Yacht Pipit

      

Messing about on the river, 24th September 2010

The River Auray, in the Morbihan, that is. But before we went there, we spent a few more days in Crouesty, and found it to be really quite pleasant. We walked around the headland, where we spotted a marmot, and there's a sheltered beach a short walk away.

I went in, right up to my ankles - it was cold with a capital 'f'...


On our last night in Crouesty we enjoyed a very nice meal in 'Le Yacht' above the Capitainerie. As you can see, for obvious reasons this is my kind of place:


Steak and chips, and a Seagull on the side...


The well known Alfa Romeo shark...



So on Sunday morning, after chatting to some other British people who keep their boats near La Roche-Bernard, we headed back into the Morbihan, and up the River Auray. As the tide was nearer neaps this time our roller coaster ride through the entrance was less exciting, and once into the river things calmed right down. We found a buoy in a lovely spot near where the river splits into the Auray and Bono channels and at the expense of loosing the boat hook handle, securely tied to it. It's a strange system in the Morbihan - there are extremely few designated visitors' buoys, just thousands of buoys most of which are obviously permanent moorings, and it seems the arrangement is just to pick up a vacant one and hope its rightful owner doesn't return at 3am, or when you are away from the boat. So although we were securely attached, for the first night at least we remained on edge until nightfall, when it was far less likely that anyone would return to their mooring as the Morbihan is mainly unlit. The buoys are free though...

We awoke on Monday morning to a beautiful Indian summer day so here then, is a perfect day in pictures:

The early(ish) morning light.



A dinghy trip up river to Auray.




On his holidays from Swindon?


Mint and ice, but no strawberries or cucumber - shocking!


Evening constitutional...




Perfect end to a perfect summer day - surely not too many more like this this year?


On Tuesday we took the dinghy to Bono, but he was out. Anyway, his bridge is quite impressive:


Heron and Cormorant - or is it a Shag? Can never tell the difference...

Later we scrubbed the waterline of Pipit from the dinghy - it's not all Pimm's you know... Actually it was wine, as we then enjoyed a lazy afternoon on deck relaxing and reading, with the periodic entertainment of local (well behaved) children and some adults diving and jumping from the platform nearby - not quite Swallows and Amazons, but you get my drift...




Spare GPS antenna?


Moments later, a pair of old bi-planes flew low overhead heading up river, but the little Fokkers were so fast we didn't have time to get the camera out. At least I think they were Fokkers...


On Wednesday afternoon we made another short passage down the river and back into the Morbihan, and found a lovely anchorage on the south-eastern tip of Ile aux Moines, 'the Isle of Monks'. We stayed there a couple of nights and today, Friday, made the short hop back to Crouesty, where we'll spend another few days before making the trip to La Roche-Bernard, our last sea passage of the season :-(