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squiz Member Member#: 6644 Location: Registered: 27-05-2007 Diary Entries: 3070 |
21st May 2016 Windsurfing: Le Crotoy Wind Direction: sw Wind Stength: 10/15 Surf / Sea State: flat Air Temperature: Sea Temperature: Weather: sunny periods Max Speed: 24.006 (knots - unless stated otherwise) Distance Covered: 18.50 km (Nautical Miles - unless stated otherwise) Thursday 19th May - travel We spent the day getting the van ready and loading it up with all our gear! Set out after tea around 6.20 for our holiday in France/Italy. We had a good journey arriving at Eurotunnel in plenty of time for our crossing at 9.50. We got to Calais and headed to our usual Escalles car park where a no campers after 11 p.m. sign had appeared so we went to our other spot on the hill near Cap Blanc and parked in a sheltered car park for the café (which is closed). It is pretty windy but we weren’t disturbed at all. A municipal policeman went round just after we parked and he didn’t even look at us so we know we will be fine here for the night :) Friday 20th May – Travel, 3 walks **** sunny periods We slept and slept! We didn’t wake up until 9!!! We carried on laying in and read. It is really foggy and you can’t even see the mast we are parked near. Didn’t leave the car park until around mid-day then only drove to Wissant (about 8 miles) and had a walk along their lovely new prom – they have been doing sea defences for about 2 years and have topped the ugly Norwegian rocks with a lovely prom. We walked to the stairway down to the beach but this has been washed away at the bottom and the tide was really high so we couldn’t walk among our favourite sticks in the sand. Walked in the opposite direction until we got to the beach where they kite and windsurf. We saw a good place to park on another occasion right near the beach where lots of people from other countries were parked and camped. Back to the van where we drove along the coast road to Boulogne. We parked in the port and saw lots of black smoke billowing into the sky just along the river so we set out in that direction and watched the Pompiers putting out a car fire. The car appeared to have burst into flames on the carriageway! Walked across the bridge and along the side of the quay towards the sea life centre. They are having a whole new one built and it looks like it will be amazing – finished in 2018. So there is lots of building work going on around there. When we got alongside the centre there was a window onto the sea lion enclosure and we saw all three being fed:) We walked to the end of the jetty and watched lots of school children going out on a boat trip and then when we went along the beach another class of younger children were flying kites they had made. There were also several policemen wading about in the sea on an exercise or training. Lots going on and lots to see including some kite and windsurfers. Back to the van for lunch. Carried on to the motorway and paid our usual toll to get to Le Crotoy quickly (the only toll we are usually happy to pay). Arrived around 5 and headed to our favourite car park near the sluice. Great for bird watching and although you are supposed to pay nobody seems to bother. That is the only trouble with Le Crotoy, they want your money to park absolutely everywhere!! There were lots of campers wedged in to the aire too. We read and dozed then cooked tea (Lidl Lasagne!) and ate it there before having a walk around the camper aire (being nosey) and along the sea front and through the town. The tide is really really low and groups of people were walking in the muddy estuary on a supervised walk. There was a man sitting at the end of the jetty with a napkin in his lap and a glass of wine, having his evening meal – wonderful :) We have seen so many birds today – a list of 35 is not bad for the first day!! Saturday 21st May – Windsurf *** Le Crotoy – sunny periods + 2 walks **** SW 10-15 – flattish – Xantos 133 – Tushingham Lightning 7.8 – 40 cm Concrete Wave 24.006 kts max – 21.60 kts ave – 18.50 km. Top night in our spot at the remote carpark by the Baie of the Somme near Le Crotoy, the mussel collecting tractors made a little noise early on as they headed out to collect their shellfish. Another relaxing start with fingers crossed for some breeze but in no hurry as no water in sight with hide tide at approx. 1:30. So after breakfast Mag and I walked across the sandbanks and it was no surprise that there were loads of people out in groups all over the Baie:) There were 5/6 organised groups with guides out with scopes and there was even a man with a table of food ready for their return with two candle sticks with red candles, a little odd really! The sand/mud was very wet and slippery and as we reached the sea we spotted several seals in a large channel after seeing some Spoonbills fly over – it’s been great for bird spotting and in the two days we have been here have seen nearly 40 different kinds:) The ponies are also out in force with one group saddle less and in swimming stuff heading out to have fun in the sea:) While returning to the van we saw two large Flysurfer kite launch up at Le Crotoy a good sign we might get some breeze so we went round to the windsurfing car park arriving at midday. The wind was very light but the water was in quite high and there was local rigging up a massive 9.2 on a 120 Fanatic Slalom. He spoke really good English so I checked the forecast and he said the sw was going to be 10/12 kts but if it swung westerly it would increase and we only had about an hour and a half of tide so if I was going I had to rig now. I took a chance rigging the biggest kit I have with me my 133lt and 7.8 which didn’t look anywhere near big enough! Walking down the slipway with my kit I saw the Frenchman struggling to get going on his big kit but decided to give it a try anyway as the tide was approaching high. With the wind coming across the Baie from the left you could sail straight out towards the lighthouse on the other bank. I was then amazed when the wind filled in in patches and I managed to plane on and off for an hour sailing right out to the channel even managing to get 24 kts before I started to hit the bottom all over the Baie as the tide receded :( The Frenchman called it a day but I continued a while longer and then had to walk miles back to the van!!! Still it was a bit of fun and was only a few knots of wind off a good session! I don’t think this is a great windsurfing location as you only get about two hours of sailable water, it is much better for kitesurfing as they can be out for at least twice that time! Mag had had a nice relaxing time reading her book watching the Saturday afternoon prom action, then after I had a nice beach shower she made delicious scrambled egg for dinner as we enjoyed the sunshine. Then a lady in an ice cream van parked right in front of us so we had to move our seats which was not a problem. I noticed a man with a dog talking to a couple of black cats in a hedge opposite so Mag and I went to say hello. Wel,l we have never met such a couple of psycho cats as they both continually hissed as soon as anyone went near!!! With our 3 Euro car park ticket running out went headed to the little supermarket and back to the spot we stayed last night and it was heaving!!! The car park was full, there was even a coach parked in the lane but we were lucky to get our spot and the crowds soon left. We then went on a long walk through the pine woods and back along the beach before tea, Mag was then lucky enough to see a young wild boar right opposite our van!!! Photo Gallery Here |
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