Thursday 13th July Ref: 2017/17
We had a great cruise from Le Havre to Fecamp ; arriving in the harbour at exactly the right time to cruise through the bridge and open barrier to moor in the sheltered Bassigny basin and there to find the town en fete with its annual Fecamp Motor Team rally of thousands of motorbikes descending from the mountain and parading through the centre in a wild and spectacular procession with lights and horns blazing. It was a magnificent sunny and warm day and still later in the evening for the event but the winds at sea were an unexpected Force 4 which, against our following tide of over 2knots, made for a moderate sea at times, though it was smooth and slight at others.
I cruised at a steady 1500 revs, or 8knots, throughout and monitored our progress and the times and tides worked out as expected. It was just that additional wind from that awkward quarter that prevented this from being the perfect passage. Also we went well out to sea to pass the Antifer point, following the chart instructions not to enter their exclusion zone unless going to or from their Le Havre Antifer port and therefore crossing north of their A17 and A18 channel buoys. We found the town to be much more attractive than I remembered it over ten years ago, when it was more of a fishing village with some tourism but now that trend seems to be reversed.
Temp 27>24 deg C, RH 56>49%, Pressure 1021-1019mb falling slowly, good viz, sm/slight/mod in F4 with breeze variable then SEly and NEly up to 15knots
