Pippa meets the Gaffers in the Morlaix channel

Exchanging the excitement of Perros-Guirec for the quiet of a night at anchor in the Sept-Iles, I then left for Morlaix on Saturday, sailing in more or less fog most of the way, but arrived in sunshine.

Having then spent Sunday at anchor in the little bay of Terenez, waiting for the port of Morlaix to re-open after the weekend's festivities - involving the start of the Tour du Finisterre (some 100 boats off on five legs down through the Atlantic coast of Brittany) - I decided it would be OK to make my way up the river early on Monday morning to the port. At 7am, after all, you don't expect to meet many people in a tiny river - very tiny in places! To my surprise, I met the Etoile du Roy (see photo) followed by a whole fleet of the traditional gaffers, etc., of which the Bretons are so proud. Morlaix is now very quiet, except for the traffic...

Submitted on 1st August 2011