1. Sailing the coasts of France, Spain and Portugal.

Our cruise around the coasts of the Iberian peninsular covered a period of some eight years. During this time we lived on 'Joy of Mann' for around three or four months in the summer and left her to overwinter, usually out of the water, at various harbours along our route. In the winter we returned to our home in England. From the start it was planned to travel in a leisurely fashion, to visit all the ports, islands and rivers that we wished and to stay, within reason, as long as we wanted.

France.

It therefore took over two seasons to sail from our home port in North Devon, around Land's End and across to France ( via the Channel Islands) and to cruise along the Brittany and western Atlantic coast to the Spanish border. In Brittany we explored the River Odet almost as far as Quimper and anchored at the mouth of the Aven in the midst of scenery painted by Gaughin. Another river, the Blavet, led from the naval port of L'Orient to the market town of Hennebont some six miles upstream. The Morbihan,a large, tidal, inland sea with an area of 50 square miles offered innumerable anchorages and sheltered waters. From here we concentrated on the numerous offshore islands that pepper the Atlantic coast...Belle Isle, Ile d'Huat, Noirmoutier, Ile d'Yeu, Ile de Re and Ile d'Oleron, each with its unique character and landscape. On this section of the voyage we took out our folding bicycles to explore each island and ended up by cycling almost as far as we had sailed! Below is a picture of 'Joy of Mann' in the harbour at La Rochelle (just discernible at the bottom left) and a photo taken as we set off southwards.

From the beautiful, old harbour of La Rochelle we headed down into the southwestern corner of the Bay of Biscay. After the Gironde estuary (which leads up to Bordeaux and connects with the Canal du Midi) there is a 70 mile stretch of low, featureless shoreline with no safe haven. In addition, the sand dunes and pinewood forests house French military and naval artillery so that access to these coastal waters is restricted. The first safe harbour is that of Arcachon, situated beside a large inland, tidal lake and connected to the sea only by a long, winding channel that weaves around the sandy shoal waters for some twelve kilometres. With any wind or swell the sea breaks spectacularly across this exposed passage so that vessels are subject to confused seas due to waves, swell, current and shallow water. Although well marked by a series of numbered pillar buoys, the channel is in constant change and entrance is recommended only during the last half to quarter of the flood and during daylight In view of the constraints imposed by these limitations, by the weather, by the long distance from the nearest harbour and by the demands of the firing range, reaching Arcachon could be described as tricky!

It is a similar long and featureless sail southwards from Arcachon, past Cap Breton and Biarritz, until one at last begins to make out the foothills of the Pyrenees and, turning westwards towards St Jean de Luz (the birthplace of Maurice Ravel,) it is then but a short distance to Hendaye and the frontier with Spain.

Below left, 'Joy of Mann' moored within the Basin d'Arcachon and right, on the border between France and Spain at Hendaye, still flying the French courtesy flag but looking behind to the Spanish town of Fuenterrabia.

Return to 'Sailing'.

Go on to page 2: Along the N.Spanish coast .