Bay of Biscay and Bilbao

Tuna was 10/10! Scrummy:-)
We'd done all the preparation for our Bay of Biscay passage, we now just had to set sail. Fortunately we had a gentle NE or E breeze all the way and with just a gentle Atlantic swell, the crossing was almost pleasant. With the cruising chute up, we made a swift dash south to Bilbao, arriving after 46 hours of easy sailing. On the journey we had a menagerie of wildlife to keep us amused. More greenfinches catching moths, a song thrush cadging a lift, pods of dolphins playing in our wake and a couple of whales in the distance. As we reached sight of land, the beautiful mountainous coast of northern Spain rose up with the sun.
We arrived in Bilbao harbour in the afternoon sunshine, a very welcome and beautiful sight. We dropped anchor in the bay and soaked in the sights. Distant mountains, with the urban sprawl of the city along the shore. Early 20th century architecture and the stunning transporter bridge rose elegantly over the river. Lilly was extremely keen to check out the sights and smells of our locale. On returning to the boat we celebrated our successful crossing with a bottle of bubbly, courtesy of Great Aunt Mary and Greay Uncle Philip. Thank-you :-)

The Vendee

We left Vannes in the sunshine and headed across the Golfe de Morbihan to an anchorage in a quiet bay. Lilly enjoyed walks along the coastal paths whilst one of us kept up with boating chores. Its a dogs life, always was, and always will be. Right Lilly?
It was an early start with a full days sail ahead from the Golfe to the Ile d'Yeu. Unfortunately the wind was not as forecast, and progress a little slower than hoped. We were pointing towards Spain, not coastal France, however temptation didn't get the better. A pod of dolphins kindly put on quite a show and kept us entertained. If that wasn't enough, we were visited by a tired migrating green finch that hoped to cadge a lift. Lilly was thrilled at the prospect of company, especially in the form of a toy! Had to keep her eyes averted as the little bird headed off after a short snooze. Eventually we arrived at the shores of the Ile d'Yeu in the early hours and dropped anchor.
The Ile d'Yeu is a beautiful little island with a real Mediterranean look to it. We explored the island on our brilliant folding bicycles and had a fantastic day cycling in a warm breeze. Lilly ran alongside when the terrain looked of interest, retreating to her carriage and bed when she was feeling lazy. Later on we returned to the boat to find a filling marina as boats arrived for the famous tuna festival. Bagpipes and the occasional fanfare helped to build the excitement in readiness for tomorrow's festival.

Golfs de Morbihan

Leaving at dawn

Sunset enroute to Ile d'Yeu

Ile d'Yeu

Quiberon, Golfe de Morbihan & Vannes

After a beautiful night at anchor outside Port Tudy on the Ile de Groix, we left and crossed the Baie de Quiberon en route to Vannes. We again tried our hand at fishing for French mackerel. They are either unwilling to swim fast enough to catch our lines, or have just outwitted us again:'(. On reaching the Golfe de Morbihan, Vencedor had to fight against swilling tides as water raced passed islands in all directions. For our trouble, we were all treated to another glorious sunset against a red sky. We anchored in Larmor-Baden overnight before heading across the Golfe de Morbihan to Vannes. The Golfe is a navigational challenge, but the scenery was reward-enough, and Vannes is a beautiful picturesque city.

Ate lunch al fresco in the cockpit with cousin's Helen & Trevor, thank you so much for visiting:-) .

 

 

South Brittany

We've found the sunshine! Spectacular rocky coastline, warm sunny weather, dolphins and some great sailing. We were escorted by pods of dolphins on our journey south to Loctudy, tomorrow we'll continue to Belle Ile and Quiberon Bay.

North Brittany

We had a safe but rough crossing from Falmouth to the Ile d'Ouessant on the northeast corner of Brittany. Then onto Camaret sur Mer and St Evette which were fortunately sheltered from the Atlantic waves!

 

 

Cornwall

Having experienced a few days of blustery autumnal weather in Cornwall. We're now heading across to Brittany and onwards towards La Rochelle

Dorset and Devon UK

We've sailed to Dartmouth from Poole Harbour, visiting Weymouth and Brixham along the way. Great sailing so far and the weather has been excellent. Heading to Cornwall then across to Brittany.