We start early in order to get to the Carrefour supermarket that should open at 9:00. It is nice to have a car so we can buy what we want without have to carry it home. We drive back to the marina and I go to the airport to leave the car. Now my dear GPS lady “Fifi” takes her revenge on my bad behavior the day before. As I find the nearest gas station she recommends, it does not take foreign credit cards. The next one is closed for good. The third station is converted to a workshop. The fourth is a commercial truck station where you need an ID to fill up. The fifth is a square where it probably has been a gas station. As I turn into the sixth destination I swear that I can hear an amused tone in her voice.

One of the gas station recommended by Fifi

Having lost a precious hour, we steam out of the Castle Marina into the fog. A good thing is that the tidal stream shoots us out of Brest and we gain over 10 knots over ground. After the inlet, we set sail and it looks like it is going to be perfect timing to the Raz. We get a visit by some dolphins on the way over and the day is very calm.

Leaving the marina office

Leaving Brest

New crew on deck – note the calm sea behind

Sadly, it gets too calm, the wind subsides and we need to motorsail in order to make it to the point in time. We get there a bit too late so we need to steam hard through the beginning tidal stream. This is an infamous tidal race and the many wrecks in the charts tells the story. Even if we have very light wind, the sea gets wild and I can imagine how it must be in strong winds and at maximal tidal current. We go from good sight, light wind and calm sea to upset sea and dense fog in a couple of minutes.

A couple of minutes later at Raz de Sein

The lighthouses at Point de Raz

The fog thickens after Point de Raz

After getting around the point, the sea gets extremely calm again. Only a light breeze remains so we need to steam against the current. Another group of dolphins come and plays around the boat and it is fascinating to see these fast and playful animals in the right environment. We also meet another Lagoon 380 also steaming through the fog.

Meeting a sister to Melody

The fog clears just as we come into Benodet. This is clearly a major yachting centre with two large marinas on each side of the river Odet. We find a spot in the marina and settle down for the night after a long day.

Lighthouse at the entrance to Benodet

Today, my family should arrive to Paris-Charles de Gaulle (CDG). I get in the car and punch CDG into the GPS. The female voice (I call her “Fifi”) directs me in a direction that I do not think is correct but I go along. Google maps told me 2.5 hours but the route that Fifi suggests is nearly five! The road gets more and more narrow and limited to 30 and 50 km. After some dead ends – I decide to ignore Fifi and turn up the stereo. I am old enough to be able to use a traditional analogue map and road signs. I can hear Fifi get more and more desperate so I go for the final insult and just shut her off. Somewhere deep down, I know that ignoring a woman like this will come back on me, but soon I am out on the main roads where the signs say Paris. Victory! At next stop, I find the setting that asks Fifi to avoid toll roads. I tell her that I am fine with paying the tolls as long as I get to Paris in time. Avoiding tolls is otherwise not a bad idea here – the tolls are just as expensive as the fuel. After this correction, Fifi and I have the same opinion on the choices.

This is not the fastest way to Paris

I arrive in good time to CDG to park the car, which is good. There is a furious battle between taxis, buses mixed up by confused and stressed (or paralyzed) private drivers that are looking for a parking or going to pick up arrivals. In Paris, they really know how to honk their horns. Finally – I come through and find me a spot and I even have some time to get a cup of coffee and cool down before my family arrive.

Time for a cup of coffee

Seeing my family after a couple of weeks is very nice and Jessica has brought her boyfriend who I never met. It will be good weeks and get to know each other. We get into the car and go west on the long way towards Brest. We decided to stop in Chartres and have a lunch. By coincidence, we park next to their huge cathedral that seems to be this town’s main attraction. We find a nice little restaurant overlooking this truly impressive building before we jump into the car and continue.

The Cathedral in Chartres

The rest of the drive goes with no problem so we roll into Brest just as the sun sets. It is nice to come back to Melody and we start planning the next day’s trip to Benodet. It will be tight since we would like to be at the infamous Raz de Sein before three a clock when the tidal race will turn against both the wind and us. Before that, we should buy food for the next week and return the rental car. It seems doable so we decide to go.

Go west!

I wake up to another beautiful day and go down to eat a good breakfast looking out on the sea. I love these moments when you know that your day will be filled with new impressions. I take the car and drive around a last time in Cancale before heading east on the small coastal road. Todays main event is Le Mont Saint-Michel – the famous monastery and fortified city island that sits in the very end of the bay of the Channel islands. Here, they have one of the biggest tidal ranges in the world – up to 14 meters! This means that the island is in the middle of a field a lot of the time. This monastery was continuously fortified and was a symbol of French resistance in the Hundred Years War as it withstood the English attacks. It has also served as a prison. I have been looking forward to this both historical spot as well as its beauty.

Morning view from the hotel

I take the walk out to the island to come closer to be able to soak it in. It is truly impressive to see the city grow from a dot in distance to the giant construction that this is. Sadly, it seems that I am not the only one who is interested – the crowds are also impressive even if I am an early bird. I decide to go for the museum and the abbey as soon as possible to be able to see something. The museum is on its way to the top and have display of one of the noblemen’s house still intact. Hard to connect though in a never-ending stream of people. I continue to the abbey that is as impressive as I believed. The same goes here even if it seems that most people have not climbed this high up yet. I am lucky. There is a mass in a couple of minutes, and non-Catholics are welcome. I take a seat and try to sort out a combination of unknown rituals and French language. The feeling when the nuns and monks start singing in this perfect hall is out of the ordinary. Just to close the eyes and float into the moment. A very interesting experience although the priest looked a bit disappointed at the Communion as I crossed the hands over the chest, as you should do if you were non-Catholic. I am happy that we live in our age so I was not thrown into the dungeons as a heretic.

Le Mont Saint Michel

View from the bridge

In what I thought was a crowded small street. Just wait…

Away from the crowds

A noble mans bedroom

They did not have any armour in my size…

Outside the Abbey Church

View from the church

Inside the Abbey Church – just before the mass

The mass

The refactory where the monks worked. Now they work somewhere else – in these crowds there is no place for deep thoughts

As I return to the world from the mass, two things have happened. The tide has gone out, there is no sea around the island, and the tide of tourists have entered. In the tiny streets with souvenir shops on both streets – the effect is impressive. I manage to sneak out of the crowds and back to my car.

NOW it is crowded!

My next idea was to visit the landing beaches from D-day and go to some of the dozens of museums that describe the event. Since the hour is later than planned – I instead decide to go up to Cherbourg and drive the coast down. After a late lunch in Cherbourg – I go to Omaha beach. This was one of the worst beaches where the fighting was the hardest. As usual when I come to these places – I am grateful that I am born in a time and place where I did not need to be part of this event. I do not envy the allied men that came to the shores covered in mines and heavy gunfire nor the Germans that knew that it was only a matter of time before they could not hold out.

Omaha Beach

I spend the evening in Caen – a midsize city with a surprisingly lively restaurant and bar life as well as a number of large churches. It is smaller than my hometown Örebro but still it seems we could fit in all the population in Örebro in all these churches. Again, this is a pretty, little city that I hope to come back to.

Rue de Vaugeaux in Caen

The castle

One of the many churches

The impressive city house

Waking up to a new sunny day – I decide to go for a walk in Saint-Malo and then head for lunch in Cancale. As my hotel ”Ambassadeurs” is also a Creperie, I start my day with some crepes, coffee and a view of the incoming sea. Perfect start looking at the waves splashing at the promenade wall.

Morning view

Waves coming in on the promenade

My positive opinion of Saint-Malo does not change seeing it in full daylight. It is truly a beautiful city. It boasts to have the most visitors in Bretagne and the population quadruples in the summer. I walk the streets and walk out on the pier. It has a lot of history and there are small signs telling stories about Saint-Malo everywhere so the walk takes its time.

Streets of Saint-Malo

Saint-Malo from the pier

Saint Malo houses

First stop of the day is Cancale – home of the oysters I tasted yesterday and claiming to be the oyster capital in Bretagne. After a short winding road after the coast, I reach this small town and park my car at the town center. Time for some exploration! I love this feeling when you come to a new town and you have no clue where to go or what you are going to experience. Cancale feels like a nice calm little city. On the main square, there are a nice statue of two women with oysters. I find the tourist information and ask if there is some oyster museum or alike in town and get told that there is a tour at two. Fits good into my plans so I head down to the port where you can buy oysters on a small seafood market and if you want, they open oysters for you and serve them with lemon. I take a plate of large oysters (no 2) and get a dozen served on a plate for eight euros. Unbeatable. This is really a nice lunch, sitting in the sun on the pier with some oyster beds beneath and Mont Saint-Michel in the distance over the bay. I decide to go online, book me a hotel room and find Le Querrien on the Quai that looks like a nice hotel with a nice restaurant.

The oyster farmers on the town square

Some vendors on the small seafood market

A nice plate of oysters

Oysters on the pier with beds beneath

From my hotel, there is a kilometer walk into the forest to reach the place where the tour should be. Ferme Marine is a oyster farm and they have a display of oysters as you wait for the tour to start. We are a very small group so you can ask questions without ruining the tour for everybody. A very informative walk through the different stages of their farming from breeding, harvesting, preparation for transport and packaging. A well spent afternoon.

Cancale from the south on my way to the farm

A big old oyster

Hard-core oyster servant

Cleaning the oysters

At the afternoon, the rain starts falling so I take a digital afternoon and take care of this blog. It is pretty nice to sit in the hotel restaurant looking out on the sea and the rain is falling on the street. After an evening walk, I decide to have the dinner in the hotel restaurant – and yes – I had local oysters….

Cancale at low water

Cancale at high water

Sampling station

I visit Alain the sailmaker and the Lazybag looks great. As I mount the Lazybag, I need to refit some lines but the end result makes the cost and labor really worth it. I hate when the boat is not in order and working properly. I also check the engines and refill some oil. After cleaning up the boat – it is now time for a road trip!

The fixed Lazybag

My plan is to check out Saint-Malo and Mont Saint-Michel that was originally on the sailing plan but we did not have time to visit them. After that, I will go and get my family in Paris as they are coming down for a couple of weeks. I check which tram that runs to the airport and it does look easy enough. Being lazy, I think that if I see a taxi, I will take that otherwise I go by the tram. Taxis are pretty rare in Brest so I end up on the tram. All of a sudden the tram starts running the other way so it seems that IKEA was the end station and I needed to take the bus. There is a timetable but no bus so I use the ever so friendly IKEA staff to call me a taxi so I can come out to the airport before they close. I managed to reach the deserted airport and get my car – this time a Ford Mondeo.

My Ford Mondeo

The first stop is Saint-Malo that I read about before and should be beautiful with nice beaches and good seafood. I reserve a room at the beach and park the car. It turns out that all I read is true. I arrive at high tide and the combination of the sunset and the waves splashing over the breakwater is something extra. The city architect of Saint-Malo did not go in the same school as his colleague in Brest. Just as Brest, this city was totally demolished but they decided to rebuilt the city as it used to be. The result is amazing, it has all the charm of an old city with winding small streets and irregular planning but it all looks nice and fresh.
I get a table at Le Café d’Ouest and it is time to test the Seafood reputation. The oysters from Cancale next to Saint-Malo is be considered some of the best so I order a plate including two “Pied de Cheval” ten-year-old oysters. After having these large tasty oysters, I change my plan to go to Cancale and have a look and eat lunch there the next day. As I am curious of the town, I complete the day with a night walk through the beautiful streets and stop by the local microbrew who serve a nice local Blonde and the “La Belle Epoque” bar with sand on the floor and a lot of atmosphere. A very nice stop.

Sunset

Saint-Malo

City gate

Cancale oysters

Pied de Cheval – Foot of a horse. Good description of this big oyster

La Belle Epoque

Streets of Saint-Malo

The Saint-Malo micro brewery

Before I get the Lazybag back from the repair, I need to get some new lines so I borrow one of the bikes at the marina. The chandlery is located in the other marina and I decide to go up the hill on the main street that turned out to be a long climb before I can roll down to the Moulin Blanc Marina. Time for lunch and of course, there is a nice guy at restaurant L’Admiral serving irresistible Moules Roquefort J Next to the marina is the Oceanopolis, a very ambitious ocean exhibit that took some hours to walk through.

My bike

The Moulin Blanc Marina

Moules Roquefort, Again.

Oceanopolis

Halfway home, a heavy rain started to fall. One of the nice warm summer rains so I did not mind. But the heavy chandlery paper bag did so all of a sudden the stuff was spread over the road. I put the small stuff in the pockets and tried to wind the paper around the other stuff and carry it like a baby biking back. As I got back, the sailmaker had completed the work on the Lazybag but he had made “some improvements” that sadly would not work with my rig. I asked him to redo it the way I wanted and he promised me the bag early next morning. I go back to the boat and fix some other things.

The remnants of a paper bag wrapped around boat parts.

As I am in the middle of cleaning the teak parts, the guys at the Polish schooner Kapitan Borchardt next to me ask me over for dinner. This became a very funny evening with the international crew from Spain, France, Poland and Sweden. The ship has a long history – built 1918 as a Dutch cargo vessel, sold to Germany and during the war she was stationed in Gdansk as a training ship. Sold back to Netherlands after the war and bought by Swedes 1953 as a cargo ship before returned to Netherlands. From 1989 to 2011 it sailed as a cruise vessel in Stockholm under the name Najaden before she was sold to Poland.

Kapitan Borchardt

Me and the crew at the dinner table

I wake up early to start working on the boat. I decided to take two days to work on the boat and the first challenge is to get a sail maker to give some the lazybag (the bag where the main sail rests) some TLC. After a brief confusion since he moved his workshop – I get him to promise the work to be done by Tuesday afternoon. My plan is now to rent a car, do a road trip through Brittany, and pick up the family on Saturday so this feels good. I walk through the bullets and focus on the exterior work, as it should start to rain. Working on the boat is like meditation as it gives you a lot of time to think about yourself and the people you care for, the purpose of your life and how to behave. In addition, as a bonus, the teak details shine and the salt water is gone.

The evening is a slow continuation that is devoted to planning of the next weeks. I just love the different options and knowing that there will be no boring days ahead.

Morning coffee view

Some sail maintenance

A view of a rainy marina and laundry that wont dry easily

Planning the next weeks with this excellent pilot book

A good old thought

As we sailed pass Ile d’Ouessant the Thursday before, it was too foggy to pay this Island a visit. Being curious on this western outpost, I decide to go there by the ferry service but as I come to buy the tickets early in the morning, they were already fully booked.

Standing in long line for tickets only to get the message that the boat was full

Instead of taking another walk through the “diesel punk” city of Brest – I decide to take the dinghy for a trip. I read about the river Aulne and thought it should be a nice daytrip. The plan was to go in low tide, have a nice lunch in some city up the river, fill the tank and go back with the tide.

Taking my own boat instead

At the beginning of the river there were a number of decommissioned ships

However; I misjudged the tidal effect on the river and after a while – the ”river” was more a ditch and finally I could not go on. Instead of waiting for the river to rise, I decided to go back.

And the river gets tighter…

… and tighter

Finally, I found the pretty city of Faou just as the tank meter was hitting the big E. There was no gas in the harbour so I had to take a kilometer hike before I could fill up at a gas station next to the motorway. Carrying the tank back gave me a good workout and since I had to wait out the tide I thought that I should reward myself with the nice lunch at restaurant Piazza on the city square. It is a Italian restaurant but with Moules Frites as specialty and that suited me just fine. The Moules Normand (mussels, wine and bacon) was a prefect break and when I came down to the boat, the tide was high and the current was gone. This made the trip back to Brest enjoyable in the sun with only small waves.

Le Faou port in mid-tide. Note the sailing boats still standing on their keels.

An empty tank is useless but easier to carry….

…. than a full useful tank

Beautiful main street of Faou

Moules Normand – perfect Sunday lunch

The harbour at high tide

Leaving Faou

Coming into Brest

After that – I started to tick off boxes on the to-do-list. First project was to clean the dinghy thoroughly and redo the placement on the davits. Finally – I get the dinghy hanging, as I would like it. The rest of the evening, I walk the streets wondering about Life and the decisions that forms it.

The Dinghy position after some work

We take a slow morning and go for a breakfast at Quatre Vents next to the marina. As Michael and Susanne drive away in their rental car – I go back to Melody, do a thorough cleaning, and prepare a to-do-list for the week. As I am in the boat – there is a knock on the hull and Rainer and Maritha from the Swedish Ocean Sailors Club (OSK) comes over to visit. They are on their way South with their Najad ”Albatross” on open plans. Now they are waiting in Brest to wait for a good time to cross the Bay of Biscay and probably going to Camaret tonight. Nice to talk to other sailors on their dreams, plans and experiences. They have a blog (https://seglaalbatross.blogspot.com) and I decide to put up this blog. It is nice to be able to follow your friends. As a bonus – I will get a diary to look back on these memories.

I like going to museums and learn more on interesting subjects so after a nice coffee break with R & M (”Swedish Fika”), I head for the Naval Museum. Hosting the museum in the only historic building in the town gave a good feeling. A lot of naval history on display as this has been a center for French Navy since centuries. The museum is well worth a visit but my French is too weak to make me able to understand it all. Interestingly enough – they really tried to make it accessible to foreigners (which is far from common here). English audio guide and all signs in three languages. But only at the entrance… The further you got into the museum, the translator must have given up and the juicier parts are all in French.

Coming out of the Castle, I take a long walk on town and visit a scuba center and check if there should be any good diving this week. I got a calendar and a web address so we will see. The water is very clear and there must be much to see. Walking up and down the streets in the afternoon after that I get the impression that the town is deserted. Probably people are away on holiday. I reserve a table at the crab house next to yesterday’s restaurant and had their nice combo of Oysters and Crab that came served on a plank with a club. The seafood here in Finistère is as great as you can expect.

The marina from the Castle

A german mini-sub at display at the Naval museum.

The keep from the old fortress

Some nice models around

As old warships had a lot of political meaning to display wealth and power – they were well decorated. Interesting to see these masterships of wooden art

Nice

The main street on saturday afternoon.

Having dinner at Le Crabe Marteau

Today we arrived in Brest, which is the last stop for Michael and Susanne. As we approached Brest, the naval profile became very clear with a large portion of both the harbour and the city closed for public. The city has two large Marinas and we decided to check in at the Marina du Chateau – ”Castle Marina” which is located in the Town center. Again – we find it to be another neat and well-organized marina and the forest of masts was pretty impressive. Nearby is a neat row with seafood restaurants that make it look as a good choice.

A sad thing is that the allied bomber crews did their job very thouroughly so except for the castle; the city center got rebuilt in the post-WW2 style that it sadly shares with many European cities. We did a city walk through the city described on the tourist map and apart from the alternative Rue St Malo – it is all concrete and asphalt. And warships – this is the home of the French Atlantic fleet.

In the evening, we went for a crews-last-night-dinner at ”La Maison de l Ocean”. Amazing seafood – and a oyster sampler platter of different oysters in different sizes together with a lot of other well-tasting ”fruits de mer”. The oysters were all from L’ Aber Wrac’h that we visited earlier so we feel at home. A worthy dinner for a very nice week with M & S.

Arriving in Marina du Chateau

The promenade at the Castle

The main street Rue du Siam seen from Liberty Square

The closed naval harbour seen from the bridge with the castle behind. This bridge is the third largest lifting bridge in Europe…

The Rue St Malo – a bit of alternative lifestyle in Recouvrance – the west part of Brest. This village was originally the part for the less fortunate.

Nice way of displaying a message.

This display made the choice for dinner pretty easy.

Last night dinner with Susanne and Michael at ”La Maison de l Ocean”. This is the starter 🙂

The marina seen from the harbour office