Summer Song Holiday 2006

Date: July 15 - 21 2006
Boat: Summer Song

Trip:Ouisterham; Honfleur; Fecamp; Dieppe

Days: 6
Skipper: Pam Wyatt
Crew: Linda Hadcocks, Simon & Liz Dugdale

Right: Liz Linda and Simon explore Honfleur.

I have taken the ferry from Portsmouth to Caen which actually stops near Ouisterham which is where I am meeting Summer Song for a week. On the ferry I manage to meet up with Liz who is also joining and Richard who is going to join Eliona. We soon find the boats in the small marina and Pam, Simon and Linda tell us of their awful journey the previous day where the exit from their previous port had been solid with weed and soon after leaving what was predicted in the forecast to be a minor squall turned into a full blown howler.

Just as they started to relax nearing the entrance they suffered engine failure and had to work quickly to avoid hitting the lock. Fortunately there appeared to be no lasting damage to the engine although later in the week we fished out more weed from the water intake filter.

We decide to stay the next day in Ouisterham to allow them some rest and time to check out the engine. Once again as has happened on all of the longer trips I have done the sun appears. I have been incredibly lucky as every trip I have done has had perfect weather for virtually the whole period and this would turn out to be the hottest of them all.

We left the following day to spend a couple of days in Honfleur which is just about as picturesque as it is possible to get. We manage to raft up in the old town basin for the night and then luckily get a space on one of the pontoons the following morning. We have to erect Pam's excellent home made shade over the cockpit as temperatures soar to the 100 mark and the old basin becomes like a cauldronwith its solid stone walls and high town houses reflecting the sun into the boats from every angle.


Left: Honfleur by day and night.


Below: The medieval church and Eliona























We leave the heat of Honfleur for Fecamp home of Benedictine liqueur where we look in vain for Monks tirelessly toiling over vast vats of liqueur in the Abby basement. As it turns out there is no Benedictine Abby nor any Monks. It transpires that an enterprising wine merchant called Alexandre Le Grand discovered the recipe lost since the Revolution in an old manuscript. He founded the distillery in Fecamp around 1863 to produce the famous liqueur. Above is his modest house which stands opposite the equally austere distillery......not. Apparently the exact formula is a secret, but before you fret about it copies of the recipe are kept in three far-flung regions of the globe, just in case there is a nuclear holocaust and someone asks, "Where’s the Benedictine recipe?" A visit to the distillery is recommended and there are lots of non drink related exhibits as Alex it would appear had more than a little cash to spare on a trinket or two - particularly locks and keys for some reason.

From various Victorian period posters on display it would appear that Fecamp was at that time a rather upmarket and very attractive town. Sadly the wide boulevards have been removed and the remaining impressive buildings are now hemmed in by more modern and austere post war structures. Thus it is now a mixture of the picturesque and ugly.

Our last stop on my week is Dieppe site of the famous raid by Canadian and British troops in August 1942 and now a major Ferry terminal. As such I was expecting a post war concrete monstrosity along the lines of Le Harve (Sorry Le Harve lovers but personally I don't like it much). However I was completely wrong. The Ferry docks well outside the harbour and the town has been rebuilt sympathetically, its really rather nice when the sun shines and has some good quayside restaurants and places to visit.

On the unfortunate side it turned out to be the place where Richard had his wallet stolen. He was in the showers which are entry controlled by keypad. However some local thief tailgated their way in and had the audacity to reach over the top of Richard's cubicle while he was under the shower and take his bag. Running out while pulling stuff out of the bag the thief got Richard's wallet. Fortunately for Richard the trail of discarded items included his shorts so the frustration of being robbed was not compounded by having to parade Naked all the way round the crowded quayside to Eliona. So the lesson is to try and ensure your gear cannot be grabbed even in apparently secure places.

Right: Graham cools his heels.

Thanks as always to Pam & Summer Song and to Linda, Simon and Liz for a great break.

Summer Song Holiday 2005

Date: August 6 - 12 2005
Boat: Summer Song

Trip:
St Malo; St Hellier; Carteret; Dielette; Cherbourg

Days: 7
Skipper: Pam Wyatt
Crew: David Bennett; David Wyatt

Right: David Bennet helms Summer Song on route to Carteret

A change to the normal routine for this trip as I am to meet up with Pam and Summer Song in St Malo rather than Chichester. I get the overnight ferry from Portsmouth. As usual for the first day of a sailing week the weather is foul and on arrival I lug my gear to the marina under leaden sky and persistent drizzle. The marina area is apparently "right next to the ferry port" according to the information board, but with heavy awkward bags that description is a little optimistic. My mobile has also been playing up so I have been unable to contact Pam to get an exact location and spend a good half an hour finding the boat by which time Pam is getting worried that I may not be coming, particularly as the plan is to leave soon for Jersey. However I find Summer Song in the nick of time. As Michael Caine once said in some movie "It would be bad form to arrive to early, in the nick of time will do nicely". Inside 15 minutes my gear is stowed and we are off to St Hellier and within a couple of hours the sky is clear and the sun is shining, excellent Smithers, excellent!

After exploring St Hellier together myself and DB decide to check out Gorey Castle where we are fortunate to pick up a most interesting guided tour by a colourful chap in medieval archers costume. He was very good I must say - regaling the group with the castle history as though he were actually there. We spend a couple of days in Jersey soaking up the sunshine as this trip is a holiday rather than a specific sailing trip. I like the slower pace and enjoy exploring the places we visit. The weather remains fine as we move on to Carteret, the entrance to which proves to be difficult to identify until really quite close. There are a number of landmarks but from a distance its easy to misidentify some of them. We have to cruise up and down the coast for a while as a brisk wind has propelled us ahead of schedule and we are a little too far before high water to be sure of getting in. From our angle of approach it appeared as though we would be sailing straight onto the beach as the sand either side of the entrance walls is higher than the channel. Sailing past the town and beach a small marina has been constructed a short distance up the river just behind the main town. Its a delightful village with a quayside pub and impromptu live music.

It would appear that Carteret really does dry at low water
























Our next destination is Dielette (above) where our route treats us to spectacular views of the Nuclear power station just a stones throw from the harbour. A chance to taste the local speciality - two headed mullet. The Power station is at the foot of the cliff right on the shoreline and appears remarkably exposed to the elements.
There isn't much to see or do in Dielette and only a tiny local shop but its a nice place for a short stay. From here we go to Cherbourg where I will be leaving to return home by ferry and someone else will join for the coming week. Cherbourg turned out to be notable for just about the toughest piece of restaurant served steak I have ever experienced, surely Dunlop must have had a hand in the production. My jaw aching from excessive chewing I eventually tried a swallow only to have it lodge and I almost choke on the damn thing. An ignoble end to a fine trip.

Summer cruise 2004

Date: June 12 - 20 2004
Boat: Summer Song

Trip:
Chichester; Cherbourg; St Vaast; Deauville Le Harve; Brighton; Chichester

Days: 9
Skipper: Pam Wyatt
Crew: Linda Hadcocks, Roy Burden

An unusual start to this cruise in that due to circumstances that I can't quite recall Summer Song had to leave Chichester on the evening tide while the rest of the boats had left on the early. This created three new experiences for me. It was to be my first channel crossing, first night sail and first time on a watch system. However I felt totally confident as I had sailed with Pam and Linda before and knew that things would be organised and calm and I would be told what I needed to do. I hadn't met Roy before but it appeared that he was also quite experienced.

The night was cloudless and the channel was as flat and calm as a Mill pond. Away from the artificial lights of land the dark night closes in and for the first time I get to see the night sky in full glory - an unbelievable myriad of endless stars. I think the trip could already be considered a success for this rare sight alone. We slip along on the engine as there is barely a breath of wind and soon the shipping lanes appear and I get a chance to put those classroom ships light diagrams into active service. Almost immediately some lights appear to make no sense - unfortunately it appears that ships move - they pass each other and overlap, resulting in some apparently strange configurations that can easily be misinterpreted. However with perfect visibility and a flat calm there is plenty of time in which to make any decisions. This was to be a complete contrast to the return crossing.

Right: Roy arrives in Cherbourg in the morning sunshine

The plan is to cross the Bay de Seine stopping in various places en route. The route would take us past the invasion beaches in light winds and hot sunshine, so my traditional bright red "sailing face" would soon be in evidence. The first day was to rest after the crossing but it wasn't long before the sunshine lured us out and Linda, myself and Roy trotted off to the excellent Maritime Museum. Next stop was St Vaast a short hop from Cherbourg, a small fishing village and while there isn't much going on there for some reason I really love this place.



Left: John resurrects a sail from his archives. Not as colourful as Summer Song's chute but quite effective as he pulls alongside for a photo. (Of course we slowed down to allow the opportunity)



From St Vaast due to the tides we have a very long day sail across to Deauville passing the Invasion Beaches and various obstructions. The Deauville Marina is slightly bizarre as it has all new pontoons and purpose built apartments and shops, yet we can't find the showers. After much hunting and eventually asking a security guard we find them hidden below the quayside in something akin to a wartime bunker. In complete contrast to the rest of the place the showers are small and look like they haven't been renovated for at least 15 years. We take a rest day exploring Deauville and Trouville which are very picturesque and famous for Monet's paintings of the vast beach umbrellas. Alas when I went to take the cliche photo they were all tied up!



The plan was to move on to Honfleur but unfortunately the weather is on the turn and the forecast is for strong westerlies (if I remember correctly)building from the following lunchtime. There is a grand debate among the skippers as everyone would like to go to Honfleur but the approaching weather could make it difficult, even impossible to get back up the river and most of the crews can't afford to get stuck in France. Eventually it's decided to go instead to Le Harve as it can be left at any state of the tide and gives us the option of Brighton if we can't head up enough for Chichester.

Our day exploring the unattractive concrete jungle that is Le Harve suggested we had made a mistake as the weather remained fine. On return to the Marina in the early evening there were Police everywhere, something was clearly up, the police let us through their check point after a brief questioning and we discovered that the French flagship the aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle was to leave that evening from the military dockyard. Come darkness the quayside was full of people as the giant ship left to a fabulous firework display over the Marina and the ships band playing the obligatory anthem. Later we were treated to another display as the promised weather finally arrived in the form of a thunder storm and the eerie howl of the wind through the masts of the marina's flotilla. For a while it seemed that we may be unable to return to England as planned.
By the time we were ready to leave the wind had abated slightly but conditions were still quite lively. The sea had built to a big steady swell and the wind was still significant. The return was to be a long tiring endurance test and the decision was made to make for Brighton rather than have to bash into the wind all the way to Chichester. (Apart from Gerry in Blue Scherzo) This crossing turned into one of those journeys that at the time you wish you hadn't started, but at the end you are pleased to have completed. The final approach into Brighton seemed to take forever but eventually we made it in, tied up and immediately hit the sack as we had spent the entire time on deck taking it in turns to doze while wedged into some nook or hang onto the helm.

Below: Lucrece rides the swell outside Le Harve

Sunday dawned with light winds and warm sunshine for what we expected to be a nice easy trip back to Chichester. However it appears you never can tell with sailing. First an hour or so out and the glorious sunshine dwindled until we were back once again in wet weather gear being thrown around. On the bright side we made great time, fairly cracking along. On turning round Selesy Bill the wind was right on the nose and as we were all rather tired decided to drop the sails and motor into Chichester. Unfortunately Fizzgig was not to be so lucky. As John started his engine the fan belt broke and he stopped to try and effect repair. We went on not realising there was a problem until John called on the radio to tell us of the problem and that he couldn't fix it with the boat bucking around. This meant John had to take long fast tacks while we stooged around outside Chichester in case he needed any help nervously eyeing the depth dwindling as the tide retreated. Eventually John made a spectacular appearance Fizzgig fairly racing along. Over the radio it was decided we would tow Fizzgig in as the strong wind and rolling sea made an approach under sail foolhardy. We passed them a line and took up the tow, making a slow trek up to the Marina at sunset (See below)

The final act was to lash the two boats together side by side so that Summer Song could use her engine to nose both boats into the lock. This Pam achieved quite magnificently with just inches to spare, in the dark with visibility reduced by Fizgig's rig and after two exhausting days sailing.

Easter cruise 2004

Date: Easter 2004
Boat: Summer Song, Moody 32

Trip:
Chichester; Lymington; Poole;Chichester

Days: 3
Skipper: Pam Wyatt
Crew: Simon Dugdale, Liz Dugdale,
Linda Hadcocks

As I am writing this almost 3 years late it is really just to record the photos. I remember a delightful sail to Poole where we rafted out on Town quay.

The lower photo was not taken on this trip but on a later one as we left Cowes.

Maintenance April 2004

Date: April 2004
Boat: Fizzgig
Trip:
Maintenance Weekend

Days: 2
Skipper: John Alden
Crew: Guy Fowler


A weekend spent scrubbing and painting the hulls of various club boats on a cold and damp April doesn't immediately hit that "wow count me in" spot. However it is a chance for the crews to "give back" (as my former employers IBM would say in that trendy new management speak). In actual fact its an enjoyable weekend assuming you don't mind getting covered first in mud and then by your own coat of anti-foul paint. (Not a single barnacle has attached itself to my warm sailing hat since) From a sailing point of view mooring between piles is not something we do very often along the South Coast so there is also a learning or practice opportunity for both skippers and crew.

Everyone chipped in eagerly as we needed to scrub 4 hulls and apply the paint with sufficient drying time before the returning tide threatened to wash away our efforts. Of course it turned out that John didn't have as much paint as he thought he had so Fizzgig was left with an interesting below waterline colour scheme.

Left: John and Guy contemplate how to remove one of those deck fittings that just won't come off.

In the evening we took the dinghies ashore for a meal at the local pub. By the time we emerged it was pitch dark and very cold as we all huddled on the pontoon awaiting our turn in the inflatable taxi back to our respective boats.

Due to the tides this weekend it was decided to head back to the marina immediately. Fizzgig was to lead the way in the dark through the often confusing maze of boats moored in the river channel with Summer Song and Lucrece following. The only slight flaw in this plan occurred when Fizzgig's stern light promptly failed just as we pulled away. It fell to yours truly to stand on the stern in the freezing wind holding a torch for Summer Song to follow.

Below Left: Summer Song, Below Right: Lucrece & Fizzgig prepare for painting






















Below: Pam supervises work as Linda contemplates life in a sailing club.