Monday 12 May 2014 - Nice

Sunday was a funny day.  Nothing really happened.  We hoped to go to Antibes, but we phoned the Port Vauban but they were adamant that they were full.  We tried the old port in Nice, but couldn’t get anyone to answer the phone.  The weather forecast was not good and from fairly early on it was blowing a 6 in the harbour, which is supposed to be protected from all winds.  So in the end we just decided to stay put.

We had a useful day, nonetheless.  Richard serviced and fixed the toilet which was leaking water back into the bowl.  I finally attacked the front cabin and washed away all the mould (the only place in the boat that went mouldy over the winter).  I took down the curtains in that cabin and will take them to Oslo to wash.

The sun had only been out in a hazy way in the morning, but came out nice and bright in the afternoon, so we went to the beach!  It was still very windy, but we found a sheltered spot and read our books and watched all the kite surfers doing their stuff.  We never tried going in the water!

Back to the boat and dinner on board and then early to bed.

Today, Monday, we really had to move on.  So we phoned Antibes again and this time they said that they couldn’t take reservations, but it was probable they would have space if we turned up at mid-day.  So off we set.

At first there was almost no wind.  It was perhaps blowing 3 knots, but we had plenty of time so we put up the sails and inched ahead, initially doing less than 1 knot.  But the wind picked up a bit and got up to a force 3, so we started to go along very nicely, getting up to 5 knots.  It is really surprising how much better she goes with a clean hull!  We sailed past the Eden Roc and took some photos.  We then went out to sea a few miles to empty our tank.  It was a little after 12:30 when we started to make our way into Antibes Harbour.  We had one problem, though.  When Richard tried to take in the genoa, it wouldn’t furl on the drum.  After trying again and again, there was nothing for it but to take it down.  The line in the drum had become hopelessly knotted.  It was just as well that the wind was light and the sea fairly calm.  After we finally got the sails down,  I put out all the fenders and lines and then as we approached the yacht harbour I called up for berthing instructions.  Given that we were told this morning they would probably have a berth for us I was really shocked to hear them say they had no room and could not help us at all.  So we had to make a plan B.

Richard then phoned the old port in Nice.  It was now about 1:00pm.  They said they would reserve us a berth for one night, so off we headed east.  I got lazy and didn’t take the fenders in for the 8 mile trip.  I did put them on the deck, though.  So just over an hour and a half later we approach Nice harbour.  Again as instructed when we got to where the yachts are moored I called up the harbour office and was shocked to the bone to be told that there was no way they could accommodate us for the night.  This was ridiculous when only less than two hours ago they told us that they had reserved a berth for us.  So I started to protest, but seemed to be getting nowhere.  We started to head out of the harbour when they called us on the radio and asked for the boat name (which I had already given) and then confirmed that we had reserved a place and they would find us a berth.  The berth they found is very odd.  We are not on a pontoon.  We are moored alongside on the old harbour wall.  But it is fine and we can connect to electricity and we are right next to the showers and toilets.  Also the berthing fee is very low.  Only 29 Euros, much to our surprise.

But this has taught me that we were right not to want to be in this part of the Med in the high season.  If we are having all this problem getting in to the nicer places this early in the season, heaven only knows what it would be like in June or July!

The first thing we needed to do in port was go shopping.  We are virtually out of food including milk and we will be eating aboard until we go to Norway.  So off we go into town.  The lady in the port office did try to show us where the closest supermarket is, but she was very vague about exactly what road it is on.  We wandered around for some time until finally someone we asked knew where it was.  We were able to buy nearly everything we needed and just finished up in a butcher’s to get the last meat for one of our meals.

So back to the boat and Richard has a go at the furling mechanism for the genoa.  He really doesn’t want to take the furler apart, not least because it is over the water and he is afraid of dropping bits into the sea.  But he manages to clear up all the snags and gets it working again.  So we put the sail back up and it furls fine.  Now all is well - except for how we are going to get out of this berth tomorrow.  They have put another boat on the wall at a right angle to us.  It is a lovely old wooden gaffer which has signs showing it is tourist boat doing trips out in the bay.  The problem is that it has a huge bowsprit which is partially blocking our way out of the berth.  Richard seems sanguine that he can bow thrust away from it and go out, but I am nervous.  Maybe we can get the people in the harbour to help.  We shall see.

The weather is still nice and we decide to have a walk to the Promenade des Anglais.  So we walk first through the old City.  I buy some more Herbs de Provence.  I bought lots last year, but forgot to leave any on the boat and my little bottle is running low.  Then we make it to the sea front.  There are huge breaking waves on some parts of the beach which are quite dramatic.  Nonetheless there are some people in the sea!  We make it not quite as far as the Negresco.  It  is a fasting day, so we can’t even stop for a drink.  We turn back and get to the boat in time to make a frugal supper.  Let’s hope our arrangements with Port St Laurant du Var work out better than those today!

Saturday 10 May 2014 - Juan-les-Pins day 2

So day two in Juan Les Pins.  For no particularly good reason we slept very late. We didn’t want much breakfast because we are going out to lunch, so we just has a bit of cereal.  The weather is disappointing for our exciting day.  It is overcast and misty.  Also it is not very warm, but then it isn’t really cold, but I did want a nicer sunny day for my outing.  So the secret is we are having lunch at the Eden Roc Hotel on Cap D’Antibes!  I have wanted to go there since I was a teenager and read all about it in the novels of F Scott Fitzgerald and now it will happen.  One lifetime ambition for Richard (boat in St Tropez) and one for me.

There was some talk of us walking there, but it is over a half hour walk so hang the expense we took a taxi.  The place was everything I imagined it to be.  Obviously it has been done up since the 1920’s, but they have kept it in period style.  Sort of a cross between classic French and Art Deco.  We sit out on the terrace overlooking the pool and sea swimming area.  There is no beach (it is all perched on rocks), but there is access to the sea via ladders and an old fashioned wooden diving board.  Some brave souls are in the sea and even dive off the board, which is quite high up.

The restaurant does not rate a Michelin rosette, but the food was great.  The problem with Michelin is that they only give top awards for restaurants that do very fancy dishes, whereas this one cooked straightforward food perfectly.  We made real pigs of ourselves with three courses a la carte and a glass of wine with each course.  We spent a fortune, but what is this all about if you cannot fulfil your dreams.  The staff were lovely and we had lots of laughs with them (mostly in English I blush to say- but I could translate the name of a fish for one waiter).  On the way out we looked at the reception to the hotel and the shop while we waited for a taxi. I saw a beautiful red silk beach cover up, but was not tempted at a price of over 400 Euros!  Dreams have their limits.

So back to town to buy some dinner for tomorrow and then to the boat.  We are done in by our lunch and despite it now being after 9 pm, we are not in the least bit hungry!  We shall probably move from here tomorrow.  Where we goes depends on the weather.  Richard thinks bad weather is coming in and we need to be tucked up in Nice in two days time to fly to Oslo.

Friday 9 May 2014 - Juan-les-Pins

Up fairly early.  The man who wants our berth came over again.  We have now worked out why they originally did not want us to stay more than one night.  They are moving all the permanent berth holders onto the pontoon we are on while they replace the old pontoons and put in new chains and ropes for the forward lines.  Anyway, we will leave this morning.

However, first I must go out and buy another pair of shoes!  I have to have something I can walk around in when I get to Oslo.  Just a quarter of an hour on the high heels last night has made my knee feel weak and uncomfortable.  So it is essential I have flat shoes.  This could have taken a long time, but I fall into a small shoe shop right away.  The first pair of shoes pinched, but then I found a really comfortable pair in gold leather.  Very Cote d’Azur!  So I just get on and buy then.

Then off to the market to finding something for our fasting day supper.  The fish market has nice looking small sea bream, so I buy a couple to grill with a load of veg.

Back to the boat and we make ready to leave.  We have phoned the marina in Juan-les-Pins and reserved a space so we have all the time in the world to get there.  The wind is light and is coming from the east (where we are headed, naturally).  But we decide to take some long tacks and go via the Iles de Lerins.  And way hay, after a whole week we are finally sailing!  Although it is only a force 3 we are going along very nicely doing up to 5 knots.

We decide to stop at the islands.  There is a channel between the two islands, Ste-Marguerite and St-Honorat.  The pilot says it is a nice stop so we head towards there.  It really is lovely, but even on a Friday afternoon in mid-season it is crowded.  It reminds us a bit of East Head in Chichester Harbour.  The anchorages cover more space than East Head, but not a lot.   There is every sort of boat there from ribs to super yachts.  I counted over 50 boats, not including the ribs.  So we have a nice hour at anchor and then set off to Juan-les-Pins.  We even get to sail all the way there.  Will wonders never cease?

The Port Gallice in Juan-les-Pins is at the end of the town almost on the Cap D’Antibes.  It is well organised and they meet us at the berth and help with our lines.  The weather is lovely.  It is coolish, but the sun is bright and this port is protected from all winds, so it feels warmer than it is.  We just laze in the cockpit in the sun for a while.  Then decide we must get on with doing something.

So, Richard gets out the bicycles.   I don’t think I have mentioned them.  Richard has a Brompton folding bike that I bought him some years ago. We have taken it on the boat every year since then until last year when we thought we wouldn’t because we could not get it home again.  But he really wanted us to have bikes on board.  So he bought me a second hand Brompton on E-bay and we brought both bikes down in the car when we came a few weeks ago.  The problem is that I never liked cycling and I have more or less forgotten how to ride a bike.  Richard has made me get on his bike from time to time and we did take a longish ride a few years ago when we took the boat to Holland.  But I have no confidence and I am very wobbly.  But we have the bikes so we took them out.  We only rode around the marina.  I started to get used to riding again, but the road to town is busy, with no dedicated bike route, so we didn’t ride out onto the road.  Maybe next time.

After trying out the bikes we decided to walk into town.  We wanted to come here because we had a family holiday here with my parents and the children when Colin was about 6 years old!  We really liked the town and remembered that it had a lovely beach.  Well of course things have changed. It is much developed and a lot of the sea front is now all private beaches and beach restaurants.  But we did find the main public beach and it is still nice.  All very nostalgic.  We have sussed out the shopping, which isn’t very good, but should keep us going.

We get back to the boat and make dinner.  The fish is lovely.  After dinner it has cooled down and Richard has been looking for an excuse to turn on the boat heater to see if it still works – which it does.  We have big plans for tomorrow, but you will have to wait for then to read about it.

Thursday 8 May 2014 - Cannes

So it is day two in Cannes.  We were up fairly early and went off to have a shower.  We are unimpressed.  The French really know nothing about providing good facilities.  The showers and toilets look nice enough with new tiles and the like.  However, for a huge marina there are only three toilets and two showers for each sex.  Also you have to pay for the showers.  So we go in and both of us have the same experience.  The showers start hot and then go icy cold and sometimes go tepid.  Not good.  But we are finally not members of the great unwashed.

After breakfast we go shopping.  There is a nearby market.  It is quite nice.  Lots for flowers to begin with and then wonderful fruit and veg.  But we don’t need much, so we just buy a couple of things to make up food for the day. Tomorrow we will go on a fasting day and buy some fresh fish for dinner before we leave here.

After shopping it is back to the boat to put things away and then we go off to the old town to do a bit of the pedestrian walk.  It is a bit of a climb, but I am sure that is good for the both of us.  Then back to the boat for lunch.  I make us salads chevre chaude.  We don’t want too much to eat because we are going off to smart dins tonight.

We spend most of the afternoon in the cockpit of the boat soaking up the sun.  I am finishing my fourth book since we came out.  I will have to download a lot more to keep me going.

The building work is still going on all around us in readiness for the film festival.  There are white tents all over the place and in particular in the marina.  They even have the signs for each of the huts saying which film group the stand belongs to.  They don’t seem very advanced and there is only 5 days to go!

We also find it hard to understand how this marina is allocating berths.  They have put us on the end of a pontoon which is in the middle of renovation.  There are great gaps in the planking and no water at our end.  There are tons of spaces further in, but by the afternoon all the end berths near us have been filled.  Even more peculiarly in the middle of the afternoon a Frenchman comes up to our boat and asks us is the marina has told us to berth in this place.  When we tell him they have, he says this is his permanent berth!  When we tell him we are leaving tomorrow he is not too bothered, but we can’t understand how the port can make such a mess of berthing.

So evening comes and we are off for our first really posh meal.  We have decided to go to a one Michelin rosette restaurant called Le Parc 45 in the Grand Hotel.  I want to look a bit smart, so I would prefer to wear nice shoes.  However, I am worried about walking half a mile in high heels with my knee.  I decide to wear my silver flatties to walk in and take my high heels to change into when I get there.  That all goes well and when we are just across the street from the restaurant I change my shoes.

We have booked a rather early spot and there is no one in the restaurant.  So we decide to have a cocktail each first.  It is all very nice until Richard manages to spill his nearly full 18 Euro drink all over the table!  I told him earlier that the glass seemed to tip up easily, but he didn’t pay heed.  What a mess.  At least it didn’t go all over my clothes or his, just the table.  They clean us up and give Richard a new (if rather smaller) drink.

Dinner is very nice.  We wind up eating the least expensive menu, but enjoy it.  A fish dish, then chicken done three ways, with morilles, and a desert.  There are nibbles with the aperitif, an amuse bouche and a pre-desert.  We are having a good time.  I stop at the ladies before we leave and decide to change into my flat shoes, when disaster strikes.  In my bag I only have one flat shoe.  I have managed to lose the other.  We look under the dinner table, but it is not there.  I must have failed to put it in my bag when I changed on the way in.  We look at the seat where I changed but there is nothing there.  This is a real fag.  I liked the silver shoes, although they are quite old and really owe me nothing.  However, more importantly, they are all I have to wear in Oslo.  So I will need to go shoe shopping tomorrow morning.  Well, there are a lot of shops here.  I must be able to find a pair of nice flat shoes.  We shall see.

It is now getting late and we must be up early tomorrow to buy food for dinner and a new pair of shoes.    

Wednesday 7 May 2014 - St Tropez and Cannes

I didn’t post yesterday.  The internet at the marina was too weak to reach our boat and there was not too much to report.  We just had a very nice day out in St Tropez.  We spent the morning in the market, which was huge, not buying much, but enjoying the atmosphere.  Then we had lunch on board, did a bit more cleaning and tidying.  Richard managed to put on our new Dyneema main halyard, which I thought was jolly clever.  Even he was a bit surprised how well it went.  We then had a huge indulgence buying each of us a large slice of Tarte Tropezienne.  That really filled us up.  Some diet I’m on!

Then finally we went out to dinner.  We didn’t go anywhere special, but it was a pleasant restaurant overlooking the beach and sea and we had a nice meal.

The marina is full of charter boats on a rally.  They are all Russian!

So today we set course for Cannes. We booked a berth before we left St Tropez, so we had all the time in the world to get there. The weather report looked good.  Wind from behind at force 2-4.  We even thought we might get some sailing in.  We did put up the main just after getting out of the harbour, but it was disappointing because the wind didn’t get above 9 knots and from dead behind that really isn’t enough to move our boat at any reasonable speed.  So to begin with we just motor sailed along.  Then on the radio there came an announcement to listen to an urgent new weather forecast.  Out of nowhere they were suddenly predicting a force 7 for the afternoon.  We still could not see where all this wind would come from.  The weather was bright, and although the barometer had fallen it was still quite high.  But they were right.  The wind started to build and suddenly it was blowing 22 knots!  So we took a couple of reefs in.  Richard decided not to sail.  He wanted us to get to port before it got worse, so we kept the engine on and were doing over 8 knots through the water.

But as predicted the wind continued to build.  I only saw it go to 28-30 knots, but Richard said he saw it gust up to 32 knots.  The sea was also getting very choppy.  The auto-pilot was doing a rotten job causing us one involuntary gybe.  So Richard started to hand steer.  With the wind and the waves behind, the journey wasn’t so bad until we had to take the sails down.  That was rather ropy, but it went better than we hoped.  The new halyard meant that the sail came down faster and further than it had been doing last season.  Although it did not come down altogether, it came down enough for us to enter port without Richard risking all going forward to pull it down.  As we approached the harbour entrance, we were struck by a nasty wave and pushed all over the place.  This was all the more galling as we could see flat water only yards away.

But we finally go into the shelter of the harbour and flat water.  So Richard could go forward and take the sail down and I was able to set all the fenders in much better conditions.  However, mooring was not easy.  We were given a berth right on the end of a pontoon and the high winds (which were still blowing 20-22knots) kept pushing us off the berth.  We were helped by a couple of Frenchmen, who we at first thought were from the port, but discovered were just workmen building a gantry on a boat on the same pontoon.  So with their help we eventually got moored up. 

And now here we are in Cannes.  The place is a bit of a building site because they are constructing all the stuff needed for the Film Festival which opens in 8 days time.  They also seem to be doing up the old port and that too is a building site.  But still it is fun  and quite glamorous.

We spent the afternoon walking along the Croisette and then on to the posh shopping street - Rue d’Antibes.  Back to the boat for a bit of a sit in the sun and then off for a cocktail.  So it is a hard life!  We are even getting some wifi here, but again, the signal isn’t strong enough to get to our boat.   We have persuaded the port to let us stay for two nights, so we will tell you how we are getting on tomorrow.

Oh, the Russians have followed us here!

Monday 5 May 2014 - Le Lavandou and St Tropez

I didn’t write up the blog last night because we had no internet access.  On Sunday morning we set out quite early from Port Pin Roland and headed east to Le Lavandou, about 25 miles.  We fondly remembered the place from when we used to holiday in this part of the world with the children before we bought the house in Dinan.  The weather was bright but there was no wind to speak of (never went above 5 knots) and what there was, was on the nose.  So we never even opened the sail bag on the main and just motored the 20 miles to port.  The books told us that there is a visitor pontoon and we found it without problem, but it was completely full.  On one side there were four sailboats of about our size.  On the other side two huge boats had used up the whole pontoon especially with long lines.  We thought about rafting up to one of the large boats, which was a Brit, but in the end we just perched on the fuel pontoon to await mooring instructions.  This was the first mooring of the season and was pretty ragged.  I didn’t jump off and even with the help of the Brit on the large boat, we struggled.  We hope to get better at this.

Richard comes back from the Harbour Office with instructions to moor stern to at the other end of the marina.  So off we go to find our space.  It is a bit of a shock when we get there.  We are supposed to cram ourselves between two moored boats.  Firstly I can’t see how we will fit between them and secondly, I can’t visualize how we will turn in the short space between the pontoons.  But Richard does a really wonderful job and gets us in with no problem.  I push one of the boats aside as we slowly slide in.  The other boat has its owners on board and they are very helpful.

Then comes my bit to pick up the line at the pontoon and walk it forward until I come to the front line attached to a chain on the bottom of the harbour, to keep us forward.  I pick up this disgusting line covered in shells and some sort of gelatinous growth only to find that it runs under the boat next door and there is no way I can use it hold us forward.  Then the nice man from the boat on the other side climbs over to the empty boat and takes ones of its lines off and hands it to me!  It seems that the boat owner has used two forward lines on his boat, leaving none for us.  I have no idea how we would have worked out what to do if it hadn’t been for the helpful neighbour.

So we are safely tied up and decide to go and look at the town.  We are not very impressed.  I don’t think much has been done to the place since we were here maybe 30 years ago!  It is looking rather tired and down and heel.  I think the same can be said for the marina.  It is rated fairly highly in the Cruising Association materials, but it is very basic.  We can’t attach to the water, so we can’t fill up or wash the boat.  We do have electricity.  The toilet block is out of the ark and when we go to shower the water is barely tepid.  I must remember to shower on board if I am not impressed with facilities.  The French seem very haphazard about such things in marinas.

On board I cook dinner - Moules.  I bought some vacuum packed mussels on Saturday and they claim they will be good for today.  They taste OK, if a bit salty, but after eating them both Richard and I get a minor case of the runs, so maybe I’d better not buy those again.

On Monday morning we are keen to move on.  Richard originally planned for us to go to Cavalaire sur Mer, another place we used to visit.  But it is only 9 miles away, and not so exciting.  So instead we head to St. Tropez, again about 25 miles away.  Today the wind has picked up a little and had it been in the direction predicted by the weather forecast we might have been able to sail.  But of course, it was directly on the nose.  Easterlies are not the usual winds here, but we get them.  Don’t holiday with us, we always bring the wrong weather!  So again we have to motor all the way.  With the wind in our faces it feels rather cold (despite being very sunny) and we find we need to wear our fleeces.  Well, at least we didn’t bring them for no reason.

On the way we pass other old haunts.  On our delayed honeymoon in September 1969, we stayed in a cute room, cum flat right near the beach in Cavalaire.  We are pretty sure we recognized the beach it was on as we sailed past.  It was also fun to sail along past Pamplonne and Tahiti beaches outside St Tropez itself.    So now we sail into the town itself.  I am very pessimistic about getting a berth.  The books all talk about booking on line, but Richard is sure it won’t be a problem.  We find the Harbour Office and the reception pontoon and this time get moored up.  As we finish someone comes out of the office and immediately allocates us a berth.  It is not in the old Harbour, but we did not expect that.  Only big super yachts seem to go there.  But the new harbour is only around the corner and we manage to moor well, stern to.  I even get the right rope for the forward line - eventually.

The sun is shining and it is quite warm.  We should have been washing the boat, but we can’t because we don’t seem to have the right end on our hose to connect to the water supply.  Similarly, the electricity socket is too big for our plug.  So we change out of our grungy sailing clothes and go to sign in and see what we can do about water and electricity.  They are very friendly in the office.  We get an adaptor for the electricity on loan free of charge.  They do have adaptors for the water, but none which will fit our hose.  So we wind up in the chandlery and buy a connector that looks like it will do the job.

Back to the boat and yes, the electricity works and Richard has figured out how to connect to the water.  We think we had a suitable connector all along, but we only invested 6 Euros in the new one, so what the hell.

Back to the town.  It is buzzing.  Many more people here than I expected.  Also there are dozens of Harley Davidsons all parked on the harbour front.  We find a sign which says there is to be a Harley convention here in a couple of days, so that explains all the bikes.

We are on a fasting day today.  We have to get our weight down as both of us have ballooned over the winter.  So we can’t really have a nice drink, but we cannot resist sitting in the sun in Senequier, the café on the harbour front.  We just have Perrier, but it is ever so nice.  This is much better, and it really is a life ambition fulfilled.  I am sure that when Richard first took me here in 1969 he said someday we would bring our own boat here, and now we have!

After a long walk around the town it is back to the boat where we finally give the decks a good clean and scrub.  The job isn’t perfect, but it is a vast improvement.  Then to the showers, much better than yesterday, but even after charging £40 per night to stay here you have to buy a 2 Euro token to make the shower work!  And they close the block down at 7:00pm!

Dinner on board and then another stroll around town.  It is much quieter now.  We think we have found a place to eat tomorrow.  We shall see.

We are both shattered, and it is time for bed.

Saturday 3 May 2014 - in Toulon

Well, here we go again.  It is May and we are starting our first full season in the Med.  This time we hope to be far more organised.

On the 2nd we flew from Stansted to Toulon by Ryanair.  The limited luggage allowance did not pose any problem as we had been to the boat by car two weeks earlier and put a load of stuff on the boat then.  However, even with the limited luggage, it was hard work carting the bags (with no wheels-- too rigd to store on the boat) from bus to tube to train.  But we managed and the flight went well.

However as we landed the heavens opened.  What has happened to all this good Mediterranean weather we were expecting.  It was worse than the weather we left behind in London.

After careful cost checking Richard decided it would not be worth hiring a car at the airport.  Not only would it be expensive, but we could not work out how we would return it.  So we booked a cab in advance and he was waiting for us in the rain when we arrived.  So far so good.  However, the traffic was terrible and it took an hour to get to the port.  When we got there the rain was even worse and it was a dash to the boatyard office.  We expected the boat to be all ready on a berth, having been told it had been launched and berthed on the previous Tuesday.  But when we got to the marina, we found out that the boat was out of the water having just been lifted because the boatyard did not properly antifoul the keel!  So we had to wait for that to be done.

We finally got on to the boat at about 4:30 pm.  We were very disappointed to note that some of the work we specifically organised when we were here two weeks ago had not been done.  They had not put on the larger solar panel, and tell us it would take at least another week to order a new one.  No way we can wait for that, so we will just have to see if this slightly larger panel than we had will be sufficient.

More annoyingly, the broken starboard navigation light has not been fixed.  We really want that, although we have no immediate plans to do any night sailing.  But at least we are on a boat in the water.  Luckily by then the weather had improved and we were keen to get on with things.

I start to unpack while Richard gives a first clean to the outside of the boat.  It didn't seem that dirty when we last saw it, but it is really grubby.  I find that we have brought far too many clothes.  I could start a well stocked boutique with all the stuff we have got.  Finding places for it all is getting difficult.  But I finally manage and start on the task of cleaning the inside of the boat.  Again, it doesn't seem bad, but it is a long hard task and I only get the galley and our cabin done, which means we have a bed to sleep in tonight.  I start on the heads, but don't get very far.  I try to charge up the electric toothbrush, but it won't charge.  I check all the sockets and they seem to be working.  I can only imagine that the battery has gone and we need a new one.  At least we brought a battery one with us, so we have something to use.    Richard in the meantime has put the life raft in place and taken the outboard for the dinghy out of the locker, so we are beginning to put things where they belong.

There are no shops close to the marina and we have no fresh food on board so we go to the restaurant in the marina for dinner.  It is OK, if a bit pricy, but at least we are starting  to relax a bit.

By 10:00pm, (9:00 English time) we are both exhausted.  We try to stay up a bit longer, but collapse into bed very early.

So up this morning at what we think is a reasonable time.  We cannot understand why someone from the boatyard keeps fiddling with bow mooring line, but we are too tired to get up and ask.  So after breakfast Richard makes his way to the chandlery to see if he can buy a new light.  Just after he has gone I get off the boat and realise that the navigation light has been fixed!  I race to catch up with R to make sure he doesn't buy another light and get to him.  No danger, he couldn't find a starboard light anyway.  Now one problem is solved.

We spend the rest of the morning getting the boat ready.  I carry on cleaning and organising.  Richard gets the mainsail on.  We suddenly realise that it is nearly noon and we want to move to Toulon Old Harbour in the middle of town where we can shop to provision the boat.  So we rush to fill up with water and get the boat ready to move.  We are just ready when Richard goes to start the engine and nothing happens!  We can't work out what is wrong.  The boat was only brought around here on engine three days ago, so what can it be.  Ideally we want to speak to the mechanics who dealt with the boat and the engine, but of course they have all gone off for lunch.  Finally we decide it must be the battery.  So we put in the crossover key to use the domestic batteries and yes, the boat starts.  But I am unwilling to leave.  There is no reason why the engine battery should have suddenly died.  It is only one year old and has been on charge for over 24 hours.  I fear that the charging mechanism isn't working and if that is the case we must get it put right before we set off.  There are no boatyards in central Toulon, so I persuade Richard to stay here to wait for someone to look at the problem.

But we have no food, so we must do something about that.  In the end we decide to take a taxi to the local large Intermarche.  We are told that the shop does free deliveries to boats, so we hope they will get the food back to the boat and maybe take us.  We get there and do a large shop and are then notified that they need a week's notice to make a delivery!  We can't work out how that can ever help someone on a boat.  We wind up taking a taxi back.  The cost of all these taxis has come to far more than the cost of hiring a car.  Well, how were we to know that!  Anyway we have three days food, and the sun has come out!

Back at the marina Richard has contacted the yard and they are going to send someone over to look at the engine.  The mechanic arrives after about 20 minutes and starts to look at all the batteries.  We have to explain 2-3 times what the situation has been.  First he says  the batteries are fine and then he says the engine battery is dead.  In the end he finds that the problem is with a dirty battery terminal!  So now the engine starts just fine on the proper battery. But it is nearly 4:00pm and having done our food provisioning, there is really no need for us to move.  So we decide to stay here for another night.

On the way to the supermarket in the taxi I noticed a ferry stop, not far from the marina.  We walk over there and find that it is a regular stop with frequent service into central Toulon.  We could have done that much cheaper to get our food.  But never mind, we will go over and get the last shopping done.  In particular to get the internet gadget topped up, get me a new French Sim and buy a new electric tooth brush.  The trip over is very nice.  Bright sun and we are at last on the water, even if it is not in our own boat!  We get the telephone stuff just fine in the Orange shop, find a new toothbrush (not cheap) and have a nice ice cream.

Back on the boat, Richard puts on the genoa in readiness for tomorrow.  I put away our shopping and try to charge the new toothbrush.  What do I find,--it won't charge either!  It isn't the toothbrush that at given up the ghost it is the adaptor it is plugged into.  Richard finds another adaptor and both toothbrushes now work!  Too late to return the new one.  So we now have three electric toothbrushes on board!

Finally sundown.  We have a nice steak dinner with a bottle of the good Burgundy we bought on our last trip.  So it is off to the East tomorrow.  We can only hope things go more smoothly from now on, but then again sailing is never like that!