Mindelo, Cape Verde
We were supposed to be in Cape Verde for six days, we arrived on 13th January after our eight day passage from Gran Canaria, however it ended up being ten as we (Viking Explorer skippers) collectively extended the stay due to heavy weather and big seas at the start of our Atlantic crossing passage. The […]
Observations about France
We really enjoyed our time exploring France – it is very like the UK in so many ways … yet so different in so many more!! The regions, the food, the housing and the people are varied … yet alike! The main things we learnt from our time here – which was nearly 5 months […]
Brittany coast and our first Islands
Foret Foret was another huge French marina with bicycles available for free hire, so we managed to explore the lovely area and stock up from the boucherie. We also spent a couple of nights chatting to our neighbours, another British couple Liz & Richard on a Moody Eclipse which is an interesting version with a […]
Around the Raz
We were still in Morgat watching the tides as our next trip was around another notorious headland – the Raz de Seine! Our journey around through the Raz du Seine It was recommended to only go round at slack water, as the tides could race quickly around there, but also in strange directions as they […]
The North Brittany Coast
Arriving back in Cherbourg, we were keen to kick off our journey along the coast of north Brittany. We wasted no time checking in at Cherbourg, where the PAF now visited twice a day making this much easier to do, and set off 2 days after arrival. We had an early start, just as the […]
Poole Harbour – living on the hook
When we were back in Poole we were keen to progress our experience in living ‘on the hook’. This means at anchor, rather than in a marina – as marinas get expensive over time, especially when coming into the peak season. Previously, in Chichester Harbour (see Cowes to Chichester Harbour), we had come up with […]
Dunkirk and the Normandy beaches
Seeing the beaches at both Dunkirk, where thousands of soldiers were evacuated in 1941, and Normandy, where the allied forces landed three years later, has been poignant. Jen and I took a trip to Dunkirk first and visited the Museum Dunkirk 1940 Operation Dynamo and then the Fort des Dunes. The former had a lot […]
Sailing the Normandy Coast
After exploring Cherbourg for a couple of days and celebrating Jenni’s birthday there with a thermos flask of wine and a bike ride, the question loomed … where next?! We aimed to sail Yanula Blue along the Normandy coast. The timing of the tides and the restrictions in tidal marinas meant that it was difficult […]
Sailing the South-West UK
Truth be told, I (Jenni) am writing this in May 2025, as only really starting to “come down” from finishing work and ready to be sat at a laptop again! So here is a summary of our month sailing along the South West of the UK back in Autumn ’24! Torquay After arriving in Torquay […]
A Sail of Firsts
After an enjoyable stay in Lymington we needed to leave by 2pm before we were charged for another night’s stay! We were holding off for as long as possible as we knew the tide through the Hurst narrows would be flowing against us. We chose to motor for a while whilst we fought the tide, […]