Map - Black lines show the route, red lines is actual tracking (missing partially on leg 1)
To view the area in Google Earth:Download Summer 2011 Cruise.kmz (2.5K)
Logbook
Leg 1 - Le Crouesty Port Louis - 31.5 nm
Conditions: light wind in the morning (motoring) growing up to W force 4 in the afternoon (all up)
Port Louis citadel that was defending the Lorient harbour. Lorient was the headquarter of the French Indies company. This is now hosting several museum.
View of Lorient harbour from the citadel. We can see the submarine base built by the Germans during WWII (unbreakable) and the Kernevel yacht marina.
Leg 2 - Port Louis - Hennebont - Lorient Centre - 15 nm
Conditions: river cruise up and down the Blavet river to the small city of Hennebont (motoring)
Boat cemetary along the Blavet river. During the 60's most of the wooden old shipping boat from the Lorient area were decommissionned and left on the banks of the Blavet. This is creating a specific atmosphere when cruising on the river.
Sassandra moored on the Hennebont small pontoon. Usable at high tide only.
Leg 3 - Lorient Centre - Port Manech - 20 nm
Conditions: force 1-2 in the morning. West force 3 in the afternoon (all up)
Meeting Jean-Pierre Dick during a training session. This is an IMOCA 60 that will run the Fastnet race from Aug 14th and the Jacques Vabre transatlantic race in November. Jean Pierre Dick WEB site
Port Manech anchorage with a view on the Aven river head.
Leg 4 - Port Manech - Concarneau -13 nm
Conditions: west force 2-3 (motoring then all up)
Leg 5 - Concarneau - Les Glénans archipelago - 11 nm
Conditions: south-west force 2-3 (motoring and sails all up)
The mooring of "La Chambre" in the Glenans archipelago. Very crowded that day. This is anyway the most protected area for an anchorage (at least at low tide).
Leg 6 - Les Glénans - Sainte Marine - 12.5 nm
Conditions: WSW veering W force 2-3. Motoring to head W then sailing with all up going north.
We encounter a moon fish, this is the first time I have seen one.
Ste Marine is a charming small harbour on the Odet river facing Benodet.
Sainte Marine will be our last port of call before heading back east towards le Crouesty.
View of Benodet light from Sainte Marine
Leg 7 Sainte Marine - Port Manech - 18.5 nm
Conditions: N-NE 2. We had to motor a large part of the journey.
Before mooring in Port Manech for the night we went up the Aven river to the small harbour of Rosbras. It is possible to continue to follow the Aven up to Pont Aven but the river is nearly rying up at low tide.
Always funny to sail with cows around!
Leg 8 Port Manech - Port Tudy (Isle of Groix) - Port Louis -23 nm
Conditions: South east veering South 2-3 then 1.
The initial destination was Port Tudy, the main harbour of Groix island, but even at 2PM there was no more berth available and we had to moor on a buoy on the outer harbour with the ferry traffic around. I know the place very well. It can be fun, but it can be messy as well with a lot noise when the harbour is crwoded in summer. The crew was not motivated to stay in those conditions, thus we turned back and head to Port Louis.
Leg 9 Port Louis - Sauzon (Belle Ile island) - 22 nm
Conditions: South East 3 softening to 1
The had to sail against the wind and we started to tack, but in the afternoon the wind became to weak (and it started to rain), thus we finished the leg motoring.
A view from the Sauzon inner harbour (drying). It is a very beautiful place with a lot of tourist in summer. (The picture is not from this year).
Leg 10 Sauzon - Le Crouesty - 17 nm
Conditions: South West 5-6 with gust at 7. Main sail with 1 reef and genoa furled to the second reef.
The weather turned bad for our last leg back to Le Crouesty. The wand was gusting already 20 knots in the harbour under a pouring rain. Tough sailing in sight!! The only positive point is that will sail downwind and the journey will probably be short. Under the protection of Belle-Ile the conditions were OK, but when we approached La Teignouse strait to enter Quiberon bay, both the wind and the see were building with gust largely over 30 knots and I sent all the crew downstairs. In the conditions of see and wind the autopilot was not able to keep the heading and I had to steer manually, I decided then to take the second reef in the mainsail. Finally, once entered in the Quiberon bay the waves became smaller the wind eased from 25-30knots to 20-25 knots and we arrived smoothly in the Crouesty for a late lunch.
We filled up the gas tank at the station and this was the end of this cruise.
