25 June - Saving the best sail for last

 

We left Brest on a beautiful morning.  I'd read the Raz de Sein section of the Reeds Almanac carefully.  Tidal streams reach about 6kt there and, more importantly, the sea can create "steep breaking seas and overfalls".  Their advice was "as a rule the Raz should always be taken at slack water".  I'd also spoken to the fella in the marina who's more casual advice was to go with the current to save time.  In order to hit slack tide we needed to leave by 05h00, so I chose the advice of the fella in the marina and set off at a more comfortable 08h00!

As we left Brest I was happy with the 08h00 start, but as we approached the Raz we were somewhat apprehensive.  However, for once the forecast was right - 10kt from the NW (with the current) so we sailed through on a comfortable slight sea.

The 3 lighthouses that mark the corners of the safe passage looked like they had been built for tougher times.

The Ile de Sein looked beautiful in the sunlight, but I expect it's a difficult place to live.

As the take progressed the wind built from 10kt to 15kt to 20kt, always from behind.  The sun was out and we had what was probably our best sail from the Raz along about 40NM of the beautiful southern Brittany coast.

It was all pretty uneventful, marked only by the addition of a passenger for about 10NM.

I was amazed at how calm the pigeon was, staying put even through gybes with the traveller whistling noisily past it's beak.  There was a tag on one leg so perhaps it was a racing pigeon used to being handled.

I enjoyed the sail, adopting what appears to be a particularly gay pose.

We reached Port La Foret just after 18h00.  There were lots of people out sailing, taking advantage of their Saturday.  It looked just a beautiful as the rest of the coast.  We tied up, had time for 1 beer, then the rain came!

From here we close the loop by returning to Lorient.  Just 30NM so it will be a very short sail.  I can remember cruising between Virgin Gorda and Anegada in the BVIs many years ago, when that 10NM leg seemed like a committed long day - how things have changed!