Tuesday 9 July

We had a fairly comfortable night, but got up early so we could make it to Cap D'Adge this afternoon.  So I go off to buy us French breakfast.  This town is well supplied with small shops including at least three bakeries.  We luxuriate in our first real French breakfast of pain au chocolat, croissant and bread for over a week.

After breakfast we wait for Henri, but it is clear he is very busy with other things.  He seems to be the only person in the yard working at the moment.  While we wait to have our bottle screws properly tensioned, he lifts at least 4 boats our of the water.  Richard makes good use of the time and puts back all the lines and the mainsail.  He can't do the enoa because the forestay has been put on backwards, so that must await Henri to fix it.

As planned fairly early I go to the market.  It is a small market, but the produce is very good.  There is excellent fruit and veg, fish, and some local cheese.  I buy up as much as I dare to be able to fit in the fridge including a nice looking bream type fish to BBQ for dinner.

Lunch time comes and goes and Henri is still not available to finish off our mast installation.  We have four problems, namely, tightening the bottle screws, repositioning the forestay, changing the bulb on top of the mast for the anchor light and soldering our radio cable back together.

It is clear Henri will not be able to see to us before lunch.  The problem with going to someone so well thought of is that they are very busy!  So we go to the beach for a dip to cool off and them back to the boat for quiches I bought in the market.  By 5:00pm we are still no further forward.  Then finally after 6 Henri comes.  He sorts out the forestay and tightens all the bottle screws in record time.  However he cannot solder our radio cable.  For that we need an electrician.  They give us the name of someone in Cap D'Agde, so that should be OK.  Henri says he can go up the mast to change the bulb in the anchor light, but doesn't making it before closing time.

So it is another night on the boatyard pontoon.  It could be worse.  The town is nice and we have sufficient facilities here, and of course it is free.  So we go back to the beach for a last evening swim and return to the boat.  We can now open our champagne and finally celebrate the fact that we are now a sailing boat and are in the Med!  Tomorrow we will go to Cap D'Agde (with or without help from Henri).