Sunday 20th June
We spent the day doing various jobs. JP completed the new outboard bracket that had started life in Gosport, been developed in Brest, and now was fitted in La Villaine. Mo had a cleaning session, cleaning down the headlining and woodwork in our cabin, and then the galley. It was quite windy and cold for most of the day. A number of British boats came down river, and we wondered whether there had been some sort of a rally at Redon. We moved down river during the evening and anchored about a couple of miles above the Arzal dam.
Monday 21st June
We were up early so that we were able to catch the 8o'clock lock down at the Arzal dam. We hovered around above the dam in company with several other boats, until eventually at about half past they raised the bridge to let us into the lock. We went down river with the tide which was just past high tide, so we had no problem with depth and had plenty of water over the bar. Once clear, we raised the main and set the jib in light south westerly winds that varied considerably in direction. This made the autohelm advise us whenever it felt that the wind had shifted, so that it needed to be reset. However, after tacking to the south, and tacking on a header, we found that we could comfortably make the course to clear the hazards on the way to the Morbihan. We arrived just before the tide turned, and having pushed our way in to the first part of the estuary, we decided rather late in the day to have a look at the Auray river. We reached the pool at De Bono but decided not to linger as if we stayed there we would have a job making against the tide up to Vannes in the morning. To make life interesting, JP set a route on the computer and entrusted Fuga to this and the autopilot, by instructing the autopilot to follow the track. One or two hazards not shown on the chart intervened, including some moored boats and a couple of Vedettes. The first of these was making a course in the opposite direction to us, and JP tried to show it a port bow. This was ignored, and the Vedette simply altered course to maintain a collision course, forcing JP to show it more port bow. Eventually, when all it did was to steer for us, JP turned sharply to port (wrong!), only to be confronted with another Vedette that had emerged from the bank to port. Stopping Fuga, this second Vedette relented and passed astern, while the first one went into the slip on the starboard side to drop its passengers. The French, particularly fishing boats and Vedettes, do not appear to have heard of keeping to the starboard bank, nor of passing port to port. Vedettes even seem to ignore starboard hand beacons, cutting inside them. We were unable to find an anchorage off Ile de Boedic in the now persistent rain, and were forced to back-track (having run aground in our endeavours to follow the Pilot guide's recommendations) to an anchorage off Ile d'Arz. This proved to be a good choice, and was very peaceful, although we anchored in only 4 metres.
Tuesday 22nd June
We got up and set off as soon as we could. It so happened that as we arrived at the swing bridge, it had just opened and we were able to pass straight through. Once into the wet basin, we started to look for a berth, but a chap from the marina indicated we could berth on a quay wall opposite most of the finger berths, below the main visitors area. This required rapid re-arrangement of warps and fenders, and we were assisted by a Belgian gentleman who patiently waited for us to come into the berth. 
Once berthed, we went ashore and had a brief look around, picking up bread for lunch. We exchanged SMS messages with Debbie, for her to let Phil and Francis know where to find us. We had a rest, the wind was up and it was raining hard most of the time, so we didn't venture out again. >
Wednesday 23rd June
We went on a major shopping spree, first visiting the market where we got most of our vegetables and salad stuff. JP visited the chandlers while Mo returned this booty to the boat, and then when she returned, we set off to find the supermarket. The town was crowded with people and grockles, as it was market day. We walked back around the outside of the walls and saw the gardens, realising that we should return with the camera. After lunch, we set off back again to take photographs, and to pick up some fruit. JP was also looking for a lighter fishing rod with a spinning reel to augment Mike's rod and heavy reel that he gave us from his trip to NZ and back. JP had invited some people on Melita opposite, and Peter and Cynthia (from St. Albans) came over at 6pm and stayed for a couple of hours. They had friends coming the following day who were non-sailors, but who were going to stay with them on the boat for a week of gentle island hopping. We enjoyed the Breton sausage with mash and baked beans that we had been sold along with pate and ham in the market during our morning expedition.
Thursday 24th June
We were looking at charts to try to decide where to go next, when Phil and Frances turned up at the boat. Phil and JP offloaded the car parked nearby, while Francis waited on the quay. She explained that she had unknowingly had a broken leg and been in pain for some considerable time. The tide was up, so it was reasonably easy for her to scramble down off the quay onto the deck, and thence into the cockpit. We had a long leisurely chat and lunch, but when it came for the time to go, the tide had fallen somewhat and the problem was how to get Frances up the wall again. She did very well with the aid of our rope ladder steps, normally used for boarding, suspended from the main halyard. After this, we went for a walk around some other gardens, and back through the old town, stopping to buy a book in French on fishing. JP hopes that he can learn to tie better knots using this. We then went aboard Melita, and learnt how the friends expected today had actually turned up yesterday evening, when Peter and Cynth were on board Fuga. JP then went out to the Irish pub to see England lose on penalties after 2-2 to Portugal, returning to find Mo asleep.
Friday 25th June
We were up early getting the boat ready for sea. We topped up the water tanks, and JP cleaned the windows, while Mo sorted and tidied below. At 10.40, we followed the crowd who had left as the lock opened, and just made the bridge as it opened for them. Once outside, we tried to find the fuelling berth referred to in the pilot guide by No 12 beacon, but there was no sign of it, and a chap we hailed had never heard of it. We decided to go into Crouesty Marina instead, in order to fill our tanks. We motored down the Morbihan, mostly into the light wind, and using the computer to dodge the rising tide. We arrived at Crouesty and went alongside the fuelling berth. Unfortunately it had the usual French credit card system which does not recognise and English chip and pin credit card. It was also opposite the Capitainerie. Unfortunately it was now lunchtime, and there was no response to the radio, and it was impractical to go across as it would either require launching the dinghy or a very long walk around the perimeter of the marina. So we decided to do without, as we had two spare cans. We left Crouesty by about 1400, and found a very light south easterly outside. We planned to get to Ile de Re, but there were a number of possible options if we felt we needed to stop short, including Ile de Yeu, and Les Sables d'Orlonne. Our first tack took us across to a point between Houat and the Teignhouse lighthouse, and then we went about with some hope of getting close to our waypoint east of Hoedic. JP went below for a read and snooze while Mo kept watch. After supper, what breeze there was had turned very variable and almost non-existant. We decided that Mo should take the next watch as JP was tired, and if we had to motor it was sensible to do it crossing the traffic making for the Loire estuary, in order to get this over with. JP didn't expect to see anything, so was happy to leave Mo in charge. But first, in case we needed it, JP decided to put the first of our spare cans of diesel in the tank. He then retired for a further read and snooze while Mo had to contend with a couple of tankers passing close behind.
Saturday 26th June
JP came to and came on watch about 0030, by which time the wind was picking up a bit. During the night, the wind came up until eventually JP was forced to put a reef in at 18 knots apparent. It was still southeasterly, and we were just about able to fetch our course to Ile de Yeu. Originally we had planned to go outside it, but this seemed to be extra distance, and would mean giving away ground to windward, so JP decided to put a tack in and come inside the island. Mo found it impossible to sleep in the forepeak, with the tacking, rough seas, and motion, but JP assured her that when we got some lee it would become more comfortable. It didn't - we continued to have a lively ride. JP stuck it out until Mo appeared about 0730. In the meantime he had provided a sea-sick pill to Mo which may have helped to knock her out for a bit longer. We had some breakfast of cereal and banana, before JP went to bed. We were close to St Gilles ... and were at this point still tacking southwards to close Les Sables d'Orlonne, although we hoped to reach Ile de Re. Mo called JP up for some advice when the autopilot decided to go on strike, but he returned to kip for a further spell. By the time he came to, Mo was entertaining a visiting pigeon who had landed on the bimini top. We thought he/she might be a little wary, so were careful not to disturb its rest. However, while Mo was down below, the pigeon became somewhat friendly, although refusing bread or water.
It made a tour of the cockpit hood, checked up on the Biscay pilots guide, had a go at JP's beer, tried to spill his nibbles, and finally had a quick check of the compass. JP was busy recording these antics, when the bird decided to come and have a closer talk, and flew onto his shoulder. Then suddenly, it flew off in a westerly direction (no land there?), only to be substituted by a bumble bee that took up residence on the steering wheel. Mo came up to find JP on the foredeck because of the bumble bee in the cockpit. At this point, the wind had died away and we were drifting along at about 2 knots, so JP decided to go fishing. In no time at all, the line was caught around a lobster pot, and we wondered what to do. Mo suggested trying to motor back against the now following wind, to see if we could retrieve our line. Thus we had been motoring for a minute or so, when suddenly there was a puff of smoke, and our always reliable Yanmar engine died and refused to start again. JP went into investigation mode, but it was only on returning to the cockpit to try once more, that he noticed we had much more 'fuel' in the tank than when we set out. At this point, he realised that he had not replaced the fuel filler cap on deck after he had emptied the can into the tank. Thus all the efforts that Mike and Sandy had made to replace the dubious filler fitting with a more watertight one were in vain. The cause of our problem was, JP estimated, 50 litres of sea water in our fuel tank. JP imagined many £ notes going down this particular drain, but set about trying to sort out the mess. In the process of clearing the fuel lines and replacing the fuel filters, he managed to break the sight glass on the primary filter/water separator. He disconnected the lines for both the engine and the generator from the tank, bypassed the broken filter, and set up the remaining spare fuel can with the engine feed and return lines. Having bled off all the spoiled fuel, the engine came back into life, much to our relief. By this time the breeze had freshened, and we were all systems go for our objective, St. Martins on Ile de Re. We arrived there, but as the tide would not be high enough for us to enter before close of business at 2200, we anchored off, had supper and went to bed.
Sunday 27th June
We had an uncomfortable night, as the wind had got up and veered north westerly and was blowing down the island, affording us no lee. We were anchored in shallow water. We got up, had breakfast, and started to dismantle the chart station in order to get at the fuel tank. Dehler had attempted to provide access to the fuel level sender in the top of the tank, and there was a further capped pipe, but neither were accessable because of the floor support (a wooden strut and fibreglass) that crossed over them. And so the chart table seat, chart storage, SSB control panel, etc. had to come out in order to lift the floor panel. The capped pipe looked promising, and on removal of the sender unit, seemed to make for the bottom of the tank. We attached a pipe, and used the pump that Bernard had bequeathed us with the boat attached to an electric drill to pump out the contents into a bucket. The first six buckets looked like, and (Mo assured JP), tasted like, sea water. On the seventh, there was a black mouldy material and this was followed by diesel. Very shortly after this, the diesel seemed reasonably clean and clear, so we decanted this via jugs to remove the decreasing amount of water present in each jugful. Water and diesel are immiscible, and the water sinks to the bottom. Having decided we were getting diminishing returns, we tried to check that there was no more water at the bottom via another pipe, without finding any. So we returned our clean diesel to the tank, and added an overdose of 'Fuel Set' and biocide for good measure. At this point we became concerned that we had insufficient fuel to allow us to replace some of the charge in the batteries, let alone get us to La Rochelle. We launched the dinghy and set off for the port of St. Martins, this seemed a long way away. The chandlers was open, so we bought an extra can, and went in search of the fuel. This was dispensed by the caretaker of some apartments at No 14, Le Quai, and on pressing the bell he duly appeared to help us. We dropped the fuel back at the dinghy, and went on a sight seeing trip. St. Martins is a delightful place, perhaps a bit of a grockle trap, but very nice, with its shops and restaurants. We found the church, and after a look around inside (where we saw a memorial to a large number of priests who were apparently marched off to exile in 1799 - by the English we wondered? -) we went up the bell tower to see the view from the top. Well worth 3Euros! When we emerged from the harbour in the dinghy we found the wind had veered to the north, and strengthened. Over the shallow approach to the harbour, this built up quite a chop, but when we approached Fuga, JP found he was thrown around in the dinghy on its short painter. After a bit of a struggle, we set up a long warp to the dinghy, and JP scrambled back on board somewhat relieved. Fuga was bucking and tugging at her anchor. Mo cooked supper, but did not have her heart in it to the extent of eating rather tired looking, although good enough tasting, broccoli with her salmon en croute, with potatoes. We started to try to re-assemble the chart station, but JP lost heart when Mo pointed out that the chart storage cupboard was in askew, then went to bed herself. JP did not like the fact that the wind had veered still more, and now had some east in it. We were on a lee shore, anchored as shallow as we had dared to get closer in for a lee the evening before, with hidden rocks on either side. We had not been able to run the generator, this not being connected to the main engine's private fuel supply, and the fuel feed arrangements had had to be dismantled. In any case, the fuel feed needed checking for water. Although we had run the engine for some time, the charge which started off at a respectable 45 amps or so soon fell away and was around the 20 amps after a short while. So JP was not keen on sleep, despite being tired, as the boat bucked around. It was on about the fourth occasion that the 'low battery' alarm on the charger/inverter sounded that JP managed to reset the alarm and get the whole unit to switch off. During one of these checks, JP found the depth reading only 1.5 metres below the keel, then at other times 3.0 metres. There was obviously something mysterious down there! However, we did not shift, and when at last the wind died and the alarm was silenced, the sky was beginning to lighten, JP finally got to sleep.
Monday 28th June
JP awoke at 0845 and complained of bad neck pain. This had probably been aggravated by the thumping in the dinghy the evening before, but originated from an incident back at Haslar, when the forward locker lid blew down and the catch shaft hit JP in the back of the neck. It had been giving trouble ever since, but had recently been better. Mo managed to show some tender loving care, rubbing in Ibulieve, and we got up to our usual breakfast of cereal and fruit. We set to, re-assembling the chart station and getting tools and gear put away so that we could sail. JP tied up the temporary fuel tank so that it was a little more secure. We were ready to set off as the lock in St. Martins opened, and numerous boats poured out. The modern boats were followed by three old timers, one British, that had been lying in the basin the evening before. We took photographs as they set sail, and followed them towards the impressive mile and half long bridge between the mainland and the Ile de Re. As we got under the bridge, the wind shifted, and began to freshen from the west. We found our way to the enormous Minimes marina, and luckily there was a berth available that we could just squeeze into without having to raft onto someone else. The lady at the Capitainerie gave JP a map, and showed where the supermarche was also where a Yanmar engineer could be found. JP refused her offer of bicycles, and returned to Fuga where we made ready our own. We found the Yanmar man closed up and away for the day, seeming perhaps a one man band, so decided to try another outfit. This was nearer the main town, so having found the place, and accepted his proposal to get a filter in for tomorrow, we set off to look at the town and the other basins there. We locked the bikes up with others, and set off on foot for a brief exploration. Returning, we found a chandlers and spent some time there rather abortively looking for certain items. At that point, we settled for a drink and supper, before looking at some of the photos taken over the last few days and writing up this journal. Rather too many photos of the pigeon, so some heavy editing is required.
Tuesday 29th June
We both benefited from the calm of the marina and enjoyed a good sleep, coming to at about 0845. Mo extracted one cup of tea out of the kettle, but the second tripped the breaker on the pontoon, so there was no excuse to lag in bed. Even so, by the time we had attended to our ablutions and had breakfast, JP was beginning to panic about getting to the Perkins distributor in time before lunch. We launched the bikes, and set off by the main road towards our objective, only going wrong once. The journey only took 10 minutes on the bike, so JP was panicking needlessly. He was surprised that the man produced not a complete filter, but merely a replacement for the broken glass - and at only 25euro this seemed a bargain. We returned via the chandlers, and swapped out the chart bought in error the evening before, with two others that would be more useful to us. One covers the Spanish coast as far west as Gijon, and since Mike went there, hopefully his charts which we have on board will take us most of the way south. On our return to Fuga, JP set about fitting the new glass and the spare filter (having found the rubber seals in the box after the breakage). Having spilled diesel rather noisily (swearing, that is) when connecting up the filter, he moved on to re-connect the Christmas trees tee-ing off from the tank feed and return pipes. Having already primed the new filter, the engine started and ran without a murmur, and there appeared to be no water collecting in the glass bowl of the filter. Having achieved this, the generator was fired up, and after running unevenly for a brief period, it too settled down. Meanwhile, Mo was tackling another large batch of Mosoulet, and the smell of garlic overpowered the smell of diesel. Having washed the floors to try to get rid of the diesel spillages, replaced the covers in the Rompatorium wardrobe, and tidied away the tools, we tidied ourselves up and set of in the dinghy to enter La Rochelle the proper way, between the forts. 
We took some photographs on the way in, and then left the dinghy at the foot of some steps. Having wandered around the older part of town, we settled for a drink at one of the bars. There are loads of restaurants, bars and other feeding establishments in the town, some already doing good business although the season has yet to start. We were worried when a catamaran went alongside the steps where we left the dinghy, and slightly perplexed when he took our dinghy in tow. However, we understood when a big cat with trippers on came in and offloaded its clients at the steps where we had left the dinghy. We paid for the drinks, and walked around the basin, arriving at the quay above where the big cat had berthed. At first, we could not see our dinghy, but then to our relief, discovered that it has parked itself between the two hulls of the cat. The skipper brought the dinghy back to the steps, we returned him to his boat, and crew and dinghy were thus reunited! We returned to Fuga, for supper of Mosoulet on rice, followed by a catch up on e-mails and photos.
