En France
Scot Free III
Frank & Anne
Mon 28 Aug 2023 12:07
180 miles and 31 hours later, arrived in St Pierre after a fast sail, 2 reefs in the main, with winds gusting up to 24 knots but biggish seas with waves occasionally breaking over the boat- A and F both got dowsed several times.
The boat performed very well but not the crew, sadly it was very cloudy and dark, no stars to light up the sky and no obvious horizon. A succumbed to the dreaded mal de mer and F had to do a long watch from 3-7am by which time land was in sight. Bought charts for the chart plotter for Canada, surprise, surprise, detailed charts for these little French Islands were not included! Fortunately F has back up charts on his iPad, which brought us in safely between all the low lying rocks and hazards.
Moored up at the Yacht Club, hoisted the yellow Q, quarantine flag which is the required etiquette until cleared by customs. No phone number to call so headed to customs building, but being Sunday and lunchtime (and France), no one there. Filled in a random Customs Form, from a box outside, to show willing and stuffed it through their letter box.
Found a delightful, very quirky cheese and wine shop which also served food. The owner suggested a corner with comfy armchairs and sofas, enjoyed the comfort of a decent chair but hard not to fall asleep. Excellent food with local beer and a glass of red wine with a cheese platter to share. A perfect welcome to France.
Back on the boat, later in the afternoon, a policeman (dual function) arrived to stamp our passports and clear us in. Q flag now down and tricolour courtesy flag up.
Weather for next few days looks dire. Very strong winds from two hurricanes off-shore will delay departure so await a good weather window to head to Fortune, Newfoundland, a port of entry back into Canada to restart our cruising permit.