Benodet towards the South

28/8 After a few days of R and R it was about that time to go out with the intention of heading towards Lorient. However it was such a still day that the opportunity was irresistible to me to visit Les Iles de Glenans  home of the renowned eponymous sailing school.

Proposed and actual route

  A gentle motor put to sea and I joined the early morning throng on the way including a couple of French fishing boats that thought it rather fun to slalom me back and forth one to the left and the other to the right and vice versa. Well was on holiday so what the hell I just ignored them and let them cut me up nonchalantly. Arriving at Glenans there are many mooring options and I chose the one with the least traffic just off the beach at Ile de Penfret  The water as almost clear and this was close to achieving one of my long held ambitions. To anchor in water clear enough to watch the hook all the way down. Well a blurry view as it hit the sand anyway.

Glenans Iles de Penfret

Anchorage

 I enjoyed a late coffee and a baguette and had a lovely swim. The hull needed a check to see how the fouling was doing and I wanted to check the propeller and rope cutter which both looked pretty clean and fresh. I took a dive down to check the anchor which was sat gently nudged in the clean sand. After drying off it was decision time, either stay and enjoy the afternoon or head further South with a target of going to St Piriac Sur Mer which was about four hours away and could be made on the evening tide. I lifted the anchor and sailed off the mooring sedately past the relaxed boaters and off to the South. It was a hot day with little wind and an obvious opportunity to dig out the cruising chute. The sniffer was hoisted and it was simplicity itself to trim the sail and see  it in its full glory for the first time.

Chute

Happy bunny

  It was most relaxing to ghost along at 4/5 knots with the wind on the beam for the first time this holiday. Of course good things and wind have to come to an end and sure enough after about 90 minutes the wind dropped and so the snuffer was dropped and stowed away and on went the engine. As it was quiet I had been below and been doing the washing up. I awarded myself the Muppetry award for leaving the tap on and flooding the sink top and the fridge! At 16:30 our position was just South of Iles de Groix making over 6.7knots according to the log heading for the Pointe de Quiberon. I had decided to pass on Lorient as it seemed to me to be again still rather busy so elected instead to go around the pointe to Port Haliguen where I managed to find a slot on the long pontoon inside the entrance for the night which was indeed rather warm. Arrived at 20:13 note to self remember Port Haliguen is 44 euros in Summer I.e. Before the September change, not to be used unless absolutely necessary!