To Guernsey, Sark and Saint Malo

The pattern of low-pressure systems from the west that were with us our first weeks is no longer as clear. On the other hand, currents here can reach more than 7 knots, the difference between high- and low tide can exceed 10 meters and we are new to most harbors. The inner harbor of St Peters Port on Guernsey, our next stop after Le Havre, can be reached at Highwater +/- 2 hours. A concrete wall/sill blocks the harbor basin entrance at other times so we planned to arrive early afternoon on the 29^th. We left Le Havre at 1900 CET on the 28^th with a plan to be helped by the currents and to make our arrival time window after the 110 NM route.

It was a peaceful evening broad reach with the current in our back in the clear sunset over the Contantin peninsula. During the night, the wind dropped, and the current turned bringing the speed down 2 knots NE of Cherbourg, down from our 9+ in the beginning. The currents turned again, and we passed Alderney race in the morning with speeds close to 12 knots. The tidal currents make the water look like a river stream and our 20-ton boat turns from side to side in the unruly water. Spectacular.

In Guernsey, the harbor master gave us a dock but… after our evening walk in the city and a swim, we found Frenesi standing at the bottom on her keel and our painted waterline was 10 cm higher above the surface than normal. Hmm – surprise! The spot was clearly not deep enough in low water but not a huge problem. The water came back and we moved to another spot in the next high water during the night.

A great move it should show. Our new neighbor was a fantastic Dutch family on the boat Faro. They had two great kids, Sarah and Tom, in similar ages as our kids. The youngsters overcame language barriers and started hanging out. So did the adults to our great pleasure. We had a good time with Anna-Maria and Jeroen over the next three days when we went to anchor outside the beautiful cliff island Sark, 8 NM E of Guernsey. Sark offered caves to explore, beaches, and footpaths in all types of vegetation from European junglelike woods to grass fields and cliff paths.

After a night at Sark, we headed back to St Peter’s Port to pick up our new windvane from Hydrovane and to refuel 1000 liters of diesel. Guernsey has no VAT which is a good thing when buying Hydrovanes and when refueling. We installed the Hydrovane and left for Saint Malo in Brittany on August 2. A 55 NM cruise in good weather and moderate winds with several highs: first, the Hydrovane seems to work! It takes no power, needs no sleep, makes no noise, and seems to bring us where we want. We are amazed and excited to learn how to use it. Second, we made the opening time of the lock to the inner harbor in Saint-Malo, hearing the lock close just as we passed it. This leaves us to the third high, Saint-Malo itself offering so much. A great French dinner, a super cool gothic-style stone town at a long beach with spectacular cliffs and tidal water, and a rich history dating back to the Roman empire.

Now, we have been inside just one hour too long, waiting for the rain to stop, reading Harry Potter and writing a blog post. The kids are easily annoyed and change mood every 10 minutes. The wind is picking up but just now the first sun breaks the clouds, and it is time for a swim. Sayonara.