12th Sept 2022 – 20th Sept 22
Our 1st few days we just sailed or motored following the path we had taken with Chris staying in the anchorages we had already been to. 1st night the little cove we had lunch in we stayed over night, Six Fours Les Plages in front of beach stopped two nights due to thunder & lighting all day and did not fancy moving in the rain. We had planned to complete our 1st beach docking in the tender but never managed to get ashore due to weather.
On the 15th we set off to Porquerolles to have pizza but wind direction was not in our favour for that anchorage so Rade De La Badine opposite side of bay we stayed but with the pending 34 knot winds the next day which we did not fancy Porquerolles Marina it would be to hide from winds.
Saturday 11am we set off across the bay, swell was up and winds were around 28 knots. We radioed the marina on approach but they were not answering, last time we just pottered in and someone greeted us. This did not happen unsure of what to do or were to park we tried to turn the boat around to wait on a free pontoon we had passed. However the bow thruster failed and with the wind up we nearly crash into a couple of boats whilst turning around.
After what seemed to be a horrindous ordeal we hot footed it out of marina and back across bay picking our spot a little further out from beach and putting more chain out as we did not know what to expected with these winds approaching.
That afternoon whilst waiting for the winds to turn up Garry decides he wanted to go for a little tender ride to collect a new bow thruster battery from a marina shop further around the bay. I talked him out of it for a few hours as we were waiting for the winds but once they had came gone and Garry gets something in his head it happens whether i like it or not. He had planned out the route apparently down to the last detail and found 3 marina shops on google in that area where 2 marinas were.
We put the tender in the water and started the journey to this Marina, as it turns out wind creates swell so the 40 minutes ride was a little rocky and wet for Garry on the back, me however with no tender seat was sitting on the floor in the front nicely protected from the spray.
We made it to what Garry thought was the empty part between the two marinas, its was full of little sailing dinghies, a club had just arrived back from an afternoon of racing. We coasted on in with all eyes on us and what the hell we were doing in their posh sailing club area.
Garry left me in the tender whilst he went to get the battery, after 20 mins Garry arrived back at the tender batteryless saying the marine shop that stocks batteries is a 30 mins walk away. So we attached tender to this pontoon and off we went with google app pointing us in the right direction. Indeed their was a shop that sold batteries, never thought about carrying the battery back did Garry!!!
We carried the battery between the two of us one handle each and started the long walk back. Arriving back at tender with longer arms then before we threw the battery in and started to go home but then it spit and spluttered to a halt. We had ran out of petrol in the motor and Garry never packed the can we had purchased and filled only a week ago. Lucky the posh club had their own fuel dock so we paddled off to buy 1.23 euros of diesel to get us home to fit the battery.
With new battery in place we could now enter a marina and not having a shower since we left Port Navy Services, Garry booked us into Frejus Port for 2 nights not realising it was 50 nm away. It was a very long way, a very long day, all for a very long shower yay!!
Whilst in the marina Monday was food shopping, new flip flops for Garry and sort a noise the engine makes on start up. Richard, Claire Ellis and Albus a lovely Dulux doggie from Stourbridge had pointed us in the right direction to a shopping centre.
The shopping centre was just what we needed it catered for all our needs including an old persons shopping trolley to save carrying the food we had bought. You just don’t realize how spoilt you are when you drive to the supermarket, you put your shopping in the boot and then drive home no carrying involved.
On a mission to sort the noise the engine is making on starting, Garry takes apart the ignition board to look if the switches he had purchased would fit. No was the answer so Garry put the switches back in and starts the engine to check if all is good, which the engine starts but still makes the noise.
However not all was well as Garry then could not stop the engine and he had to radio the marina boat yard to see if a engineer could attend the boat to assist in our predicament. Within 15 minutes a nice chap arrived, showed Garry how to stop the boat engine and a quick lesson on engine ignitions.
That evening we had been invited on to Claire & Richard’s boat for beers and nibbles, our 1st invite out to another boat. Keen to be on our best behaviour we only took a few beers, bottle opener and our own glasses.
A good night was had swapping stories about sailing, our journey so far all whilst drinking all our beer and theirs (sorry). The night flew by and the beers ran out so it was time to go home.