Shore Leave

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 were also full on arrival but allocated a mooring buoy which meant we could venture ashore with confidence and make a rendezvous with Stephen and Mary’s friend Elizabeth. She very kindly and generously drove us to her villa for a swim in her pool and a wonderful meal with a fabulous view of the bay.

View from the pool

Replete in both food and drink, we only had to negotiate the dinghy trip back to Hejira which, thankfully, turned out to be less challenging than feared. Unfortunately, rain and squalls meant that some of the crew had a less than comfortable night despite the alcoholic anaesthetic and there was some debate as to whether another night at anchor could be tolerated. With the Mistral wind abating, the marinas were becoming less pressured and Port Grimaud, St. Raphael and Cannes all confirmed spaces so, with the prospect of connection to ‘Terra Firma’ and an electrical supply for the Air Conditioning, mutiny was averted and we are back on track.

Stephen writes:-

Last evening we were very fortunate to be met by a good friend of ours and we had a fantastic evening at Elizabeth`s house overlooking the bay so many, many thanks indeed. The Master`s reputation does not seem to extend as far to the East as I expected so we have not been chased out of the marina at Port Grimaud. Today`s trip from Cavalaire sur Mer was the marine version of getting on the M25 at rush hour with a few billion pounds worth of `Super Yachts’ and plenty of motorboats trying to cut each other up. I also have had another incident with fishing tackle being taken out by a speedboat who creamed past  our stern  just for the fun of it so at least I have someone else to blame for my incompetence.

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