| Anna M | |
|
Winter in Le Palais
|
|
|
Having sailed down to Brittany in October, Anna M wintered in Le Palais, where her skipper joined her for about one week a month for a writing session. I could leave home in Carrigaholt early in the morning, and flying by Ryanair from Shannon to Dinard by way of Stanstead, then by train from St Malo to Auray, bus to Quiberon and the ferry, could make the journey to Le Palais in one day. The berth in the wet dock there was very sheltery and safe, handy for the charming town and with very reasonable charges, the only snag being that there were some fairly serious leaks in the lock gates, with the result that Anna M sometimes took the bottom on neap tides, quite seriously. |
 |
|
It was a tough winter in Brittany, with some sad
loss of life at sea, including several fishermen and four of the
five crewmen of a little coaster, the Ile du Ponant, on her way
back to St Nazaire from Belle Isle. She was capsized by a bad wave
one evening, didn't even have time to send a distress call. A trawler
found her floating upside down next morning, and a life-boat towed
her into the beach at La Turballe. Here the one survivor made his
presence known by banging on the hull, and was cut out through the
bottom. He was the engineer, who in the split second when his companions
in the mess had gone out and over-board, had headed for his engine
room. Tossed about there in the dark, upside down hull for over
twenty hours, he certainly made a courageous escape.
|
|
E-mail info(at)gannetsway.com - www.gannetsway.com
Revised:26 June 2001Copyright © Joe Aston 2000 - 2006 All rights reserved.
All photographs are © Joe Aston unless otherwise stated, please do not reproduce without permission.