The Weather Turns

We achieved Customs clearance into France and with it, gained the all-important stamps into our passports.  No problem at all and nothing like the onerous procedure we had feared!

Then we set about exploring Brest.  The area near to our Marina du Chateau was largely occupied by the naval port and we could see a range of naval warships alongside, with staff scurrying about their duties nearby - all closed off to us public of course.  

We followed our noses and found ourselves in parts of town where the shops and businesses were mostly closed down, a depressing sight.  Then we found a strange "cultural centre" called Les Ateliers des Capucins.  This prides itself in being the largest undercover public space in Europe and was built into an old shipbuilding shed.  It has a few incongruous businesses such as a climbing wall, a bookshop and some dark underground food outlets plus a small art exhibition.  Otherwise it has become a space for youngsters to kick a ball around and not much else..

The public parks in Brest were well kept and there seemed to be a strange mixture of attractive tourist spots closely bordered by decaying and disadvantaged neighbourhoods.

We stocked up on fresh food and decided to move to the Marina du Moulin Blanc, a few miles to the north, as we had decided to upgrade our service batteries to better suit our PV charging system - to deep cycle and with a high capacity to run the autohelm self-steering system with less need for engine charging.

On the way, we saw the extraordinary French auxiliary naval ship "Monge" at anchor, equipped with antennas and electronics to support the launching and tracking of missiles.

Monge

Marina du Moulin Blanc is a busy centre for all watersports and has some well-stocked chandleries, so we had no trouble getting the batteries we needed.  We also bought courtesy flags for Spain (to replace my hand-made version) and for Brittany too.

Sporting our new Breton Courtesy Flag

The forecasts were showing strong, near gale-force winds in the sea areas close by and for now, this was making us reluctant to put to sea, despite our drive to move further south

We decided to entertain ourselves with a visit to the impressive local "Oceanopolis" aquarium and marine environmental centre.

Sea Otter

Royal Penguin from the Antarctic

Black-tipped Shark

Stingray in the Tropical House


Quite a place but I am not sure I like seeing mammals caged inside these glass tanks..

Hoping to avoid the really foul weather further north, we will move to Camaret on Friday afternoon. This will take us away from the influence of the strong tidal flows in the Gullet de Brest.  

Then our plan is to take the afternoon tide south through the Raz du Seine and round to Audierne on Saturday.  We expect to meet WNW F4-6 winds and fairly lively seas through the Raz but it's a pretty short journey - about 28 miles. 

Thereafter, the winds seem favourable for a number of leaps south along the French coast in the direction of La Rochelle.  Currently, the winds in the Bay of Biscay vary between rather too strong and none at all, making a long passage direct to Spain less attractive.

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