Sailing with Amy Clair

A slightly earlier return to the UK than we had anticipated but we have had a wonderful year sailing from the West Country and down to Southern Brittany. The boat has performed extremely well and we have enjoyed (pretty much !) every minute aboard. The weather has been exceptional ( if a little too much NE'erly) and we have been able to enjoy all that the west coast of France has to offer. We have also made new friends through the fellowship of the Cruising Association, which has really enhanced our cruising experience. "Amy Clair" is now winterised and her sails are being checked and cleaned to ensure they will be ready for what will , hopefully be another memorable sailing year in 2019. We will have many happy memories of 2018

Our youngest daughter , Abbi, has a demanding job in London so we are always delighted when she manages a few days sailing with us. We picked her up from Nantes airport (courtesy of easyjet ) and were soon able to take the lock out of the Vilaine. I do have to say that that the lock was crammed full yet again and what started out as a straightforward exercise  ended up being fraught when more and more boats were squeezing in (without much input from the lock keeper sadly) Still no harm done and we were soon on our way back to Houat for a beautiful couple of days enjoying fabulous weather and even swimming from the beach. 

  Well we have the bikes , so let's use them. The journey from Arzal to LRB is around 13km by bike and can be cycled on a combination of traffic free tracks and small quiet roads. I am a life long cycling enthusiast so any opportunity to be on a bike suits me and Liz sees the benefits of being on two wheels.  Meandering through the small trails and roads gives an entirely different persepctive on the river and it's surroundings and certainly makes you feel entitled to a cake when you get there !

Auray's charm is it's authenticity. It has not been over developed and still retains the charm of an ancient Breton port . It's generally busy, even in September but well worth taking some time to explore.

We met Kathy and Derek Rule (of "Bellini")back in Camaret on our journey south and we have had the pleasure of their company a few times since. On this occasion they were checking out the facilities at Arzal and just how much of a challenge the lock really is. I hope we didn't scare them off.(and maybe not a good idea to read our blog of 29th August..)

Redon is a lively place and again we decided to take the car and explore the town. It is in a strategic position as it is at the head of the Vilaine and bisected by the Canal de Nantes a Brest. The locked basin is a pretty spot and the town is a short walk offering, shops, bars and restaurants.

One of the great joys of being based on the Vilaine is that we can bring our car over by ferry and use it to explore the area. On this occasion we decided to see Folleux , just upriver from La Roche Bernard. It's a pretty place and we spotted several Cruising Association burgees being flown. 

The days were starting to be just a little cooler in the early morning but the pay off for this is the truly beautiful mist which settles on the river until it is burnt off by the morning sun.