Sv Ice Floe

13-July-2017

We finished the waterways through France and entered the Mediterranean Sea on June 13th, one month ago, today. We motored straight to La Grande Motte where the mother company for ALLURES has a facility. We came to have the mast stepped (re-installed). La Grande Motte is a beachside town on the southwestern coast of France which was developed in the 1960s and 70s. The buildings you see in the first photo are condominiums, and there are many, many more than those in this photo.

The beach is shallow and warms up so even the feint of heart can take a dip. It is a genuine resort town replete with tourist shops, dozens of seaside restaurants, and many sun-worshippers – speaking of which, in La Grande Motte the only types of one piece women’s bathing suits we observed were worn by those who prefer to sun topless. Otherwise, it is bikinis for all – young and old, big and small. On the men’s side, the younger ones had generally adopted surfer shorts, but some of the older men still sported speedos and one 60ish man in the marina wore a thong.

This observation made me sufficiently curious to explore the possibility that cultural influences in France that nourish a healthy “sense of self” contribute to a greater acceptance of one’s body. Alas, I was unable to find evidence of such in my deep research on the internet. On the contrary, I read that “fat shaming” is quite extreme in France as the populace has long been known for being enviously thin. French culture offers much to be admired and many mysteries.

Our “schedule” for the first month on the Mediterranean was hectic from the start. Our mast was damaged during transport from Cherbourg and we were waiting for a replacement mast. The new mast was delayed and the earliest we could get the damaged mast installed in La Grande Motte was June 19th. It would take at least two days (which we did not have) to sail from La Grande Motte to Marseille, where we would meet Marilla and Mitch the following day (June 20th). Instead we rented a car to pick up Marilla and Mitch and then returned to La Grande Motte. The sail from La Grande Motte to Nice to pick up Allison, Mike, Riley, and Tristan required 5 full days on the water whereas we had planned for a leisurely trip had we started from Marseille. Marilla and Mitch were good sports and excellent ship mates, but it was certainly not the best beginning for their first experience of the lovely south of France.

Marilla and Mitch had planned for some beautiful climbs, but Mitch had recently injured his arm. That did not deter them from ogling the rock faces and climbs that might have been from paddle boards and dinghy.

27-July-2017

Allison, Mike, Riley and Tristan joined us on June 25th in Nice.

Sleeping quarters

Marilla and Mitch were already in the aft cabin, Mike and Allison were assigned the salon couch and Riley and Tristan were in the workroom – Riley atop the work cabinet and Tristan in a hammock. The hammock was quite a hit with Tristan – he only fell out once and, having been cushioned by the substantial amount of clothing strewn all over the floor, was not hurt. He climbed right back in that night and every subsequent night and we made it a point not to ask the kids to pick up their clothes.

Short visit in Nice

We walked the town, played at the beach (water was quite chilly) and, following Marilla’s and Mitch’s lead from the previous day, we climbed a hill to explore Park de la Collins du Château. The park was full of family gatherings and group yoga-like activities, lovely landscaping, walking trails, musicians practicing their drum routine, and great overlooks of the harbor and city.

Port Lympia viewed from Park de la Collins du Château.

One of the landmarks of the harbor neighbourhood, this statue represents king Carlo Felice that reigned on the Savoy region in the 19th century.

The following day, we had a lazy breakfast of crepes and omelettes and then headed west – destination Cassis – visiting along the way, Ile St Honorat.

St. Honorat

The current-day St. Honorat monastery (pictured below) is on the island of St. Honorat, just off the coast of the city of Canne. These buildings were constructed in the second half of the 19th century. The kids visited this monastery on our way from Nice to Cassis and subsequently, George and I spent a day there, as well.

This monastic order, founded by St Honoratus, dates back to the 5th century. The original monastery and its inhabitants fell victim to piracy and other sources of violence. This prompted the construction of a fortified building in 1073 (picture below and on following page).

Fortified Monestery — Ruins of Original Monastery

Miramar

We spent the evening in Miramar. The kids explored the town while George and I made a few last minute adjustments in the boat to better accommodate 8 people.

Port Figueirette (marina in Miramar harbor where we spent the night)

We left early the next morning, arriving at Iles de Porquerolles that evening. This island, off the coast near Toulon, has approximately 200 inhabitants, most of whom live around the harbor and marina. This community is surrounded by farmland (largely grape vineyards) and the remaining 80 percent of the island is a nature preserve.

We regret having such limited time for our family to explore areas we passed briefly by or through on our way from La Grande Motte to Nice, Nice to Cassis and back to Nice. The amount of time boating was excessive, and some days had sailing conditions that were not ideal.

One could easily spend several days to a week at any destination to begin to truly experience the atmosphere, cuisine, industries… Next time (and there will be a next time) we will spend more time in each place we visit.

We had memorable moments on the boat and can there ever be too much snuggle time?

Mike discovered that there were hungry fish that attacked strawberry tops and pieces of bread. This led to the only fish I have caught in the Mediterranean so far – with bread as bait!!!!

See George gutting below.