… early start this morning. We were supposed to be present in the dining room at 06:00. And much to my own surprise I was there as well – which just goes to show that I can do it when I try, even though something awoke me at 03:30 and I didn’t go back to sleep for an hour and a half.

There were some things on the dictaphone that I listened too and which I’ll transcribe in due course. But a welcome return to Zero who has accompanied me on many travels in the past but hasn’t been around for a couple of years. How nice for once to see a familiar friendly face on my journeys around the ether.

When the tide turned at 07:00 or thereabouts we were all fed and watered (I actually had some bread and jam and a banana) and we set sail out of the bay where we had spent the night. Straight into a raging sea.

We were all allowed to take our turn at the wheel – to keep it between 45 and 50 degrees to the wind. And it’s not that easy steering a 67 foot yacht in a high wind at speed. It reminded me very much of trying to steer a Morris Marina – you turn the wheel and nothing happens for a couple of minutes and then suddenly it swings right round – far too far so you have to swing it back and inevitably repeat the process. I zigzagged my way down the Brittany coast like a drunken sailor as far as Cap Frehel and then someone else took the reins.

Talking of Cap Frehel, I took a photo of it as we went past. Regular readers of thie rubbish will recall that a few weeks ago I took a few photos of what I thought was Cap Frehel and there was a very distinctive object visible, even though it is 70 or so kms away from Granville. When I edit the photo that I took today, you can compare it with the one that I took then and draw your own conclusions.

Shortly after this I was overwhelmed with fatigue and started to have the shakes again and went freezing cold, which is not like me, hot stuff that I am. I think that I’ve eaten something that I shouldn’t. Only one cure for that, and that was bed. And there I stayed for … gulp … three and a half hours. I missed lunch, so I was back to two meals per day despite having had breakfast.

It took a while to recover my composure too.

By now we were sailing up a river towards the port of Lezardrieux where we eventually found a mooring. I was in charge of tying up the bow and I could have done a better job there too.

We had an aperitif (tisane for me) and then took the zodiac to the shore. A pretty little town it is and I’ll tell you why – and that is that even though the port car park has been remodelled like that of Granville, it’s not an appalling, tasteless patch of tarmac but nicely cobbled with trees and bushes, which just goes to show that you can do it if you try.

What a dreadful lack of taste there is in Granville.

There are also rows of low wooden posts around there marking the boundary as I discovered to my cost when I wasn’t looking where I was going.

Another thing here are public showers and I wish that I had known that before I came ashore.

Later in the evening we – three of us actually – went for a zodiac ride upriver. And enjoyable as it was, the rain put a dampener on the whole proceedings. We’re having no luck with the weather.

There had been pasta for lunch and there was some left over so I had that with one of the curries that I had brought.

But now it’s pouring down with rain outside and it’s not the weather to be out taking the air. I’m going to have another early night and hopefully have a good sleep. We’re back at sea tomorrow.

******* PHOTOS AND MORE CONTENT WILL BE ADDED IN DUE COURSE *******