La Moira, Monday

22 August: I awoke at about 6am to the chugging of a little diesel engine, and was amazed at how quietly our neighbours managed to tie up their boat. At breakfast time, they apologized if they had disturbed us (thank goodness they hadn’t witnessed the pantomime of OUR arrival!) and Skipper engaged them in conversation. It transpired that the Figaro racer’s father and uncle were well-known and successful racers in their day, and I suspect they were amused and just a little flattered that their English pontoon neighbour had heard of them and knew of their achievements.
We were rather slow out of the blocks the next morning. I toddled off to the supermarket, and by the time I returned, the skipper had been given all sorts of useful information by the locals. We had hoped to go directly to Le Palais on Belle Ile, but were advised that we were unlikely to get a place on the shared mooring buoys in the outer harbour unless we were there by 2pm. It was quite a long way, including the potentially tricky Passage de la Teignouse, and we hadn’t yet prepared the passage plan, so it just wasn’t going to happen. I belatedly saw the attraction of Port Haliguen, and proposed that we sail over there, do all the preparation for the next day and get an early night, ready for the longer trip the next day.
Our neighbours gave a hand with our lines when we left Le Crouesty, by which time the current had eased, although it was quite breezy, and our departure was considerably more stylish than our arrival had been. We made a note NOT to bother going back there!
We had a good sail across to Port Haliguen in a steady Force 4, and were given an easy berth at the elbow of the visitors’ pontoon. We inspected the facilities, without a doubt the best in the area, and did a spot of shopping. Having done our preparations for the next day, we decided to treat ourselves to a restaurant meal, and ate very well on the terrace of the Hotel Port Haliguen, by the Vieux Port.

Port Haliguen