Brest

We are in France! On Wednesday June 21st it was time to get moving. The day began with a minor panic. As we looked out from our anchoring spot, we saw the fuel dock going away. As we wanted to top up the diesel and fill the water tanks, this was an issue. A call to the marina reassured us that it would be back in about an hour, all filled up, They need to take it to a shore pier where a tanker trunk refills it.  We had completed the paperwork for our voyage. The UK government required us to fill in a voyage plan on line. The French government had a PDF form to print out, fill in, scan and email back. Neither of these methods were easy to find. Fortunately we had a brochure that Border Force had given us in Fowey with thee appropriate information for the UK. The weather looked like we were going to need the fuel.  We headed out of Falmouth about noon and much to our delight, there was wind. Blowing 10-15 knots as we happily sailed along. We were able to keep the sails drawing for about 5 hours as the wind slowly dropped. The good news was that there was no swell. We saw the occasional tanker/freighter coming or going in the channel. I love AIS and being able to tell whether we have to take evasive action or call the ship with its name. 

As the sun set after 22h the water was mirror calm, and we were puttering along. There were lots of fishing boats as we headed towards the coast of France. All brightly lit and some with AIS signatures. 

We neared the coast in the early morning and headed for Anse de Blanc Sablons (a bay) in which to anchor and wait for the current to change. 

Just as we were dropping anchor the fog finally lifted and we got our first view of France.

We enjoyed a leisurely sail under genoa the rest of the way to Marina du Chateau in Brest. The marina is located in a huge protected harbour created mainly for military usage. The marinaro came out in his dinghy and directed us to a spot. It was pretty tight as we rearranged the fenders to get into the slip but fine in the end. Alan complained that it was not on the visitor’s dock where there are lots of interesting people to talk to. 

Dinner and bedtime was on the agenda for that night. The next morning it was time to complete the formalities. We needed to check into the European Union. This is an easy place to check in where the immigration office is only a couple of blocks from the marina.

 Beware that it is only open weekday mornings. We handed the officer a copy of the PAF form we had emailed and he asked to keep it. I don’t know if they received the email. He stamped Alan’s passport. Alan looked at it and asked if it was correct. The arrow was pointing out. Very embarrassed, he crossed out the stamp in a special place and used the other stamp to stamp him in. My stamp was right the first time. All done in under 10 minutes.  The next stop was Paul’s boulangerie for croissants and baguette. 

Alan headed into town to sort out the cell phone chips for our stay in France. We have found that country specific plans are less expensive. It really doesn’t matter if we change our phone # regularly as most of our communication is done with data these days. We went with a company called Free. Beware though that these chips cannot be tethered. At the moment we are using up the plans on our UK chips for the phones which have a limited amount of data but can still make calls. We will re-evaluate when the run out.

We walked up to the National Maritime Museum. Located in the Chateau du Vauban, with history dating back to the 12th century, this museum traces the French exploration of the world and its conflicts with other nations. 

The last exhibit was about the Trophee de Jules Verne. Originally given to the boat that could sail around the world, non-stop in under 80 days. Established in 1992.Due to the proximity to the Naval Base, pictures were discouraged. The craft have certainly become more extreme and the record faster. It now stands at 40 days for slightly more than 21,000 miles. Everywhere you look in Brest these men and women are celebrated. Sculptures, plaques, street names and even hand prints in the sidewalk. 

 Here are the two pictures I took.

On the way back we rewarded ourselves with a stop at Paul’s for a drink and more goodies for the boat.

That was the day we decided to treat ourselves to a meal at one of the Harbourside restaurants. I went with healthy, Alan not so much….

Having had our fill of the city for a bit, we sailed off to a little bend in the River Aulne for a couple of days at anchor.  

Interestingly, we were anchored across from a Navy ship storage/graveyard.

After some discussion we have decided to buy a freezer for the boat, so we headed in to the other marina in Brest It is a small (25l) Dometic portable. We measured carefully and it fits under the seat at the end of our table. Once we got it back to the boat we could not get it to function with 12v power. Normally you should be able to plug it in to a cigarette lighter plug. We took it back to the store and they tried it in one of the staff vehicles- it worked. Hmm  we brought it back to the boat and carefully wired it directly to the 12 v, making sure to include the breakers. Success. Conclusion is that the plugs are crap. Several hours getting wiring to our chosen location and we had a functioning freezer. I am currently sitting on it :) 

During the second trip to the outdoor store, we asked about a grocery store, knowing we would be taking a taxi home. We were directed to E. Leclerc. Alan asked if it was a big grocery store and the sales people giggled. When we arrived, we found out why. 

I have never been in a grocery store that big with that much selection. In the dairy section alone, a whole aisle of UHT milk, 3 aisles of yoghurt, and an aisle of Camembert cheese across from 30+ brands of butter. 

It was all a little overwhelming. Produce goes in a paper bag that you put on a scale to weigh. You then print a sticker for the bag with the weight and price.

The Marina de Moulin Blanc is located in the middle of a huge nautical centre with hundreds of small boats going in and out. Sailing is part of the school curriculum and it was so much fun watching the kids come and go in a variety of craft.

One last stop at the other branch of Chez Paul for Milles Feuilles. One traditional and one chocolate. Alan also chose 2 pieces of quiche which ended up being supper.

 Can you tell we are enjoying France? Tomorrow we set off again for a new destination.