Header Image

Roadtrip in Normandie

After a great crepe and wine dinner in Dieppe our first night we decided to go for a roadtrip the next day while waiting for the right winds. We rented a car to explore Normandie and deep dive into D-day history. Stops included Omaha beach, the Overlord Museum, Point the hoc where we tried to image the rangers from the Allies climbing the cliffs under German defense and beautiful beaches where the kids decided it was swim time in the rain.

The American cemetery with its 9000+ white crosses in straight lines made a strong impression. It was such a peaceful place. We spent the night in a small hotel in a village playing Kotte. After this we felt we’ve had enough of WW2 so we drove back to Dieppe again listening to the kids favourite “the audiobook that never ends”.

Back in Dieppe we had a wonderful evening with friends, Sofia, Hannes and Miranda, on their way home from Spain. It was a happy night with dinner, evening swim and kids sleepover.  The next day we finally had a forecast of some easterly winds and left for Le Havre. It was a calm day at sea and the kids setting all the sails, but mostly motoring due to light winds.

Here in Le Havre we saw a cool paddle board docked in the harbor. It belonged to a Swedish adventurer named Jonas Böhlmark @jonasbohlmark. He needed some assistance with a boat escorting him over the big harbor inlet since the coastguard had denied him to go by himself the day before. We invited him for dinner and he told us his amazing life story of all the adventures, previous and current. Right now, he is paddle boarding from northern Norway to Gibraltar. He paddles around 30 km per day, feeds on crisps and milk and sleeps under the stars. It was a very strong meeting and we offered him to sleep on our couch to avoid the rainy night. Martin joined in the assistance boat the next day. We hope to meet again and wish him all the best on his adventures.

Now it seems we have a nice weather window again. The plan for tomorrow is either Cherbourg or Guernsey. The planning for this passage keeps us busy since we need to consider winds, tide and currents that can reach up to 8 knots!

10 thoughts on “Roadtrip in Normandie

  1. Tack för de senaste reseberättelserna med en massa fantastiska bilder.

    Jag läser högt för Christina och bläddrar bland bilderna och zoomar in och ut. Ni ser så harmoniska ut.
    Barnen är ju på bästa internatskolan i världen! Så himla många intryck och upplevelser de får.

    Hängde med er på MarineTraffic under resan till Guernsey, men jag fick ju sova på vägen🙂. Hej vad det gick ibland men oj så motigt utanför Cherbourg. Men totalt utnyttjade ni nog strömmen optimalt, som vanligt.
    Förresten, fin bild av Frenesi av “Ric Scheidtmann” på MarineTraffic!

    Nu ska jag pack för två dagars “gubbsegling” med gamla klasskompisar från Karlshamn. Vi seglar nog ända till Harstena 😂.

    Kramar från Norrköping!

    1. Tusen tack Svante! Vad kul att du hänger med oss. Det känner vi nog på ett fint sätt här ombord. Det var en kanonfin tur till Guernsey och det är häftigt hur strömmar och tidvatten har sådan inverkan på tider och förhållanden. Fortfarande lite ovant för oss men det är kul att prata med seglare ser strömkartorna i huvudet.

      Hoppas ni hade en fin tur i St Anna. Harstena är ju kanonfint och har väl forfarande den där bra restaurangen kvar?

      Ja visst var det en fin bild på Frenesi på Marine Traffic? Det såg ju nästan ut som vi skotat ordentligt för en gångs skull. Den måste vara tagen för bara någon vecka sedan. Tackade fotografen och kunde inte låta bli att lägga upp den i senaste posten.

      Kramar från oss ombord

  2. Alltså så underbart det ser ut och vilka inspirerande möten och platser ni besöker 🙌🏻☀️🎶 Kul med alla foton 😃 Stora kramar från hela familjen 🤗

    1. Jamen tack Caroline! Ja det är fantastiskt häftigt att få vara ute på äventyr tillsammans. Tugget ombord blir vardag men på nya platser och med nya människor. Det blir bara roligare för varje vecka tycker vi nog. Hoppas ni njuter sommaren därhemma. Krama familjen från oss

  3. Wow! I say after reading each posting! So well written, feels like we are with you, learning and living the life to a full. Your photos are amazing, you have only been gone a few weeks, just think how much more awaits and each day coming at you, one day at a time, surprise meetings with old and new friends and visits to new places; from a sad historic place of brave men doing great things and simple things of enjoyment in yet another environment while swimming in the rain and dining “French” onboard. Wonderful!
    It feels like you have been gone for a longer time, something special is missing from our everyday this summer, but we are comforted by all the happy photos and eventually understand the prepping and the hard work on many levels. I think I pulled it off by sounding positive and encouraging while imagining what a trip like this could involve? I thought how great it is to swim in Lomma and eat hamburgers at Långa Bryggen with us oldies but eventually understanding LIFE is so much more, why not have it all if you can? Who can possibly be better prepared for all this living in the moment, using all resources to meet new challenges – together as a family. Thank you for writing the good and bad so we know, so we can travel with you. I feel inspired, think we should swim in Falsterbo for a change, best check the weather and shark reports.
    Sending much love, Anders and Denise

    1. Denise and Anders! Thank you for a wonderful comment! You if anyone know that it is probably worthwhile to try to fill the book of life for you and your family with a few good chapters. I hope it makes it more fun to read at the end. You will always pull encouragement and positive support with lots of humor off. 🙂 We are looking forward to future Lomma swims and Långa Bryggan burgers with the youngest oldies we know. Love from us onboard in Saint Malo

  4. Go Frenesi Sailimg! Tack för fina rapporter och snart har ni förhoppningsvis era besättningskläder i god tid före starten av Atlant-passagen! ❤️

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *