We arrived back in Foleux on 24th Aug having managed to catch an earlier ferry from Dover. This enabled us to reach our hotel in Caen at a very respectable 6pm as opposed to the scheduled 9pm.
Off early the following morning with an easy drive to Foleux, arriving before 10am. Cabernet was in fine form, having been berthed very cosily by our mini dodos at the end of their very successful holiday. It was a glorious day and we had high hopes for the next stage of our 2010 French Tour. Regrettably that optimism didn't last and it proceeded to rain very heavily for the next two days - we stayed put in Foleux rather than get wet somewhere else! The forecast was for an improvement on Friday but we woke to yet more rain this time accompanied by thunder and lightning - it looked like yet another day in Foleux but by lunchtime the sun had re-established itself and we were on our way once more. We went through the Arzal lock at 4pm and spent the night just down river, ready for an early start on Saturday.
We arrived in good time in Piriac on saturday morning - its every bit as pretty as we'd been led to believe so had a couple of days chilling out in glorious warm sunshine. We even managed a scramble over the rocks at the headland - skipper was in his element. However the inevitable strong winds returned and gave us a restless night but we set off bright and early on Monday for the island of Houat, just 10 miles off Quiberon Bay.
We had a splendid sail all the way there and found we had the pick of the buoys in the bay at Port St Gildas - that should have sent out warning signals! We spent the warm and sunny afternoon on the beach - described in our pilot book as the best beach in Brittany and it certainly rates that description. There was some trauma when we experienced a man overboard - fortunately just John off the back of the dinghy. He floated and came to no harm!! Lovely barbie in the evening on the back of Cabernet and just one other boat on the moorings - and then we found out why. The wind got up about 9.30pm and we started to roll, fairly gently at first but strongly enough for skipper to set the anchor alarm in case we started to drag for any reason. The sea and wind just built and built and by 11.30pm we decided it would be prudent to get dressed in case we had to take action. Poor Cabernet took a terrible battering and I felt very seasick - I didn't feel so bad once I'd learned that the wife on board the other Brit boat on the next mooring HAD actually been sick 3 times during the night!!! Skipper suggested we initiate 2 hourly watches but the idea of looking at the bouncing shoreline in the dark didn't really appeal so we took our chances with the anchor alarm.
At the end of the night Cabernet was still in the same place, we hadn't moved at all but were both suffering badly from lack of sleep. At first light the wind was still blowing strongly, it was not an option to stay there a minute longer than necessary and, after reviewing the situation, we set off down wind for Port Haliguen - the sea was roly and we were experiencing gusts of 36kts so it was a case of life jackets and harness lines being used! The benefit of the wind was that it was a very quick trip(!) and we were safely tied up in the marina by 9am. I now understand that Houat is well known for that type of experience......it will be a day trip in future, if we decide to return!!!!! Having said all that the weather is now undoubtedly the best we've had all trip - long may it continue.
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