Ouistreham-Granville and back - in a day???

Future French champions train at GranvilleSROC clubhouse at Ouistreham - twinned with WSC Pegasus Bridge the non-nautical way

With the prospect of some better weather, I left last Sunday for St Vaast,and then drifted across the Baie de la Seine in glorious sunshine towards Ouistreham.

Having caught six mackerel on the way, dinner on the waiting pontoon with the famille Lanier (David, the FFV met guru, his wife and two boys) and Laurent, my guide across the shallow bits towards the port, was a busy occasion.

As we made our way through dinner in the cockpit, the tide rose steadily until, just before dark, we were able to go through the lock, and arrive at the SROC (Societe de Regates de Ouistreham-Caen) pontoon, where Pippa stayed till this morning.

The atmosphere at David's house, and at the sailing school was tense as the third stage of the Figaro Solitaire drew to a close, and Fabien Delahaye managed to cross the line in second place; after a seventh in the heavy weather trial to Ireland, including a brisk encounter with Fastnet boats, this places him second overall to Jeremie Beyou. Fabien is a member of the SROC, and his progress is watched with great passion by young members.

Taking the chance to join David for a day's Laser training for the Championnat de France (next week in Le Havre), we left his house in Ranville early on Wednesday morning and drove right across the Cotentin to the Ecole Regionale de Voile at Granville, where we spent a busy morning on the water, while David posed all sorts of challenges for a group of young hopefuls - including a horribly short start line!

Today a long sail back to Cherbourg, NE 2-4, including a very quick rounding of the Cap de Barfleur; I followed a French boat across the short route inside the cardinals, which led to some very bumpy moments, but was well worth it to know what's there. Off Cap Levi there's a shoal like the Shambles, with breaking water over a depth of 6 metres just after high tide! Not a place to be at the wrong moment...

Now it's tidy up loose ends and wait for the right weather - which is never quite what it was supposed to be!

Steve Fraser

Submitted on 18th August 2011