|
Donal flew in from Castletownbere to start the next leg as far as
France. We started with a pleasant 4 hour spin along the coast to
the pretty port of Salcombe, nestled in a meandering inlet. |
 |
 |
The
weather again blessed us as we headed off the next morning for the
cross channel spin to Guernsey. Sadly, light winds did not appear,
so we motored on flat calm seas as far as St Peter Port.
|
|
Guernsey is a beautiful island and the hills around the harbour
are spoiled with breathtaking views. The continuous traffic reminds
us of the wealth the islanders have and the strength of their economy.
We headed off to the neighbouring island of Sark one day in gusty
conditions, only to find that, though there were landing places,
it was a steep hike uphill to get anywhere. So we had lunch in
La Greve de la Ville Bay and returned to St Peter Port.
|
|
From Guernsey, we headed off in light winds to Jersey. We tried
sailing twin headsails for the first time. It was hard work setting
it up, but we did get it working(ish!). Then the wind changed direction
and strengthened a little so we were back to a beam reach in a rolling
swell as far as St Helier. |
 |
Donal's sister lives here and her and her
husband Denis kindly took us on a driving tour of the island the
next day. It is obvious why the island's reputation for opulence
comes from. The houses are beautiful and no expense is spared in their
appearance. But then the locations and views combine to make the
island of Jersey a place you would want to live in.
We booked into the marina for a week to allow Donal to spend some
time with his sister, but also to avoid a gale that was forecast
to come through a few days later. As I sit and write, it is raining
hard just before the gale hits. The marina was a hive of activity
today as Prince Charles paid a visit to unveil a new memorial to
something or other. Sadly, I was otherwise occupied and could not
attend!! But the big brass band let all around know that he had
arrived. |
One interesting social feature of Jersey is the large population of
Portugese working here, mostly in the hotel and restaurant trade.
They seem like the subclass of people the Irish were when I first
worked in London, seen but not heard. That all changed the night
Portugal beat Spain th qualify for the quarter finals of Euro 2004.
The car horns and cheering around the harbour was even louder
than when England won the following night.
