Friday 4 October

We are out of the water!  Having been told that the wind would be too strong to take the boat out, when we woke up we saw that the wind was only blowing 5 knots where we were.  So Richard decided to immediately set out to La Seyne to see what could be done.  The wind picked up a bit as we went over, but only got to 10-11knots.  We phoned the boat yard as we arrived and then Alex arrived and said he would lift the boat then and there.  There was a lot to do to prepare it.  We had to emptly the water tank, take off the lazy jacks and bag and remove the back stays!  But all went well and the boat came out just fine.

However, there was a shock when it came out.  We found that the starboard rudder was broken.  The bottom was worn away and it is split about a quarter of the way up.  Worse was to come,  When the boat was cleaned off it revealed that the hull below the water line is badly scratched, one large gash of about 12 inches is quite deep.  We can only imagine all this happened when I hit the side of the canal trying to let another boat pass.  It sounded like we hit rocks, but Richard thought at the time we only touched the keel, which being a huge bit of metal, causes no problem.  But it seems we hit the side of the boat and the rudder.  This will be an expensive repair.  I suspect we will need Southerly to make a new rudder.  Probably will have to make an insurance claim.  In the circumstances we are very glad that we have had the boat taken out of the water for the winter and that we were there to see the problem when it came out.

We finished off cleaning and clearing the boat.  We tried to find a sail maker who could valet our sails and store them for the winter, but without luck.  The only local one wanted 70 euro for each sail just to store them.  We will just keep them on board.  Also the sailmakers said the could not alter our stackpack bag to make it larger to take the bulkier sail.  Arun said they probably could do something if we took the cover back.  So I have made room in our luggage to bring it back!

By midday the boatyard shuts for lunch.  We go off to the town to check in to our hotel and have a bite of lunch.  Then back to finish off the boat.  By this time I am exhausted.  My Nike band shows that I have walked over 10,000 steps today and overran my goal, which is designed to be met when I do serious exercise.  This is not good for my knee which really aches.  So I leave Richard to it and return to the hotel and have a rest.

Richard goes back to Toulon by ferry and gets our car.  We then decide to go out to dinner.  I find a restaurant that is recommended in Michelin.  It is said to be 4km from the town on the road to St Mandrian (where we moored when we first left Toulon).  So off we set, but we cannot find the restaurant.  We ring them for directions, but they are not very specific.  Finally we stop and ask someone on the street.  The restaurant is supposed to be in a place called Fabrigas (I thought he used to play for Arsenal!) but we can find no signs to show us where it is.  However the instructions given to us by the person who asked turns out to be correct (despite our suspicions).  We finally find the place at the end of a dead end road right next to the beach.  When we get in there we are really uncertain we have come to a good place.  It is Friday night and now 8:30pm and there is no one else in the place. But two more tables turn up and the food is really good.  They do a mussel dish, which is particularly nice.  The only problem is that service is slow.  There is only one person serving and we are not convinced that she isn’t also doing the cooking.  But it is a nice evening meal.

On the way back to the hotel we get caught in a huge thunder storm.  We both get soaked just running from the car to the door!  The lightening is spectacular.  Now planning our nights stay for tomorrow.  It is nice to have only that to worry about (Well other than waiting for the quotes for the repairs to the boat- We now have two boatyards pitching for our custom).

Thursday 3 October

Today is hard work day.  Richard did get the sails off last night, but there are tons of things to tidy away.  First priority is the last of the washing.  I manage to get it all in one load, but that was probably a mistake because when I got back to the boat and started to go through all the clothes to see what should go and what should stay I found a lot of things I should have washed to leave here.  But we shall just have to take them home.  At least we have good luggage allowance on our BA flight home.

Sorting clothes and starting to pack them away seems to take me most of the morning.  Then I had to start to sort out the food.  That meant going through the whole of the galley and seeing what was opened, what was in date until next summer, etc.  I thought I had done well eating through most of the stores, but there is an awful lot left.  I do have a bit of luck in getting rid of food.  Two boats down there is an Englishman on a Nauticat.  I see him at the toilet block and ask if he would like my leftovers and he seems keen.  In the end I was able to give him just about everything.  I am just left with food for dinner tonight, and breakfast tomorrow, although I do have some left over butter.

We seem to be getting on quite well to be taken out tomorrow.  Richard speaks to the boatyard again and they seem to think it will be fine.  Then at about 4pm they ring and say we can’t come out tomorrow because there will be too much wind.  The weather forecast really is bad suggesting winds of 8-9 plus strong gusts.  They want to postpone it to Monday.  This is Ok with us.  If necessary we can drive back here to supervise the lifting out then, but we need somewhere to keep the boat in the meantime.  So Richard agrees with them that we can leave the boat on the pontoon where they lift the boats from.  There is a small charge by the town to stay on the pontoon, but that is fine.  They have also said that they do not need us to be there on Monday when it comes out, but we will discuss all the details with them tomorrow when we take the boat over.  We are also told that there is electricity available, so we can keep the batteries charged.  With this information Richard goes to the chandlery to buy a small de-humidifier to put on the boat.  However when he gets here, he can’t make it come on, and finds that it is not suitable, because it drains into a tank which needs to be emptied.  Luckily the shop takes it back.  We shall just have to see how we get out without a de-humidifier – or buy one tomorrow.

We have a drink on board with the Nauticat owner, John.  He seems quite nice.  He keeps his boat in Port Napoleon- it seems every English boat is there!  He even offers to help us crew tomorrow if the conditions seem too bad for us to do it ourselves.  Very kind.

I have now cleaned the whole of the galley and most of the heads except for the awful job of cleaning under the floor.  That is always awful, full with soap scum and hair!  I finally get it done, but it was a horrid task.  Also I had to get down on my hands and knees and my bad knee doesn’t like that at all.  So I am now shattered and give up.  At least we don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn tomorrow, so we can take it slowly to finish off the packing.  It may even work out better.

Wednesday 2 October

Well this is the beginning of the end.  We will go to Toulon today and have a day and a half to clear the boat and get it ready for the winter before it is taken out on Friday.  Regrettably the weather forecast is for high winds on Thursday and Friday, so heaven knows what will happen.

Richard first goes with out neighbour to the chandlery to find a new nav light.  They do not seem to have any success, however in speaking to each other they find that the Frenchman knows the boatyard that is doing the work on our boat for the winter and he will instruct them to repair the light and send the bill to him.  So that should be ok.  In the meantime we tape a plastic bag over what is left of the fitting, so water does not get into the electrics.

The day is bright and the wind has miraculously turned around so we are not going upwind at all.  We first stop for fuel so the boat is topped up for the winter.  Then we set out.  It is the top of a four as we leave the harbour and Richard decides to sail.  He has not undone the sail bag, so goes forward to do that when there is a little bang and the main sheet block falls onto the forward deck.  The shackle holding it on to the boom has failed!  So there will be no mainsail today.  Richard takes the blame.  He thinks he must not have done up the shackle properly when the mast went back up and he redid all the ropes.  Richard rigs up the rest of the mainsheet bits and attaches them directly to the boom, but the boom is still rocking around in what is a fairly lumpy sea.  He eventually has to rig up a preventer to stop the boom moving.

The good thing is that the wind is getting stronger and is directly behind.  That being the case sailing on just the genoa is fine.  We are making about 5 knots and going nicely.  Richard says it did occur to him just to sail on genoa before the main sheet fell down!

I did not sleep well last night, so I have a snooze in the cockpit.  I wake up to find that we are only 45 mins out of port.  We have a quick lunch (I made sandwiches this morning) and then come into the Old Port in Toulon, where we were before.  This time we are on an inside pontoon, because the visitor pontoon is more or less filled with an enormous trimaran!  It is getting late so we get to work.  I start sorting out clothes while Richard takes down the sails.  Then I go to the shops just to get the minimum we need to eat tonight and tomorrow.  We shall do a fast day tomorrow, which makes things a little easier.  I will have to do the last of the laundry and clean the inside of the boat.

Richard has spoken to the boat yard.  Everything is fine for Friday.  High winds may cause a problem, but they will sort it out… We will see.

Tuesday 1 October

It is my birthday, but perhaps least said the better. As previously discussed, no presents, but not even a proper birthday card-just a postcard bought locally, yesterday no doubt.  We have really terrible internet connection here, even with the Domino, so I can’t even tell if anyone has sent me an e-mail in the morning.  Later in the day I did get e-mails, skype messagea and texts from the boys, my sister, Wednesday and some friends. So maybe somebody out there thinks of me.

The weather is nice, if not spectacular.  We could have taken the boat out and anchored near a beach, but I wasn’t in the mood, so we took a walk to the other side of the Island instead.  It was an easy walk, but about 4 miles and I am not sure it did my knee any good at all.  So back to the boat for a light lunch using up food we have.  We must get rid of it all or throw it out within 4 days!

Spent the afternoon on the boat and even had a little sleep.  By the time we came to, the harbour office had closed so we can’t pay until tomorrow.  One thing I have forgotten to mention in this log is the unusual aircraft we have been seeing.  The other day as we left le Ciotat, we saw a bright yellow thing flying very low, so low it looks like it could hit another boat’s mast.  Then we see what it is doing.  It is an emergency fire fighting plane practicing picking up water from the sea and spraying it over a fire.  It does this 4-5 times just as we are leaving the port.  Another sight was when we were coming back from Porquerolles the first time.  Then we saw 7 fighter jets flying in close formation.  As they approached Toulon the let off ‘bleu blanc rouge’ smoke.  Then on the way here we were buzzed a number or times by what looked like an old WW11 plane.  Finally today as we were in the cockpit no less than 4 fire fighting plans started practicing picking up water just in the bay outside the marina.  All very interesting.

As we are going to a posh restaurant for dinner we decide to shower in the toilet block not on the boat even though we have to pay for the showers.  It isn’t much, but after paying about 30 euros for the night you would not have thought it necessary to charge another 1.5 euro for a shower.

I get back to the boat first and start to dress for dinner.  I just get into my posh jump suit when another boat starts to come in.  The wind is blowing a bit- it is a four- though nothing like what it was doing when we came in yesterday.  The boat starts to make an approach and gets it wrong so pulls out and tries again.  As I am in going out clothes there isn’t much I can do.  Anyway there are two Frenchmen on the pontoon to help and the boat seems to have a crew of 4 men and two women.  But just to make sure everything is alright I go out on deck.  Richard is still not back from the shower, so I am on my own.  The boat is a 40ft Beneteau.  It seems to be coming in very nicely and well away from us when suddenly the bow blows around right in the direction of our bow.  Dressed or not I run forward to fend off and manage to grab its pushpit and try to push them off.  However, the boat is very heavy and It has a huge anchor protruding out the front.  So while I am able to keep the boat from ramming us I can’t keep it far enough away, and the anchor smashes out starboard navigation light.  Well, it could have been a lot worse, but it figures we would have a breakage on my birthday.  The skipper is terribly apologetic and immediately says he will go to the chandlery in the morning to buy us a replacement and pay for its installation.  When Richard finally comes back he sees the damage and is content with what has been offered.

Off we go to the harbour office where we will be picked up to be taken to the Langoustier restaurant.  It seems that is the only way to get there and back and the hotel and restaurant provides this chauffeur service.  The restaurant is modern and overlooks the sea.  In fact it overlooks the bay where we anchored last time.  I choose the middle priced menu because I don’t see me eating 7 courses plus two amuse bouches.  We start with a glass of champagne.  Then come the tasters.  Very nice especially a foie gras mousse served in a little cup to look like a cappuccino!  The food was very nice, though I thought the fish was slightly overcooked.  The best part was the dessert.  I have been disappointed by the desserts so far.  Too small, too precious and not rich enough.  But this was great fun.  It was a modern take on Black Forest Gateau.  A large rectangular plate had three little cakes on in all made in the shape of a cherry.  There were a number of marinated cherries and two little round red things which turned out to be chocolates filled with cherry liqueur, scrummy.  Oh, there was also a small scoop of black cherry sorbet.  As cherries are just about my favourite fruit, it was great for me.

So we are driven back to the port.  On the way back to the boat we stop outside the chandlery that has free WIFI.  The signal is much better and I finally get my messages and am able to load the last two days’ Times.

Monday 30 September

The morning seems nice.  After yesterday’s rain it is bright and clear with blue skies.  Richard rows over to the harbour office and pays for our last two nights and returns reporting that the weather forecast is as expected.  Clear with wind from behind at force 4-6.  So we are off to Ile de Porquerolles.  We had hoped to anchor for at least the afternoon or even the night, but it looks like the wind will be too strong for that, so we will just set out for the marina.

All goes well to start.  The winds are about a 4 and we are sailing quite nicely.  Very soon however, they pick up and it is about a steady 6 most of the way.  With a following wind that doesn’t seem too bad.  However, when we get to Sicie Point it is miserable again.  That damn point - this is the third time around it and two of the three have been in winds of over 24 knots.  We try to do a controlled gybe, but the wind gets hold of the sails and with so much weather helm, I can’t keep her on course.  So in the midst of the worst of the seas we have to take two reefs in.  Then we can gybe and on this course, the seas, which have built a bit, feel better.  Still, I should have taken a pill.  By the time we can see the harbour I am feeling fairly queasy.  The wind is now a pretty steady 26-28 knots.  We manage to get the main down, but not neatly and I am worried about Richard going forward too much in this wind.  Then Richard has a really good idea – he spots a place where other boats are anchored and it is quite a bit calmer, even though the wind is still blowing full force.  We put down the anchor and in peace and quiet are able to wrap up the mainsail and get all the fenders and lines out.  So after a ten minute or so respite it is on to the harbour.  I was worried there might not be room, but there are plenty of places.  However, Richard does not want to be on the far end where it is practically empty.  So he goes up the pontoon.  He spots a space which is fairly big being between two small boats, both with people on board who could help us.  It looks like we will need help as it is still blowing top of a 6, bottom of a 7.  We just can’t get in to the space.  We are being blown sideways and the wind is so strong the bow thrusters can’t push us hard enough.  So we go to look for somewhere easier to berth, but still not at the further more exposed end.  We spot a space big enough for at least two boats and dive for it.  To start with we seem to be doing well, but at the last minute all hell breaks loose and we are blown hard onto a 34ft Bavaria.  Luckily there is crew on the Bavaria who fend us off well and we put lots of fenders out.  But it is hell to moor.  The wind is blowing us sideways so hard that to pull us into position I have to put the lines on the winches and winch us in to position.  Richard and I both have to tug with all our might to get the forward line hard enough to pull us out also.  But with the help of two very nice Frenchmen and the winches we are finally safely in!  Whew!

Richard goes to book us in.  I vaguely remember there being a launderette here and ask Richard to enquire about it.  He returns confirming that it is right around the corner from the boat.  So we spend the afternoon doing laundry.  It doesn’t cover everything I need to wash before we go home, but it makes a good dent in it.  Really I am just left with the sheets and duvet cover we are sleeping on and some of the last bits of clothes we are sailing in.  That gets us a bit ahead of the game.

Regretfully, although we can get some free WIFI none of the signals are strong enough to get the Times.  The same goes for the Domino.  It seems that Orange coverage here is also very week.  So I am reading my next book on the kindle and doing my tapestry.  That should keep me busy.

Sunday 29 September

A day of pure indulgence of all kinds.  Up fairly late.  Managed to get just enough free WIFI to download the main parts of the Sunday Times.  So spent the morning reading the paper and just mooching about.  At about midday all hell broke loose weather wise.  The forecast was for thunderstorms and indeed that is what we got.  Over an hour of torrential rain, and constant thunder and lightning.  At one stage the lightning was just overhead and kept making the lights blink.  I was sure we were going to be struck by a bolt of the stuff.  Richard calm as usual pointed out that our mast was smaller than most, so the higher ones were much more likely to get hit then us.  Anyway, nothing untoward happened except that we found a leak.  Water started to drip from the place where the wires come down the mast and into the boat – a leftover from when we put the mast back up, showing that the weather since mid July really hasn’t been so bad. It was pouring down through the wiring.  We did think that the wiring to the mast needed sealing after it was put back up.  We have not had such heavy rain (which is good) to prove that there is a problem.  Richard can’t find any sealant, but we will need to do it after the rain stops in any event. 

With the terrible weather we stay in and have a light lunch.  We then get ready to go to the Thalasso.  Luckily the rain stops and the sun actually comes out and we set off.  The treatments are fun.  We each have a bath with different additions which is sort of like a jacuzzi, but instead of bubbling all the time it works its way around the body sort of massaging you.  Then we each have a wrap.  It was somewhat different from wraps I had before in that you rested on a water bed that was collapsed about your to form the wrap.  Last Thalasso treatment was for me a funny massage lying on a water bed that had pressure put through it to form a massage.  Richard had the jets of water sprayed on him.  Then we each had gentle massages under a spray of sea water.  All very relaxing and very wet!  After our treatments we went into their Thalasso pool, which was just a big set of different kinds of Jaccuzzi, rather fun.

So, well washed, we set off back to the boat.  Stop for a drink on the front, and have a local Sangria.  On the boat I start reading a new book.  I miss old Leopold Bloom!  The sun is now out and it is quite a pleasant afternoon.  So we spend a lot of time in the cockpit.

Then out to dinner.  We have chosen a restaurant recommended in the Michelin guide.  It has no rosettes, but does have a very good write up.  And it really comes up to its reputation.  The food is as good as some of the one rosette restaurants we have eaten in.  The service, which is all done by one waitress (but it is a small restaurant with only about 15 people in for the evening), is excellent and friendly.  We have a lovely meal and are now back on the boat.  The wind has dropped and it is a nice quiet evening.  However, the weather forecast for the next two days is for fairly strong winds (5-6) so our original plan of anchoring tomorrow night is looking doubtful.  We will leave in the morning and see how we get on.  At least the wind is predicted to be in the right direction for our next two sails (westerly when we want to go east and vice versa).

Saturday 28 September

Up fairly late.  The weather is not great.  Certainly it will not be a beach day.  It is overcast with some breaks in the clouds.  Also the wind is getting up, keeping it quite cool.  So we just have leisurely French breakfast.  Then we manage to download the Times, though not from the free WIFI, which only seems to work intermittently and only really for the internet and e-mails, not downloads.  We then decide to go out and try to provision the boat for the rest of the week.  We have dinner on board for tonight and will eat out tomorrow and on my birthday on Tuesday.  Monday will be a fasting day, so really there is not too much to buy.

Back to the boat and read the papers.  We have something new for lunch.  Instead of bread we have bought a Fougasse, stuffed bread specialty of the area.  It is a sort of cross between a loaf of bread and a pizza.  Very interesting, though Richard did find it a bit heavy on the black olives which he doesn’t eat!  We have decided to just have a quiet day today.  The weather forecast for tomorrow is bad.  Rain and thunderstorms with high winds.  We have found that there is a Thallassotherapy hotel here and we will try to book a session for tomorrow.  First however, Richard is going to use the free internet to get us organised for when the boat comes out.  First he books us into the best hotel in Vence (just inland from Nice) with a two rosette restaurant.  That will be my delayed birthday treat.  Then after a lot of effort he manages to book us a car to go from Toulon to be returned to Nice airport.  Then he books us an hotel for the last night at the airport, as we have a morning flight.  Finally he books us into the one rosette restaurant at Porquerolles which we couldn’t get in to the other day, for my birthday.  We find that they include a lift to the place from the port!  So we hope our last 4 days are now all sorted out.

We take the long way around walking to the hotel that does the Thalasso, and yes they can book us in for tomorrow afternoon.  So we have chosen three treatments and a massage each.  We don’t think we will need to shower tomorrow!  On the way back stop at the posh Italian ice cream parlour and indulge in good sized cones!  My weight is not going to appreciate all this indulgence.

Back to the boat and I spend the afternoon finishing off Ulysses!  Yes on the fourth attempt I have finally finished it.  I don’t think I understood more than half of it and I shall probably have to read it again, but I do have a great sense of achievement.  Richard suggests a glass of champagne to celebrate, but I will save that for my birthday.  Dinner on board.  Made a cote de boeuf with pommes Lyonaisse.   More calories! 

The wind has really got up this afternoon.  Here in the harbour it is blowing a 6.  Hope it gets better when we want to move on Monday.