Wednesday 10 July

We have a leisurely morning waiting to see if Henri will be able to go up the mast to sort out the light which isn't working.  It is very clear from early on that this won't be possible.  He is running all over the place.  By 9:30 he has already lifted two boats and launched another. The poor man is working himself to death.  So we decide it is time to go.  We pay up and find they have hardly charged us anything.  Almost half of what we paid to have the mast taken down.  I hope this man is making money.

So finally we slip the mooring and we put up some sails!  Yes, we are actually sailing our own boat in the Mediterranean.  For some time I thought it would never happen.  We are told that Cap D'Agde is only one hour away, but of course the wind is on the nose.  Anyway, we need to go 3 miles out to dump our holding tank.  So we have a gentle sail in modest force 3 winds taking two big tacks to get to Cap D'Agde.  We stop at the Capitainerie and they can give us a berth until early September.  We don't get an assigned berth, just the right to go on to the visitor pontoons just near the town.  But that is fine and it costs less than it would in the Solent, so we are pleased.  We choose a berth and settle in.  We have found the bakery and some of the shops.  We meet another English couple who have had their boat her for the last 6 years.  They tell us where the launderette is and give us hints about the shops and restaurants.

The marina is huge and there are thousands of boats here of all types, from small day boats to Mega Yachts.  It is broken up into different basins, so it does not seem like just a parking lot for boats.  It is surrounded by the usual seaside shops, cafes and down market restaurants.  But it is all sweet and quite pleasant.  We like it.  We make it to the chandlery and a sailmaker and buy the few things we need.  Richard needs extra bits for the rigging and little sliders for the new mainsail.  We also buy the French annual guide called Bloc Marine for the area in the Med.  Given there are no tides to speak of that should prove good enough for the next two seasons.  Richard even manages to buy a wind scoop and it seems to work!  As I write this in the cabin it is reasonably comfortable with a temperature of about 25C.

We wanted to eat out, and have done so, but there really are no decent restaurants just here by the marina.  We are told there is a very good one a fair walk from here, but when we try to ring them we get a recorded message that they don't open on Wednesdays.  Dinner is a simple meal in a very touristy place, but it is nice to get out and sitting at the marina side makes very good people watching.

Tomorrow we will try to do all the domestic things that need doing.