Easter at Cherbourg St Vaast (or Go With The Tide)

Ok, so we didn’t get to our intended destination.

Do we care?

I blame the fact that Macavity, left forlornly on the mooring, had put a curse on the weather. (It wasn’t her fault that she had only been craned in the previous day and therefore had no time for a shakedown cruise.)

Either that or Sod’s first law of cross channel cruising was in force. You know the one:-

“When a sailing boat bound for Cherbourg approaches the Bembridge Ledge Buoy then the wind shall immediately blow hard from the South West”

Having hitched a lift on Aella yours truly only too glad to be sailing to France at all. (In case you are wondering, husband came along as well - had to have someone to do the washing up.)

One slight problem. Signet, who likes a head start on everyone else had set out the previous Sunday and had been sitting in Cherbourg ever since. Had also heard rumour that that John Fagot, on board his friend’s boat, also heading for Cherbourg.

Text message to Signet had them promising to get to Cherbourg on Saturday.

Consulted the weather forecast.  Strong Easterly winds promised. (Sod’s second law of sailing…………….) Signet changed mind. Coming Sunday.

Aella reconciled to a rally of one boat.

Do we care? Maybe we do, just a bit.

Our skipper, John Riley states that if you stay long enough in St Vast you will meet all the friends you have made through sailing. Yet another law of sailing!

As if to prove this law right on Saturday morning, we glance along the pontoon and recognise a familiar boat. It is Magic, a boat from Carentan. There are six Carentan boats in all and most of them have visited Fareham in the past.

Immediately embraced by Paul, Magic’s skipper and there follows a lot of kissing of cheeks and an invitation on board Magic for aperitifs.

Magic, a large vessel, well down on her lines as we count over 16 French sailors and the four of us.

Lots more kissing on both cheeks! I am beginning to like these French customs, especially when being kissed by their extremely good-looking young commodore.

After lots of chatting and drinking each other’s health we are invited to eat out with them that evening. Sounds good to me! Just the sort of thing we like to do anyway.

A brisk constitutional around town called for.

Ten paces out of the marina and we spy John Fagot and friends.

Wasn’t he meant to be in Cherbourg? What is he doing in St Vaast? He claims it was their intended target from the start.

Do we believe him? Mmmm….maybe!

At least on Aella we admit to messing up the navigation and ending up downwind and downtide of our destination but  now we know it was fate. We were destined to meet up with our Carentan friends and be treated to drinks etc.

John Fagot agrees to join us for a drink after the meal.

Set out for restaurant.

Good food, plenty of wine, jovial company (even if we could not understand most of what they said).

Made to feel like honoured guests.

All attempts to pay any bill were immediately thwarted.

How to repay them? Drinks on Aella of course!

Invitation issued and was gracefully accepted.

John Reily not until now aware that Aella’s saloon would hold 11 Frenchmen and 5 English all in party mood.

John takes responsibility for drinks.

“Vin Rouge?” “Non. Merci”.

“English beer?” “Oui! Merçi.”

"Whisky?" “Oui! Bien Sur! Merçi.”

Yours truly sorts out nibbles. Oh dear, I forgot to buy French cheese. No brie! No camembert! Embarrassed that all I can offer is English cheese from Sainsbury’s.

“ Du fromage Anglais?” “ Cheddar! Mais oui! Tres bien!”

Yours truly amazed at excitement over English Cheddar.

French, famous as cheese-eating nation announce that Sainsbury’s Mature cheddar is excellent and much better than what they buy in France.

Yours truly begins to lose track of the plot.

French start to sing.

Skipper of Aella sings Land of Hope & Glory.

Yours truly gets ready to avert international incident.

All too tired & emotional to care.

Evening of great bonhomie ends in more kissing and shaking of hands.

Sunday morning after handout of chocolate eggs French friends leave and invite FSMBC to a reception and lots of hospitality at Carentan on May bank holiday.

p.s. Signet made it to StVaast on Sunday so we had an excuse for yet another meal out!