Normandy and Back
Dai and Caroline

Weds 19 May 1999
5 trips in dinghy assisted by Rodney
1750 Leave mooring (Pag)
1835 On hook Branklet

Thurs 20 May
0915 Weigh anchor Branklet Log 180.2
0938 Zero trip log at Inner Crouch
1000 Outer Crouch. SUN APPEARS. Barometer 1019 mb Log 1.8
1115 Whitaker 6. Engine on. 7.5
1240 SW Sunk Beacon - not our favourite environment! 14.7
1310 Barrow 10
1417 Edinburgh (Red can) opp South Cardinal No 1 Edinburgh
1630 North Foreland (Wpt)
1715 Off Ramsgate, wait for ferry “Eurovoyager”
1750 Tied up in marina
1830 Dine at Noknoi (under RTYC) Great meal – Spring Rolls, Golden Parcels, Beef Yum Neai, Prawn, Squid, Egg Rice, Mixed Vegetables, Expresso Coffee, Bottle House Medium Dry, £32.30.

Fri 21 May
0915 Leave Ramsgate exit
1015 Deal Pier 46.9
1120 Off Dover Eastern Entrance. Escorted in after ferries by Harbour Launch.
1210 On berth 57 in Dover Marina – made very welcome by staff 54.2
1245 Royal Cinque YC. Plaice and chips £3.50: Scampi and chips £4.50. Shepherd Neame £1.50

Sat 22 May
0905 Clear Dover Western Entrance
1230 Dungeness. Wind freshening and seas very lumpy - keep well off headland but still rough
1330 Rye Channel red and white buoy. Wind on the nose F6-7 and seas becoming big rollers and rogue waves hitting beam like concrete. Tack headings 210 and 300 deg mag.
1900 Royal Sovereign marina (nearly 10 hours) soaked to the skin. 1 roll in main and jib clew 2 ft forward of shrouds - crew magnificent. Log 105.9
1910 DISCOVER BURGEE HAS BLOWN AWAY ! 

Sun 23 May
1100 Buy expensive stool in supermarket (£1)
1320 Superb lunch in YC. Chicken, stuffing, roast, boiled potatoes, swede, cauliflower and greens, sausage, steak and kidney pie £5.00 each Marina fee £16.98 including electricity.

Mon 24 May
0915 Leave Eastbourne shore. Log 107.0
1130 Off Newhaven. Wind 4-5 oc 6 Long tack from Beachy Head with Brighton 303 deg M holding 310 deg most of the time.
1250 Inside Brighton breakwaters (£19 per night !!!) Log 126.0

Tues 25 May
1100 No 7 bus from marina to Lanes (10 mins)
1130 Coffees in Lanes 
1300 Donatello’s. Moule x2 (£7.90), Coke and 2 sweets (enormous) total £15.70
1545 Caroline sets off and returns with new battery - good effort
1800 Battery fitted. Shopping ASDA – delicious 
1801 crabs for tea.
2215 A S T B (and so to bed)

Weds 26 May
530 Leave Brighton. Sunny. Wind SW @ 10-12 Knots Course heading 170 deg Mag.
730 4.3 NM on 191 deg to WPT on edge of westgoing separation zone Log 138.0
1424 Sight Normandy
1630 Off Fecamp Log 138.0
1645 FWE 194.1
1900 Opening time at GRAND BANC cafe 63 Berigny. Super 4 course meals Fruit de Mer 6 Escargot
Veal Plaice, Carrolet, Asparagus, Spinach, Potato, Chicory, French Fries, Swede, Meringue with coffee ice cream, Profiteroles with ice cream and cream and wine flavour, Choice of ten cheeses, Coffee. Bottle of Muscadet. Total £28.66.

Thurs 27 May
0900 Croissants for breakfast
1010 Clear Fecamp exit Log 195.3
1415 Enter Le Havre
1450 FWE. SUNNY AND HOT.Thunder promised and F7 Plymouth Log 222.0 (Navtex 0918 hrs)
1830 Ashore - like a giant council estate of 1000’s of flats - result of being flattened in WW2
1930 Eat aboard for chicken coriander and spuds - lovely
2000 Meet couple from an Oyster - they had best spinnaker run for ten years. Victory 40 next to us heading for the Med through the canals.
2200 Wind increased to Force 7 West.

Fri 28 May
1238 Chanal du Rouen Log 229.0
1355 Enter lock for Honfleur - just down stream from Pont du Normandie – beautiful bridge
1500- Ashore centre of Honfleur - Moule and Cidre x2, Coffee, Ice Cream, Strawberries,
1800 Tomatoes, Raclette and Camembert cheeses.
1900 Bernard Matthew’s !! Turkey - very good

Sat 29 May
0830 Leave Honfleur Lock
0905 End of training wall beacon Log 244.6
1200 Through lock and on pontoons Deauville
1215 Ashore - wonderful super beach (with the planks) Detto (road) train circular tour around town - wonderful trip - magnificent hotels
1330 Lunch at pavement cafe - achieve long-standing ambition to try Normandy Tripe - it was awful – Lancashire Tripe on the other hand is gorgeous - so disappointed. Marina charge was £8 cf Brighton £19!

Sun 30 May
0950 Exit Deauville lock for return to Fecamp
1245 Clear Port de Antifier breakwaters (oil terminal) Log 270.5
1515 Enter Fecamp Log 286.0
1600 Walk to Benedictine Palais then to LE PROGRESSE near lock, super meal Fruit de Mer x 2 Cod, Chicken, Cheeses (RACLETTE our favourite) and coffees. 286F 
2100 See Shoreham lads after Great Escape (Brighton to Fecamp) 105 starters

Mon 31 May
0900 Shoreham lads return - lifeboat had taken one crew to hospital with breathing problems - later recovers OK
1500 Meal at Pizza near Le Progresse. Ham, cheese salad, egg and cheese galette, Crepe Sucre, Chocolate Mousse, 50cl Muscadet. 133 Fr

Tues 1 June
950 Exit Fecamp for St Valery en Caux. Visibility 2-3 NM . Rain
1230 Through lock/bridge in to St Valery en Caux Log 300.8
2000 Super meal in L’Eden Hotel - mussels, whitebait, smoked salmon terrine, steak in pepper, cheese, creme brule. Bottle Bordeaux. £26.79 total.

Wed 2 June
Forecast Force 8. See Peugeot 50cc moped (new) at £414 - double this in UK!

Thurs 3 June
Force 5-7 inc 8 SW

Fri 4 June
Force 6-7-8

Sun 6 June
At last wind abates
1510 Enter lock - strong adverse stream despite waiting for level to equate. Crowd gathers! Full power and enter lock - go astern involuntarily 3-4 times; eventually Caroline hauls out jib and we escape to the cheers and waving of the crowd.
1800 Enter Dieppe FWE Log 316.5
1900 Le Haven restaurant. Fruit de Mer, Monkfish Liver, Fish au Gratin, Apple Pancake, Chocolate cake and custard, Nenchatil cheese. Bottle Muscadet ’97 £27.10. Great Meal.

Mon 7 June
1100 Exit Dieppe after “falling leaf” manoever in light airs 
1940 FWE Boulogne Log 369.7

Tues 8 June
Forecast 4-5 oc 6 (French) Forecast 3-4 (UK)
1050 Leave Boulogne Force 5 outside Boulogne; Force 6 off Cap Griz Nez; Force 6 gusting 7 mid channel; Force 7 gusting 8 then Force 8 nearing Dover. Very heavy seas on port bow but rogue waves from abeam like 1-2 tons of concrete hitting hull and 2-3 filling cockpit. NASTY. Get permission from Dover Port Control for immediate entry at Western Entrance. What a relief!! Log 390.0

Wed 9 June
Sunny at the moment.
0745 Exit Dover (West)
0845 Off Deal (inshore route) Log 404.7
1005 Pontoon Ramsgate Log 411.1
1230 Excellent Steak and Kidney £3.50 (home made) Shepherd Neame £1.60 at Royal Temple YC. I 
like Ramsgate.

Thurs 10 June
0925 Leave Ramsgate
0945 Pump Bilge - rather a lot
1225 Edinburgh No 1 Log 427.4
1330 Edinburgh No 9
1405 SW Sunk Beacon Hurrah! Log 437.4
10.5ft min at Sheerness HW +5; Barometer 102 mb and Sheerness Range of 12.4 ft; 2 days after neaps.
1515 Pump out again 38 strokes (after 3 ½ hrs)
1535 Whitaker 6
1805 On mooring Cliff Reach
1848 48 strokes on pump
1900 Caroline locates leak mid bottom of port locker

Fri 11 Jun
0700 150 strokes to empty bilge
1000 Essex Marina to check leak. No external damage visible.

25 DAYS ASHORE for Caroline to saw through prop shaft (3 hours) saw coupling, install new coupling, stern tube hose etc.

6 Jul
Re launch - no leak visible

11 Jul
Sonata “Maggie May” demolishes pulpit etc. on Burnham mooring whilst lunching ashore.

21 Aug
Relaunch Log 504.0