to match the water level on each side to allow the boats in and out of the harbor.Next step is to determine what time that would be, so you consult a tide book (or your trusty chart plotter), find that high tide is at 10am, which puts your departure time in Paimpol at 3am (a bit early in this example...but we'll still go with that).
Then you check the state of the tide at Paimpol at 3am and find it is dead low tide, which means the only way to leave the port in the channel is via foot (see the low tide pictures of Paimpol)!
Ok, so that doesn't workYou can only leave Paimpol during the 5 hour period around high tide (the lockmaster does work nights)...so that's twice a day. During high tide, the lock doors are left open.
So, leaving at the 1st lock opening prior to high tide, you could get 3 hours of favorable tide, once you fight your way out of the water flowing into Paimpol and get into La Manche.
Then you have a few options. One, favored by someone we met, is to go against the tidal current and use the low speed over ground (SOG) to do a bit of fishing! Another is to find a port within range that you can enter 3 hours after high tide (good luck but sometimes possible) and the last option is to anchor somewhere, which can be a tricky proposition on this coast.
Armando found a good anchorage just 10 miles from Paimpol, so we left on the high tide (no lock skills required there) and made our way there.
I've left out one other step, which is to download a weather (grib) file and make sure the least bad thing that will happen is just wet, cold weather...
Which is, of course, what we're experiencing on this leg.
Then we go back to the original calculations and depart at dead low tide (we've gained 10nm on the original route), which (unfortunately) is at 5am.
If you get to St Malo outside of the lock operating times (I've read the paragraph on that 6 times and still don't get it...but we'll be fine arriving on high tide in the morning), you go to a mooring buoy in a basin and wait for the water to hit the necessary level (no big deal on a rising tide, but on a falling one you better have a good stock of beer aboard!).
And that's how it is done here. So far, we only sailed (most) of the Brest to L'Aber W'rach leg, winds haven't been favorable and the consequences of late arrival are sometimes quite severe.
We also do take note of other harbors en route, so we do have some options if things don't work out.
We're still West of Cherburg (our probable starting point for the Channel crossing), so we haven't yet hit the highest tides or fastest currents yet...hard to believe that given our experiences so far!
-Scott
Saturday, August 2, 2008
Internet Woes – The Search for the Holy Grail (Wireless on the Boat)
Getting on the internet whilst aboard is turning into a standing joke.
It started in St Augustine, FL and continues to be a Kafkaesque experience no matter what country\city Severance goes to.
Our latest attempt to get WiFi were thwarted by my ever alert credit card company, which refused to authorize my attempt to purchase minutes.
In L'Aber W'rach, the marina had free WiFi, all you needed to do was to provide your cell phone number and the code\password would be provided! Simple, unless you don't have a cell phone.
In Brest, free WiFi, unless you were on the furthest dock (guess where we were!). If we stood up and held the laptop over our heads, we could sometime initiate a connection, which would be lost once you sat down to type. Of course, the service had to be “up” and couldn't be fixed on a weekend (which seemed to include Fridays). If it was down, you could get on-line by going to the city center, which was only 5 miles (or so) away)
In the Azores, WiFi was always just up the hill (everything there is up the hill)...I could never find the right hill.
In one Azores island, the WiFi for the marina was provide by a restaurant and was going to be fixed soon. It was available at the library, except that someone had shut down the computer and the librarian was on a different island. The cyber cafe offered connections, but wasn't open on weekends, or weekdays as far as we could tell.
My Sat phone email stopped working the day after we left St Augustine and took several hundred dollars in minutes from me until I got wise and gave up (all the other boats with Iridium had similar stories...one boat got it working again after 200 minutes, but wouldn't take any plugs out for me to test with my phone, which I thoroughly understood!).
And, Norton loves to block access to the WiFi login pages...I think I figured out how to get past that just yesterday.
Most of the marina offices do have a computer with easy access, however Portugese and French keyboards are just enough different to make answering an email tre difficult (but they do offer the key to put the weird character over the “e” in tre!).
Anyway, if I'm not getting back to anyone on an email, it might not just be my (famous)
tendency for procrastination!
P.S.
I'm actually finishing this posting from my nav station on the boat on my own computer!
Too bad we're leaving here soon...
-Scott
It started in St Augustine, FL and continues to be a Kafkaesque experience no matter what country\city Severance goes to.
Our latest attempt to get WiFi were thwarted by my ever alert credit card company, which refused to authorize my attempt to purchase minutes.
In L'Aber W'rach, the marina had free WiFi, all you needed to do was to provide your cell phone number and the code\password would be provided! Simple, unless you don't have a cell phone.
In Brest, free WiFi, unless you were on the furthest dock (guess where we were!). If we stood up and held the laptop over our heads, we could sometime initiate a connection, which would be lost once you sat down to type. Of course, the service had to be “up” and couldn't be fixed on a weekend (which seemed to include Fridays). If it was down, you could get on-line by going to the city center, which was only 5 miles (or so) away)
In the Azores, WiFi was always just up the hill (everything there is up the hill)...I could never find the right hill.
In one Azores island, the WiFi for the marina was provide by a restaurant and was going to be fixed soon. It was available at the library, except that someone had shut down the computer and the librarian was on a different island. The cyber cafe offered connections, but wasn't open on weekends, or weekdays as far as we could tell.
My Sat phone email stopped working the day after we left St Augustine and took several hundred dollars in minutes from me until I got wise and gave up (all the other boats with Iridium had similar stories...one boat got it working again after 200 minutes, but wouldn't take any plugs out for me to test with my phone, which I thoroughly understood!).
And, Norton loves to block access to the WiFi login pages...I think I figured out how to get past that just yesterday.
Most of the marina offices do have a computer with easy access, however Portugese and French keyboards are just enough different to make answering an email tre difficult (but they do offer the key to put the weird character over the “e” in tre!).
Anyway, if I'm not getting back to anyone on an email, it might not just be my (famous)
tendency for procrastination!
P.S.
I'm actually finishing this posting from my nav station on the boat on my own computer!
Too bad we're leaving here soon...
-Scott
Boat Woes and Some Bright Spots
Severance now has a modern working toilet that doesn't have some of the woes that kept the last one from being the least bit endearing.
A small job (that of course turned into a major project)...but a big step forward!
And, we can now empty the holding tank (what the heck was a piece of glass doing in the macerator pump...hope some crew member doesn't have a lacerated intestinal tract!). Of course, France fully supports pump out stations and I actually saw one in the smallest marina we visited to date (which was of course later than I needed it).
That puts France one pump ahead of the Azores!
By the way, for the curious, it is true that the best marine head is a bucket...
As I write this, we are attempting to address a vexing drive line vibration problem that goes away after a period of time.
I lucked out and found an English speaking mechanic and the yard worked me into their schedule. We decided to tweak the angle of the strut to improve the alignment, the shaft was binding in the cutlass bearing. The alteration did allow the shaft to rotate much more freely,but the vibration problem was not solved, so we've ruled that out but have no idea what is causing the problem. I'm still convinced it is the transmission, but supposedly they work or don't and never cause vibration problems.
So, we plan to just live with the problem (it goes away after a bit of running and things warm up) until we find someone that can determine what the problem is.
I really did leave before a proper break in of many new things, but I did feel pretty good when another long term cruise told me you just need to leave and deal with things as you go. Many people never do push off and I'm really glad to be over here, even if the boat has some “A” list things I need to work out.
Anyway, enough about boat problems...we finally pulled things together and got out of Brest, so we're moving along (even though the boat is on the hard as I write this)!
-Scott
A small job (that of course turned into a major project)...but a big step forward!
And, we can now empty the holding tank (what the heck was a piece of glass doing in the macerator pump...hope some crew member doesn't have a lacerated intestinal tract!). Of course, France fully supports pump out stations and I actually saw one in the smallest marina we visited to date (which was of course later than I needed it).
That puts France one pump ahead of the Azores!
By the way, for the curious, it is true that the best marine head is a bucket...
As I write this, we are attempting to address a vexing drive line vibration problem that goes away after a period of time.
I lucked out and found an English speaking mechanic and the yard worked me into their schedule. We decided to tweak the angle of the strut to improve the alignment, the shaft was binding in the cutlass bearing. The alteration did allow the shaft to rotate much more freely,but the vibration problem was not solved, so we've ruled that out but have no idea what is causing the problem. I'm still convinced it is the transmission, but supposedly they work or don't and never cause vibration problems.
So, we plan to just live with the problem (it goes away after a bit of running and things warm up) until we find someone that can determine what the problem is.
I really did leave before a proper break in of many new things, but I did feel pretty good when another long term cruise told me you just need to leave and deal with things as you go. Many people never do push off and I'm really glad to be over here, even if the boat has some “A” list things I need to work out.
Anyway, enough about boat problems...we finally pulled things together and got out of Brest, so we're moving along (even though the boat is on the hard as I write this)!
-Scott
Tides – Timing is Everything
The English Channel (Le (la?) Manche on this side of it) has a reputation as a tough place for boating and I'm learning why.
Brest was my 1st introduction to major tides...Eric and I went for a walk (2am after many days at sea) and he marked a spot on a piling when we left the boat. When we came back within the hour, the spot was about 3' “lower”!
We watched the depth sounder for a bit and watched in amazement as it changed!
The marina had a wide ramp which was used for “careening”, boats would tie up at high tide and do a complete bottom paint job on the low tide and sail off on the next high.
Very impressive, but it turns out that the tides in Brest (about 17' now) pale in comparison to those I was yet to experience.
In Paimpol, the tides now are running 25' right now!
And, time of the month (moon phases) have up to a 15' difference!
Neeps have the least tides and spring have the most (we're in spring tides right now).
So, arrival and departure times from ports becomes quite significant.
Aside from the depth issue, currents run anywhere from 2-5 knots, changing direction every 6 hours.
Beside the obvious inflow\outflow from the bays and rivers of ports, it turns out the entire English Channel changes direction every 6 hours!!!!!!
So, planning a port change turns into a bit of a math problem.
Not only do you need to take into account the departure and arrival times, you need to determine which direction the current is flowing between the ports.
It may well turn out that the best time to depart for the correct current just happens to be at low tide, when there is (literally) no water to get from the marina to the ocean!
Some plans end up requiring a departure to an anchorage for a wait. Or, arrival at a destination with an anchorage wait.
Ports are either on “natural” rivers or bays or are only accessible for a few hours twice a day.
Brest and L'Aber W'rach were natural harbors, but Morlaix, Ploumanac'h and Paimpol are not.
Ploumanac'h has a wall that dries at around 6'. Which means you need to arrive on a tide with 11' to get over the wall.
Morlaix and Paimpol have locks and you need to know when they operate.
Paimpol leaves its locks open for about 2 hours around high tide, and then it operates them for 2 ½ hours on both sides of the high tide (24 hours a day).
In Morlaix, we arrived on a high tide around 10pm, expecting that the lock would operate at each high tide. It is 3 miles up a river that dries up and it turned out the lock only operates if the high tide is during “normal” working hours!
We had 2 choices, one was to cut and run back out the river for an anchorage or tie up next to the lock and await the next high tide.
We choice the later, even though we thought the spot might dry out (we prepared the boat to lean against the wall if that happened).
We were stuck there with one other unhappy person (who we became great friends with over the next few days).
So, we went down and back up (had a close call with getting a lifeline snagged on the way up) and locked through in the morning.
The lockmaster explained that he doesn't work at night....except that the next night he opened for boats to come in!
The other (French) boater was furious and apparently has contacts...he kept saying he wasn't “done” with this!
Anyway, we're learning a great deal about boating in high tides.
We will cross the Channel from Cherburg, which has the greatest tidal currents.
Interestingly enough, a yachtsman that has made the crossing many times and has done all sorts of calculations says you just keep a constant bearing and let the tide carry you one way and then the next.
He related a story about someone that corrected for currents on both sets and ended up taking 28 hours to do a crossing that should only be half that!
I'll let you know how it all turns out...unless it goes badly!
-Scott
Brest was my 1st introduction to major tides...Eric and I went for a walk (2am after many days at sea) and he marked a spot on a piling when we left the boat. When we came back within the hour, the spot was about 3' “lower”!
We watched the depth sounder for a bit and watched in amazement as it changed!
The marina had a wide ramp which was used for “careening”, boats would tie up at high tide and do a complete bottom paint job on the low tide and sail off on the next high.
Very impressive, but it turns out that the tides in Brest (about 17' now) pale in comparison to those I was yet to experience.
In Paimpol, the tides now are running 25' right now!
And, time of the month (moon phases) have up to a 15' difference!
Neeps have the least tides and spring have the most (we're in spring tides right now).
So, arrival and departure times from ports becomes quite significant.
Aside from the depth issue, currents run anywhere from 2-5 knots, changing direction every 6 hours.
Beside the obvious inflow\outflow from the bays and rivers of ports, it turns out the entire English Channel changes direction every 6 hours!!!!!!
So, planning a port change turns into a bit of a math problem.
Not only do you need to take into account the departure and arrival times, you need to determine which direction the current is flowing between the ports.
It may well turn out that the best time to depart for the correct current just happens to be at low tide, when there is (literally) no water to get from the marina to the ocean!
Some plans end up requiring a departure to an anchorage for a wait. Or, arrival at a destination with an anchorage wait.
Ports are either on “natural” rivers or bays or are only accessible for a few hours twice a day.
Brest and L'Aber W'rach were natural harbors, but Morlaix, Ploumanac'h and Paimpol are not.
Ploumanac'h has a wall that dries at around 6'. Which means you need to arrive on a tide with 11' to get over the wall.
Morlaix and Paimpol have locks and you need to know when they operate.
Paimpol leaves its locks open for about 2 hours around high tide, and then it operates them for 2 ½ hours on both sides of the high tide (24 hours a day).
In Morlaix, we arrived on a high tide around 10pm, expecting that the lock would operate at each high tide. It is 3 miles up a river that dries up and it turned out the lock only operates if the high tide is during “normal” working hours!
We had 2 choices, one was to cut and run back out the river for an anchorage or tie up next to the lock and await the next high tide.
We choice the later, even though we thought the spot might dry out (we prepared the boat to lean against the wall if that happened).
We were stuck there with one other unhappy person (who we became great friends with over the next few days).
So, we went down and back up (had a close call with getting a lifeline snagged on the way up) and locked through in the morning.
The lockmaster explained that he doesn't work at night....except that the next night he opened for boats to come in!
The other (French) boater was furious and apparently has contacts...he kept saying he wasn't “done” with this!
Anyway, we're learning a great deal about boating in high tides.
We will cross the Channel from Cherburg, which has the greatest tidal currents.
Interestingly enough, a yachtsman that has made the crossing many times and has done all sorts of calculations says you just keep a constant bearing and let the tide carry you one way and then the next.
He related a story about someone that corrected for currents on both sets and ended up taking 28 hours to do a crossing that should only be half that!
I'll let you know how it all turns out...unless it goes badly!
-Scott
Bretagne (Brittony)
I came here in total ignorance of France and the different provinces, but I'm getting a real education on the Bretagne region.
First, don't call them French!
The French coast guard sometimes decides to enforce the requirement that ships fly their national flag on the stern...many of the boats here fly the flag of Bretagne from the stern!
For years, the French government banned the teaching of their language and has tried to make them French. From what I can see it isn't working!
The food is excellent and the region has a lot of things like sausages and cheeses that are made only here.
They can't make wine here but do make very good whiskey.
We made a good friend in Morlaix who introduced us to the delicacies of the region along with wines from Bordeaux. Tremendous good fortune on our part as the variety of choices is really overwhelming.
I was really pleased to have him rate my cooking at 2 Michelin stars after having him to dinner on the boat twice. He was amazed at how well we ate on the boat.
The weather has finally turned and we're getting sunny days and warmth. It is always cool here ( a nice break for a Floridian) and tends to lack sunshine, but our rain\cold experience in Brest was unusual for the region.
Nights require a jacket and the water is quite cold but we do see people at the beach with some swimming. We're typically bundled up when sailing. But it really is very pleasant when the sun shines, and it has been the last week.
We're in the season of festivals. Last night a Bretagne band played and it was very interesting to see all the young people singing and dancing to the traditional music. I've never experienced anything like that in the US. Perhaps because they are (defiantly) maintaining their independence and heritage, it appeals to all ages.
And there is virtually no police presence. Whether it is sensitivity to peoples desires not to have authoritarian visibility or just that people here can manage their own affairs without authoritarion intervention, it is noticeably different. You feel really safe and not seeing the police makes you feel safer.
Another positive observation is that they seem to accept personable responsibility for things like falling off a high sea wall onto a dock. There are no railings on any of the dock areas. In the US, it would be inconceivable to have a huge city center with a 20ft high ledge that someone could easily fall over (and there is nothing to prevent cars from going over the edge either).
Children are present, but I haven't seen one take the plunge yet (smarter or more attentive parents?).
I've asked a few people about it (really trying to find out if they lack lawyers or their courts are just more reasonable)...the response typically is that you should just not fall off the wall!
-Scott
First, don't call them French!
The French coast guard sometimes decides to enforce the requirement that ships fly their national flag on the stern...many of the boats here fly the flag of Bretagne from the stern!
For years, the French government banned the teaching of their language and has tried to make them French. From what I can see it isn't working!
The food is excellent and the region has a lot of things like sausages and cheeses that are made only here.
They can't make wine here but do make very good whiskey.
We made a good friend in Morlaix who introduced us to the delicacies of the region along with wines from Bordeaux. Tremendous good fortune on our part as the variety of choices is really overwhelming.
I was really pleased to have him rate my cooking at 2 Michelin stars after having him to dinner on the boat twice. He was amazed at how well we ate on the boat.
The weather has finally turned and we're getting sunny days and warmth. It is always cool here ( a nice break for a Floridian) and tends to lack sunshine, but our rain\cold experience in Brest was unusual for the region.
Nights require a jacket and the water is quite cold but we do see people at the beach with some swimming. We're typically bundled up when sailing. But it really is very pleasant when the sun shines, and it has been the last week.
We're in the season of festivals. Last night a Bretagne band played and it was very interesting to see all the young people singing and dancing to the traditional music. I've never experienced anything like that in the US. Perhaps because they are (defiantly) maintaining their independence and heritage, it appeals to all ages.
And there is virtually no police presence. Whether it is sensitivity to peoples desires not to have authoritarian visibility or just that people here can manage their own affairs without authoritarion intervention, it is noticeably different. You feel really safe and not seeing the police makes you feel safer.
Another positive observation is that they seem to accept personable responsibility for things like falling off a high sea wall onto a dock. There are no railings on any of the dock areas. In the US, it would be inconceivable to have a huge city center with a 20ft high ledge that someone could easily fall over (and there is nothing to prevent cars from going over the edge either).
Children are present, but I haven't seen one take the plunge yet (smarter or more attentive parents?).
I've asked a few people about it (really trying to find out if they lack lawyers or their courts are just more reasonable)...the response typically is that you should just not fall off the wall!
-Scott
Brest
Brest is a very nice, modern small city and is probably the biggest boating center in France.
WWII was not kind to it. It was, and is, a French naval port. The Germans bombed it first and the Allies later when the 3rd Reich used it for a sub base.
So, things are newer and it lacks the charm of the other small cities in the region.
The current marina is way outside of the city center and there is little around there.
The maritime festival was truly amazing, around 2000 classic boats.
The weather was so bad for the first 2 weeks we were there, which colored the visit.
Our departure got delayed by a last minute discovery of a fuel problem (seawater in the aux tank...long story there), so we felt trapped in the end.
Glad to have visited but very happy to have moved on.
-Scott
WWII was not kind to it. It was, and is, a French naval port. The Germans bombed it first and the Allies later when the 3rd Reich used it for a sub base.
So, things are newer and it lacks the charm of the other small cities in the region.
The current marina is way outside of the city center and there is little around there.
The maritime festival was truly amazing, around 2000 classic boats.
The weather was so bad for the first 2 weeks we were there, which colored the visit.
Our departure got delayed by a last minute discovery of a fuel problem (seawater in the aux tank...long story there), so we felt trapped in the end.
Glad to have visited but very happy to have moved on.
-Scott
L'Aber W'rach
A small town on a natural river.
Brand new marina facilities and the restaurants and bars are right there, including one of the oldest bars in the province.
I did a great Jerry Lewis impersonation (they love the man in this country) trying to get off a bus with groceries and some lumber, way past the official stop... It took several people to get my bags and me off the bus.
I decided to leave the next day lest I run into any bus patrons.
-Scott
Brand new marina facilities and the restaurants and bars are right there, including one of the oldest bars in the province.
I did a great Jerry Lewis impersonation (they love the man in this country) trying to get off a bus with groceries and some lumber, way past the official stop... It took several people to get my bags and me off the bus.
I decided to leave the next day lest I run into any bus patrons.
-Scott
Morlaix
I met a couple in Brest that were attending the festival on their classic boat. They keep a boat in Morlaix and summer on it, traveling to various ports in the region. Based on talking to them I put it on the must see list.
It turned out to be absolutely phenomenal.
The town is beautiful, very old (the only thing bombed in WWII was the bridge) and the dock is just on the edge of town.
I could easily have spent a month there...I'm regretting the days lost in Brest.
-Scott
It turned out to be absolutely phenomenal.
The town is beautiful, very old (the only thing bombed in WWII was the bridge) and the dock is just on the edge of town.
I could easily have spent a month there...I'm regretting the days lost in Brest.
-Scott
Paimpol
Very similar to Morlaix, I'm not sure which I like better.
Similar to Morlaix, the marina is right in the downtown (actually more so than Morlaix in that it is ringed by buildings).
We spent two nights “on the hard” (lifted in the marina), which was an interesting viewpoint of the city.
The young mechanic introduced us to his parents and sister, and we went to dinner at their house.
His father, Neil, helped me out tremendously by helping me construct new hatch boards. My beautiful teak ones were lost at sea when I had temporarily set them down on a cockpit seat just before we were hit by a large wave.
So, that's another big project down.
We had the family to dinner last night and we ate 4 dozen oysters that I had secured through some local contacts (16 Euro!).
I'm in no rush to move on, but we're burning summer days and will need to move on down the road soon.
-Scott
Similar to Morlaix, the marina is right in the downtown (actually more so than Morlaix in that it is ringed by buildings).
We spent two nights “on the hard” (lifted in the marina), which was an interesting viewpoint of the city.
The young mechanic introduced us to his parents and sister, and we went to dinner at their house.
His father, Neil, helped me out tremendously by helping me construct new hatch boards. My beautiful teak ones were lost at sea when I had temporarily set them down on a cockpit seat just before we were hit by a large wave.
So, that's another big project down.
We had the family to dinner last night and we ate 4 dozen oysters that I had secured through some local contacts (16 Euro!).
I'm in no rush to move on, but we're burning summer days and will need to move on down the road soon.
-Scott
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