We spent a few sunny days in Cherbourg, eating plenty of pastries and baguettes and visiting the local market. The girls had the chance to practise their French, and we stocked up on lots of French cheeses and paid the obligatory visit to Normandie Wines.
On Friday 19th May we said au revoir to Cherbourg and set sail for the Channel Islands. As the wind wasn’t in a favourable direction to anchor in Alderney, our first destination was the small island of Sark, just off the coast of Guernsey. After a fast sail with the wind and tide in our favour, we reached Sark in five hours, and found a sheltered bay to anchor in. Although we shared the bay with another boat the first evening, by the next morning they had departed and we had the beautiful rugged bay to ourselves for the next few days. Lucy and Will tried a spot of fishing, but no luck yet.
We used our dinghy to reach the shore, and the girls enjoyed playing on the sandy beach and exploring the caves. A scramble across the rocks led us to a steep set of steps (not accessible at high tide) which took us to the top of the cliff and allowed us to explore the rest of this beautiful island. No motor vehicles are allowed apart from tractors, which gives the island a peaceful and relaxed atmosphere.
Watching the Sark dairy herd being milked – you can buy fresh milk from a 24 hour vending machine at the dairy
From Sark we moved on to Guernsey, which is only an hour or two’s sail from Sark. Being in a marina again gave us the chance to complete a few jobs on the boat. Will went up to the top of the mast to fill in some holes with silicone in order to stop water coming in. Lucy went up to the top of the mast just for fun!
After a few days exploring Guernsey it was time to move on again. Firstly back to Sark for one day, this time anchoring in a bay on the Guernsey side of the island. The cliffs are even higher on this side of the island – we counted 300 steps to reach the top.
Then early this morning, Sunday 28th May, we set sail for Jersey. We had a cracking sail, touching 9 knots at some points using the mainsail and genoa. We’re now in St. Helier marina, where we’ll spend a few days, and are planning a rendezvous here with Andy Willett who is bringing us the spare parts for the mast winches mentioned in our previous post. After that, we should be ready to continue our journey further South.
Such a beautiful area! Really enjoying reading your posts. Well done, Lucy for climbing to the top of the. Mast – you’ve a better head for heights than me! Keep those updates coming :). Xx
Fair winds Will….the adventure begins!
Better weather than here! Glad you are back out on the water and travelling. We are in Yorkshire for the bank holiday. Had a wonderful morning flying birds of prey. Dwight in Berlin for the carnival. Love to all x x
Lovely update Collins’. I feel like I’m learning so much already by just following your journey! Very impressed Lucy put her climbing skills to good use on the mast. So fearless! Have a lovely time in Jersey and hopefully co tinier lovely weather x