Paris -> Brest

Moulin Blanc Marina, Brest

We were up most of the night. Both Eileen and I had work to finish up as well as packing and preparing for the departure. The train leaves at 10:46 from Paris Montparnasse station. We grab our bags and head for the bus. Not much traffic so we arrive in good time and get to our train. We settle in for the long journey hoping to get some rest along the way. 

We cover the first two-thirds of the distance quite quickly. In just two hours we've reached Rennes, the capital of Brittany. The last third of the way is much more winding and twisting and will take a further 3 hours!

At last we arrive in Brest. It's our first time visiting this part of France, so we're not really sure what to expect. We leave the train station and look for a café. We have an hour to kill before we join the boat, and we could use a coffee. We also want to try to figure out if we can get a bus to the marina or if we'll have to take a taxi. 

The area around the train station is not the most inspiring. Maybe it's the fact that we're really extremely tired but we just can't get a feel for the place. We spot a reasonable-looking café and haul our bags over near the entrance. 

Before going in Eileen waits while Laura and I find a bus stop where we're able to get the bus times for Moulin Blanc Marina. Laura calls it Moulin Rouge and does a can-can. It looks like the bus will be quite convenient, so we return to the Cape Horn Café for hot drinks. Lot's of nautical-themed stuff around to get us in the mood. 

We catch the bus for a 10 or 15 minute ride to the Marina. Once off the bus we head towards the forest of masts, and then the Capitainerie. The visitor's pontoon is directly in front of the Capitainerie and our boat should be waiting there.

The wind is blowing hard as we head down the visitor's pontoon toward the boat with the orange radar reflector. Richard comes out to greet us and help with our bags. We climb down the companionway to discover what will be our home for the next week. First impressions are positive, as the boat has a nice cosy, woody atmosphere and the skipper is very welcoming. After introductions and a cup of tea we unpack our stuff and stow away our bags. Richard is well prepared and Laura soon discovers the sweet bowl! We'll have to keep an eye on her now. Richard prepares dinner and we eat on board. The motion of the boat takes a bit of getting used to, but with the tiredness and a few glasses of wine we start to relax and wind down. It's starting to feel like we're on holidays. 

Learning the ropes!

But it's not all rest and relaxation (at least for some of us!). The two other crew members are on a course, and they have plenty to learn. By the end of the couse they will know how to tie 7 different knots (figure of eight, sheet bend, reef knot, clove hitch, rolling hitch, round turn and two half hitches, bowline). So we start with a few of them. I also learn something new as Richard shows the "proper" way to tie a bowline.

We chat about the French presidential elections. The first round is coming up and Hollande is favoured to win. We chat about different accents. We talk a bit about where we are from and then Richard has a question about Ireland. How is it that people starved during the potato famine? Surely there was something else to eat? Oops, touchy subject in mixed (English / Irish) company. Eileen explains how the potato crop failed and that was all the Irish had to eat because the rest of the food was all exported to England. And how the English occupied Ireland for 700 years, Cromwell, cow's blood, Irish language outlawed, etc. Hmm, the atmosphere is getting a bit heavy now, maybe we should talk about religion instead? Maybe not! Richard explains that he never learned about the history of Ireland in school. I'm not surprised...

He tells us that when he started in the Naval Reserve there was an Irish radio officer on his ship. Many radio officers were Irish and had been to the Marconi School. This man in particular had a very strong accent and one time he said to Richard "Tis a tick tick tog". Richard was flabbergasted. "A tick tick tog"? Eventually he figured out that there was a thick thick fog. Laura laughs so hard she nearly cries.

We talk about the captain of the Costa Concordia abandoning his sinking ship. Eileen decides it would be nice to go for a walk. The wind has died down a bit so we head off towards the beach that we had seen earlier. There is a playground there and Laura plays a bit on the slides and climbing ropes and ladders. It's getting dark now so we head back to the boat and get our sleeping bags ready. Pretty soon there are loud snores coming from the forecabin...