The man in the charcuterie was just like Rene from Allo Allo – very funny! And Justin forgot that Tom was arriving and only ordered 2 strawberry tarts! On our return to the boat the man from the SNM club told us that we had to move and so helped us go right on the end of the pontoon – a mooring which needed to be cleared the following day in preparation for the fireworks display for Bastille day. It was a much better mooring, quieter and so much more to see – it was like being back in Empuriabrava.We caught the metro to the bus station and then the shuttle bus to the airport. It was quite a long way along the autoroute so although quite expensive (8.50 Euros each way) cheaper than a taxi. Arrived an hour before Tom’s plane so had a drink in the new terminal at Marseille airport – a very tired Tom arrived and we returned to the boat. We needed to leave early in the morning as the forecast wasn’t good for later in the day (force 6-7 Westerlies) so had tea and got to bed – again although we were further away from the club house they still played very loud disco music into the early hours – Oh well at least we are on holiday!
Justin woke at 6 am and went to pay for our moorings – a mere 37.50 Euros per night. Great value for the South of France. The TrolleyBus night club was kicking out at 6.30 am and they were still drinking and fighting in the street! Time to go I think. It was reasonably calm when we left the mooring at 7 am but the winds and the seas grew at the morning went on. A brilliant beam reach until we had cleared the Isle D’If and then an amazing down wind sail with just a reefed main all the way to Bandol – 30 Nautical Miles. Although we have experienced quite big seas behind us before, never anything quite like this and for so long – a great experience – Arnie, the autopilot coped well and Belle Helene was in her element surfing down the waves at speeds up to 9.2 knots!We got to Bandol just as the wind was hitting 30 knots and called the marina for a berth. They asked us to go alongside the Accueil (office) and then we would be allocated a berth – anyway 30 knots of wind and a fag touting, long haired, bearded assistant on the dock didn’t help and we really struggled to get her turned around to follow the capitain’s dinghy to the berth, so ended up reversing out of the channel – much better and then went nose in to a mooring next to Pepito II a very shiny Oceanis 473 whose owners were very concerned about their fenders being in the right place! I did recognise the name and it turns out that they were moored in Empuriabrava for a number of years. We did manage to hit the electric box – I think we have done the before somewhere! (not my fault this time!) No slime lines here though – slime chains! Launched the dinghy and had some lunch with a welcome cold beer after a very invigorating morning.
Bandol is beautiful! Large marina with palm lined waterfront with restaurants, bars and shops. Very few English here – a great feel to the place. We went for a walk early evening but it was incredibly busy so decided to have a drink in the best bar in the Med! Still blowing a hooligan and the forecast is for force 8 gales until Tuesday so I think that we will be staying put! A lovely dinner followed by a well deserved early night.
Justin woke early (again!!) and went for a walk in the town – the local market was setting up with fruit veg, charcuterie, fish stalls etc. Wonderful! Almond croissants for breakfast followed by another shopping trip with Helen leaving Tom to his beauty sleep – he has done very little but rest and sleep since he got here! We ended up on the other side of the dock and whistled Tom to come across in the dinghy to pick us up – he had never used the new outboard so quite an achievement!
Justin tried a bit of fishing and caught one! It wasn’t very well though and a sea gull had an early lunch. Dad and Tom left Mum to sunbathe and walked to the beach and went for a swim – it was very cold but a lovely beach! The volley ball court got a lot of our attention with a topless game going on! Anyway Bastille day fireworks tonight which are being ignited from the breakwater just in front of our mooring so we should be in for a treat.
We were – absolutely brilliant – best seats in the house. Check out the video.
Minor problem as we think that a stray firework caused a fire in one of the marina buildings although it was soon put out!Following morning, wind had died and after a lovely visit to the market we left pretty Bandol en route to Porqurolles – unfortunately very little wind so motor sailed most of the way.
Porquerolles is truly beautiful! We anchored in 3 metres in a tiny bay with about twenty other boats but by 7 pm they had all gone leaving us all alone. A magical night at anchor.Mum and Dad took the dinghy ashore for a brief walk, Dad went for a swim in very cold water and several fish were caught – two by Tom and three by dad!
Porquerolles is truly beautiful! We anchored in 3 metres in a tiny bay with about twenty other boats but by 7 pm they had all gone leaving us all alone. A magical night at anchor.Mum and Dad took the dinghy ashore for a brief walk, Dad went for a swim in very cold water and several fish were caught – two by Tom and three by dad!
Quite an early start the following day after a brief panic trying to find out who had been sleeping in our house after we had all left!
Again not a lot of wind so motor sailed to Port Grimaud. As we rounded the headland into Pampellone bay (where we first started going out together) there were about 50 superyachts at anchor, millions of pounds worth, a couple even had helicopters on the decks.
Again not a lot of wind so motor sailed to Port Grimaud. As we rounded the headland into Pampellone bay (where we first started going out together) there were about 50 superyachts at anchor, millions of pounds worth, a couple even had helicopters on the decks.
We called Helen Goddard-Watts who guided us in past St Tropez into Port Grimaud where they have their house. We moored successfully alongside and after a quick washdown of the decks, launched the dinghy and went for a potter around the town – absolutely beautiful – just as we remember it when we visited 28 years ago.
We ended up at the beach restaurant, where Helen G-W was also eating with some friends.
We had a very expensive, disappointing meal, Tom and Dad shared a cold rare steak – a mere 54 euros and 8 euros a pint! Anyway an experience in itself – as we were eating a massive super yacht dropped its anchor just in front of us and backed onto a mooring on the quayside – very impressive. See photo!
In the morning Mum and Dad got up to do the shopping at the local market – very expensive – oh how the other half live. Bought some mousakka from a stall, some flowers for our host and lollies for the children. Emm, Ruby and Lolly. Café au lait at a riverside café, and returned to the boat where the children ‘encouraged’ Tom out of bed.
Delivered the flowers, had a quick look at their beautiful house and left en route to Golfe Juan to meet up with the Alcocks.Tacked all the way out of the Gulf of St Tropez and had a great sail to Golfe Juan. Arrived just after 5 pm tried to anchor unsuccessfully off the beach but managed to get a mooring in the Vieux port of Golfe Juan. They could only offer us one night but after a visit to the capitainerie, we were allowed to saty for three nights – 35 Euros per night! Fantastic value and great showers. Alcock boys were in the marina to welcome us and Dad just about managed to get the boat moored stern too with out too much damage – the ensign pole is getting shorter and shorter!A couple of beers on board with the Alcocks and a lovely meal in a beach restaurant with the rest of the Alcock tribe, including both mothers Rosemary and Jen, finished an exhausting day. Tom and Simon went out to ‘catch up’ and returned at some unearthly hour!
The following morning Chris arrived to take Mum and Dad to the supermarket in ‘the beast’ and we stocked up on all the heavy stuff – beer, beer, beer, gin, Bacardi and water….!
After a coffee chez les Alcocks, they joined us for the day on the boat. We motored out to an anchorage between Ile Saint - Honorat and Ile Sainte-Marguerite, a little bit choppy and Rosemary went very quiet! Plenty of swimming, snorkelling and beach games for the boys and Chris and Dad went for a walk half way around the Island to the village and the fort where it is thought that the man in the iron mask was imprisoned.
After a coffee chez les Alcocks, they joined us for the day on the boat. We motored out to an anchorage between Ile Saint - Honorat and Ile Sainte-Marguerite, a little bit choppy and Rosemary went very quiet! Plenty of swimming, snorkelling and beach games for the boys and Chris and Dad went for a walk half way around the Island to the village and the fort where it is thought that the man in the iron mask was imprisoned.
After lunch we had a visitation from a young lady selling ice-creams from her boat – very nice. Another lazy afternoon sun bathing and then back to the marina to get Tom ready for his epic adventure.Chris’s taxi service duly arrived at 10.15 and took us all to the airport for Tom to catch his flight to Biaritz. All went well and we returned to the boat for a lazy day to catch up. At 2.10 pm Tom phoned to tell us that he was back at Nice Airport. Apparently there had been a technical fault with the plane and they had to return to Nice! Tom eventually arrived in Biaritz at 8.30 pm after two more flights, one of them to Paris!
Mum and Dad had a pretty lazy day, went to the beach for a couple of hours and chilled. Met up with Chris and Linda in the Reef Bar on the front at Golfe Juan and had a great evening; Chris and Helen being particularly badly behaved spilling a young man’s beer!
Sunday – after our last night at the marina, we paid our bill, a mere 35 Euros per night!, and they even gave Dad a 2008 Mediterranean Almanac. A quick visit to the supermarket to stock up, Dad gave the boat a good wash and we left for a night at anchor between the islands. A cloudy afternoon with plenty of reading followed by a dusk trip to Ile saint- Honorat to visit the monastery. We had a lovely walk around the island with the searchlight, just in case! We were woken at about 2 am with a force 7 blowing, we had deployed the kedge to try to stop the rolling and both anchors seemed pretty well set. Dad set the anchor alarm on the chart plotter and we eventually went back to sleep.
We woke to a very still morning! We motored out of the anchorage very carefully as there are some very shallow parts and headed across the bay to Theoule sur Mer, where the Threlfalls had taken a villa for the week.
What a beautiful place, we anchored just off the entrance to a small marina and dad went in the dinghy to pick them up from the marina. You would never have thought that you could get 6 people and their lunch in our dinghy! Great to see them – unfortunately Harry was feeling sick so Mike took him back to the villa. When he returned we went for a cruise around the coast and returned to anchor just in front of their villa. Some great swimming and snorkelling with a trip to the beach to get some icecreams. Mum and Petra were left on board and we rushed back with theirs in the cool bag only to run out of petrol and Mike had to row! Supper back at the Threlfalls beautiful Villa and a chance to wash some bedding and towels and also have a hot shower without having to switch the water off! Mike cooked steak frites and we sat and watched the fantastic fireworks display over Cannes that seemed to go on forever. A perfect way to end a great day!
Tuesday – took the Threlfalls for a trip to the anchorage between the islands and had a great relaxing day. Weather was beautiful and managed to sail there and back. Another shower and meal chez les Threlfalls ended the day.
Wednesday – an early start to drive to Antibes with Mike and the mini Threlfalls to pick up the speed boat for a couple of days hire. Not a good start as they told us that the boat Mike had ordered was ‘broken’! Managed to get a 25 foot Italian sports boat though which was brilliant. A quick blast back to Belle Helene in Theoule sur Mer followed by a super trip along the coast. Mike was caught for speeding by the gendarmes, doing 25 knots in a 5 knot area! Ended up in a beautiful sheltered cove where we snorkelled, sunbathed and swam all afternoon. Tea was Pannini and chips in the beach café with some very tired children.
Thursday – Early morning waterski with Mike and the kids , Dad even managed to get up after 4 years! 
Time to leave Theoule sur Mer, managed to get a mooring back in Golfe Juan for a couple of nights. Sailed across to the Islands in a very brisk south westerly with big seas. One reef in the main and a reefed genoa saw us flying along at 7.5 knots. Mike and the family joined us after an exciting trip across the bay – they were all very wet and Petra looked a bit green!
Time to leave Theoule sur Mer, managed to get a mooring back in Golfe Juan for a couple of nights. Sailed across to the Islands in a very brisk south westerly with big seas. One reef in the main and a reefed genoa saw us flying along at 7.5 knots. Mike and the family joined us after an exciting trip across the bay – they were all very wet and Petra looked a bit green! 
Managed to find a mooring in some sheletered water close to Ile d’Honorat. The Red Cross boat rescued a yacht from the middle of the channel which had obviously slipped its anchor without the owners being on board. They were very surprised to see that their yacht had moved when they eventually returned! Mike, dad and Alfie went for a walk around the island and the weather eventually calmed down a bit and Mike and Harry took the speed boat back to Antibes – a hairy, very wet trip! The rest of us had a lovely sail to Golfe Juan with just the genoa up and wind behind. Managed to get a great mooring, said our goodbyes to the Threlfalls after a fabulous time with them, showered, fed and slept… we must have been very tired because we were woken at 9.30 am by a lady asking us to fill out a questionnaire!Friday – washed the boat and the dinghy, which was filthy after getting caught under the quayside at Theoule – due to meet up with the Alcocks tonight for their final meal before they leave to go home.
That was tea sorted anyway. 10-12 knots of wind on the beam took us out of sight of land for the first time on Belle Helene at about 6.5 knots. This stayed with us until 2.30 am when it dropped completely and came from behind. 
Flappy sails and no wind means engine on which we kept until our arrival in sunny Marseille at about 1.45 in the afternoon.
Just after dawn when J was on watch dolphins surfaced on the port side – awoke Helen and they swam with us for about half an hour – absolutely fantastic. Watch this! 
A lovely sandwich for lunch followed by a couple of hours on the local beach - we thought that Marseille was too dodgy to leave a camera on the beach so no photos! Did manage to get Helen in the sea though - still a little cold for her sensitive skin!