We are in Cherbourg (the extreme point of Normandy)!!! The first week is over and we are 280 miles away. We have become quite used to the life on board and have a great summer holiday feeling. Mira has already published almost two books and Toine has done some odd jobs on the boat and with the computers behind her. The girls are having a great time as well. Lazing around, sleeping in and having a nice drink with wine, baguette and cheese.

The weather is nice, regular sunshine and little rain. Only the wind keeps coming from the wrong direction. Right southwest and that is where we have to go. Luckily the wind is regularly light so we can sail against it relatively easy on the engine. Not comparable with the summer holidays last year; that was a lot more fighting. But because of that we only made 5 real sailing hours. Well, the sailing will come.

From Breskens we sail to Nieuwpoort in 6 hours. A real Belgian coastal town. With a very practical marina, and a nice beach. The next day we leave at 5 o'clock (to have electricity with us) and 8 hours later we arrive in Boulogne. A fine marina, but with a huge fish/bird poop smell. Once in a while a gust comes along and that is really hard to bear. You will live there! We stay a day in Boulogne and visit the Aquaruim with many different kinds of fish. The next day we leave in the evening after dinner for a 24 hour trip to Cherbourg. The first night trip! We don't encounter any boats and the trip goes smoothly. Here we stay for a day.