Treboul towards Audierne

French bakers work on Sunday, which meant we could buy fresh bread to take with us. This baker also sold butter, which was just as well since the convenience store on the quay was closed until the start of July! Once provided with bread and butter we had enough dried provisions on board that we had plenty to eat.

We backed out of our berth, manoeuvring on ropes, to temporarily moor alongside the wooden sloop behind us. That gave us enough space to launch Worm back into the water from the pontoon. Then we set off into Douarnenez Bay, motoring across a bright blue sea with a light following breeze.

Approaching the Raz de Sein

George soon went on duty and we had a lovely trip along the coast with nothing to do but keep an eye out for pot markers and anchored sport fishing boats.

The wind seemed a little stronger after lunch, so we unfurled the jib and gave the engine a rest. We were ahead of time to reach the Raz de Sein at 15:00, high water Brest -½ as recommended by our pilot.

Passing through the Raz

We sailed slowly along at 2½knots so Julian tried the fishing line but with no luck. By 13:45 we decided we needed the engine again to make the tidal gate, and soon sped up to 3½ knots. I saw a blue helium balloon glittering in the water just to starboard, and since we had time we made a small diversion to pick it up, pop it, and bin it.

There were about 20 boats heading through or to the Raz when we reached it. A couple were going the other way on the very last of the flood, but by the time we reached the “now head through” point we were the last boat of the gaggle. With no swell, neeps, and very little wind the Raz was a non event of a tidal gate!

A modern yacht at the Raz

Once past the light houses we turned the engine off and sailed for a while. We were doing about 3 knots, on a run, but over 2 knots of that was tide and steering could be difficult.

Julian began to feel sick, probably heat stroke as it was too hot for our comfort and with the wind behind us we could not feel it. By 16:15 we had had enough and p ut the engine on to generate a cooling head wind.

And a classic!

An hour and a half later we were on a mooring buoy at Anse de Ste Evette, a bay just outside Audierne. There were plenty of free buoys, although they seemed very close together. Many of the visiting yachts were British, but most were French.

We ate on board, feeling too tired from the day to go ashore, then had an early night. The moorings were reasonably sheltered, but every time a boat went past any where in the bay it seemed to generate a large amount of wave action, so I could not describe the moorings as peaceful!