NAUGHTY CAT

24

ALL AT SEA JANUARY 2022 Adventures of Naughty Cat

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Last time we heard from Bekki and Gordon as they began their adventure sailing to Guernsey to have Animal Health Certificates completed for their four felines, before heading to the islands of Herm and Sark followed by Jersey. We catch up with the couple as they departed St. Helier for Fance.

We set off from St Helier at 05:15 for an anchorage on Ile de Brehat, off the northern coast of Brittany. Winds were only 5.4kn, the skies were dark and cloudy so we had to travel under engine. Slowly the wind increased to 17.3kn, so under full sail and making good progress we changed our plan and headed for Roscoff in Brittany. In rolling sea swell and heavy rain, we finally moored up at 20:00.

This was our first experience of Europe post Brexit. We had plenty of forms from the marina and customs to complete and, as France had very strict Covid regulations at that time, masks were worn in all indoor spaces. We also needed the Covid Pass QR code, which proves you are double vaccinated. I had spent a long time in the UK downloading the app and getting all the correct documentation saved on to our phones.

Roscoff is a lovely town with lots of excellent restaurants and quaint shops. We were happy to spend a couple of days there sampling the cuisine and definitely recommend it as a stopover. We had always planned to use our Passeport Escales in each marina, so we left the marina two days later at 05:30, heading for L’Aber Wrac’h to the west.

Clear Communications Each time we enter or leave a port it is my responsibility to stand at the bow of our yacht, keep watch and, using our bluetooth headsets, give Gordon clear instructions to enable him to enter/exit the port safely. On our catamaran it is impossible to see the opposite bow from the helm and purchasing the Sena Expand Boom communication system was probably one of the best things we did.

When we are manoeuvring in or out of a marina, anchoring or in rough seas when changing sails it provides us with safety and security knowing that we can always hear each other clearly, and saves us shouting at each other too.

As we turned the corner around the long sea wall of Roscoff, the sea state was immediately rough. We were heading straight into wind and the yacht was crashing into the waves. I managed to keep balance and put the lines and fenders away, scrambling back to the stern.

I went inside whilst Gordon steered the boat from outside. Naughty Cat was ploughing through the large waves with ease but inside things were different. One of our cats, Coffee Cupcake, seemed frightened by the motion of the boat and was meowing. I picked him up to comfort him, but as I did so the china in the cupboard started crashing about.

The boat was facing some very big waves. At this point I managed to sit down but immediately felt unwell and disorientated in the dark. I do not like sailing in the dark in rough weather and, to me, this was very rough.

Gordon steers the couple to their next destination

Who wouldn’t enjoy that view! Persian Chinchillas loving life afloat...

Gordon and Bekki have passed many fascinating views

Calm at last I stayed with Gordon for a few hours until the sails were set and daylight broke, assisting him negotiate a path around all the fishing vessels that had no AIS trackers. I was thankful to eventually lie down. The cats finally settled down too, and slept on the seats.

Two hours later, Gordon called me for assistance. The sea state had calmed and we needed to negotiate a difficult route in between some large rocks, through a very narrow channel and into a river. Once in the river Wrac’h, we watched many boats out for a weekend pleasure sail and passed several sailing schools instructing children. We motored up to the marina and straight into a vacant berth at the end of the visitors’ pontoon.

L’Aber Wrac’h is a very small community, just a couple of shops and several restaurants/bars on the front and a lengthy walk to the nearest grocery shop. It does have some lovely scenery and great views from the surrounding hills.

A word of warning, never park on the outside of the visitors’ pontoon. We experienced huge waves and rocking motions with the constant passing of small vessels extremely close to us. We would have moved but there was no inside berth available.

Crucial timing Both Gordon and I were very concerned about the trip through the Raz du Seine. It is located in the north-west Brittany area of France just below Brest. It lies between the Isle of Seine (Ile de Sein) and the Pointe du Raz in Finistere and is a very dangerous zone for navigation due to the violent sea currents and up to 6 knots of tides causing the sea to rise quickly. The jagged rocks and sea swell make it concerning for most sailors.

Gordon had spent many hours researching, discussing and planning our passage through this channel, but as always we had to rely on the weather on the actual day to ensure a safe journey.

We left at 07:45, with clear skies and just a light sea mist. We put the main sail up. We kept the engines running and put up the jib too as we needed to arrive with the tide at the Chenal Du Four to ensure a safe passage.

If we arrived late at this waypoint, we would have had 5 knots of tide against us, so in theory we could have been travelling backwards. Timing was crucial. We reached La Val Belle at 10:48 and were thrilled to change our heading to 180 degrees south for the first time, this also indicated the start of the Chenal Du Four. We had arrived bang on time as per our plan.

As the Raz de Sein has three different fast tides entering it at the same time, we needed to time our passage exactly. To ensure a smooth passage through, we had to slow down to approximately 1 knot so as not to arrive too early and then we would have the tides travelling with us in the same direction.

With Gordon’s preparation, kind weather and sails down, we were able to follow our plan and had a very smooth ride through the notorious stretch of water, ensuring that I also took lots of photos of the lighthouse as we passed.

Jumping Ship With the Raz out of the way, the gennaker was put up again, engines off and we made it to Audierne Bay as the daylight disappeared. Our destination was Port Plaisance, Audierne.

In pitch black, we carefully navigated the tiny channel between the markers, looking out for the many fishing boats moored along the way. Again we had managed to follow our plan exactly because we needed to be on the river at high tide otherwise it would be too shallow for us to enter.

At 19:17 we arrived at the tiny marina and were able to park on the only available hammerhead. A friendly boat owner took our lines and tied us up on to the very wobbly pontoon.

Both Strawberry Shortcake and Coffee Cupcake immediately jumped ship and went for a quick wander on the pontoon, but we soon bought them back on board. All four cats do love to wander around the deck and have a look at each new place we visit.

They have coped really well on the boat and have never experienced any seasickness. They tend to curl up on the seats and sleep whilst we are sailing but always appear at 4pm for their dinner, no matter where we are or how rough the water may be, they will make it known that it is feeding time.

We woke early and left the Audierne marina at 07:00, navigation is always easier on the way out and by following a small fishing boat down the narrow channel, we made good time to Audierne Bay. Our next plan was to anchor overnight in a bay on the west coast of Belle Ile, a natural stopping point on our exciting journey south.

Bekki and Gordon departed from Chatham Maritime Marina in September with their four cats, Diamond Dancer, Coffee Cupcake, Vanilla Cheesecake and Strawberry Shortcake, heading to the Mediterranean for the start of their adventure, which may last a year or more. For updates from Bekki and Gordon, follow Naughty Cat’s on Facebook, Instagram and YouTube (Naughty Cat Sailing), and you can also read regular up-dates about their adventure in All at Sea too. www.facebook.com/NautitechOpen40