Heading the wrong way

We're off again!

We left the day following the largest tide of the year, which allowed us to shoot out of the Bristol channel at high speed.

We were heading for Tréguier in Brittany, to visit the Boréal yard for some minor warranty work to fix a door hinge which had failed due to the incorrect grade of aluminium from a supplier.

Strategically, Tréguier is in the wrong direction since our plan for the summer is to visit Norway via Shetland, but it did mean we finally made it to the Isles of Scilly. We have tried to get to these islands a number of times before but always failed. We were only there for 36 hours but they did not disappoint.

 

Then off to Tréguier. We were trying to catch a wind shift, so we set off in a short lull in the easterly winds. The plan worked well but did have us both leaving and arriving in the dark. On these first two passages we noticed that the hull window on the front starboard side had developed a small leak. Annoying, but fortuitous because the team at Boréal could fix it at short notice. This involved us having to be lifted out of the water once again, so we booked a stunning apartment for the week and settled into yet more boat work.

The Boréal team removed the door and welded on a new hinge.

We took the opportunity to remove a section of our toe rail and repaint. The paint edge is a weak point because water can get under the paint and cause it bubble. It generally needs attention every five years, but ours took a lot of UV damage thanks to two Mediterranean summers.

Boréal re-bedded the leaking window and also improved the UV protection around the other hull window seals.

On our day off from boat work we went on a scenic but long walk along the coastal path, down the river Jaudy and out to Plougrescant. The round trip was around 18km and left us very foot sore. 

Whilst in Tréguier we were able to catch up with Yan and Silvia on Fabule. We have bumped into them a number of times on our travels and it is always good to swap stories with other Boréal owners.

 

With the boat back in the water it was time for us to leave and stop burning Schengen days in the wrong country.

 If we are to execute on our plans for Norway this summer we needed to start making miles north. With this in mind we hopped first to Milford Haven, and then up to Ballycastle on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Here we reattached the toe rail and enjoyed fish and chips, before setting off again to Scotland.  

We now need to decide how quickly we want to move through Scotland to get to Shetland and be ready to cross the North sea. This is more of a dilemma than it would seem, as we are definitely feeling the pull of the beautiful landscapes of the Highlands. It does feel like there is so much to see and so little time.