Back in France!

28 June 2024 – La Roche Bernard, France

We arrived safely near La Rochelle, France, after an easy passage with the spinnaker up almost the whole time.

The city is located in a large sound so we moored off a beach a four mile dinghy ride away. Even though La Rochelle is a major sailing hub, the marina having over 4600 berths, 500 of which are for transients, it was full when we arrived so we didn’t end up staying directly in the city. The tides are even bigger here than in Spain, which we realized to our dismay when the only landing spot was a launch ramp on the beach that only touched the water at high tide. There was also some surf rolling, as the bay is pretty open to the ocean. Still, we managed to hop out of the dinghy without getting bashed against the ramp and enjoyed a very pleasant walk.

The next day, we took the dinghy into La Rochelle, about a twenty minute ride. My dad and Jonas took off to go marine store shopping for six hours straight and ended up buying a wing foil.

Buying a wing foil – La Rochelle, France

My mom and I walked around town for a bit, going to the market and a book store. We visited a marine festival that was happening in the old harbour that weekend, with some tall ships open for touring and many stands selling merch and nautical paraphernalia.

The dinghy ride back to Festina Lente was boisterous to say the least, as the wind and waves has come up and we were going upwind into them. We tried planing at first but it was too violent when we crashed down waves so we had to slow down. We got soaked from water splashing over the bow of the dinghy and the ride took ages, but we eventually made it back to the boat with the only casualty being one squashed tomato. On board Festina Lente, however, it was only slightly calmer. The boat was rolling around from side to side and it was hard to keep our balance. We ended up having a quick dinner then going to bed, and when we got up the next morning the waves were slightly smaller. Even so, we didn’t mind that much because we were excited to be back in France.

After La Rochelle, we sailed all day to Île d’Yeu and went out for crêpes. After visiting the bakery and market the next morning, we sailed to Noirmoutier and anchored off the beach. The weather was hot and sunny and it really felt like summer. Jonas spent five hours wing foiling. He held the wing-like sail and stood on a board with a hydrofoil attached to the bottom, so that when he started sailing quickly, the board lifted up out of the water and onto the foil to have less surface area and go faster.

Jonas using the wing foil – Noirmoutier, France

Our next destination was La Roche Bernard, which is through a lock and up a freshwater river. My dad was nervous about this, because the mouth of the river has silted up and is above water at low tide. We had to time the entrance of the river with the tides, and also with the opening times of the lock. High tide fell at eight pm and we got into the river and through the lock without running aground. There was also a twenty-seven metre cable stretching over the river, which theoretically Festina Lente could fit under at twenty-three, but the margin of error was a bit small for comfort. On the other side of the lock, we were amazed with how calm and peaceful everything was away from the Bay of Biscay and its five metre tides. The river was beautiful, surrounded by rolling hills, lush greenery, and occasional stone houses. We came upon the town bathed in the evening light and it looked like a medieval French village from a postcard.

There was a huge market spanning several streets, with everything from clothes to gifts to food. My mom and I loaded up with local produce and cheeses and ate more crêpes from a stand. My dad, Sirius, and I also hauled the sewing machine on deck and repaired a rip in the genoa.

Repairing the genoa – La Roche Bernard, France

We stayed in La Roche Bernard for two days, unused to the weather being so hot but enjoying the respite from the ocean. It was so quiet it was hard to sleep without the slapping of water against the hull and the creak of the bridle as we swung.

Santander and the Guggenheim

Festina Lente