24 June D-day for devastated at leaving Europe

Hi everyone, as this is my blog I cannot let it go unsaid that I am very upset at the close result of the referendum. For me, this is the worst thing that could happen to the UK. I loved being part of the EU.

Back to the BitterSharp blog:
We left Roscoff on Thursday, having had a great time with our friends. Tracey mentioned that the coast of Brittany is also known as the Pink Granite Coast so as we sailed out to sea, I kept a close eye on the shoreline and though I couldn't see the rosy pink of the rocks, I could see that there were beautiful white sandy beaches with hardly any people on them. Not that I found that hard to believe as the weather was a bit dreary first thing in the morning.

Our passage to Brest included a stretch of sea called the Canal de Batz and this next photo is at the start of the canal. The rocks could be a hazy pinky colour if you squint your eyes!

John took these photos whilst I was chained to the galley cooking bacon sandwiches and still coming around as it was far too early for me to be compos mentis...I missed most of the île de Batz.

We had good winds and the tide with us for most of our voyage to Brest and it was warm and with occasional sun. We continued along the Canal du Four, sailing past the very famous Phare du Four, a much photographed lighthouse because of the spectacular swell crashing around it. This is a photo taken from the internet...



On our day, even with a gentle swell, it was still amazing to view.

The Canal was busy with other yachts although most of them were going in the opposite direction to us. It was a lovely passage as it was a short sail, by our standards, just a day sail, quite close inshore, watching the coastline and the small villages by the sea; instead of a night sail, deep at sea with not much to look out for.
We passed a tall ship called La Recouvrance. It is for hire for cruising or events or just local day trips. We passed super close to them so I waved merrily and was met with no responding wave back. I looked in the binoculars for a close up and the passengers didn't look very happy. Hey ho, not everyone can own or sail in a TS42...

I must say that while they look very romantic, I fear that faffing on with all those sails would do my head in !

Nearing the end of the Canal du Four we passed the Pointe Saint-Mathieu which is the last headland to navigate before heading up the Rade de Brest. The white lighthouse structures guide you round the headland but they are nestled in the ruins of an ancient abbey dating back to the 12th century.

We made our way up the Rade de Brest, among the huge commercial container ships being guided into port by tugs and also a lone canoeist, who I thought was particularly brave paddling along where the mighty were sailing. We chose to stay in the Marina du Chateau, which has proved to be a very nice facility with lots of bars and restaurants close by.