Alderney
Position: 49°42’45.0″N 2°11’42.8″W Hitching a ride on the current from St. Vaast we crossed the top of the Contentin Peninsula as far as Cherbourg. For the second time in our lives, we decided we didn’t want to explore Cherbourg. From …
Saint-Vaast-la-Hogue
Position: 49°35’16.6″N 1°15’48.8″W Turning back the clock a couple of weeks, it is time to bring you up to date on our adventures between Dieppe and Paimpol. One of the nicest anchorages on the Cherbourg peninsula sits just outside the …
Brittany and the Amoco Cadiz
Position: 48°35’57.0″N 4°44’06.9″W Brittany’s coastline is as rugged and beautiful as it gets. New Englanders would recognize the jagged rocks and tenacious pines that fade in and out of the fog that forms when warm air meets cool Atlantic waters. …
Norman Leer
Position: 49°55’40.7″N 1°04’57.8″E “Before you get out of the slings, turn on your engine and make sure the propeller spins in the right direction,” our mechanic told us, “…it shouldn’t be a problem, but just in case.” Minutes later, Aleta …
The Last of Belgium and a Bit of Britain
Position: 51°07’46.4″N 2°45’05.3″E Never a truer word was spoken than those by that immortal wag Anonymous who once quipped, “Cruising is the art of repairing your boat in exotic places.” Some folks might not see Belgium as ‘exotic’, and with …
Bruges and Ghent
Position: 51°03’24.5″N 3°43’32.5″E Mention Bruges to any movie-goer and they will inevitably quote Ray, Colin Farrell’s doomed Irish hitman from the film In Bruges. “F*****g Bruges!” they will say. Ray doesn’t like Bruges one bit. To be fair, it would …
Learning our ABCs – 2
Position: 48°17’45.8″N 4°04’29.1″E From Clémency we made our way to Luxembourg City and spent a few hours walking around its centre. The Grand Duchy of Luxembourg exists mainly as a tax haven. Albeit with some very pretty places to visit. …
Learning our ABCs – 1
Position: 50°00’05.7″N 5°44’52.3″E A is for Ambition “Tempus fugit!”, said the man as he threw his alarm clock out of his window. Our clock was ticking. Aleta is on the hard and waiting for parts. She’s also waiting for us …
The Battle of the Bulge
Position: 50°10’32.9″N 5°31’19.3″E Rather than flog a dead horse, here’s what happened with the propellor. It’s been removed and we are patientily waiting for its replacement. As someone said, “If you use things they break.” And in this case, our …