Bonjour de Dunquerque

Hello from a very sunny and warm Dunquerque where the tans are coming on a treat!

No sooner did we begin to settle in Calais than we discovered that two of the locks in Calais are broken and are late in being repaired (but which was not on the canal route website!) so we had to move up the coast 20 miles to Dunquerque and enter the canal system there.  We are learning to expect the unexpected in France ...

So the Skipper and First Mate set to work on a new passage plan on one of Skipper's Dad's (we'll call him the Admiral!) very old charts.  It just goes to show that you don't need GPS or any gizmos to get from A-B.  Skipper's navigation once again was spot on.  Sure, we've got the nav aids in case we need them but essentially we're plotting courses manually - I reckon it keeps you more engaged in what you're doing.

Thankfully it was a beautiful day after gale force winds the afternoon before - 33 knots of wind recorded in Calais (which meant we had to baton the hatches, fender up and wait it out.  The boat was heeling about 25 degrees on the mooring - quite scary!)

We left Calais yesterday at 08:30 and with a very strong tide under us arrived at Dunquerque in 3 hours.  First Mate saw a porpoise en route and some very large containers passed very close to us - hardly leaving a ripple behind them!

A bit too close for comfort!

We passed the Dunquerque Sands where Operation D-Day took place.  It put into perspective our hiccough with our proposed route when you think what our soldiers went through.  So much history here ... Dunquerque will be regional town of culture at the end of May so if you want a long weekend in a lovely town head here for much pomp & splendour.

"Reward" is gathering many admiring glances & comments - a French couple came aboard as it's the kind of boat they're looking for.  We also met another UK couple with a Southerly 115 and they're en route to the Baltic today.  The design is becoming obsolete in favour of the more angular yachts and think that's why "Reward" stands out.  A boat builder's saying is that if it looks right it generally is.  In addition it has a lifting keel which allows us to get in and out of places in low water.

So today (Monday) we set about getting the mast down and buying our licence to go through the canals - not before we check our proposed route though!

Over & out for now me hearties - ooh, argggh!!!

F&M
xx