We sailed to Piriac sur Mer, where as the pilot (nautical guide book) accurately states that crew start complaining of sun burn and heat exhaustion rather than mildew and frostbite. Piriac is a delightful town where every shop and house is adorned with flowers. A walk through the maze of little roads and cobbled streets is a delight. We cycled on a another remarkably good cycle path to the next coastal town for lunch and back. All lovely and flat and great for little legs (and longer ones on Brompton’s trying to keep up)! Most bike rides somehow end up on a beach!

Another lovely sail onto the Ile de Yeu, plenty of time for stories on deck. So far we’ve been joined twice by inquisitive dolphins coming alongside the yacht, maybe they’d like to hear the Famous Five stories too!

Cycling is described as the best way to see this picturesque island, opposite Pont Aven where Gauguin worked. The sailing logistics of this is somewhat amusing as Russell bravely rows back balancing four bikes precariously on the dingy to the amusement of cafe onlookers! Our yacht is top left of the image, spot the blue stripe of a Hallberg Rassey.

Luckily none dropped in and we had a delightful day exploring the island by bikes. I’m impressed with how far Felix (aged 5) can cycle with the promise of an ice-cream later!

A spell of settled weather meant we sailed to the Îles de Glénan and anchored off this stunning beach. With clear blue waters and white sand, it was stunning – and we are only in South Brittany!

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Hats off to Russell for navigating and sailing to this beautiful archipelago as there are rather a lot of rocks around (the chart looks like someone has sneezed on it)!

Time for bedtime story in the islands 🏝⚓️⛵️

We made it through the Raz de Seine (known for being some of the roughest water and fierce tides around France), at slack tide and yet it was still choppy! I’m glad we weren’t sailing against the tide (it would have been like a washing machine)! It was great to sail past these lighthouses and into calmer water and down wind to Benodet and Sainte Marine.

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From the gentle waters of Sainte-Marine we sailed to Concarneau with its fortified town and beautifully preserved cobbled streets. The boys loved climbing over the massive ramparts and drawbridge, and the surprising good fishing museum where we explored through an old big fishing trawler as part of the exhibits!

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These words aren’t exactly music to a yachtsman’s ears when trying to pack small odd shaped boat lockers (that really ought to just have ropes and spares in)…but despite Russell’s protests I am pleased to say we have used the lot since arriving in France!

We made it through the Chanel du Four (most western bit of France), known for being fairly choppy water, and into Camaret-sur-Mer. Camaret is a sweet little fishing port turned into a holiday spot. We used the bikes and scooters to visit beaches, mysterious standing stones, World War Two bunkers and the battlefront of the North Atlantic. The WWII memorial was a stark reminder of the battles carried out on this tough coastline and sea.

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Plenty of non-sailing time to catch up on school work and play on the beaches too 😁

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From a leisurely stop in the delightful Helford river and a lovely lunch with Peter Morgan at the Ferryman, it was an early start to sail to France. With a northerly wind taking us due south and a drop in the storm winds, we had to motor most of the way. But we made it safely to L’Aberwrac’h on the western end of Brittany.

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When the going got rough the boys had great fun making a den or day bed in the saloon floor for a snooze.

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We had a brief stop at Plymouth to collect our six new batteries, at roughly 35+kg each, this was no easy task. Neither was trying to remove the old ones, which were all located under our bunk. Huge thanks to Russell, as I am not sure how he got them all out or managed to move the trolley with them loaded on at all!

An incoming storm forecast changed our plans of sailing to Fowey to Falmouth instead. We had a great sail to Falmouth where the boys enjoyed standing on the bow and seeing how wet they could get with the waves. Note the second photo where I have actually put waterproofs on them (when I remembered the logistics of wet clothes and no tumbler drier onboard!).

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We safely moored up in Falmouth where the boys were very excited to be moored up alongside a pirate ship. We enjoyed a calm sunny evening before waiting for the storm to hit the next day. With Force 8 winds forecast and Force 11 in Biscay, we are going nowhere!

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What a great name for a gem of a place. If you are in southern coastal Devon, walking or sailing here is a must. It’s a stunning coastline and river meandering into a tranquil village which is gorgeous, with some cracking pubs and food too. We had a great meal at the Ship Inn.

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And Hugo is very excited to tell you that we saw a seal on the way here too (careful where you leave your dinghy!)

Well we are into week 3 of living aboard and we are all still alive and smiling. It’s a bit like living in a giant Tetris puzzle, if you want to get one thing out of a locker you seem to need to move about 4 things first. I am sure I will remember where I have hidden things away one day!

We have slipped into roles and I seems to be chief cook, washer, teacher – if it’s hygiene or food it’s me. Russell is chief engineer and maintenance, if it’s broken or gone wrong it’s Russell. And for those of you that know us, that’s quite hilarious considering our previous jobs (also I am not known for my culinary skills, we may all end this trip a lot thinner!!).

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Cooking in a kitchen smaller than half the size of my island unit at home, and often at a 30 degree angle, is taking some patience and organisation. Things slide and then break. The fridge is an art form, top loading down to keel depth, you bend from the waist down and lurch for what you need. If I go missing, someone search for me in the fridge, I’m going to end up half in it one day.

A mantra of “Power, water, food – what are the levels, how much do we have, need or are able to get” does seems to consume most of every day thoughts. Long gone are our monthly huge Tesco shops, plugging in any gadget whenever, permanent WiFi or long showers (and don’t mention the ‘bath’ word!).

But we have swapped commuting for fresh air, schedules for freedom and quality time with our boys, which is priceless. I am sure I can learn to cook. Katy & Dom – are you sure you can’t come and visit???!! 😘

I always forget how stunning Dartmouth is until you sail into the river, past the castle and see the idyllic setting of the town and beautiful houses. The kind harbour master got us a berth on the town jetty, perfect for exploring, shopping, ice creams and the best chandlery outside of Lymington we’ve found to date (nothing beats Nick Cox). A stunning place to spend the weekend.

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To top it off we had a visit from great friends Phil, Rashna and their beautiful daughter Yasmin for a few beers and Rockfish dinner aboard. A huge thank you for making the drive guys, it was wonderful treat to see you all. Yasmin and the boys caught about 20 crabs whilst we chatted the night away.

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