25th Juky
25th July 2006
Summer doesn’t really lend itself to computing, especially with such high temperatures….but here’s our update!!
After leaving Agde for the second time, we headed east along the south coast of France. We had listened to so many stories about bad winds, expense, insects etc that we really did not know what to expect! But deep down we didn’t think that the story tellers were used to east coast sailing!! We have had some windy days… but with clear blue skies, warm wind and blue sea…exactly what we wanted!! So we had some superb days sailing along the coast. Most nights we got in close to the coast or tucked under a breakwater and spent the night at anchor - then we could enjoy a swim, rather than stuffed in a hot marina. We even sneaked ashore with Dom - very few doggy beaches in this part of the world!! I got caught once and had a severe ticking off from a fat man in a uniform - lots of apologies!!!
We passed Sete, then skirted along the Cam argue - wonderful to see flocks of Flamingos fly across at sunset! We anchored off one beach where there were hundreds of people, mostly family groups, who had set up camp on the beach. Some even had their picnic tables standing in the shallow waters. The sea is SO used…water skiing, jet skis, wind surfers, kite surfers, kite boarders, fishing, diving, snorkelling, par ascending..it all happens here!
After Sausset les Pins we went to the islands which lie just off Marseille - lots of swimming and snorkelling - the water was 27degrees!! Then into Marseille - very impressive but unbearably hot!! 40degrees…time to get out to sea and find a cool breeze - but instead of being in an oven we were in a fan oven!! Breeze,yes; cool, NO!!
We are now exploring the area between Marseilles and Cassis called ‘The Callanques’ - very impressive! Enormous limestone cliffs with mountainous peaks, then narrow inlets which boats can enter and anchor. Often the sea is that lovely clear green. We see lots of different fish - highlight today was a cuttle fish swimming along the bottom! It is quite busy - but not too bad. We find watching school parties very entertaining - don’t think risk assessments have reached France yet i.e teachers sit under parasol while children high dive into sea; or groups in boats who are all thrown out; teacher wanders along behind a group scrambling along a sheer cliff path in their bare feet to find the best fishing spot!!
We can’t hurry this part of the coast!
Summer doesn’t really lend itself to computing, especially with such high temperatures….but here’s our update!!
After leaving Agde for the second time, we headed east along the south coast of France. We had listened to so many stories about bad winds, expense, insects etc that we really did not know what to expect! But deep down we didn’t think that the story tellers were used to east coast sailing!! We have had some windy days… but with clear blue skies, warm wind and blue sea…exactly what we wanted!! So we had some superb days sailing along the coast. Most nights we got in close to the coast or tucked under a breakwater and spent the night at anchor - then we could enjoy a swim, rather than stuffed in a hot marina. We even sneaked ashore with Dom - very few doggy beaches in this part of the world!! I got caught once and had a severe ticking off from a fat man in a uniform - lots of apologies!!!
We passed Sete, then skirted along the Cam argue - wonderful to see flocks of Flamingos fly across at sunset! We anchored off one beach where there were hundreds of people, mostly family groups, who had set up camp on the beach. Some even had their picnic tables standing in the shallow waters. The sea is SO used…water skiing, jet skis, wind surfers, kite surfers, kite boarders, fishing, diving, snorkelling, par ascending..it all happens here!
After Sausset les Pins we went to the islands which lie just off Marseille - lots of swimming and snorkelling - the water was 27degrees!! Then into Marseille - very impressive but unbearably hot!! 40degrees…time to get out to sea and find a cool breeze - but instead of being in an oven we were in a fan oven!! Breeze,yes; cool, NO!!
We are now exploring the area between Marseilles and Cassis called ‘The Callanques’ - very impressive! Enormous limestone cliffs with mountainous peaks, then narrow inlets which boats can enter and anchor. Often the sea is that lovely clear green. We see lots of different fish - highlight today was a cuttle fish swimming along the bottom! It is quite busy - but not too bad. We find watching school parties very entertaining - don’t think risk assessments have reached France yet i.e teachers sit under parasol while children high dive into sea; or groups in boats who are all thrown out; teacher wanders along behind a group scrambling along a sheer cliff path in their bare feet to find the best fishing spot!!
We can’t hurry this part of the coast!
posted by Sue at 3:24 AM
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