Day 13: Ouistreham to Hornfleur

Bleary eyed we woke up in time to depart for the 10am lock. At about 9:30 we were pleasantly surprised to find Sarah, Tabitha and the entire (including teenagers) crew of Faoin Speir gathering to say goodbye. Esmé hates goodbyes but I think we eased this somewhat by getting friends to write their email addresses in a special book for her, although she still hid down below while we left. I'm sure we will meet up with these guys again but for now it's fair winds to Faoin Speir, and a wish for clear roads with no height or width restrictions for Sarah and Tabitha.

AJ asked if he could take Laurin out of the lock and for once it was perfect conditions to let him. Patrick let off the bow line while I took care of the stern. Last time AJ manoeuvred the boat anywhere in close quarters he steered and somebody else took care of the throttle. This time he did it completely independently and made a fantastic job of it. Proud parent moment!


The channel out of Ouestreham was pretty lumpy after the previous days wind, however this settled down to just a bit of an unpleasant roll once we turned towards the Seine. Eventually there was enough wind in a suitable direction to sail and Patrick had an enjoyable sail while I dozed down below. It seemed a turning point in our journey as we entered the Seine, and coming into Horn fleur was beautiful.





We went for a walk round the town and to the Yacht Club to pay for our berth, then discounted our idea for a meal out courtesy of Patrick's work (leaving gift) as the children were tetchy and tired. Meals out are now such a rare treat that we want to ensure that we are all going to enjoy them. Instead we treated the kids to a go on the carousel, and then Patrick and AJ went back to Laurin while Esmé and I looked for a Boulangerie. In the end I spotted an old French gentleman carrying a bag with a couple of baguettes in and tried to ask him where he got them. Sadly the shop was miles away and would be shut before we got there (it's Monday! was the explanation). The lovely man insisted on giving us half of one of his baguettes and wouldn't accept any payment!

Arriving back at the boat we found AJ and Patrick watching Harry Potter so decided on a TV dinner of Thai beef curry and noodles. After dinner Esmé was getting a little restless so I took her to the nearby park while AJ finished watching the film. The park was beautiful with intricate walkways and amazing flowers. It also had a paddling pool which despite the somewhat diminished water level Esmé delighted in splashing around in. We also met a French homeschool family but Esmé is still struggling to pick up the confidence to speak any French to actual French people! I got lots of practice though!

Finally back to the boat for showers and bed, then prep for tomorrows passage to Rouen which looks kind of interesting... 4 knot tides!




Beautiful view from the boat this evening!