Ile Houat and the Golfe du Morbihan 

We left Le Palais on Belle Ile in yet more endless blue sky, if only there were some wind.  We could not complain; we have had fair tides with us on the last four trips since leaving Douarnenez and fair winds since leaving Benodet.  Perhaps we did not sufficiently dip our ensign to ‘Our lady of Larmor’ as we left L’Orient?

Our planned route took us to Ile Houat, the Island we had gazed at from the ramparts of Citadelle Vauban, where we intended anchoring for lunch and then onto the Golfe du Morbihan in the evening.  The latter is a large inland sea liberally spattered with about forty small islands.  Our French neighbours in Le Palais had assured us in pigeon Franglais that The Golfe was “schöne”.  After their obvious efforts I had not the heart to tell them that this was German!

We tried to sail for about two hours; it was not at all unpleasant drifting along in the sun occasionally checking our ‘Joka’ fishing line.  Our efforts were almost rewarded when our first catch escaped!  An extremely frisky eel like fish came up with the lure, thrashing wildly enough to break free.  It was not the most appetising specimen of seafood I have ever seen so its escape was for the best.

A desire to be anchored before hunger set in forced us to use the motor and we tackled the trickiest pilotage so far this voyage – negotiating the reefs around the eastern shores of Ile Houat, but what a reward!  The bay that opened up before us was a mile of golden white sand upon which the waves were gently breaking.  ‘Gob smacked’, we measured out sufficient scope of anchor chain to hold us securely and sat down in the cockpit with a couple of beers and just admired the view.  We have never been to the Caribbean, but this is how I have always imagined it.

After a quick pasta lunch we paddled ashore in the dinghy, surfing the last few yards to shore on the front of a wave.  It was good to feel the warm sand between my toes as we paddled briefly before returning to La Premiere.

Soon after boarding we weighed anchor and set off for the Golfe.  The afternoon sun became strong enough that we opened the bimini awning over the cockpit.  Just two hours later we entered The Golfe through a narrow channel and set about finding a spot to spend the night.  The currents run hard here as vast quantities of water are forced through small gaps with every tide.  Pilotage again was tricky as myriad islets and buoys passed on either side, we were glad to have prepared a detailed plan listing each buoy and feature we would pass and compass headings to steer.  We were headed for the southern tip of Ile aux Moines, the largest Island, where we had identified a small bay with enough depth of water, yet far enough out of the channel to avoid most of the current.  Once in the bay we picked up a vacant mooring and made the boat ship shape, while the blue sky was burnt away in a fiery red sunset.

The calm, silence and peacefulness of our anchorage were sublime.  In fact we liked it so much we stayed the whole of the following day and another night without really doing very much except reading and watching the abundant wildlife.  Chris rigged the hammock up suspended from the spinnaker pole over the foredeck and this proved a choice spot for devouring a few more chapters of “Lord of the Rings”.