Welcome

These are the voyages of the sailing vessel Pétillant. Her original eight-month mission: to sail from Baltimore to France via Florida and the Bahamas, to successfully navigate the shoals of the French douane, to boldly go where few Maine Coon cats have gone before was completed in 2008. Now she is berthed in Port Medoc and sails costal Spain, France, and the UK during the summer months.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Home

Saturday, August 20 We left Loctudy early and had a good wind to start. It soon died and we were once again motoring. We anchored for the night off Belle Isle. What more can I say, the no wind is old.

Sunday, August 21 We left Belle Isle with a good wind to start. It soon died and we motored to Ile D'Yeu where we anchored for the night. I guess this no wind is what sailing in August is like, a bit like the Bay.

Monday, August 22 We left Ile d'Yeu early to a glorious wind and headed for Ile de Re. This time the wind did not die and we were soon thinking we should take advantage of it and head for Port Medoc. We dithered and changed course a couple of times but by noon this wind was still perfect and we finally decided to go home. We got safely back into our slip at 11 PM.

Tuesday & Wednesday August 23 & 24 We have spent 2 days cleaning up the boat, packing the car, enjoying chausson aux pommes and grand creme, and are ready to head back to the house today, Thursday, August 25.

Friday, August 19, 2011

Back to France

Tuesday, August 16. Kinsale to The Isles of Scilly. We woke up in Kinsale on Tuesday morning to the news that a Fastnet boat (100 foot)had overturned just after rounding the rock. Not a good omen for a passage. But we left Kinsale with the tide and headed for the Scillies. We had a good wind to start and it was predicted to be force 5-6 for the trip. The seas were at least 2 meters on the beam, not a happy motion. By 1PM the wind was gone and we were motoring despite the small craft warning

A Captain Ahab Moment (Almost)

All trip I have been hoping to see a whale and disappointed that we were leaving the colder seas without a sighting. Out of Kinsale however, I saw a group of dolphins acting oddly. We were still sailing and it was quiet. I went to look over the side at the dolphins when I spotted a large spray of water about 50 feet off the port bow. HUM. Second spray of water behind the first and getting closer. Third spray of water almost at the bow. Time to take avoidance action. So 3 lovely whales serenely floated across our bows as we serenely sailed behind to avoid them. For the rest of the trip I recalled all the stories I have ever read about boats being holed by sea mammals, all sinking within 11 seconds. However, that was offset by the sighting and the tranquility of the 3 whales enjoying a fine sunny day.

We completed the trip in 22 hours arriving at 6 AM, to take a mooring, and go to sleep. All along the way the smaller Fastnet boats passed us, so we never felt alone. Prince Charles as Duke of Cornwall exercises his right to charge for the use of his land under the water. Mooring cost: 20 pounds. We only paid for a mooring 1 other time otherwise they were always free. He also charges to anchor, just less.
The Scillies were lovely but the anchorage was very rolly. We cleaned up the boat a bit and made realy for the next leg.

Thursday, August 18. Scillies to Loctudy, France.

We left the Scillies at sunrise with a good wind but with a warning of strong winds around the islands. Outside the harbor we danced around the Fastnet boats all coming back from the rock. This time they were not spread out and all really pushing. Again we found the seas to have 2 meter swells on the beams and unplesant. By 1 PM we were motoring again. No wind was getting old.

We motored all the way to Loctudy south of Brest. We were hoping to stop over on the Iles of Glenan but we needed fuel so ended up here in this very quaint Brittany fishing village. We are in a marina which is packed full of boats and vacationers. We are in the height of the French holidays and everyone is enjoying the warm and sunny weather here. Dante and Calypso are quite the show.

Tomorrow we continue our route south to Port Medoc. No more all-nighters, we will mosy down the coast and take about 4 days to get to our marina.

Monday, August 15, 2011

Weather Window

Sunday & Monday, August 14 &15. We arrived in Kinsale yesterday afternoon after a wonderful sail. The town is very picturesque and it was packed with French and American tourists. This is the gourmet capital of Ireland so we had dinner at a restaurant called Max's. It was wonderful food and a nice menu to choose from.

Looks like tomorrow we will have good weather for the next few days to get us back to France, so we are planning on taking advantage of it. We will leave for the Isles of Scilly around 9 AM. It should be a 24 hour sail. Thursday wind is supposed to turn north which will give us a good sail over to France. We would like to make it as far as the Isles de Glennan where we stopped on our way up.

So we will wait until the morning forecast to make a final decision about leaving but right now it is looking that way. We have filled the tank with fuel and the necessary food is aboard.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Aran to Valencia

Aran Isles, Doolin, Kilrush, Valencia
Tuesday, August 2. After leaving Roundstone, we headed for Inishmore, the largest of the 3 islands knows as the Aran Isles. Not a bad sail although seas were not Calypso friendly, with winds from the northwest. We took a visitor mooring in the new and still under construction ferry port in Kilronan. We arrived mid-afternoon and took the dingy into town. Our plans were to meet up with our Irish friends again who would take a ferry from their home in Doolin the next day. We would spend a day on Aran and then sail down to Kilrush on Thursday.

Inishmore is a beautiful island and a MAJOR tourist destination. Ferries come from several towns hauling hundreds of holiday-makers to the island every day. They are met by jaunting cars (pony and trap) or mini busses to take them on tours around the island. Like clockwork, our friends arrived on the morning ferry from Doolin and we spent the day touring the island. We took a mini bus around for half a tour and let the driver go at the Iron Age fort Dun Aonghasa. This is a stone fort built on a rock promontory. The scenery is spectacular and is definitely worth the journey. We walked back to Kilronan and finished the day with a delicious meal on board. We had Burren smoked salmon and mackerel from a prize-winning small producer near Doolin who is currently in the US meeting with Dean and DeLucca about carrying her smoked fish.

Thursday, August 4. Kilronan to Kilrush. The sail from the Aran isles passes the Cliffs of Moher which is considered some of the most dramatic coastline in Ireland. We planned this trip for Thursday because the weather was forecast to be relatively good. One thing we have learned about weather in Ireland is: it is not predictable. We sailed out near 8 AM in not terrible conditions but by the time we had passed Inishmann conditions we deteriorating. Visibility was decreasing and seas were kicking up. We ended up experiencing the roughest seas of our whole trip and the visibility was not such that we could really appreciate the coastline. Once we rounded Loop Head and entered the Shannon River sea state calmed somewhat and our last 2 hours were passed pleasantly. We off loaded the cats and went to spend a couple of days with our friends in their home.

Friday, August 5. The Doolin Respite. Doolin is renowned as a center for traditional music. It is also in a very particular geological region called the Burren where there is a vast limestone plateau. We spent 3 days seeing the local sights while eating scones along the way and dining on fish and chips in the pub which draws crowds for nightly music, and some excellent home cooking. Dante and Calypso thought they had died and gone to heaven. They spent 3 days in a house with lots of windows from which to watch interesting things. They were also able to go outside themselves to explore and eat grass. They were really hoping to be adopted by the nice Irish couple and never have to go back on the boat again. But no. Sunday morning came and they were in their carriers again in a car driving back to Kilrush Marina and the dreaded boat.

Sunday, August 7. We are in a marina for the first time since Troon. The only thing we want to do is laundry. So that is how we spent the afternoon through evening. This marina has a home not commercial washing machine and dryer so it took many, many hours to do most of what we needed wash. Some things will wait until we get back home. On Monday, we walked around Kilrush, did a final shop of fresh fruit and veg, filled water tanks, and washed the boat. There is a lock to get in and out of the marina which operates from 9 AM to 9 PM. We planned to be out on the tide at 6 AM on Tuesday so at 9 PM we locked out of Kilrush Creek to spend the night in the sea lock.

Tuesday, August 9. Kilrush to Valencia. We left Kilrush as planned at 6 AM and had a lovely sail down the Shannon River. Once we got out to the coast however, the winds soon died then changed direction so that we were heading into them, and then they freshened. Seas were once again rough until we passed behind the Blasket Islands. Our original destination was the Blaskets but with the weather deteriorating and Irish coast guard predicting gales for the next day, we decided to make for Valencia which is well protected. We found that a marina was here, still under construction but completed enough for us to tie up to its floating pier.
Valencia is a lovely small island with a new port built to accommodate water sports for children. Kids were kayaking, swimming, and jumping on a floating trampoline inside the protection of 3 sea walls and the floating pier. A ferry ride of no more than 5 minutes connects Valencia to the mainland. We enjoyed a walk around the town and sat down for a relaxing Guinness. Weather continued to deteriorate and we planned for another day here.

Wednesday, August 10. It is mid afternoon as I catch up on my trip log. We have been battered by winds and rain for hours now. This is the first storm we have had to sit out since Penzance, not bad for 2 months on the go. It has given us time to plan our trip back to France. We lost the red running light on the way down to Kilrush so we have to replace that before doing much else. There are few marinas and even fewer chandlers here so we do not know where we will find the replacement. Tomorrow we are heading to Baltimore (NOT). RXC likes to say we started this trip out from Balmor, MD so it is fitting we should stop at the one over here. Hopefully, there will be a chandler there that will have something we can use for the trip back.

If the storm lessens a bit, we will go have a coffee at an internet café and I will be able to get this posted. Our internet connectivity has been the main frustration of the trip. Not only has it been infrequent but increasingly we try to connect to a hot spot only to find our US computers cannot read the signal. We have set up accounts that are supposed to give us good coverage such as Boingo but they have not worked. When we can catch something at cafes, we have to try to remember to check so many things beside email such as bills, bank and credit cards statements, weather, etc. This is the one thing that has been fairly problematic for the trip as we depend on the web for so many things.

Friday, August 12. We are still in Valencia. The weather has kept us pier bound. Tomorrow predictions are for lighter winds, we will see. If we get out we will try to get as far as Kilmore. from there we will jump to the Scillies when we get a weather window. Weather is supposed to be poor through the middle of next week at least. From the Scillies we will head to La Coquette north or Brest or the Isles of Glennan.

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

A Day in Galway

Monday, August 1: Galway. We took the bus into Galway on Bank Holiday Monday. The inland scenery was just beautiful. We saw the sights in town which was winding down from a festival weekend. We were to meet up with friends for lunch who were also coming into town by bus. Amazingly, all transportation details worked out. We found each other, had a great visit, and a very fine lunch. Our respective buses left Galway at 6 PM and 6:15 PM. Back in Roundstone at 7:45 PM we were astonished by the crowds of people standing in the road, we thought it was a parade! No just folks having drinks outdoors in the evening sunshine. This is the major vacation time in Ireland and obviously people were taking advantage. Roundstone is also a place where the more affluent Dubliners come to holiday, but we also heard quite a few folks speaking with English accents too. Tomorrow we are off to the Aran Islands.