Mulberry Cruise to France
Published 16:43 on 7 Aug 2023
Mulberry, our 1994 tiller steered Moody S31, has always been a local girl. Built by Marine Projects in Plymouth (now the site of Princess Yachts), her first home was Saltash, moving to Dartmouth before upgrading to Salcombe. She has no memory of holiday travel though some cherished trips to St. Peter Port over the last two years have given her a taste for adventure. With France back on the agenda as a holiday destination, we felt the time was right to get out more.
Given that her preference was to visit the more northern parts of Brittany, a route via St Peter Port (again) seemed sensible. In the event, it was a wise choice. Leaving Salcombe at 05.25 we were motor sailing in a lumpy sea. By 11.00 the engine was off and we were doing 5 knots in to the wind with two reefs. Things got livelier as the afternoon progressed as we first reduced then furled the headsail for rounding Les Hanois. 9.2 knots (obviously with the tide) felt quite sufficient. Once round the south of the island things calmed, reefs were shaken out and headsail restored for a sedate arrival at St Peter Port at 1800. A particular feature of the trip was the sighting of two leaping tuna.
Mulberry was deserving of a break after her exertions and anyway we were windbound for four days. The local Guernsey bus service is excellent and we particularly enjoyed sampling a traditional Guernsey Bean Jar at the highly recommended Cobo tea rooms.
Playing safe, our next port of call was St Cast. France at last! The main merit of this modern marina is that it offers entry at all states of tide. A useful asset for first timers such as ourselves. A good fish restaurant, local butcher and beautiful walk from Marina to town were bonuses. Less welcome were the inevitable vertiginous ramps connecting pontoons to land. Movement at high tide recommended.
The bright lights of St Malo next caught Mulberrys eye. Enough of marina life, she wanted to be in the thick of things so Vauban basin was the choice. Locking in on a Sunday was uneventful; our only company four other yachts. Three galleons awaited us (one Spanish) and, at the other extreme, a variety of high speed ocean trimarans. St Malo was a delight. Street music and pageantry against a backdrop of admittedly reproduction medieval buildings. A recommended Cave was great value, even offering boat delivery. Leaving the Vauban basin was more interesting with a variety of large vessels, including a tanker, sharing the lock. Still, water movement was slow and the drop relatively small. Nothing like the terrors of the British inland waterways system!
Determined to travel a little further west, six hours of combined sailing and motor sailing took us to St Quay. Another all-states-of-the-tide marina, this was was a little older and tireder than St Cast. Still, the refuge provided for the weekend as the wind howled and registered 43 mph even in a well protected berth was more than welcome. Here we met our first, and only, unfriendly Frenchman. Arms folded as a detached observer he offered no assistance with our berthing or departure. His only interest was our proximity to his motor yacht. Fortunately everyone else was most friendly and helpful. Half a mile away, the town of St Quay grew on us with lovely shops, beaches and cliff walks. It was here that we joined in the celebrations for Bastille Day. We realise this is an event viewed with some horror in the UK: synonymous as it is with Madame Guillotine. A joyous celebration of freedom with a large scale communal meal, open air disco and fireworks encouraged us to see things differently.
Our time in France was drawing to a close. Weather conditions had protracted our stay at St Quay (though we had enjoyed a bus ride to Paimpol) and there was only time for Mulberry to fulfil one more ambition. The little city of Treguier, five miles up the Jaudy river has been compared with Vannes for historical interest but without the swarms of tourists. Some poor passage planning (rather stupid to aim to arrive at high tide when travelling west…..) resulted in a ten hour passage and a mutinous crew. Fortunately, help was at hand to berth on a hammerhead pontoon across a ripping tide. Next day all was forgiven. Treguier is glorious with a truly wonderful Cathedral, quaint streets and a great market. An added bonus was that we were able to meet up with James and Carole Calvert and family who were at the start of their holiday. The five mile river journey is beautiful and it is a shame we only saw it at dusk and dawn.
The final challenge was a direct return to Salcombe. Given the vagaries of the weather this summer we were fortunate to return as planned. When we left, James and Carole, as well as Eric and Liz Candy, were still waiting for a weather window. Exactly eighteen hours after departure we arrived back in Salcombe Our first time in the dark. We enjoyed a reasonable sea and a steady 15 knot wind which backed west as the day progressed but was familiarly on the nose for most of the journey. Mulberry was magnificent: steeply heeled with the engine running calmly. The AIS was used in anger for the first time as we politely asked a tanker whether they intended to pass ahead or astern (the reply was equally civil). Gratifyingly, the captain discovered that investment in a new auto helm had been money well spent. As for Mulberry, she now has a taste for travel and is already dreaming of next year.
