Cruise of the ‘Aziz’ a Pioneer 9 Part 13

La Rochelle Harbour Dues Receipt

There was very little new for me to see at La Rochelle. The marina was a place where I could catch up on my sleep, replenish the ship’s stores, buy French charts and sample local cuisine before pushing on. I stayed there until the morning of Wednesday, 6th August and headed out to sea. That was the better place by far. A routine sail took us north of the Ile de Re to Les Sables d'Olonne. En route we passed through an area of large patches of weed and absolutely enormous jellyfish with long trailing tentacles. We had a very fast trip to Les Sable d’Olonne, where we berthed at Port Olona. On our arrival, rain bucketed down, which put paid to me exploring ashore that evening; instead I made use of the marina’s facilities, including having a shower.


The following morning was not terribly inviting on account of the sky being overcast; therefore I did my laundry and stayed put in the boat until after the evening meal, by which time the sun made an appearance. As I enjoy a good walk I tramped around the town until 2030.

Me at the Heliport, Port-Joinville, Ile D'Yeu

Next morning I wanted to get going. I made a start from Olona Marina at 0708. The distance to Ile D’Yeu was about 28 nautical miles. As there was no wind I had to suffer the engine. On arriving at Port-Joinville, the main harbour of Ile d’Yeu, I was somewhat taken aback to find a newly constructed Heliport right by the harbour. That did nothing for the town, except destroy what peace there was and to bring more tourists to the island, who in turn spoil tranquil beauty spots by their very presence.


That evening I was invited aboard a Trintella from Walton-on-the-Nez by the name of ‘Arianwen’. As far as I remember there were several people aboard, including two sisters, Sue and Zara and their father.


On Saturday, 9th August I took a bus tour of the island to remind me of beauty spots I had seen before and to see others I had not. I also discovered a leak in the yacht engine’s exhaust pipe and mended it with appropriate filler suited to high temperatures.


Text for the Day

Psalm 150:6 ‘Let everything that has breath praise the LORD. Praise the LORD!’