Getaria to Bilbao Sail

After a 2 days in Getaria we decided to move on to Bilbao. The temperature was fine, we sailed in our shorts, but it was quite choppy with a good swell and strongish winds.

On the way we past a offshore platform and dodged a biological sea reserve after being shown the right way by a powerful motor launch.

We spent 5 days in Bilbao and used the time to pick up the car from Hendaye and take a tour of the city.

We met Sue and Ed Bowness at Bilbao with their boat Locomotion. Some time having a meal together and doing some swimming in the club pool we parted company when they wanted to move on and we still had some tasks to do.

The video shows our trip to Bilbao and tour around the city.

Galavanting in Getaria

Having arrived at Orio from Hendaye (see our previous post ), we moved up to Getaria the next day. Orio was interesting but there was a motorway right by the marina and not much more we could see in the town.

The trip from Orio to Getaria was only a few miles so we motored over and booked in for a couple of days to explore the town.

It was certainly an active place with fishing boats in and out, yachts and rowing boats dodging each other and children swimming in the harbour. Even a couple of not-so-young children boarding in it to. It was a bit hilly but the outdoor escalator helped.

Getario old and new

We are still in the Basque country, but its Spanish Basque now, having left the French Basque at Hendaye.

Getaria, located between San Sebastian and Bilbao, gets its name from the Latin word "cetaria". In the classic Latin, pronounced as [ketaria], it means a place where fish is canned. There is evidence of Roman installations for canning fish. It is one of the oldest towns in the area, and still survives on fishing as well as tourism.

The 7 minute video below gives you a good sprinkling of what the place is like and the lovely views. We hope you enjoy it.

Leaving Hendaye

We arrived in Hendaye with Jim and Megan on the Sunday 19th June late afternoon.

Magnet and Scallywag side-by-side

They stayed with us most of the week before setting off. Jim doesn't like paying for marinas and prefers anchoring. Their attempt to anchor in the Hendaye bay was not a good one. With a 45 foot steel boat I can understand his reluctance.

After a trip around the town and considering the need to get back to St.Denis to pick up our car, we decided to make Hendaye our base until we returned from our trip back to the UK in July.


If you have never been to Hendaye, then I would recommend a visit. It has a lovely sandy beach. On the other side of the river is Spain so you have two holidays in one. It is also well placed for visiting the local towns of St. Jean de Luz, Biarritz and Bayonne.

Hendaye Beach

We went to Jean de Luz, where my old mate the Duke of Wellington set up his winter headquarters in the town during the Peninsular War, 1813-14. He was not available when we went there, but we managed a trip around the town on "Le Tren."

In this 30 second video, can you spot the tune and our car?

On another day trip we went to the 1950's favourite haunt of the stars, Biarritz and historic Bayonne.

Biarritz, an elegant seaside town on southwestern France’s Basque coast, has been a popular resort since European royalty began visiting in the 1800s. It’s also a major surfing destination, with long sandy beaches and surf schools. It seems my mate Wellington did not come here, but Napoleon had a swim in 1808. You can see more in the video at the bottom of this post.

Biarritz Sea Front

Bayonne is a city in the Basque Country region of southwest France, where the Nive and Adour rivers meet. Narrow medieval streets characterize the old Grand Bayonne district. 

Here lie the Gothic-style Bayonne Cathedral, with its 13th-century cloister, and Château Vieux castle. 

In 1814 Bayonne and its surroundings were the scene of fighting between the Napoleonic troops and the Spanish-Anglo-Portuguese coalition led by the Duke of Wellington: the city then underwent its final siege.

Whilst at Hendaye we caught the train to Bordeaux, had a weekend there and collected the car. More of this in another video and post.

In the meantime, sit back and watch our 8 minute summary of Hendaye and the next trip.

Across the Biscay Bay

We spent some time in La Rochelle collecting our car from Les Sables d'Olonne, despite the efforts of the New York-Vendee Transatantic Race Event putting up a big tent around our car. See the video of our journey (Run to La Rochelle.)

We also met up with our English friends Jenny and John Firth with their boat "Jubilate of Hayling." With them we took a couple of days out to visit the Dordogne and Oradour.

We drove down to Oradour and spent a few hours touring around the town. You can find all the details in the link. It is quite a place and was left as it back in 1944 on the instructions of Charles de Gaulle.

We then went on to a found a hotel in Lalinde and enjoyed a meal and a good night's sleep there.

Oradour-Sur-Glane

On our way back we visited Bergerac and Rochefort.


Back in La Rochelle we then sailed over to St.Denis on the Ile de O'leron, with Jenny and Jim and spent a couple of days exploring the area.

On one day we hired some bikes and did a little cycling around the local area.







As Jenny and Jim left us to go on with their sailing plans, our Irish friends Megan and Jim arrived.

We spent a few days with them driving around the local area and during this time we decided to go with them on the long haul south across the Bay of Biscay.

The 8 minute video below shows you some of the time we spent with them in La Rochelle and the 40 hour sail to Hendaye.

For this video I employed the talents of a voice-over specialist and added some good graphics.

I hope you like the outcome and if I get a good response from you, I will splash out and employ her again for the next video. I hope you enjoy it.

Goodbye St. Martin

We had a lovely week on the Ile de Re.  Caught the bus to various places on the island; another video to come. Met up with two other British boats that were planning to sail direct to Gijon from La Rochelle. Had a nice evening with them before they sailed off.

I went up the tower in the town that the beginning of this video is shot from. Lots of history and the most humbling for me was stumbling on a British War grave. A sad reminder of the young men and women who died for the peace we have today.

There were just a handful of graves but ironically 2 of them were army lads from the Royal Army Service Corps that my Dad had served in during the war.

Someone had been good enough to put a wreath on the plot and another irony was that it was from the Royal Air Force Association that my school friend Graham, is a volunteer for and a key association of the RAF that we both served in.

I can understand how the RAF guys lost their lives here, but less sure why the RASC would be here.

Below is a short video on our trip to La Rochelle and our journey but coach back to Les Sables to pick up the car.

Woken by a Swarm of Bees

Had a beautiful nights sleep nestled on a pontoon in St. Martin-en-re harbour.

Suddenly, at 0730hrs we could hear a swarm of bees. Dashing up to the cockpit, as one does in the morning, we could see their location.

Heading South

We had a couple of days in Bourgenay. There was not a lot to see as it was a small village and more of a holiday and leisure resort. Pauline managed to find a hairdresser and we had a nice meal in a marina restaurant.

We caught up with some washing and having a drink with a Dutch couple we had met in Les Sables.

We waited for fairer weather and then headed south to the Ile de Re. The Dutch couple left too, but went earlier than us. We followed them to the Ile de Re, but they went into another harbour.

We had quite a challenging sail with the winds and swell behind us. The video shows our trip and arrival in St. Martin, the major port on the island.

What a Lovely Day

We woke up to pouring rain, howling winds and a blocked toilet.

Fortunately we were berthed next to the waste tank extractor.

So Sunday morning was spent sucking it out, filling it up with unblocker fluid and water, and sucking it out again. Oh what a lovely day.

Still it worked.

So the afternoon, we just sheltered from the continuing wind and rain reading about the heat wave in India. Oh what a lovely day.

Hopefully, if the forecast is right, we will have a sunny sail to the Ile de Re.

Further South to Les Sables d'Olonne

At 1000hrs on the 15th May we set sail for the Ile de Yeu after 5 days exploring the Ile de Noirmoutier.

We had to circumnavigate some really shallow areas before setting a southerly course.

We tried putting "The Lady" up but no wind.

The Lady, Cruising Chute

So, using our trusty Volvo engine we motored to the Ile d'Yue only to find find there was a major festival and we could not get in. So we motored another 25 miles to arrive at Le Sables d' Olonne - home of the Vendee Globe sailing events.

Our short ( 5mins)  video here shows you the trip and fun we had.

The Ile de Noirmoutier

After our little excursion in our trusty Mercedes Wagon to Pornic, we decided to go straight to Ile de Noirmoutier from Pornichet.

So we departed on the 10th May in nice sunshine but hit fog close to the St. Nazaire entrance channel. Luckily it cleared after half an hour and we finished the day back in sunshine.

This short video (5mins) gives you bit of fun and flavour of the journey and our bicycle ride around the island.







We hired two bicycles, unfortunately they did not have an electric one, so Pauline had to peddle her way round. Fortunately the island was pretty flat.

On our way round we followed special cycle paths through the countryside. We had a break (couple of beers) in the main town and then cycled on up through the various camp sites and villages back to the  marina.

There was some beautiful large houses in the woody areas.

The island of Noirmoutier is off the Atlantic coast of France in the Vendée department. Parts of the island have been reclaimed from the sea. In 2005 it served as the finish of the Tour de France prologue.

The island is about 4 miles (6km) wide and 12 miles (19km) long. It has a population of just under 10,000 people and is part of the Pays de Loire in the Department of Vendee. It was apparently the scene of the First Viking raid on continental Europe in 799 (Wikipedia)

We had a nice meal in the harbour restaurant.

I do like fish, especially when it is fresh.

We met one couple on their Westerly Yacht heading south, but as they only stopped for a night, not much happened.

As it was a fishing harbour we did get woken up by the noise and wash of the fishing boats going out in the early hours of the morning.

From T to P - Turballe to Pornichet!

After 5 days in `Turballe is was time to move on. We decided it would be Pornichet. A complete contrast from the working fishing port to an up market seaside one.

Pornichet is a coastal town of the Côte d'Amour, located tens of kilometers west of Saint-Nazaire, It is part of the area called Loire-Atlantique.

The name of Pornichet comes from Port Niché, which could be translated by Port in a niche. The town is named following its principal characteristic of a port located in an alcove along a salt-work channel, which was connecting the salt-works (current racetrack) and the bay.

Pornichet has 10,696 inhabitants . Its area is 13 km2. In over 30 years, the town has gained about     5,000 inhabitants. The summer population is estimated at about 55,000 people . As with many tourist resorts some 55% of the homes are second homes.

Note bottom left is where we turned East after gybing

Before we left La Turballe, we filled up with fuel. She took 117 litres so just as well. We had gentle winds and sunshine for our  4 hour trip. Winds were F3 and conveniently went from WNW to WSW as we gybed to turn east after passing the headland. Gybing for non sailors, is when you turn the boat and the wind goes around the back of the boat, instead of the front.

We called the Marina on VHF as we came in and they put us on the end of C Pontoon so we had a nice spot where we could observe the comings and goings of the marina.

In  this short 3 minute video you will get a flavour of our sail, the marina and Pornichet town.

Whilst at Pornichet, we caught the train back to Arzal to pick up the car. The nearest station was our lovely winter residence Redon. There were no buses so we went to the tourist office who organised a taxi. Nice guy, but he took the longest route and so it cost us an arm and leg, well €65 to be precise.

Our view in the evening

My Apple Pie

The Beach

Still we had our car and it enabled us to visit St, Nazaire and Pornic. The later was on our schedule, but having driven here we decided it was not worth the effort. The marina is way out from the town and not particularly attractive. So it helped us decide to go straight to the Ile de Noirmoutier, when we left Pornichet

First Sail of the Season

La Turballe is a city whose main activity is fishing and it's key catch now is anchovies., and up to 1987 it had a sardine canning factory. It did have  It also has a lovely beach so is attractive to tourists. It is 27 km from St. Nazaire

We had tried to come here last September but was turned away as it was full of visiting yachts from Vannes, so we had to go up to Piriac.

We got through the Arzal lock at the 0900hrs opening and had a lovely sail all the way, arriving in the marina 1420 so a nice day sailing. This short 3 minute video shows some aspects of this.





Our Dutch friends, Jan and Corrie arrived with us but had to berth on another pontoon as they are a 45 footer. We had drinks together in the evening and after a day or two they set of south. There plans are a lot more adventurous. They are hoping to get to the Cap Verde by November and then cross to the Caribbean.

We found another water leak in the cold water supply to the hot water tank, so had to fix this. Turned out to be a pin hole in the pipe, after I had messed about buying new fittings.

Over the next 5 days we had a rest, stocked up with food and groceries, as well as fuel. The weather was not good enough to go on the beach, but we managed a walk around the town.

Last Berth in the Villaine

Our friends from last year Jenny & John,  have a berth at Arzal and they had left it just before we arrived. They offered us the use of it, but by the time we got there, it was occupied. So, the Capitainerie put us on the visitors pontoon.

Next day was Dimanche, sorry Sunday, we have got so used to speaking French these days!!!! It was my birthday, so spent it relaxing and chatting to family and friends at home via SKYPE. oh, and had the odd swig of a 12 year old Cardhu whiskey Pauline had bought as a present.

Arzal Lock

Monday we took the mainsail down to get a slit in the foot repaired. Our fellow hibernators from Redon, Maggie & Paul, were on the hard at Arzal doing the usual annual maintenance work on their boat. Maggie gave us a lift with the sail.

We also discovered water in the bilges and this turned out to be a leaking fresh water pump. If you have never found yourself with your head stuck in a dark hole under a sink, with little room to manoeuvre, trying to connect pipes and electrical cables; its great fun.







Discover the depths of boating in this short 30 second video.

Wednesday, we collected the repaired sail after handing over €25 (no doubt it would have cost three times as much at home). Maggie and Paul gave us hand at fitting it back. We had a meal with them in the evening and then said our goodbyes.

Finally, after 6 months in the River Villaine, we were heading back to sea.

Tomorrow, Thursday 28th April, we will join the morning queue for the 0900hrs opening of the Arzal lock to head off to La Turballe, the only port we got turned away from last year. Hopefully there will be a place this year.

Arzal Lock

Leaving Redon

 At last came the time to leave Redon, our winter berth since October. This short video gives you some idea of the nature of the river and shows some of its beauty.

Returning to France

We had a great winter in Spain, but that is another story. We then went back to England visiting family and friends. Then we caught the Portsmouth Caen Ferry in Sunday 3rd April. Earlier than we had planned. We could not stand the cold and the traffic any more.

I had booked us into a hotel just outside Redon which turned out to be so great we booked a second night so we could have a swim in their pool. It was an Yves Rocher Eco hotel in La Gacilly called La Gree des Landes.  This was the view from our room.

This was the view of the boat when we arrived back.

Looked a bit grim, with lots of "Redon Rain"accumulated in the cover.

Surprisingly the inside was just as we left it, thanks to some low wattage heaters and the cover.

We had to make another trip to Spain to sort out the apartment we had bought (this is part of the other story), but on our return we took the first break in the wind and rain to get our new sail cover up, and Scallywag was starting to look good again.

We were nearly ready to go South and find the sun.