In the summer of 2008 we make a special trip to Brittany. Special in the sense that for the first time we experience a storm on the North Sea with wind force 8-9. But more special because from the furthest point of our trip we interrupt the holiday for more than a week because of the rather unexpected death of my (Mira's) father.
In total we sail 950 miles in just under 4 weeks with a week's break in Hellendoorn. The plan is to sail the first part of the trip as fast as possible to Cherbourg, preferably in one leg from Vlissingen. Unfortunately, this will not happen. The weather is too changeable with regular wind force 6 or more. So we finally arrive in Cherbourg after 7 days, fighting against the wind. With stops and rainy days in Dunkirk, Boulogne and Dieppe.
The hardest part is the journey from Dunkirk to Boulogne. The weather forecasts aren't even that bad; in any case no storm is predicted. Near Cap Griz-Nez (the narrowest part of the narrow Calais) the sea builds up considerably and the wind picks up to more than force 8. It's no fun at all, but it's good to see it. Every now and then we fall into a valley with a huge blow and just after that another wave comes and washes against the spray hood all over the boat. Inside the boxes bounce open, in the cockpit we stay reasonably dry thanks to the fine hood and centre cockpit.
The Brandaan keeps it fine and that gives a very familiar feeling. The most exciting part is the entrance at Boulogne. Huge waves, but fortunately the boat remains well steerable. After a couple of hours of fighting, sick children and leftovers on the bedding, we sail between the docks of Boulogne.
There we catch our breath for a day and the next day we fight again against the wind to Dieppe, but with calmer weather. From Dieppe we sail in a nighttrip to Cherbourg. And once we get there, the holiday really starts ... The weather is lovely and sunny. The following days we enjoy the Channel Islands of Alderney and Guernsey to the fullest. In Guernsey we meet Inge and Mark with their children. We have two nice days together.
From Guerney we sail in a long daytrip (from 4.00 a.m. till 10.00 p.m.) with beautiful weather, mostly sailing with half to high winds, to 'l Aberwrac'. A good feeling to have reached Brittany despite the bad weather. Unfortunately we get a call the next day with bad news from the hospital in Almelo. We immediately arrange a rental car and drive back as soon as possible. We arrive just in time to say goodbye to Hugo in the middle of the night. Early the next morning he passed away.
After more than a week in Hellendoorn we drive back to Brittany at night. The boat is still there just as we left her behind. We have more than a week left and make the best of it. Brittany is a beautiful sailing area. We sail with nice weather around the tip of Brittany past impressive lighthouses via the narrow passage from Raz du Seine to Brest.
After that we stay in Camaret for a few days. We make a daytrip by ferry to the beautiful island of Ouessant. Also Dennis, Marja and children come to visit us one more day from their holiday address. And the last evening before we sail back to the Netherlands we meet the Tyche, a departure boat that will sail around Atlantic next year.
The plan is to sail back to the Netherlands in one piece from Camaret. The first two days are going fine. Good weather and the wind in the back. The second day almost windless and then we motor over a flat bay of Normandy. But when we sail around 0.00 am the second night in the direction of Boulogne, we have to deal with wind force 8 again. This time with waves from behind and in the middle of a dark night. After a couple of hours of fighting we decide to make a short stop in Boulogne and not with tide against the narrow waters of Calais. That is a good choice. We have a lovely sunny day in Boulogne and when the wind has subsided somewhat in the evening, we sail back to the Netherlands for the last part of the day. The next evening 19.00 hours we arrive in Bruinisse and then it is already quite windy with nice rain showers. Exactly the right weather hole! We clock 82 hours travelling of which 69 hours sailing and 13 hours rest in Boulogne. In those 69 hours we traveled 440 miles, of which 17.5 hours without engines the rest with.
We look back on a special holiday. With highs and lows, because of daddy's death and the storms we've had. Yet we enjoyed many moments enormously. We are one experience richer and feel equal to a round of Atlantic. The 'hunger' to make that trip is still present and the reality how it can be has become a lot clearer again.