Concarneau Marina from the Ville Close
We left our mooring in the Iles de Glenan at nine and motored out of the shallows between the islands before hoisting the sails. There were lobster pot buoys everywhere so we had to keep our eyes peeled to avoid them. As usual the wind was in the wrong direction to sail directly to Concarneau so we gently sailed East in a gentle breeze with the mackerel line out.
Eventually at 1130 the wind died completely so we hauled in the mackerel line - no fish were troubled - and headed to Concarneau under motor. We arrived about one, so the Capitanerie was closed and we berthed on the visitors pontoon and had lunch before reporting in.
We liked the marina, and the commercial centre of town with markets and shops was close so provisioning the boat was easy. Concarneau is famous for its Ville Close, a walled citadel surrounded by water with old houses in the centre. The marina is just outside. We had a good lunch in the Ville Close (sardines and the first moules frites of the summer it being the 2nd of June). However, we both felt that the Ville Close was not as interesting as we had hoped - the town and marina are a good place to stop though.
Concarneau Entrance to Ville Close
After a couple of days in Concarneau we headed for Port Louis in the mouth of the Rade de Lorient. Again a civilised start at nine (ish) sailing in light winds. It was one of those days where you sail for a bit, then motor for a bit then sail again. But the sea was calm and the sun was out so there was no rush. We arrived in Port Louis at 1530 after 29 miles. The pilot book makes it clear that Lorient is a busy port and you must keep to the side of the shipping lane, especially at the narrow bit by the Citadel - the 16th Century fort just before Port Louis. When we got there there were six yachts racing tacking across the channel, a lone fisherman in a small boat fishing right in the middle of the channel and a yacht with its spinnaker collapsing bearing down upon him. He took fright and motored out of the way.
Port Louis Citadel
We got to Port Louis to find that there was a regatta being held there. Fortunately Mike and Carol in Falken had got there before us so they knew we were coming and they found a space for us in a vacant resident berth. I would recommend Port Louis marina, great facilities and not far to restaurants and some basic shops. The highlight though is the Citadel with two museums: one for the French East India Company and a maritime museum with an interesting exhibition on saving lives at the and the Societe National de Sauvetage en Mer; the French equivalent of the RNLI. The Citadel and the museums are well worth a visit and twenty minutes walk from the marina. The battlements of the Citadel are particularly impressive with superb views over the approaches to the Rade de Lorient.
View over the Rade de Lorient
We spent two days in Port Louis going out for a meal on the second night. We rang a restaurant to book only to be told they were full. So we went for a walk around and got a table in what from the outside was an unpromising looking bistrot called The Wind. Looks can deceive as they had an attractive restaurant and terrace and we were served a decent meal at a reasonable price.
We had planned to go to the Ile de Groix about five miles South of Lorient the next day. However, when we told our neighbour in the next boat in the marina that we were going there he said we better phone to make sure there is space. We hadn't realised that the next day, Monday, was a bank holiday. We took his advice and phoned to be told that the port was full. So with dodgy weather forecast for the next couple of days we nipped round the corner to Sainte Catherine marina in Locmiquelic - all of 1 mile away. We were met outside and given a berth with a strong wind pushing us from behind into the berth so we needed help from the marina staff to berth, but at least we didn't hit or scrape anything.
Sainte Catherine is another good place to stop, with good facilities, a couple of restaurants and a small town with a little supermarket up the hill. Not as interesting as Port Louis, but when you are sheltering from the weather that doesn't matter so much.
We noticed another Moody 336 so went over the say "hello". Howard and Chris in Zephyrine were kind enough to to offer us a drink. They are seasoned visitors to the area so were able to offer us some tips on where to go.
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