Day 3...
We leave Guernsey a little later than expected as fog rolled in very quickly, just before we fuelled up in St Peter Port.
We did all our checks to make sure we were still okay to travel (as we will not put ourselves or the boat in danger). We decide that the fog will lift and head out.
As we exit the harbour, the fog horn is blaring! There is a cruise ship in the bay, tenders are coming and going and lots of yachts, on a rally, are out in the fairway as well.
With radar on, it is a breeze for us to keep an eye on everything around us. We head off and, as before when we came in, the tide is very strong and a little confused.
Although the sea looks flat, there is a meter swell every 14 seconds - which means we hit a few waves from time to time. The sun is starting to come out and all is good.
As we go between Alderney and France, we hit the races which make us slow up for a short time until we turn around the headland towards Cherbourg.
Within three and a half hours we are in Port Saint Vaast - a small town, very pretty. The harbour entrance has a lock gate - so you need to make sure that you have the gate opening and closing times. These can be found on the website. Beware - the site is only in French and, when you arrive, the Capitinaire speaks little English (but is very welcoming all the same!). We are checked in and have a berth for the night very quickly. The cost for one night is a little pricey - €32 (£28).
The marina has a really nice modern reception and facilities block - with showers and laundrette. All very clean and tidy.
The gates are due to be open just after midnight until 6am so we are expecting an early wake up call from the fishing boats moored opposite us! We will be leaving for La Havre when the gates re-open at 13:00 and hope to arrive by 16:00.
Saint Vaast has an array of Seafood restaurants (my friend, Guy from Artemis, would love this town!). There are also plenty of shops and food stores in the back streets for me to get supplies in the morning...I think this will be somewhere that we come back to next year!
Day 4...
Having left Saint Vaast at the first moment the gates where opened, we headed for Le Havre.
Another day of trying to get across at good speed but, with wind and sea against us, we had to slow right up again.
Don’t panic when you get closer to Le Havre and your plotter starts looking like you have space invaders on your screen - we did! then realised that actually it’s not that bad!
Arriving into Le Havre, the Visitors pontoons are O & P just as you come into the marina. The berths are a good size and have electric and water. Cost for the night is free, if you are a FREEDOM Card holder, or €24 for the night.
You are given a pass card to come and go from the marina.
The shower facilities are okay - but quite a walk from the visitor pontoons!! We chose to shower onboard.
It is a 10-15 minute walk into town for restaurants and bars (Monday nights most are shut so choice is limited).
A typical, large, industrial town, with lots to see and do. At the same time though, little character to the place.
We went out for dinner and then headed back.
A nice quiet night and a good sleep and we are ready to fuel up before heading into the French waterways!
Fuel is expensive in France - €153.9 per litre of Gozoil.
The fuel station is easy to moor up against and self service with card payment - note, if you have a foreign card, you are limited to €200. However, you can re-run the transaction a few times to fill up.
As you head out of Le Havre, you need to head out for the channel markers (about a mile out) as, at low tide, the sand bar is very high and will catch you out! We watched a local trying to get over and it was not big or clever. You may have to go a mile out to head back in land again, however, this is the best route.
We were against the tide heading into the Seine and it’s a strong current. If doing this in a yacht, you will need the tide with you.
We carried on and soon the waves subsided.
We are heading to Rouen. It’s nice to have lots to look at for a change - rather than empty seas and ships in the distance. We are doing 15kts - the correct speed, according to various books that we have onboard for reference. Our Cevni training is coming in to use straight away which is great! We are confident in what we are doing!
Day 5...
Heading into Rouen, you keep left heading into the marina. We were informed that we needed to contact Grand Port of Rouen that we were here - this, as it turns out, is more for commercial vessels! We felt a bit daft explaining we were 10.5m with Mr French controller asking what did we want!
Once into the marina, we found a space and walked to the office. We were shown our space - some are very awkward and small! Be aware the fingers are small so may be worth having a look before you move the boat - we did and saved ourselves a right mess.
The Capitinaire building is lovely, new with nice warm showers! There are key locks to get you through the gates onto the pontoons.
There is a main road close by so there is a little noise - but not as bad as I thought it would be.
There are a lot of live-aboard boats in the marina and a huge number of unloved boats which is a real shame. Not many spare visitor slots - so do book!
Cost for the night, including Water and Electric, is €17,40 - very reasonable.
There is a Hypermarket, about 15 minutes walk away, which is handy for topping up stores.
There is also a shopping centre for clothes, Docks 76, just around the corner. It has lots of trendy bars as well.
If you carry on, along the river from the marina, you will come across an amazing area for bars and restaurants. Rouen is really trying to become an up and coming city.
There is a fuel berth and this is the same as Le Havre - self service with a card. When we arrived, this was not working - which gave us heart failure for a while as we didn’t have enough to get us to Port Ilon (that was a very long day away!). Luckily, they fixed it and the manager came to tell us that all would be okay in the morning - which it was! Phew!
Onwards we go...
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