Concarneau

We spent six days in Concarneau. At first, the exitement of landfall in a new country, and a town with plenty for the visitor to do and see, kept us busy for a while. We also had to do some exploring; where's the nearest supermarket; where can we get internet access; where's the launderette; etc.

The detailed description of Concarneau I will leave for the tourist books, but the dominant feature is its walled Old Town, complete with moat and its own dragon. Having arrived after a two day sail from the Scillys on Saturday evening, we rose late on Sunday, had brunch al fresco in a Creperie on the harbour, and spent the day wandering about town.

I was a bit disappointed by how commercialised the old town was, however it was a fantastic place to visit, small enough to explore in an afternoon, a browse through the shops followed by a walk around the ramparts. Of course the modern town spread itself out all around the harbour, but was more functional than interesting.

After a couple of days, the state of our accommodation on the boat was getting to us. We put off further tourist attractions until we got it sorted. It took a few days, but gradually the piles of clothes, shoes, boat equipment, food, books, toys, etc., found places for themselves around Aragorn's capacious lockers.

Then there were the jobs to do. There was the domestic stuff, shopping, launderette, and clean up the boat. The foldy-up Brompton bicycles got their first outings, and were a big help with the shopping. Then there was the maintenance tasks, Mount the EPIRB, an emergency device that announces we're in trouble and gives our position; Mount the replacement fire extinguishers; Sort out the cockpit locker; Find appropriate stowage for the two dinghies, don't ask why we have two; Fix this light, that light; Repair cockpit floor; for every item we crossed off the to do list two more seemed to appear.

Speaking of dinghies, I had davits made to suspend the dinghy off Aragorn's stern, but I had to rig its lines. I thought this was a simple task, but it would take until La Rochelle and several days of trial and error to arrive at a solution that I was prepared to go to sea with.

We gave my nephew Matthew chores to do in the morning, and once completed we packed him off to talk to the natives in an attempt to improve his French for his Leaving Cert. next year. Well, he got a few swims in and made progress reading his novel aswell. But it was good to have a fit young man to help with some of the heavy lifting.

We left Concarneau the following Friday morning, and sailed the ten miles to the Glenan Islands for a night on the anchor. Our St Christopher medals were working overtime, as about half way we were met by a fishing boat with no one at the helm, I left it late to react, thinking he was about to change course, and we had a close one. The skipper replied to my protest with a half apologetic Gallic shrug.

The Glenans, which lent their name to the world wide sailing schools, are a busy spot. We went ashore for lunch, but the only restaurant was booked out, and the only bar didn't serve food. We settled for a walk and dined on Aragorn's provisions. Tomorrow, Ile de Groix.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

And We're Off

So, we're underway. And a fine start we got for it too. Of course, you can't have everything, the way the weather was, nice and calm, meant that we didn't get much sailing in, so thump, thump, thump we went down the Irish coast under engine. First stop the Isles of Scilly, previous ideas about going direct to La Coruna scotched, don't want to put ourselves off on the first leg.

The boat was a mess. We had our stuff piled high in the salon and the cabins, much the same way as the stuff we were leaving behind had been piled high in Catherine's mother's. There was room to sleep, room at the nav table & just about room to cook in the galley. We'll sort it in Scilly.

I set the watch to four hours on, four hours off. Catherine and I working opposite, and Matthew, my nephew, not yet experienced enough to do his own watch overlapped my last two hours and Catherine's first.

That first night underway we passed Tuskar. As we trundled ever southward I savoured it's light as it faded below the horizon, with a small lump in my throat I realised this would be my last glimpse of Ireland for some time.

I wanted to arrive in daylight, so, leaving as we did at lunchtime Saturday our choices were to make sure we arrived Sunday evening by using the engine, or to sail whenever we possibly could and arrive Monday morning, slowing down if necessary. We chose the latter, and arrived into Hughtown at 8 a.m. Monday.

I think Hughtown is the largest town in the Isles of Scilly, but it can hardly have a population of more than a few hundred. It is on St Mary's Island, and its natural harbour, like every harbour and anchorage in the Scillys is sheltered from only certain wind directions. We spent two nights on a mooring there, hoping the wind would change direction as forecast. It was impossible to do any work, sorting our stuff out with the swell rolling us about.

Showers were available ashore, for a pound a go. Glynn, the harbourmaster lamented to me that he was sure that boats were stopping overnight on his moorings and not paying the £16 a night due. I wanted to tell him that he was giving poor value, but thought better of it.

The third night we anchored off St Agnes island nearby, this time with the land between us and the wind, and got ourselves our first decent night's sleep since we left Ireland.

This was also our first opportunity to get the new Rocna anchor wet, Given that Aragorn already had three anchors when we bought her, this fourth did seem something of an extravagance. However, if the manufacturers claims hold true; and so far they have; then it was a worthwhile investment. Paddy Boyd who supplied it also went the extra mile to modify my bow roller to hold its unusual shape.

Then, Thursday morning it was up anchor and point at France. We still had our stuff piled around the boat. I doubted it would all fit in the lockers. Once in France we'd get on a nice comfy marina & we'd be sorted in no time.

The crossing was another relatively easy one for us. As we planned to make our first continental landfall in Concarneau, we had about the same distance to cover as Dublin to Scilly. The weather was benign, we put a precautionary reef in for night time sailing, which was just as well as the wind got up a bit, and though we could have sailed unreefed, the off watch might not have slept as well.

Having left after breakfast I planned to arrive in Concarneau in daylight on Saturday evening, this shouldn't be too much of a problem as long as we didn't dawdle. So the rule was simple, if we weren't getting 5 knots under sail, turn on the engine and get 6.

Like in the Scillys, it was overcast for most of the trip. As we were making our final approach into Concarneau the sun made an appearance. Even at seven in the evening, it was hot, not like a fine Irish Summer's day, but the aggressive heat of continental sunshine. We took out the suncream. Nous sommes arrivé.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Going, going, gone!

Friday 9^th May – The big clear out

Rent a van day. Catherine's brother Paul is over from England, he's there to drive the Transit, but a fine strong back on him for shifting furniture. We send a full load to Catherine's mother.

Saturday 10^th May – The Even bigger clear out

And an even bigger furniture removals van to take the rest of our furniture to the auctions. It also takes a full load.

The house is pretty bare now, some furniture still left, the good stuff that is staying with the lease, and the "stuff" the auctions wouldn't take, to tide the people over until their own furniture arrives.

Tuesday 19^th, we sell the car, phew, that's our going away money. We had to drop the price big time, but, well, they were nice people and I hope that get great value from it.

We still have the '94 Peugot to get us around, it's a banger, and Catherine's afraid of being stopped in it, but it gets us there.

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More old accounts and papers keep showing up for shredding.

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Friday 23^rd May

Lunch with my Godfathner and his wife in Hartley's. They gave us St Christopher medals, one each for Catherine, myself, and Aragorn. I can assure you Tim and Blathnaid, that we have each worn our medals at all time since, and so far, he's been on the job!

Saturday 24^th May – Drinks in the club.

Ger can't come, she's put out her back and can hardly move, but would we like the loan of her car?, since she can't drive either. Yes please.

Leaving drinks in the Dun Laoghaire Motor yacht club. Scheduled departure next weekend, but people suggesting they wave us off from the end of the pier. What time they want to know. Catherine advises everyone that we don't know when exactly we'll get away. Noon on Saturday the 31^st I tell them all confidently, and train is rolling.

Thursday 29^th May - All hands on deck!

Forgive the nautical pun, but Catherine's mother & sister are recruited for final clear out & cleanup duties as that train comes at us at full speed. My brother Lorcan is dragged along too, ferrying "stuff" up to Catherine's mother's house along with Erland who moved "stuff" to the dump and the boat.

Must be out of the house today, the lease starts tomorrow, however we have negotiated that we can stay 'til 3 p.m. tomorrow to complete clean up.

But those last few bits and pieces have become a mountain. Lorcan's trailer is creaking at the seams, and hardly a dent in the mountain.

Niceties are out the window. Take it with us, store it, give it away, dump it, just decide!!!

In the midst of all the mayhem Natalie showed up to take the '94 Peugot, and even pay us money for it.

Friday 30^th May

CHOO CHOOO! Dump everything in the back lane. We've been offloading "stuff" for months, how have we still got so much "stuff". Grab it, sprint down the garden, dump it in the lane, sprint back, grab something else. Be out by 3 o'clock! That train is rocket propelled!

Did I mention the window cleaner is coming this morning?

Twenty to three, a girl from the letting agent rings for our status, it's the third time today. “Tight” I tell her, but I think it will be a while before she forgives me for the rest.

Five to three, I ring the agent, “we're out” I proclaim in exhausted and triumphant relief, but don't quite receive the accolade I feel we're entitled to.

Phew! Alas, no time to relax. Friday afternoon, and it's the June bank holiday weekend, gotta to get to the bank, the chandlers, and fix up with the marina, all before close of business. Then there's the small mountain of "stuff" in the back lane. Lorcan's going to need a bigger trailer.

Speaking of Dun Laoghaire marina, hats off to all there for looking after Aragorn and us for the year we spent there.

Five o'clock, I am ravenous. An all day breakfast for two in Dun Laoghaire shopping centre. We can't afford the time, what lunatic committed us to depart Dun Laoghaire harbour at 12 noon tomorrow!! But we haven't had a bite since 7 a.m., not even a cup of tea, the body is starting to demand its share of the spoils of today's minor victories.

There's a few calls to be made. Tom in SOLAS, among others, a detail about the new liferaft. “How's it going” he asks, I sigh and babble something about a rocket propelled steam train. “You can borrow my truck if you like” he says cheerily, I'll be out your way in an hour or so. It didn't sink in, “thanks, I might take you up on that”, I replied. 15 minutes later I ring back, “please, please, please, yes, can I borrow your truck”.

Catherine fills Ger's car with that part of the “stuff” mountain destined for the boat, I go off to collect Tom's truck, wouldn't you know, Friday evening, it's country music with T R Dallas on RTE, all I am missing is my Yorkee bar.

I return to the back lane. Marianne, my bemused neighbour, brings me in for a cuppa before she and her young son Timothy help load the truck. Catherine returns from the boat just as we're done. The truck takes the bulk of the load, the rest fits into Ger's car. Then off to Catherine's mother's in convoy.

It is not until both truck and car are unloaded that I notice the effects of the last month's transfer of “stuff” into Agnes's and Margot's home, especially the succession of car and trailer loads just dumped into any available space over the past few days. It is now 11 o'clock at night, and their house more resembles Buckley's Auction rooms than someone's home. There is room in the attic, where most of it is destined for, but there's a day's work in getting it all up there.

The triumph of reality over determination is complete, we negotiate a one day extension of our truck and car loans, we text everyone in our phones' address books to announce the postponement of our departure, and we sleep the sleep of the just.

Saturday 31^st May

So not exiting Dun Laoghaire harbour in the beautiful sunshine of this Saturday morning, but stripped to my shorts in the sauna like attic, packing away “stuff”. There was delph, china, crystal, magazines, clothes, books, but mostly it was just “stuff”, and Agnes's generous attic swallowed it all up.

By evening we were done, now it was just a case of returning borrowed vehicles, a bit of shopping and a well earned meal in La Strada, where Faycal the chef presented us with an Algerian courtesy flag for when we get that far. Courtesy indeed, the flag is bigger than some of our sails.

Sunday, 1^st June

After an early start, we filled up with diesel, and walked up to Dun Laoghaire to meet up for final farewells and coffee in “It's a Bagel”. Then back to the boat and cast our lines, just one day and a few minutes behind schedule, giving friends and family time to walk to the end of the pier to wave us off.

I had one last indulgence up my sleeve, one which I had not even told Catherine of, and as we hooted our fog horns and waved at everyone as we were exiting the harbour I bellowed out my carefully planned spontaneous rendition of “California Here I Come”.

So thank you Agnes and Margot for all your hard work cleaningour house, and letting us turn yours into a storage depot. Thank you Paul and Lorcan and Erland for moving all that “stuff”, Thank you Ger and Tom for the loans of your respective vehicles, Thank you Tim and Blathnaid for your thoughtful gift, and thanks to everyone who gave us presents, even though we told you not to!! Thank you Marianne and Timothy for the cuppa and the help loading the truck, thank you Anthony and Seamus and Brian for all the work on the boat. A special thank you to Sean and Paul D, for the mentoring and help with the boat. And thank you to all at Dun Laoghnaire Marina, and everyone else that was such a big help to us. Finally and sincerely, sorry to Frank and Angela and anyone else who's number was not in my phones' address books, who had a wasted walk down the pier on Saturday.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Lifting out

Imagine if once a year you had to hire a great big crane and move your house as the only way to access and clean your basement. Imagine your home swaying on a chain as it is plucked from between your neighbours while you pray some mishap does not reduce all you own to matchwood. Then imagine that you have to work flat out for twenty four hours before the whole process is repeated to slot your pride and joy back into place.

Aragorn, our boat, and soon to be home, got it's annual below the waterline maintenance this week. The whole process would have cost a lot more and taken a lot longer had it not been for Catherine, my wife and crew, Sean, our friend and sailing mentor, and Anthony, our “shore engineer”.

Our concern about costs has increased proportionately with the imminence of our Live-aboard lifestyle. Fortunately we were able to book our lift-out in Howth Yacht Club, whose reasonable rates were matched by an equally reasonable chandlers just across the harbour.

Our plan was to sail from Dun Laoghaire on Monday night, lift out first thing Tuesday and get all the work done within the day. Then lift back on Wednesday and sail home.

I spent Monday buzzing around making sure that all the tools we'd need were aboard while Catherine ensured a suitably provisioned galley. Then, at eight o'clock, with Sean as extra crew, we slipped our lines and sailed across Dublin Bay. With twenty knots of wind out of the Southwest, under a clear Winter sky, we had a perfect sail, snug in our thermals, arriving in time to sample the Guinness in the club bar.

We slept on board, rising at a civilized 8 o'clock. With Catherine manning the camera, Nicky on the crane, told us what to do, while his mate Kevin, with his infectious smile, kept everyone on track and in good humour. With slings sunk under the boat fore and aft, the mighty crane slowly hoisted Aragorn's ten tons. Sean held a line on the stern while I held one on the bow, conscious that a sudden gust of wind might send us for a swim, or smash Aragorn to smithereens off the quay wall. Thankfully no such disasters befell, and she made a perfect landing in the waiting cradle.

Then it was all go. Examine the hull and keel for signs of wear. Check the propeller, its shaft, and anodes. The prop needed a little restoration, the anodes and cutlass bearing needed replacement, and the rope cutter required some dentistry to return it to as new chomping performance. Credit to Anthony, who beavered away despite a few inadvertent dousings as we hosed off the marine fuzz that had started to overcome last year's anti-foul.

By seven in the evening it was dark, we had covered the hull in a fresh coat of paint, and all was done bar a few last minute jobs. Second night on the boat we slept the sleep of the just.

Next morning, while the crane suspended Aragorn in the air, Anthony and I held the lines, and Catherine, armed with paintbrush instead of camera, touched up the patches that were inaccessible on the ground.

Back in the water, the shore engineer made his final engine checks, and, with her freshly cleaned hull Aragorn tore across Dublin Bay at a blistering eight and half knots to home sweet home on Dun Laoghaire marina.

One big job out of the way, all going well next time we'll be doing it in the warmth of an Algarve Spring.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Planning to be Marine Itinerants

“How are the plans going?”, or “What are your plans?”, are questions we are asked a lot these days about our forthcoming move to live-aboard in warmer climes.

First I say that, although everything may sound very definite, it has to be flexible. Travelling by small boat is unpredictable. You never know when something's going to go wrong and you just have to stay and fix it. It might be that you have to wait a month for a part. Or the weather can turn sour and stay that way for weeks. Alternatively we could arrive somewhere planning to stay for a week, and then get a perfect forecast with the wind blowing out of just the right direction, and leave the next day.

Still, we need a plan to get where we want to be when the Winter comes in. For us this is the Algarve, more specifically Lagos Marina. The Algarve is strategically situated on the entrance to the Mediterranean, and just off the main sailing route from Northern Europe to the Caribbean via the Canary Islands. We're told that Lagos is a great spot for novice liveaboards, with its thriving live-aboard community, town centre location, and launching pad to either the Med or the Americas. Because Lagos is so suitable it tends to fill up quickly, so we're already booked in there from November 1st.

Another factor defining our schedule is the weather. I've been warned that the North Coast of Spain is prone to fog from late August. As we head South we expect it to improve, but, travelling down the coast of western Europe we will be ever exposed to the full might of the Atlantic, and that gets angrier and mightier the later in the year it gets.

Then there is the route we plan to take. We are taking the coastal route around the Bay of Biscay, partly because we want to cruise a little in France on the way, and also because we have little appetite for a long passage directly to Spain at this stage.

Our final consideration is domestic, because of other commitments we cannot leave before the end of May. All of this combines to create the framework of our first year of our life as marine itinerants.

All going well we leave Dun Laoghaire at the end of May. Hopefully we'll get a few days in the Scilly Islands and Cornwall before moving on to Concarneau in Brittany. From there gently make our way down the French coast to La Rochelle, visiting the cities, towns, villages and remote anchorages along the way. In some we will only stop overnight, in others we may stay for a week, longer if the weather turns nasty & we have to wait it out. We will probably stay in France until after Bastille day, 14th July, just to join the celebrations. Then we'll wait for a good forecast to cut across Biscay to Bilbao.

We will loll our way westward along the North of Spain over the next few weeks. Remembering the fog, we will press to get around the northwest corner of Spain and on past Cape Finisterre by late August. I have heard a lot about the Rias of Northwest Spain, we'll spend some weeks exploring them. Along the West coast of Portugal we will at least stop in Porto and Cais Cais.

We want to be around Cape St Vincent on the Southwest corner of Portugal by the 1st October, and into the relative shelter of the Algarve. We'll cruise the Algarve for the month, before snuggling down in Lagos until February.

Then it's lift out for some routine maintenance and by March '09 we'll be poking our nose into the Mediterranean, but that's next year's plan.

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Decision made.

Yes! Our minds are made up! We're going!

Come 31^st May, or as soon after as weather permits, it's "all aboard" for Catherine and me on our 40 foot sailing boat, "Aragorn", out of Dun Laoghaire harbour, hang a right at Dalkey Island, and see what happens.

In truth, our minds were well made up long before now, but we had to stay shtum for business reasons. No more! It's the nomadic life for us, and we're shouting it from the rooftops.

And OK, we have a specific destination. We're going to hunker down in the Algarve from November through February, before heading East into the Med for Summer 2009. After all, we want to be where the weather's warm come Winter. The downside being this imposes a schedule; we can't simply dawdle our way down, or we might end up in a French or Spanish Winter, not much better than our own. And that's another thing that's going to hurry us up : weather. I'm told it gets foggy along the North of Spain in the latter part of August, so we want to be South of Finisterre by September 1^st, and around Cape St Vincent on the Southwest corner of Portugal in early October.

Gosh, we'll barely have had a couple of pints in the Scilly Isles but we'll be upping anchor & heading for France. A few days cruising the Glenan Islands, perhaps a week on the Morbihan inland sea. But making our entrance between the towers into La Rochelle's old harbour is a moment to savour for ever.

The Spanish coast beckons, but wouldn't it be a shame to be in France at that time of year and not wait to join in on Bastille Day on the 14^th of July?

Little over a month to whistle stop through Bilbao, Gijon, La Coruna, and the Rias of Northwest Spain. A visit to Santiago de Compostello is a must, but I don't think we'll walk! What a happy dilemma that in order to visit the next beautiful place we must leave the one we are in.

As for funding this, well, you know, it doesn't cost much to drop the anchor in a sheltered bay and hook a couple of fish for dinner. Hoisting the sails in a fair wind not only means free transport for us, but for our home and contents too! Ye can keep yer Estate Agents' commissions, yer Solicitors' fees, and yer removal vans ye land lubbers!

Of course we'll have to pay to stop in ports and marinas to shelter when the weather's bad, or just for a rest. When the wind doesn't oblige we may have to use the engine, and that's three expensive litres of diesel an hour. We will offload more cash stocking up on land produce, on the odd "bouteille du vin", or on visiting local hostelries. And of course there'll be ongoing maintenance and repairs to Aragorn. But continental prices are favourable and with renting the house and our savings, a little budget planning should keep us indefinately.

When are we coming back? Wrong question! Not when, if! If we get ill, or go broke, or get fed up with warm weather or challenging seas, or maybe we'll just wait 'til we're too old for adventure.

We might even decide we don't like the lifestyle and just return quietly in August after an interesting French cruise!

Hmm, I don't think so!

Copyright © Pat Egan 2008, all rights reserved.

Cruising the Crinan Canal

Can you imagine looking down a hill from a sailboat to the sea; Or your boat being overtaken by
joggers, horses and cyclists. How about boat after boat with fenders out both sides looking like baubles at Christmas. This latter to minimise damage from accidental bumps in a narrow waterway.

Our passage through the Crinan Canal was one of the highlights of our recent Scottish cruise. This nine mile shortcut through fifteen locks across the North of the Mull of Kintyre saves up to 100 miles, and in times past was the fastest route between Glasgow and the North of Scotland.

We entered from the Firth of Clyde at Ardrishaig in Loch Fyne. Having skimmed the guide book we intended to spend the night tied to the jetty, get a good reconnoitre of the sea loch, read up on the instructions, and enter the canal in the morning after a good night's rest.

- What was that saying about the plans of mice and men?

The lochkeeper waved us straight through, directly into the sea loch. A hurried rearrangement of warps; a few frantic minutes of shouted instructions; shortening ropes; the deafening crash of half a million litres of water filling the loch; then calm, and we were sitting in still water having climbed our first fifteen feet.

With just two of us the thought of making our way through the canal was daunting, but we quickly fell into a routine and we were soon comfortably managing the lochs. It was usually up to Catherine to heave open the massive gates, I stopped feeling guilty when I saw a child of about ten doing it. Later I discovered that the gates were so well balanced that one had only to lean on them.

We spent our first night in the still water of the canal basin in Ardrishaig with an assortment of fellow transients and permanently moored boats. On our first full day it took us only a couple of hours to climb to Cairnbaan at the summit. Though at sixty five feet above sea level “summit”

seemed something of an overstatement. The following day we went down through the lochs to Crinan where the local hotel's food was really super.

The third morning we said good bye to the friends we'd made in the canal. We were tempted to stay longer, but the Hebridean Islands beckoned and our time was limited.

Once in the open sea, and conscious that our engine had been in tick over for three days, we gave it its full compliment of 3,000 revs and raced across a calm Crinan Bay. We turned north to Ardfern for a night’s rest before negotiating "Dorus Mor" and its eight knots of tide.

But the “Big Door” would have to wait as once again that phrase about mice and men comes to mind, and we remained weather bound for the next three days. But that's another tale.

Doing it Shorthanded

The lochs were about 25 by 10 metres, with a ladder near the entrance to starboard and another near the exit to port. I rigged long fore and aft lines with one metre diameter loop bowlined on the ends, both led back to separate winches in the cockpit.

On the ascent we would enter the loch on the starboard, Catherine holding a spring line attached to our midships cleat. As I stopped the boat, she would pass this through the ladder and tie on, climb the ladder with the two long lines and drop the loops over shore cleats fore and aft. I would pull in the slack and untie the spring while Catherine closed the loch gates behind us and opened the sluices to fill the loch.

There was quite an amount of turbulance as the water gushed through, but we minimised it by staying at the back of the loch. While we rose I kept the tension in the lines by shortening them from the cockpit. Once the loch was full we would open the gates on the other side, push off and drive through.

Descending was even easier, Catherine stayed ashore and opened the sluices. We tied on the long fore and aft lines, and I eased them out as we went down. At the bottom I would tie on the spring and Catherine would open the gates, unhook the other lines, then down the ladder, release the spring and off we went.Our respective roles fell naturally as Catherine is not yet happy to manage the boat on her own. This meant that it was usually up to her to heave open the massive loch gates, however I stopped feeling guilty when I saw a child of about ten doing it with ease. I subsequently discovered that the gates were so well balanced that one had only to lean against them. Indeed pushing harder served little purpose against hundreds of tons of water.

Approaching each loch there was usually a pontoon to tie on to while opening the gates, and another one once through, so that you can go back and close the gates after you. We were usually lucky in that as we approached the lochs there was often another boat coming, and we could leave the gates open for each other.

There were also a number of bridges to be negotiated, operated by British Waterways personnel. Most were beside lochs, so there was plenty of time for them to see us coming, but in remote places we announced our approach with a timely blast on the foghorn.