We were up early to check the weather, and were pleased to see the winds had abated overnight. So off with the lines and we set off for Port Joinville on the Ile d’ Yeu. With the tides being where they are right now this meant fighting against the tidal streams as we headed south. Thankfully it was neaps so it was never more than 1kt of foul tide. The trip down was in glorious sunshine with the wind, such as it was from the north, and not west as forecast. The sea was a whole lot flatter than I expected after the recent winds – so all was good.

Nothing much to report really other than on the approach to the Ile d’ Yeu there are loads of lobster pot markers, but these are quite easily seen, as the fisherman have long bamboo poles and flags attached to them. It’s a lot better than old five or twenty five litre drums as in lots of waters around the UK. So much better for all parties.

It’s an interesting entrance to Port Joinville, (check it out on Google earth and you will see what I mean) and we had a chance to have a good look at the approach, as we had to stand off to allow a ferry to enter. Once tied up in the visitor’s part of the marina (into the marina and first left) we had a quick look around and we are both amazed at the size of the harbour area. The town looks original and not “developed” but tomorrow we will have time to explore a bit more. One shop we did look in was the fishmongers and the range of fresh fish and shellfish is quite amazing, long may they survive and stave off the supermarkets.