Unexpected departure
Hounraken left Brest on Tuesday morning, July 19 with its new crew. Patrick and Alexandre have replaced Simon and Vincent, who disembarked during the Brest celebrations. Morning mist and light wind accompany the magnificent parade of sailboats from Brest to the Tas-de-Pois. The fleet of the Plymouth - La Rochelle regatta left the convoy there and headed to Douarnenez to continue the party.
Departure from Brest 2016
The departure is given in front of the cove of Dinan. For us, the regatta begins. The wind gets up and a light breeze pushes the classic sailboats towards the Raz de Sein, which they approach against the current.
An irregular wind
Unfortunately, the wind is changeable. The wind falls on the raz and the fleet spreads out according to the currents and the reefs. Hounraken saw Kraken fly away a few meters from him while he was stuck in a soft patch.
At the end of the bay, the wind picks up and so does the morale. The weather forecast announces force 3 to 4 for the night, ideal conditions. However, the southerly wind is running out of steam and Hounraken is being tossed around off Audierne and Penmarc'h. The stomach of the new crew, not yet moored, can't take it.
Strange encounter
Off Penmarc'h, while the night was wet and visibility was low, the crew on watch saw some unusual lights. Approaching in the fog with a few horn blasts and spotlights illuminating her sails, it was the Hermione that crossed our path with the air of a flying Dutchman. This crossing marks the spirits.
The new Hounraken spinnaker...
Spi de fortune
As mentioned in our first leg report, Hounraken tore her original spinnaker in the Brest Narrows. Despite the search at the stopover, no 70 m² spinnaker was found. When the wind turned to the west, it was Surprise's spinnaker, of only 45 m², brought back by Alexandre, which was sent. Hounraken's wardrobe is minimalist!
Port road
While the weather forecast is calling for a force 3 to 4 wind, it is difficult to find 10 knots in the area. Professional imperatives forced one of the crew to be present in Paris on Monday, while the boat had to go back to Le Bono as soon as it arrived in La Rochelle. Faced with a wind that was not very accommodating, the decision was made to turn the blinker to the left at Belle-Ile for a direct return to the Gulf of Morbihan. A magnificent sunset over Belle-Ile and dolphins welcoming the crew in front of Crouesty will console them for this abandonment.
Dolphins for welcoming committee...
This first offshore race seduced Henri, the owner of the Centurion 32. That's it, the regatta virus is there. Appointment is taken in 2 years for the next edition of Plymouth - La Rochelle.
