Better weather bigger smiles
We selected to go and anchor up on the other side of the rade away from Toulon and the general bustle of traffic. Saint Mandrier was just lovely , a small village with a few restaurants and cafes, a tiny little beach nestled at the bottom of the wooded hill. The sound of the cricket and the smell of the pine trees made up for the incongruous sight of 2 massive abandoned war ships which made the bay eerily menacing. I made a point of sitting with my back to those, while Ian sat looking at them, fascinated by their bulk and trying to work out what function they had during their years of service. We went ashore in the afternoon but being Sunday, no shop were opened except for the self service laundry. Ian was a bit disappointed; he had planned a quick foray ashore to get some food and then a nice easy afternoon to recover from the passage. Instead of which we rowed twice ashore and sat in the launderette for an hour, providing food for the mosquitoes.
Monday 8th Augsut
Next morning we rowed to the small casino in town to get some shopping. That was quite cool and fun. We only had to cross the road and no shopping to carry for miles.
By mid day we were ready to go and pick up the Garagnanis in the old port of Toulon. It was great to see Carole, Jean Charles, Lisa and Marius after so many years. The sun was shining and we decided to go back to Porqueroles a short hop from Toulon so we could find a nice quiet bay to spend the night. The kids had a ball, hoisting sails and helming in a nice downwind breeze. There was talk of hoisting the spinnaker but we thought that might be too much for a first outing. We did find a quiet bay and went swimming before dinner.
Tuesday 9th August
The next day was glorious, we were up at dawn, found Jean Charles on deck gazing at the sea…probably wondering if he could get his fishing rod out without waking up everyone. Nice swim before and after breakfast. The kids jumping in from the bow much to the distress of Carole who would have had them using the ladder to get in, where is the fun in that?
We had to make a decision for our onward journey. Another strong wind was predicted (mistral) and the only safe sheltered harbour was the rade de Toulon, so we went back to St Mandrier, where we went ashore for a swim and an aperitif on the quayside.
Wednesday 10th August
We needed to make track we only had 3 days to reach Port Camargue and despite the strong wind predicted, we turned westward. Morning was fine but the wind and the waves built up to the point that Ian insisted that everyone wear their live jackets. This was fun for a little while but everyone soon got tired of being trashed around under sail and we had to start the engine to make it more comfortable. We were all pleased to reach the small bay of Port Alne for lunch and a rest. The rest in the sunshine did not last long, Ian realised that the windlass had seized up. Jean Charles and Marius took this in hand and within an hour of hammer banging, cleaning and greasing the windlass was working again. We had to move to the next bay in late afternoon as the wind had changed and we would be more secure in the larger bay for the night. Jean Charles took Marius and Lisa for a swim on the beach which was a right expedition, but worth the effort.
The night was a bit disturbed, wind went down but the waves were keeping us all awake.
We were up early and Jean Charles managed to catch his one and only fish in the five days that he had the fishing rod out.
Thursday 11th August
It was a long day under engine; again the mistral was against us, right on the nose. Still the sun was shining and the sea was flat. We stopped for lunch, us and boats full of divers, there must have been over 30 of them in 5 boats, in a very small bay. We had to reverse out of it, no room to actually turn round. But it was very picturesque. We reach our anchorage for the night, Anse du Verdon just off Carro around 8pm and decided that it would be chef’s day off. Carted everyone in the dinghy to the beach restaurant where we had a nice and convivial meal.
Friday 12th August
Got off early this morning, we need to be in Port Camargue tonight. For once, despite the various forecasts we have been looking at, the wind is with us and we had a really nice day sail complete with some good speed, much to the delight of Lisa who turn out to be a bit of a speed junkie. She even dislodged Jean Charles from the helm, claiming that he was not making the boat go fast enough. Marius got to helm during the hoisting of the spinnaker (difficult manoeuvre) as we were coming in Port Camargue. It took 2 goes as we were not familiar with the use of the sock and we had to figure it out. This was a short lived hoist as the bottom rose to 5m and we were worried that we would be stranded on the sandy bank. Still we all enjoy the sight of the big orange and mauve sail for a little while, before it collapsed in the sea.
Back on land… much to the pleasure of Carole…She did really well though and I think that she enjoyed it even if she does not like to admit it, actually, she can’t admit it as Jean Charles may swap his motor boat for a sailing one. On the other hand, Jean Charles, Marius and Lisa were very pleased with the adventure and so were we. After just the 2 of us for so many weeks we were pleased to have company and a good catch up with friends . Back on Carole’s turf we were whisked off to Aigues Mortes for 2 days of nice food and drinks, much to the delight of Ian. We spend the Saturday at Christine’s, Carole’s sister for a family gathering, paella around the pool. It was nice to see everyone, especially since we had not been together in one place since Carole’s and Jean Charles wedding, 20 years earlier. We went to the fete in Mauguio, ran after the bulls and danced in the village square till late in the night… Just brilliant!
Read Lisa’s English homework describing her time on Mr X