Cesar PHM, Auray River
We decided next to go to St Goustan, the port for Auray up the Auray river. This requires careful planning and the river is very shallow at low water, and you need to pass under a 14m bridge to get to the pontoons. We phoned the harbour to make sure they could accommodate us. I estimate the top of Shadow's mast is 15m at the top of the aerial (it's 14.2m to the mast head). The trick to passing under the bridge is that the published 14m height is from mean high water. So all you need to do is to go up the river when there is enough water to float, but not enough so you'll hit the bridge.
Just to add another complication we had to leave Ile d'Arz with a fair ebb tide to time it to arrive at low tide at the end of the river so we could scrape up the river as the tide rose and get under the bridge. We weighed anchor at 1100 and sailed under the Genoa in a NE F3 arriving at the turning into the Auray River at midday. We then part sailed, part motored up the river which varies between narrows with strong tidal streams to wide expanses scraping past the Cesar buoy with 50cm below the keel. As you approach the bridge there is a height gauge which showed 16m, so no problems going under - it looked close! We called the harbour master and got one of the new pontoon booths with 2m depth.
Shadow at St Goustan
St Goustan and Auray are a delight. St Goustan itself if an historical quayside surrounded by restaurants with an old arched bridge over the river. Benjamin Franklin landed there when he travelled to France as the first ambassador from the USA. All the shops you could want are in Auray itself - which is reached by a steep hill via ramparts or a street lined with arty shops.
St Goustan, Auray
The following day we walked down the river to Le Bono and back. It was a hot day, but a lovely walk. It was interesting seeing the river at low tide.
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