Biscay blues

We left Audierne at midday on Saturday 30^th June to start our Biscay crossing.  Although the storms had passed, the waves were still high, and as we headed out the wind strengthened and the sea state moved from being ‘moderate’ to ‘rough’. After 4 hours we had two reefs in the sail and waves were reaching 4 metres. Cliff was fine and enjoying the roller coaster ride, but Derek had been sick and I was feeling very unwell. After a quick conference we decided it would be sensible to turn back and wait for the sea state to reduce, so we headed back to Audierne.  That evening we checked the forecast and realised our weather window had closed – high winds were due in two days and the forecast for the rest of the week didn’t look good.



Back to Audierne....

By this time Derek had been with us for over 3 weeks. The timing of our trip hadn’t been great as Derek was in the middle of selling his house and making an offer on another one. He was keen to honour our long-term plans for the Biscay crossing, and we were grateful that his wife, Melanie, had been so supportive, but now both the sale and offer weren’t going according to plan and sadly it was time for Derek to return home.

Tuesday 3^rd July. Derek left today and we sat down to discuss our options.  Going across alone would invalidate our insurance, and if I became very sick Cliff couldn’t be expected to helm for three days.  Finding crew from the UK is an option, but is likely to take some time.  Finding crew locally is another option, but where to start?

Wednesday 4^th July. Our friends Richard and Rowena on Galene (who are now in Spain) have offered to contact their sailing club to try and find someone who would like to join us. Meanwhile we have also asked Alain, the harbour master in Audierne, whether he knows of a local sailor who might be free to sail with us.



Thursday 5^th July.  Alain told us that Rene, who runs a local charter business, may know of someone who could join us. Rene put us in contact with Jean, who is a qualified skipper, but spends most of his time renovating his house near Audierne, so could be free to leave as soon as the weather changes for the better. We are meeting him tonight.

Friday 6^th July. It’s all agreed. We took to Jean as soon as we met him. He’s charming, polite, speaks good English and is a very experienced sailor. He’s planning to take a year out to sail around the Med with his wife and three children next year, so we already have something in common.  We’re hoping to leave on Monday.