Having replaced the prop anode in Ibiza and tightened the screws with as much force as I could muster, imagine my disappointment when having a dip, to see that the anode was missing again ! So, the mission was to replace it with one of my spares before the prolonged period in Baie des Anges.... Continue Reading →

St. Raphael should have been a delightful stop over and apart from being in a goldfish bowl with every mouthful of our dinner inspected by the passing throng, it was looking good - until... When approaching midnight, the disco struck up seemingly 2 metres from our mooring! We simply closed the hatches, pulled the curtains... Continue Reading →

Reluctantly leaving Port Grimaud, we made our way through the manic St. Tropez bay under engine alone in less than 1 knot of wind. We had managed to secure a berth with the very polite and efficient staff in the Vieux Port at St. Raphael which had been recommended. On our approach, the port didn’t... Continue Reading →

Ever since I spent a summer month in Grimaud with a French ‘pen pal’, I have been fascinated by Port Grimaud. In 1969, (when I was 15 and fell in love with Chantal...)  it was still under construction and, it wasn’t finished until 1980. Since then, I have visited several times in various yachts and... Continue Reading →

Weighing anchor and heading east, the wind picked up as did the sea but as it was at our backs, the motion was not unpleasant – or so I thought… The Marina at Cavalaire-sur-Mer was not as dismissive as most and suggested we call on VHF as we approached to check availability. Not surprisingly, they... Continue Reading →

What a contrast ! Being woken by flashes of lightning and cracks of thunder doesn’t tend to auger well for the day. When it is followed by torrential rain and semi darkness it suggests that, rather than being obsessed with wind strengths, I should have been examining precipitation as well ! It is in these... Continue Reading →

Port Frioul proved to be a perfect overnight stop being quiet and un-pressured. The same could not be said of our mooring the following day. We had wanted to secure a berth in the picturesque old harbour in Cassis but despite calling at 6am, as recommended, we failed to secure a berth and defaulted to... Continue Reading →

Following a short sojourn back in the UK which involved a hugely enjoyable trip to Ireland, I returned to Marseille with my wife, Paula and Stephen and Mary Williams to continue what should be a relaxed passage towards our winter berth in Baie des Anges, just west of Nice. Stephen may be remembered for his... Continue Reading →

After the grandeur of the Pyrenees, the French coast becomes rather uninteresting with few natural harbours or anchorages. Our mission was therefore to eat up the miles and seek overnight shelter in suitable marinas. Although this coast is renowned for high winds – in fact, I have never previously crossed the Gulf Du Lion without... Continue Reading →

After Paula’s departure from Barcelona, I spent the rest of the day preparing for Carl Beetham’s arrival in the morning. I woke up in the night with a limerick in my head about the tank disaster, I guess it is all part of the process, coming to terms like a bereavement. So, with the morning,... Continue Reading →