The convoying act 1: from la Grande-Motte to Sines (Portugal)

(Google translation)
  Arrived in La Grande Motte July 27 for a week of tinkering with Jean-Louis expertise, fairing, engine maintenance, the sail-drives, change the anode, the through-hull, valves and the boat is as new to face the blunders of his new skipper ... 

The sale of Essentiel is signed Friday, July 31 at noon, not without emotion. Then came the departure of Jean-Louis and Chantal, followed by the arrival of the leading team: First Michel, then Adrien. 


Shopping and grocery near the port ... 4 trolley full, but a limited selection of products ... Mich 'hand then dispatch to Super U, much further, but more conventional ... the 5th trolley through the town before being swallowed up in the boat (for pass through port)! 

Departure the next day (Saturday, 1 August) morning after the arrival of Olivier Bernard and Eric (aka Pap). Weather set fair. No wind, engine. An hour later, it enjoys a little air to remove the "veil that creates wind, code 0. 

Big beautiful ... the barometer fall! A millibar per hour ... practice on the water it provides: 
It rolls the code 0, we take a risk, it runs a little Solent, it takes a second laugh, slumped on the Code 0, is rolled again, it takes a third reef, we drive, we put the engine and there between 45 and 50 knots of wind. The ship behaves well, passes well the waves, but it shakes ... 4 ... 6 patients on good beginning. The wind falls in late night, amid incredible flashes illuminating the sky ... There were plenty more than that ... 

The following is more peaceful. Everyone takes over. The days are punctuated by breakfast around 10:30-11am (awakening of those in the last quarter). Agenda: What will we eat for lunch? Aperitif to 13h while it simmers. Meal to follow ... It distributes culinary stars: Stuffed Tomatoes, bananas outbreaks, marinated tuna ... difficult to separate the heads ... We therefore invented the starfish, which crowns the taste of a dish, but also takes into account the amount of gas used (we fear that the bottle does not take long) and the (bad) quality of some ingredients used ... Mich. ends up with the stars time to say ... 

Two tuna make our ordinary extraordinary ... First the fun to get fish from 7 to 15 kg, then the pleasure of tasting: marinade, sashimi, tuna teriyaki, tuna poached ... Whoa ... 

Then comes the time to leave the Mediterranean ... bath at 26 ° C in the afternoon, water at 14 ° C after Gibraltar ... Fog, wind power and hand will be the theme of this journey. Fortunately, dolphins accompanied us for our pleasure! 

A breeze from the front, strong makes navigation difficult. We decided to stop in Sines (Portugal) to take some time with the family in Pornic (it should arrive around August 10th ... it is already 7 and the latest projections we do get 15). After 30 hours of bus and 5 trains, we arrived in Nantes disappointed to have dropped, but happy to see everyone again ... / ...