Lymington to Cherbourg
The first days’s sailing. This is quite a long post as I was maybe a bit in overdrive. After so much hanging in the balance it was great to get going.
We were aiming for a 10 o’ clock, or thereabouts, departure. This was the best bit of dawn, as the rest was pretty cloudy. The berth was on the outside of the marina and so we got a lovely, but cloudy view, to wake up to.
The departure took me a bit by surprise, all of a sudden, we were off. Being on the outside berth it was a relatively easy departure, although some old Admiral was a bit distracting so there was a slight nudge of the boat on the berth as we left, at least we were under way. Quite often we thought it would never happen!
This should spark a bit of interest in the ports that we visit. It’s a bloody long way down there! Will the boat ever get there? As usual it depends on lots of variables and who knows what things will be like in a few months, or even a few years.
One of the stranger things is leaving my family “bubble” for the boat “bubble”. Once on board there really was no point in social distancing which is very weird after months of the family bubble!
It was interesting to see Hurst castle(on the right) from the sea. We have been there quite a few times for walks. Also, we didn’t expect to see these crazy people swimming, presumably, to the Isle of Wight!
This is a Trinity House vessel, I believe they look after the lighthouses. I’m not sure where this one was headed
The Needles, very iconic. A bit more cloud definition would be nice, but it was all quite moody.
This was pretty much our last view of England. Murky, cloudy and spookily no other vessels in sight. Normally, in August, there would be other sailing vessels about. We didn’t see any until we got near France. I guess this is sailing in a time of covid.….
The autopilot is a fantastic bit of kit. Whether under sail or motor it works really well. It was especially useful during a night sail. Once on the right tack, switch it on and you can just keep an eye out (even I can do that!). Marco managed to loose this game , rather than John win it.
Nearly at Cherbourg… and look at the weather !!!! Clear blue skies
Time for a beer.
Cherbourg in sight.
We arrived at Cherbourg harbour. Very impressive sea walls… two of them. John seems to be in charge of radioing the ports as we approach. It makes me glad I failed my French ‘O’ level ! We were met by two young French ladies in the marina’s boat who guided us to a very nice berth. We moored up without incident and set off up to the marina office to register and pay. As we had come from Britain and being in an Australian registered vessel, Marco needed to make sure that all the papers were in order. They were very helpful at the marina and said we need to go to the PEF (whatever that is !) which was a 30 minute walk away.
So, back to the boat for some dinner before going to the PEF. John had a masterfully cooked spaghetti bol ( with Costco pasta) which we washed down with a glass of something and then we set off in the dusk to find the PEF. Being near the docks it is not the most celubrious part of Cherbourg. Also we couldn’t find it. It was only through Marco and John’s tenacity that we found it in a courtyard of an official looking building.
The policemen, in their masks and with a gun on their hip, were very bemused to see us. After a long phone call they just stamped Marco and Chloe’s Aussie passports. No discussion on quarantine, VAT, tax etc. C’est la vie, and off we went back to the boat for a small night cap on the bridge.
Oh, by the way PEF stands for Police something Frontiere.
