Cherbourg and back to the UK

 

We spent a couple of nights at anchor and then went into the marina for two nights. We had decided to visit the museum of the sea which is close to the marina but quite a long walk round to get there.

The museum is fantastic. There is a display about the Titanic, an amazing aquarium on many levels and the most captivating thing for us is an old French nuclear submarine which you enter at the stern and are guided through with a personal walkie talkie telling you all about it. Something not to be missed while in Cherbourg.

On the Wednesday we left the marina and went out on anchor again being ready to cross back to the UK on the Thursday.

We were hoping for some wind but in the end we motored the 68 miles to Newtown Creek on the Isle of Wight with at times just a little help from the wind.

Outside Newtown there were lots of boats anchored and we didn’t think there would be any space inside. As it happened just as we were stooging around inside another yacht shouted to us that they were just leaving and so we took their place. Really kind of them. After the 13 hours crossing over we were really pleased to have a nice quiet night. The weekend is approaching when lots of  ‘people’ come over from the mainland so we may well move to Chichester on Saturday to our favourite anchorage up Thorney creek which always has plenty of room as few boaters seem to have discovered it.

Round to Cherbourg

 

We stayed in Carteret for seven days while the East wind blew at up to gale force. Coming off the land the wind was very dusty and our ropes all became covered with a layer of dirt on one side. We went out cycling locally and one day took the bus to Bricquebec Castle. We had booked the guided tour which was all in French and I found that Google translate will listen and show a text of what is being said. When the guide understood that I wasn’t filming her, she and the others on the tour became very accommodating allowing us to stand at the front so that my phone could hear her well. It was a good trip.

Eventually the wind eased and we went North to Dielette. This is a marina where the town is a distance away and we just spent two nights there waiting for a quiet spell to get round Cape de la Hague. This cape is notorious for very strong currents and we left at 07:15 in the morning while there was a short spell of low wind to get through the incredibly turbulent water. As we passed the point of fastest current the speedo went off the scale. 

Speedo off the scale despite this not being anywhere near the maximum current.

After rounding the cape the wind came up and we had a real slog against it to get to Cherbourg. The current was still with us and as this was against the wind it kicked up an uncomfortable sea. However we did the trip in good time arriving in the anchorage by midday.

The anchorage in Cherbourge was built for the French fleet when Napoleon was fighting the British. It is enormous – the sea wall is over four miles long. We anchored at the Western end waiting to go into the marina during the week.

Across to Carteret.

 

Ti Gitu left St Aubin and we motored the 15 miles round to St Catherins bay on the East of Jersey. This is directly North of Gorey, where the castle is, and has a long breakwater protecting the bay from the North – but not the East - where the strong Easterly wind was forecast to come from in a few days.

The area has a lot of sea grass and there are moorings there designed not to damage the sea grass which apparently absorbs 35 times the amount of CO2 as the same area of rain forest. Normal boat moorings are on chain which at low tide swings around and scrapes the sea grass away. The authorities are now experimenting with ‘eco’ moorings which are elastic and don’t damage the sea bed so much.

We used one of these ‘eco’ moorings for the night and left the next morning for the 13 mile trip across to Carteret.

It was a gentle motor sail over until we arrived outside the entrance to be confronted with over 100 racing yachts milling around at the start line of a race which was right in the entrance to the river. We just slowly motored through them and despite us motoring and them sailing a number of them gave way to us which was very ‘gentlemanly’.

 

 We had to pass through this lot!

Carteret marina is enormous and there is a launch which meets you and takes you to your berth. They also do a 7 days for 5 which as the wind is force 7 Easterly for a while we have taken advantage of.

 

Time in St Aubin.

 

I had little faith that the new engine mountings would arrive in sensible time so on the Saturday I cycled round to the marine industrial area to see if I could find anything that would do.

I found a really nice helpful marina engineer who said that no one kept many spares and explained the import shenanigans. This meant that I was able to pre pay the import duty and the mounts arrived on the Monday and I collected them on the Tuesday.

It took a couple of days for me to fit them, everything seems to take longer these days!!

We went by bus round to Gorey on the East of Jersey to climb up to the very impressive castle where there was also a display of hawkery.

The weather is still poor for sailing and as it was the British GP we decided to stay and move on after the weekend.

St Aubin is a lovely place and despite the harbour drying for most of the time we enjoy being here. The harbour is centuries old and in good condition despite the breakwaters being dry built, with no mortar. They certainly knew how to build things back then.

We have decided to go across to Carteret in France for a while, especially as strong Easterly winds are forecast. We have phoned the marina who have asked us not to arrive until Thursday as they have over 100 race boats arriving to overnight on the Wednesday.

Awaiting spares in St Aubin

 

We had four days in St Helier marina and cycled the four miles round the bay to St Aubin twice. On the Saturday after adjusting the failing engine mounts we left the marina after the staff very kindly and with great skill used their dinghy to turn us around in between the pontoons.

It was a gentle motor across the bay and there is just enough room for Ti Gitu on the end of the wall in St Aubin. There are several local boats on the wall which appear to have just been dumped here. In fact it is noticeable that in several of the drying harbours around the bay there are an incredible number of unused and un cared for boats.

The new engine mountings will take at least a week to arrive as nothing is flown into this island any more, it all comes by the ferry which takes ages. The company supplying them were going to send them by Evri rather than their normal carrier, which I refused and paid a lot extra to have them sent via another carrier which because of the no flying goods will probably not work any better.

 

Ti Gitu in St Helier marina.

 

Guernsey and onto Jersey

 

We left St Peter Port on Guernsey on Monday 22^nd June. It was a nice stay. The people are friendly and all the traffic really respects pedestrians and cyclists. On the Sunday there was a craft fair all along the front next to the marina which we wandered through.

We topped up with diesel at £1.07 a litre and as it was a good forecast of a NE breeze at force 3 to 4 set off for Jersey. The wind finally came just as we arrived. Typical of this summer so far.

We have been having trouble with violent banging when putting the engine into gear so decided to go to the St Helier marina which is a Trans Europe associate to try to sort the engine out.

We are not certain but it seems that it may well be the engine mountings which are failing so a new set has been ordered from England. This will probably mean waiting here until they arrive and perhaps stopping while I fit them. The other possibility is the drive plate between engine and gearbox but the symptoms don’t seem to show this.

After the marina in St Helier we would like to go spend some time in St Aubin a drying harbour across the bay where we have stopped before. See what happens.

Alderney to Guernsey.

 

For the second time we have vowed never to go back to the Alderney anchorage. The very first time we stopped there it was flat calm, despite being known to be a ‘rolly’ anchorage and we had a great time looking around the island with all it’s history. Every time we have been since then we have had a very uncomfortable time with the swell rolling in.

We left after two nights without going ashore and headed to Guernsey.

Ti Gitu arrived in the tiny Fermain bay about a mile South of St Peter Port. We have spent time in the bay in the past and we had one wonderful night at anchor there before late the next evening the swell began to roll in there as well.

Not wanting another bad rolly night we upped anchor and headed for Victoria marina in St Peter Port arriving just before dark.

The marina was packed and we had to raft against another yacht for the first night but moved to an alongside berth the next morning as the place cleared out.

We are staying for a few days (despite the very high marina charges) and have cycled a little and taken a hop on hop off bus around the island for a day. It looks like Sunday will see an event along the quayside with lots of stalls and a classic car show which should be interesting.

After that we hope to top off the diesel and head South East to Jersey.