Hurricane
Well-Known Member
Firstly, a message to YBW forums.
It would be really helpful if you could remove or increase the limit of photos from 20.
It is a bit of a PIA to post reports like this with such a small limit – maybe 50????
This is a massive post – I hope you enjoy sharing some of the fantastic places that we visited over the last few weeks.
I have wanted to do a cruise to the South of France for a while but been put off by the thought of busy marinas and anchorages during the summer. So, at LIBS when Jimmy_the_Builder suggested that we all meet in Antibes for Easter, I jumped at the idea. It would be a struggle to get Jennywren ready in time but it could be “doable” especially if the weather gods were on our side to get there. Jimmy started an email circular and JFM provided all the local knowledge of the French Riviera. We thought it would also be fun to have other forum friends along so I invited Warlock – a Sunseeker Predator – the owner/skipper frequents these forums – mainly as a lurker but has contributed a few posts in the past.
There was one other attraction – Match was due to arrive in Antibes around this time.
So, a few months later, Warlock and Jennywren were alongside each other in the boatyard at Sant Carles to have their annual maintenance/antifoul etc.
This chartlet shows the whole eventual cruise as recorded on Jennywren’s systems.
I’ve labelled areas of the chartlet “A to H” – “A” is our home berth at Sant Carles – mid way between Barcelona and Valencia.
SWMBO and I had to pop back to the UK once Jennywren had been relaunched but Warlock couldn’t wait and set off earlier than originally planned. They have friends at Leucate close to the French/Spanish border so off they went to visit and wait for good weather to cross the infamous Golfe du Lion.
We returned to Sant Carles provisioned up and set off immediately. Our first destination – a refuel stop at Palamos – See “B”.
The weather for the Golfe Du Lion was going to be good for the next 24 hours so we had a quick meal in the town and set off at 23:00 for a slow overnight “pootle” across the bay. I love night passages but this one wasn’t the best – the moon was so bright that you could almost see like daytime. I prefer no moon, no clouds and no light pollution so that you can get the full effect of the stars. In my experience, you have to get a good 45 miles away from land to avoid light pollution but its worth it if you get the conditions right. Still, a full moon and no clouds made a great crossing for us. We agreed a simple overnight watch system and it was comfortable enough for us to sleep in all the cabins and even have a full English breakfast in the morning – under way.
I caught a few hours sleep in the morning but was awakened by my daughter saying that a man was calling us on the radio. We transmit AIS and it seems that the French coastguard is very keen to challenge any boats with AIS. During the 3 weeks that we were away, we “put up” with this for a couple of days and then went “covert” by switching the AIS transmitter off.
A few hours earlier, the sea had been very flat and we were joined by dolphins swimming under the bow.
Strange things happen at sea though – just 50 miles north of us, Warlock was battling through some very rough stuff – even thinking of turning back – that rough. Anyway you can see from the above video how calm it was for us.
So, now we had arrived at “C”
And met up with Warlock
We went straight for the islands of Porquerolles and set anchor at “C1”
This is otherwise known from a previous YBW forum thread as “Red Dot Bay” – thanks JFM for pointing out this fabulous anchorage. The following photos tell the story without the need for words.
Dinner “on the hook” just can’t get better
And the following misty morning.
Then we headed off to the mainland side at “C2”
After “checking out” some really pretty bays, we finally got drawn in to drop our anchors and relax. We’d done the big job of crossing the Golfe so why not take our time on the rest of the trip. We still had two more days anyway before we were due in at JFM’s home in Antibes.
We officially renamed this new place as “Gold Dot Bay” – even better than the Porquerolles “Red Dot Bay”!!!
Here are some pics – decide for yourselves.
The next morning met with a freshening wind so we decided on a marina berth for the night – so which one? Whilst we are cruising, Warlock and Jennywren spend a lot of time chatting on the VHF so it was agreed to set off for Sant Tropez. We were here – so why not.
You can see from the track that whilst Warlock went in search of fuel, I had a look in the little bay to the east of Sant Tropez itself to see if another night on the hook might be possible. In fact, the wind was blowing hard and it looked a bit lumpy so we rejoined Warlock who by now was in Coglin - Port Grimaud. After berthing, we took a taxi to Sant Tropez for dinner.
The morning forecast showed gradually increasing in winds. It would be best to be “tucked up” in a marina for the next evening so we set off for Antibes where we were previously booked anyway.
En route we managed a little detour across Cannes Bay between the outlying islands.
It would be really helpful if you could remove or increase the limit of photos from 20.
It is a bit of a PIA to post reports like this with such a small limit – maybe 50????
This is a massive post – I hope you enjoy sharing some of the fantastic places that we visited over the last few weeks.
I have wanted to do a cruise to the South of France for a while but been put off by the thought of busy marinas and anchorages during the summer. So, at LIBS when Jimmy_the_Builder suggested that we all meet in Antibes for Easter, I jumped at the idea. It would be a struggle to get Jennywren ready in time but it could be “doable” especially if the weather gods were on our side to get there. Jimmy started an email circular and JFM provided all the local knowledge of the French Riviera. We thought it would also be fun to have other forum friends along so I invited Warlock – a Sunseeker Predator – the owner/skipper frequents these forums – mainly as a lurker but has contributed a few posts in the past.
There was one other attraction – Match was due to arrive in Antibes around this time.
So, a few months later, Warlock and Jennywren were alongside each other in the boatyard at Sant Carles to have their annual maintenance/antifoul etc.
This chartlet shows the whole eventual cruise as recorded on Jennywren’s systems.
I’ve labelled areas of the chartlet “A to H” – “A” is our home berth at Sant Carles – mid way between Barcelona and Valencia.
SWMBO and I had to pop back to the UK once Jennywren had been relaunched but Warlock couldn’t wait and set off earlier than originally planned. They have friends at Leucate close to the French/Spanish border so off they went to visit and wait for good weather to cross the infamous Golfe du Lion.
We returned to Sant Carles provisioned up and set off immediately. Our first destination – a refuel stop at Palamos – See “B”.
The weather for the Golfe Du Lion was going to be good for the next 24 hours so we had a quick meal in the town and set off at 23:00 for a slow overnight “pootle” across the bay. I love night passages but this one wasn’t the best – the moon was so bright that you could almost see like daytime. I prefer no moon, no clouds and no light pollution so that you can get the full effect of the stars. In my experience, you have to get a good 45 miles away from land to avoid light pollution but its worth it if you get the conditions right. Still, a full moon and no clouds made a great crossing for us. We agreed a simple overnight watch system and it was comfortable enough for us to sleep in all the cabins and even have a full English breakfast in the morning – under way.
I caught a few hours sleep in the morning but was awakened by my daughter saying that a man was calling us on the radio. We transmit AIS and it seems that the French coastguard is very keen to challenge any boats with AIS. During the 3 weeks that we were away, we “put up” with this for a couple of days and then went “covert” by switching the AIS transmitter off.
A few hours earlier, the sea had been very flat and we were joined by dolphins swimming under the bow.
Strange things happen at sea though – just 50 miles north of us, Warlock was battling through some very rough stuff – even thinking of turning back – that rough. Anyway you can see from the above video how calm it was for us.
So, now we had arrived at “C”
And met up with Warlock
We went straight for the islands of Porquerolles and set anchor at “C1”
This is otherwise known from a previous YBW forum thread as “Red Dot Bay” – thanks JFM for pointing out this fabulous anchorage. The following photos tell the story without the need for words.
Dinner “on the hook” just can’t get better
And the following misty morning.
Then we headed off to the mainland side at “C2”
After “checking out” some really pretty bays, we finally got drawn in to drop our anchors and relax. We’d done the big job of crossing the Golfe so why not take our time on the rest of the trip. We still had two more days anyway before we were due in at JFM’s home in Antibes.
We officially renamed this new place as “Gold Dot Bay” – even better than the Porquerolles “Red Dot Bay”!!!
Here are some pics – decide for yourselves.
The next morning met with a freshening wind so we decided on a marina berth for the night – so which one? Whilst we are cruising, Warlock and Jennywren spend a lot of time chatting on the VHF so it was agreed to set off for Sant Tropez. We were here – so why not.
You can see from the track that whilst Warlock went in search of fuel, I had a look in the little bay to the east of Sant Tropez itself to see if another night on the hook might be possible. In fact, the wind was blowing hard and it looked a bit lumpy so we rejoined Warlock who by now was in Coglin - Port Grimaud. After berthing, we took a taxi to Sant Tropez for dinner.
The morning forecast showed gradually increasing in winds. It would be best to be “tucked up” in a marina for the next evening so we set off for Antibes where we were previously booked anyway.
En route we managed a little detour across Cannes Bay between the outlying islands.
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