Fizz in France

03/07/2009 by admin.

Well, here we are in the Chateau Marina in Brest. We (John,Stu,Pam and me) left Hamble on Monday night after some last minute work getting the BBQ and heads (toilets) sorted.  Soon after leaving Hamble a stowaway was found on Fizz, much to the shock of the crew, who answered to the name of  Taffy, more to follow in due course. The trip to Salcombe was uneventful, apart from the lack of wind which mean’t we had to motor most of the way. We arrived in Salcombe early Tuesday morning and picked up a visitor mooring buoy.  Stu and I did some scuba diving near the rocks at the entrance to Salcombe in the afternoon, and we christened the new BBQ on Tuesday night after a drink at the Ferry inn while we watched the Earl of Monmouth, a 3 masted barque, sail into the harbour.

Wednesday morning those of us who were up early (Pam and I) saw a pod of dolphins swim right past the boat . A fantastic sight. After rousing John and Stu and a quick breakfast, we headed off on the 24 hour channel crossing to Brest. With little wind, we again spent most of the crossing under power, arriving in Brest at approx 9 am Thursday.  The Chenal du Four was an amazing sight as we passed through at daybreak with less than 50 yards visibility. Stu and John had spent most of their night watch dodging thunderstorms.

Thursday night was spent in Marina Moulin Blanc in Brest, but a lucky meeting with Pascal, the Brest Marinas manager, in the tourist office resulted in a move to the newly opened Marina du Chateau, in the centre of town, handy for shops and cafes. So here we are for 2 nights before moving on to Benodet on Sunday.

Chris & Pam

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