The Shakedown Cruise

Surprisingly about 7:30 PM on the Sunday after I posted my last entry saying that the canvas for the boat would not arrive on a holiday, the nice canvas lady and her husband showed up with all the canvas repairs finished and offering to help us set up the dogger and bimini. We thanked them for their dedication but said we would install it ourselves the next day which we did. That meant Tuesday (May 10) we could be off to Ile de Re. The weather was perfect and we left with the tide. We had 10 1/2 hours to sail 40 nm in order to get to the island's protective ecluse by it's opening at 8:30 PM and get into the harbor.

Steering was sluggish which was to be expected on a first time out. We had not hauled the boat this spring to clean off the bottom because we hauled it last year and there was nothing growing on it so we thought we could get away with a season without a haulout. WRONG.

Our usual 8-9 knot speed was trailing at 4 knots. We were not making much progress. At 5 PM we decided we had another 5 hours to go and were not going to make the ecluse opening. We would be looking for an anchorage in the dark which was not how we wanted to spend our first cruise of the season. So we turned back and got back to the marina before dark. The next day we arranged for a haul out.

The travel lift is very busy at this time of the year and we had to wait a week for a slot. We went back to the kitties until yesterday when we drove back to the marina. We were hauled this morning and there were all types of mussels, clams, oysters, etc. growing on the prop and rudder. The bottom was power washed and we are back in the slip ready to head off to Ile de Re tomorrow.

Hopefully we will have better luck this time. The weather is supposed to be great for the next 3 days.

Rounding the Mark

The Sunday regatta was just inside the Garonne today but there was little wind. We cycled to Souliac for breakfast. We remain at the marina awaiting our canvas which is being checked over and repaired in a couple of places. The canvas lady is running behind, she was supposed to deliver it yesterday and we planned to take off for Ile de Re today. But she was a no show and with it being Sunday and a holiday (victory over the Germans) today we do not expect her this afternoon either. Maybe she will turn up tomorrow. It isn't as if there is not plenty of work to do on the boat and places to cycle around here, so no hardship staying put. The new chart plotter is very nice and the new head much quieter.

Leaving the Vines for the Sea

Tomorrow we head for Petillant. We are planning on a short shake down cruise to Ile de Re. We have work to do on her before we leave such as install a new chart plotter and a quiet fresh water head. Canvas is being mended so we will have to install that. Work should be done by Sunday so that we can take off. We have to make one more trip home in order to pick up the cats before we begin our cruise up the Atlantic coast of France and on to England, Scotland, and Ireland, about 4 months in all. Stay tuned for updates on our adventures.