En France 50

 

No sooner has Damien Fleury set foot ashore, the remnants of his bottle of victory wine still clasped in his hand, than the waiting press pack crowds around him.

The Mini 6.5 metre Class fleet is in, from their solo Azores and back race.

The skippers quietly set about stowing the power-house high-tech sails, of their diminutive twenty one foot craft, as if they have returned from no more than a Sunday trip around the bay.

Interviews complete, Damien disappears below momentarily.

Before emerging to begin to set his scrambled cockpit to rights.

His winning course notes still visible, jotted in felt tip on the bulkhead.

A combination of sea fog and fickle winds deterred Stargazer from sailing, as intended, this morning.

A fine, full day, westerly breeze is forecast for tomorrow, however.

Sufficient to carry Stargazer clean out of the Vendee and into Southern Brittany.

Where our choice, of fresh ports to visit, widens once more. The closeness of their spacing meaning that we can simply sail until we are ready to stop. With a harbour likely to be readily at hand.