Le Havre, Monday 3rd May 2010
Eliza B
Ron & Elizabeth HOWARD
Tue 4 May 2010 15:20
|
Well, we've made it to the starting point - but
without much sailing and with some excitement.
We (Elizabeth, crew Peter and Ron) left Southsea at
07:00 on Tuesday morning with the intention of sailing to Brighton.
Unfortunately we hadn't informed the weather forecasters and they provided us
with a perfectly windless day with seas which appeared to have been ironed
earlier in the day. We passed a local fishing boat at Langstone Fairway
Buoy and gave it no further thought until, about an hour later, Solent
Coastguard announced that a fshing vessel had picked up some unexploded ordnance
in Langstone Harbour and there would be a controlled explosion later that
morning. At the predetermined time we cut our engine and floated
for a while but we didn't hear the "bang". We carried on
sustained by a delicious chicken casserole and
'cut-and-come-again' cake provided by Peter's back-up team. After
motoring all day we arrived at Brighton Marina in time to sample the local beer
before meeting up with friends and enjoying a well-earnd glass of wine and dinner.
  The weather forecasters didn't do much better the
next day. With winds forcast from the south (our intended direction of
travel), we decided to stay and explore Brighton and managed to visit the
well-known Steyning Bookshop to stock up with vital reading matter. (The
winds were forecast to move around to a more favourable direction for
Thursday.)
However, when we left Brighton early on Thursday
morning the wind was noticeable by its absence and the forecast
included mention of the dreaded fog. We motor-sailed (using
the sail mainly for decoration and attention-seeking) through the first shipping
channel with no problem. However when we reached the separation zone we
ran into a fog bank which kept varying in intensity. Thanks to Elizabeth
successfully operating the radar and careful observation by Peter and Ron,
we managed to see the various tankers and fishing boats before they caused us
any serious concerns but we were all relieved when we emerged from the shipping
channels and the fog lifted. We finally arrived at Fecamp in time to enjoy
a beer and a typical French prix fixe menu at a local fish
restaurant.
  Eager to reach Le Havre in time for Peter's ferry,
we tried to make an early departure but were deterred by the low tide and heavy
swell making the bar at the entrance dangerously impassable. Instead,
Peter opted for the relative safety of the local bus service to Le Havre with
plenty of time for his ferry crossing. We delayed our departure until much
later and enjoyed more than 7 metres of tide over the bar.
Motor-sailing continued down to Le Havre by tacking
into a head wind. Later in the day the wind changed and allowed
Elizabeth to cut the engine and enjoy some gentle sailing until we reached
the entrance channel to Le Havre port.
 Saturday 1st May was a national holiday in France
and no marina services were available so we went for a bike ride along the
front (on our new folding bikes). We spent Sunday explong more of Le Havre
much of which was badly damaged in 1944 and since rebuilt. The architect
responsible for the rebuilding of the new city centre is assured of his place in
history for his widespread use of 'reinforced concrete' - including a massive
church in the centre of the new town.
 This afternoon (Monday) we were visited by Mr
Stephen Reiset of Chantier Naval Havre & Manche who will be helping us to
remove and store Eliza B's mast while we continue with our explorations of the
inland waterways. We will be moving to his boat yard tomorrow (Tuesday)
and have an appointment with a crane on Wednesday. Before then we must
remove the sails, remove the boom, disconnect all the mast electrics and prepare
the stays and shrouds for dismantling. Once the mast has been removed, it
is also our job to wrap and tie the mast into a suitable bundle for long-term
storage and later delivery.
So, later this week we expect to be motoring
up the Seine, Paris-bound. We will report how this goes in our next
newsletter.
Kind regards from Eliza B and crew Ron &
Elizabeth. NEWS FLASH
This afternoon (Tuesday), high winds have prevented
us getting out of the marina and have also postponed the mast lifting. It
has now been rearranged for Friday, when the strong winds are expected to
reduce.
|