To Toulon

Monday
It looks like we’ll make it to mainland France in the next 24hrs, whether Toulon or other remains to be seen, as always weather dependent.  As it gets even colder and wetter this is getting just a little less fun; crew and boats are going to require a bit of TLC on the other side.  I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve bumped myself on a door frame, the underneath of a shelf, or missed a step in the companionway.  On the boat side of things the main sheet winch slips (inconvenient), and this morning a lazy jack snapped; not too much of an issue, until we took down the main sail and had to construct a new lazy jack from a haliard, and lash the sail on, whilst heeled over, in the dark.  Our fellow yacht, however, hasn’t got an auto helm at present, on top of being a crew member down, so are manual helming throughout the night, necessitating double watches; I don’t presume morale is rocketing aboard.

Tuesday
We instituted the same watch system as before for this passage (~130 NM), and it’s amusing how whilst at sea those natural English niceties which we drop in conversation without really considering their meaning, actually make no sense.  For instance I was going to bed at 10pm last night just when someone who had been asleep since 5pm was coming on watch – and he wished me a cheery “Good morning!”.  And when I came off watch at 4am I said to my replacement “Enjoy your watch!”, “Thank you!” he replied delightfully: belying the two dark, cold, wet hours ahead.  I’ve started wearing other people’s clothes as well as my own, really looking forward to going South, I think we can confidently say I won’t be sailing in the Solent any time soon.

Wednesday
Hiding from the mistral, so I have disembarked, purchased jeans and a scarf, and set off on a mini adventure to visit friends in Nice!  Prosecco and pecorino galore.  Side note: back on board I am almost out of Hellmann’s, this could be breaking point.

Thursday
Additional purchase: umbrella.  Life span of umbrella: 42 minutes.  The wind and rain are pretty incorrigible, correlated with the fact we’re not out at sea.  I also have some well travelled truffle pecorino in my handbag from adventuring overnight; the return ferries were a bit French ie closed, so I befriended the staff in a restaurant and they negotiated local rates at a hotel.  And I’m proud to say I didn’t spend the difference on margaritas.

Friday
Rumour has it that for every 60 NM we travel South the temperature should increase by a degree; time to put that to the test!  We set off tomorrow, I have done my passage plan (there is a yachtmaster to achieve at the end of this!): course to steer 235 degrees compass, it’s only vaguely Southerly but it’s a start.  Disappointed by the lack of Hellmann’s in Toulon supermarkets, but we located a squeezy bottle in a cubby under a bench in the saloon; that should last me to Gibraltar.

To Barcelona

Saturday
An early start, an extra skipper and a functioning auto helm on our companion yacht, and we’ve left France.  One thing I’ve found bizarre has been sleeping with a French woman shouting Securitie announcements on the radio through the night, mostly VHF channels and coordinates: weird Lost dreams abound.  We caught a 25kg yellowfin tuna which took three of us and a kitchen knife strapped to a boathook 65mins to get on board.  We then chased down our friends and via some rather risky logistics – when there’s this much ocean, why not try and sail five metres apart?! – passed them steaks and tartare fillets for dinner.  What I said about morale earlier in the week; considerably up on both sides.

Sunday
Hola!  The Spanish courtesy flag has replaced the French, and we hope to be in Barcelona by 1800.  I already have my mind set on the margarita bar I located on my outbound trip.  It is hard being a creature of habit when everything around you is alien, taking small comfort in familiarities along the way is certainly a stepping stone to staying sane until we are safely home again.

To be continued……

Total sailed: 855 NM