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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070 |
21st May 2015 Windsurfing: La Franqui Wind Direction: nw Wind Stength: 40/50 Surf / Sea State: flat Air Temperature: 23 Sea Temperature: flat Weather: sunny Max Speed: 34.90 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: Stephen French Diary – May/June Monday 18th May 2015 We didn’t have to leave home until 6.30 so a normal day at home just getting the van ready and nipping up to tesco. It was raining all morning but faired up a bit in the afternoon. Dan and Jay home from work at the usual time so we were able to say goodbye to them. Had a good journey to the shuttle and I drove all the way! We got there about 10 minutes before being allowed through and customs only gave us a quick going over with the stick. Passport control were not really bothered about us at all – we thought they were tightening up and we had to let them have all the details of our passport over the phone a couple of weeks ago which is a new thing. Maybe that’s why we didn’t have to stop. Got to Escalles about midnight French time and went straight to bed! Tuesday 19th May Had a good night even though it was blowing a gale and hammering it down at some points! We had a long lie in and set off around 10.30. Had to fiddle with the gas as it wouldn’t come on – think we must have turned it off when we went home after skiing and haven’t been in van since so all the bikes had to come off!! We went along the beautiful coast road to Boulogne and you could see the white cliffs of dover even though it isn’t a completely clear day. Stopped at Boulogne for the stand out moment of the day. The sea was crashing over the sea wall really high and then a boat went out to (we think) take people out into the bay and the picture of the boat with the plumes of sea spray in the background was amazing! Stopped to get diesel and a new mirror at the usual E L’clerc and finally got on the road about 12. Stopped at the Bay of the Somme Aire for lunch. On again finally reaching Briare around 7. We had decided we would go on to Bonny Sur Loire to stop for the night on the banks of the Loire – a spot we had seen when we biked here. We went over the wrong bridge and what should have been an easy 5 minute drive off the road took quite a lot longer but it was nice to see all the riverside bits where we had biked – probably just not at that point in the journey!! Had a cobbled together tea of bacon, potatoes, mushrooms and tomatoes Wednesday 20th May We woke to a beautiful view out of our window of the Loire and blue skies. We did our yoga outside on the new mats, one yoga mat and one fake grass rug/carpet we picked up cheap in lidl:) It was glorious and lots of birds to watch including a red kite:) Had a quick walk over to the small stream behind us – beautiful irises in bloom:) We set off around 11 and drove through the picturesque vineyards of Sancerre and found an even better route down to Clermont Ferrand. We stopped just short of the free motorway to have our lunch overlooking the volcanos including Puy de Dome. On again down the most beautiful motorway in the world passing volcanos and gorges. Everywhere is a mass of different greens:) We stopped at the Garabit bridge aire for a break and a cuppa then once back on the road it seemed to take very little time to cross the Millau viaduct (one of our only times to actually pay and cross over it – we usually don’t pay and go round the gorge). We had every kind of weather including some snow as we passed over the highest point on the trip 1100m! Another hour or so and we were past Bezier and on the very cheap 30 mile peage to Narbonne. We don’t think we have ever driven straight here before, we usually meander down and take our time so this is a bit different. We drove straight to our parking spot behind Peyraic with the view over the etang to Bages. There are no flamingos as it is too early. It is blowing an absolute gale and although we are a bit sheltered it is still moving the van. I think both of us were so looking forward to getting here and being here that we are now a bit apprehensive because it is supposed to be stupidly windy for a lot of days to come!!! Had carbonara for tea and a quick walk along the side of the etang towards the vineyards but there was a really ominous black cloud so we quickly walked back and arrived at the van just before it rained – although not as bad as the black clouds promised!! Thursday 21st May – windsurf * La Franqui – sunny – nw- 40/50 mph :( Fanatic speed – 5.2 – 20 cm fin – 34.90kts :( This is the first French trip we have ever driven straight down to La Franqui because the forecast looked good. We made in two days having a lovely overnight on the Loire near Bonny sur Loire :) and made it to our nice spot on the Etang near Bages and it was blowing a gale !!!! After a windy night the wind seemed to have dropped a little so we headed for the wooden pier at La Franqui and I was pleased to see a few cars already on the beach including some from France, Italy and Belgium and were very pleased to see Patrick Deporter who we had met on a previous trip to la Franqui and are now really good friends on Facebook – a top bloke :) There was much reading of wind gauges with nobody keen to be the guinea pig and be first on the water but then Patrick’s Italtian friend rigged 5.6 and took to the water as the wind seemed to pick up to 30 mph+. I decided that as I haven’t been on the speed board for 19 months!!!! to err on the side of caution and go with 5.2 which is a nightmare to get the mast in as a bit of material near the head of the sail stops you sleeving the mast !!! :( After a bit of swearing, poking about with a battern and Patrick’s help I did it. I then had to tape a hole in the top panel before setting off to the water. The wind was building all the time and it showed I hadn’t been speedsailing for ages as I really struggled. I had a job to get going, found getting back upwind difficult as, with wind now reaching 50 mph+, I didn’t want to sail out of my depth. The first run was only 33kts followed by a 34kt run and then I found the conditions all but unsailable - way too rough for me to be in any sort of control :( and spinning out too – I need a lighter wind day to find my feet. Patrick was going well before he had to head for home – a 12 hour trip. I gave up and even had trouble de-rigging in the gale!!! Mag was quite happy having a look for shells while being sand blasted and then staying in the van (rocking violently!) on the computer with the doors firmly shut because the sand was filling every nook and cranny!! It was then a case of chucking everything in the back of the van and getting to the peace and quiet of our lovely spot at Port Mahon near Sigean where we could de-sand the van and relax for a couple of hours reading and forgetting about poxy speedsailing before going on a great 5mile walk around the lovely Etang. I do think I am coming to the end of speedsailing – difficult to see what the point is???? We have been to La Franqui far too many times and been battered by 50 mph+ winds!!!! Whatever happened to 30 mph wind days where you could have some fun? PS - lucky for me it was a crap session as the lock switch on the sd card had again been pushed to lock and I lost the crap session !!! |
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