It was a change of plan for today's passage, from the intended destination of Dives-sur-mer. The MBM booking had been cancelled by the port and instead we decided to head straight for Ouistreham in preparation for the cruise up the canal to Caen. With a lively force three blowing from the north west we would have a beam on sea and onshore winds, so it was a slightly difficult decision to go ahead with the trip. Once we were underway however the conditions were fairly comfortable and we timed the 46 mile passage so that we would arrive just in time for the 11.15am lock at Ouistreham. We had double checked the lock times on the harbour authority's website on www.calvados.equipement.gouv.fr remembering that these are given as locking out times, and to add half an hour for the locking in time. We chose The Longest Day for our in-flight entertainment; the US troops hitting Omaha beach as we cruised by offshore, and French troops taking Ouistreham casino as we approached the harbour. With 25 boats in the MBM fleet it was almost 1944 revisited - our own mini-invasion.

With an afternoon transit of the Caen canal scheduled for 1330, there was just time to moor up at Pegasus bridge for a lunch stop at the Cafe Gondree. Although the moorings downstream of the bridge are rumoured to be unsafe we have had no trouble stopping here the last two years. Cafe Gondree, still in the same ownership since before the war, is a mecca for veterans of 1944 and those wishing to appreciate the ambience of this authentic memorial. The present Madame Gondree was a young girl when her German speaking mother and her English speaking father helped the Allied troops to hold the bridge, making the Cafe Gondree the first building to be liberated after D-day. As the rest of the fleet joined us for the passage through the bridge we made quite a sight for the assembled crowds.

It was a slow transit up the canal to Caen, and we were relieved that the bridges stayed open to accommodate this unusually large party of boats. We used this time to decorate the boat with the signal flags and bunting in honour of the weekend's celebrations. This certainly seemed to be appreciated by the locals as we attracted lots of cheers and waves. After some juggling everyone managed to get moored up and a welcome to Caen party was arranged on the quayside to celebrate our arrival a day earlier than expected.

There was a decidedly festive air in the city with numerous events and ceremonies planned to celebrate the 60th anniversary of D-day. We found ourselves very much part of the entertainment at the central Bassin St Pierre, a popular french pastime being to promenade along the quay gazing at the moored boats. Some of the fleet found this a bit intrusive and opted for more private moorings in the centre of the basin.

Cruising Statistics

Distance: 52 nm

Total to date: 670 nm

Avg Speed: 10 knots

Duration: 5:30 hours

Wind: NW 3

Diesel: 180 litres

Mooring: €16

Electricity: Included

Charts

AC2613

AC1349