Tuesday 24 September

The weather seems better than we thought it would be today, so we have decided to go to the Calanques.  Richard has identified a rather wild looking calanque called de Figuerolles.  So we make our way there.  There is very little wind 5knots maximum, but on the nose, so it was a day of motoring.  When we got to the Calanque it was very beautiful, but despite what the pilot book said, totally unsuitable to anchor in.  In fact, in the centre was a buoy when had a ‘ no anchoring’ symbol on it.  A small motor boat was anchored near to it, but I’m not sure if he was policing the place or just taking the Micky.  Anyway, we could not find anywhere shallow enough to anchor where we could swing and could see nothing to tie a line to on shore.  Also the wind was howling down the water and it looked pretty uncomfortable.  So we went away to find another.  We were not the only ones to do that.  We saw at least 2 motor boats and another sailboat do exactly the same thing!

So well on past Cassis and to the Calanque de Sormiou.  This is a much wider inlet and there are already three or four boats anchored including a large catamaran, which is clearly a party boat that will leave before nightfall.  Anchoring here is something of a problem because it is quite deep.  The most shallow place we can find is 10meters deep.  That means putting out 30 meters of chain.  Also all the other boats are swinging, and there does not seem to be a convenient way to tie to the bank in the available space.  So we need a 60 metre turning circle!  Well, we shall just have to see.

We put out the anchor and we seem to hold well.  The boat closest to us is swinging and we seem to be swinging exactly the same way.  Therefore it does not seem that we will swing into each other during the night.  It is lovely and hot and we both put on bathing suits.  I put on a bikini!  But we soon become a tourist attraction.  The boats taking trippers to see the calanques all come in here.  They come right up to where we are anchored, turn around and go out again.  In one 15 minute period we had 4 boats come and go.  They are all looking at us (and the other boats) and taking photos.  Why they want a photo of fat old me in a bikini, heaven only knows!  These tour boats also travel at a fairly good pace which means we keep getting rocked around by their wake.

Despite all this it is really a lovely spot to stay.  By dusk the party boat has gone, and the tour boats seem to give up.  It is quite peaceful although there is a slight swell which means the boat does rock back and forth.  Well that will put us to sleep!  The Swiss party on the boat next to us go in the water.  We think about it, but the instruments show that the water temperature is only 18C, and we will soon lose the sun behind the high cliffs of the calanque.  So we don’t swim.  We just have a two course dinner on board and a nice bottle of white wine, so who can complain!