We left La Roche Bernard at 0700 on Tuesday to get the 0800 lock at Arzal. There were only about five boats in the lock but the enthusiastic director of operations was already bossing us all around, rafting people up and yanking on shrouds with his very long boat hook. I am confident that the entire thing could have been done with no shouting and in less time, but it kept him happy.
In almost no wind we motored to Piriac where there is a "flap" to keep the water in the marina at low water. There are lots of British boats here, many of which we have met before in places like La Trinité and La Roche Bernard. Even more excitingly, we have finally met up with Rob and Jo aboard the Westerly Storm Cyclone of Langstone. This is the Storm which Sam was first able to get onto, back in 2013, when they very kindly allowed us to stay on it overnight in Chichester. Since then, they have been to the Baltic, down here to Biscay, and are heading back to the Baltic again next year because they find the Southern sun too hot for them! Anyway, it was lovely to catch up with them, especially as I don't think that Sam has actually met Jo before.
In almost no wind we motored to Piriac where there is a "flap" to keep the water in the marina at low water. There are lots of British boats here, many of which we have met before in places like La Trinité and La Roche Bernard. Even more excitingly, we have finally met up with Rob and Jo aboard the Westerly Storm Cyclone of Langstone. This is the Storm which Sam was first able to get onto, back in 2013, when they very kindly allowed us to stay on it overnight in Chichester. Since then, they have been to the Baltic, down here to Biscay, and are heading back to the Baltic again next year because they find the Southern sun too hot for them! Anyway, it was lovely to catch up with them, especially as I don't think that Sam has actually met Jo before.
Piriac is a nice little seaside town, lots of little restaurants and gift shops. It also has this large marina. At the moment (Wednesday afternoon) it's really rather windy in the marina but not in the town.
I am currently dithering about where to go next. Turballe has been recommended by several people and is just a short hop away.
In other news, the Passat will cost €300 for the repair and will be ready on Friday. It appears that there was indeed a problem with the ABS.
I don't think that Robin reads blogs, so I can probably mention that although I love him, he is a little bit of a mixed blessing on board. He is no longer agile, and his hearing is erratic, so asking him to do something is somewhat hit and miss. He can also fill any uncomfortable silence with plenty of chat. Fortunately, although I don't always take in everything that he says, there is a good chance that he will say it again later on. And his extensive knowledge of boats and boatbuilding does not extend to such modern systems as pressurised water, or chart plotters. I have just discovered that our domestic water pump is leaking, but his guess as to how to fix it it is probably slightly worse than mine. Nevertheless, when he chats to Sam rather than me, the two of them are happy for hours, which is a very good thing.
Passing the church on the croissant run this morning. There is more sun now although it's still a bit cloudy
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