After passing through the attractive green countryside of northern France in midsummer we, at last, neared the end of our canal sailing. Here, at Dinan, we have only a few more kilometres to go before reaching St Malo and the waters of the English Channel. And we are preparing to have the mast put up for the last time.

From St Malo we headed for the Channel Islands of Jersey and Guernsey and from there, after being held up by bad weather, set out on the last leg of our return to England on August 11th, 1999 .This was the day of a total eclipse of the sun.

The photographs to the right below show us leaving Guernsey in the pre-eclipse mid-morning gloom and preparing for a siting of the sun with special glasses!

To the left are two pictures taken during the one minute forty seconds of total darkness. It was quite an experience!

At the bottom right, the last picture shows us leaving Salcombe and heading for Plymouth where 'Joy of Mann' was later sold.