Puck: from Les Sables…to Valence.

Who:               Chantal and Julien

Where:            Between Les Sables and Cannes

Boat:               Privilège Euphorie 5

July, we left Les Sables, our first stop would be Port Medoc. At aperitif time, we took advantage of our cockpit and the cool breeze from the open sea. The next day, it wasn’t the cockerel which woke us, but the alarm clock; in fact we wanted to arrive at the stopover in time to see the Football World Cup final. Day hadn’t broken when we started to get a move on. A quick breakfast, and the sky started to brighten gradually. It was tinged with red. The mooring lines were cast off, and if all went well, we would be sleeping in the Spanish Basque country that evening. We kept up an average speed of 11 knots. Towards midday, the wind picked up slightly; it was against the current, giving a sea which was less calm. At match time, I went below to switch on the TV to watch the final. Watching a match in the middle of the Atlantic was quite surreal. We were approaching Hondarribia marina. The boat was terribly dirty everywhere, and without waiting any longer, I got straight into action to rinse it down. If I had known what was to follow… We had hardly sat down at the table when the sky opened - violent storm, torrential rain, and as a grand finale, we saw a fireball fall not far from the port. After Bilbao, we set a course for Santander. We had a problem with the Onan generator, a mechanic had a look at it and reported that its water pump impeller was broken.                                                                    Nothing very serious. Once this problem was sorted, we left our pontoon. The exit from the marina opens onto the main channel, but after a moment’s inattention, we hit the sandbank. Very quickly, the port employee was on the scene with his semi-rigid dinghy. Forward, reverse, but still not enough water to get free. I gave a line to the ‘marinero’, but it got caught in the propeller. He called the port’s diver, who quickly freed the line, and we set off again. Phew! Over these first 500 miles, our average speed was 10 knots, except when crossing the Bay of Biscay, when we pushed it to 13 knots. At 10 knots, the engines consume 30 liters (8 US gal) per hour.