Saturday 8th July Ref: 2017/14
I had planned for us to make an early start and this was what exactly what we did today, starting the engines at 7.15am this morning and then leaving the moorings at Ouistrehem around 7.30am in order to be ready to enter the 8.00am lock for an exit to the sea. A good cruise from Ouistrehem to Deauville on a fine, warm and sunny day and then a good cycle ride around Deauville and Trouville before dinner on Lady Martina and then some rather last-minute cruise planning to Honfleur. The journey went well, with a good following tide and we arrived, as intended, a half hour before high water
We were hardly alone in that 8am lock out from Ouistrehem to the sea as there were nearly 40 boats that joined us in the lock and then formed a huge echelon when the exit gates opened. Before this, we held our own, found a mooring in the lock and allowed another large Dutch boat to come alongside. Having dropped around 1.9m to sea level the other side, we left the lock and had lots of boats speeding past us; competing for the best fishing spots to the north-west of the port and they made plenty of wash whilst doing so, which made it quite exciting for Kathleen.
During the cruise, one of my GPS sets lost signal and I had to rely upon the other one but that is why we have two and i got it working my re-making the connections whilst underway.
The entrance to Deaville/Trouville was fine and without difficulty and. On this occasion, I opted to cruise through Deauville basin and then enter Bassin Morny. Traditionally, the visitor moorings have involved rafting on the starboard side but there are now mooring boxes there and we were waved and directed to moor alongside on a long pontoon on the port side as we entered there and did so. It was a comfortable and well-serviced mooring but was also situated a huge building site. It seems that the older part of the dock, once the situation for the local fisherman, has not been taken over for a posh new development of riverside apartments which are being offered ‘either for dwellings or for investment purposes’.
We used the high water pressure here with our portable hose and gave Lady Martina its first thorough wash down since we left Grandcamp Maisy and then I walked over to the harbour office (after it had opened again after lunch) and paid for a day’s stay and got details of the internet connection. We put up the sun canopy, brought out and assembled the folding chairs and then unloaded the bikes and commissioned then ready for a long ride around this delightful port
Temp 20>28 deg C, RH 70>52%, Pressure 1018>1019 mb steady, fine, good/mod viz, smooth/slight seas with breeze mainly NWly <8knots
