Drydocking on the Aber Wrac’h’slip for that time, last visits to the Moulin de l’Enfer to admire the “Bel Espoir II” slowly back to life, a trail to the “Pont du Diable”, and same as usual, we sailed again…No like theafts, impossible to live the Aber Wrac’h quietly : the eve of our departure, by chance of the calendar and the weather, the”Etoile”, the “Belle Poule” and the “Grande Hermine” came to moor to our pier. Exchanges, visits (Thank you Guillaume !), mutual respect, we couldn’t thought of a better conclusion to our stay in the Aber. The day after the”Etoile” will leave shortly after us and, in a supreme tribute will salute us when our courses will diverge :them by the Four channel, us by the Fromveur.
Not to much wind to cross the Bay of Biscay, 3 days anchored in Cedeira, Galicia, waiting for a good wheather window, and the wind will acompany us up to Horta, in a single tack from the quarter !
We dind’t realy thouht to stop, but once again it was the wind who decided, and our boat. We have more and more the feeling that’s it him who take us, we just have to let it do, and we like it.
In fact, to be again at Horta, with the Pico in the background, it’s a great pleasure. We quickly had a covid test and a day later we are free, free to meet again our friends, Leandro, who had already taken pictures of our arrival, Pedro, Luis, Rita and baby Francisco, Jose Henrique of the Peter Cafe Sport. Anne Marie make the discovery of Pedro’s garden boat, at Praia da Norte, we meet Anna Luisa, 6 days of feast, of getting together…I leave my third and last oak in the hands of Pedro. With him I am sure, it’s a wonderful gardener, and I was afraid that it will not be able to bear the harsh climate of Saint Pierre. By this way they are 3 oaks planted on our way : one under Jeanne’s guard, at the Vrenig, one by Jean Yves at the “Moulin de l’Enfer”, the last one in Faial, our descendants will have enough wood to built their boat if they want it.
The way to Saint Pierre was not as easy as the one for Horta, much reaching, that nor “SKOIERN”nor us like, and as soon we left the Gulf Stream it’s the fog that welcome us, for sure we were on the New Foundland Grand bank. The fog we will not let us until the arrival, that we will do at night, as usual…
As we wake up Enrique Perez, the Port Captain, tell us that the harbour is closed and ask us when we are about to leave. We answer that we didn’t intend to do so and that we come here to stay and live in. Great laugh, the ice is broken, a covid test more and 24 hours later we start our life in Saint Pierre.
If we would have thougt to be secret, we failed : the day after our arival we are at the TV, for the 20h00 news on SPM 1ère ! It’s he first time for us, we discover an unkown world, and this will introduce us in the islands : everybody saw us, know why we are here, our projects…and come to see us and talk. And it’s not the radio reportage, the day after at “Radio Saline” where we are invited which make any change….
What is realy extraordinary on these small french rocks which disturb so much canadien people, is that it’s a meeting point for the sailors and other travelers. There is not a day without meeting a friend, or a friend of our friends, which we have not seen for years, here, on the other side of the Atlantic! Bretons, Marseillais, sailors like Laurent ,with whom we sailed together on the “Liberté”, 40 years ago, Gérard, our friend radio, Linda his wife, who came to visit their daugther Sonia…others who come from l’Aber Wrac’h, hard to beleive it.
Nature is beautiful at Saint Pierre, it remind us of Norway, Canada, we like this post glacial vegetation, the peat bogs, the ponds with carnivorous plants, the trees fighting the wind. Visits to Miquelon, Langlade, the horses island, the Ile aux Marins, it’s the “plate bierre” (the yellow berries of norway)season, bluberries, raspberries, blackberries, you have just to pick them up.
Winter is coming soon, we have to prepare us, another adventure…
