Day 4: 17/06/17 Dover to Boulogne

Pretty sure the kids were quite nervous about today as every other crossing of the North Sea we have done they have felt seasick. It was a little lumpy early on but AJ soon got used to it and Esme, having got up to say goodbye to England, went back to sleep!

It was a beautiful day and we were soon motor sailing, and then the wind picked up enough to turn the engine off and still make good progress. After an initial disagreement about a large tanker heading towards us Patrick and I fell back into a nice rhythm of sailing together and playing to each others strengths. Somehow I (who used to hate using the VHF) was the one who called up huge ships to find out their intentions or let them know what we were up to. AIS makes life so much easier in the shipping lanes. We can spot ships on the iPad, check if they are on collision course and then call them on the radio if we need to clarify anything. Once sailing we were really happy that AJ wanted to helm. It was short lived but every little try is more experience.

We finally arrived in Boulogne at about 2pm and shortly after, in came a couple who had given a talk that we attended about sailing in the Med. We will catch up with them tomorrow to quiz them about the canals. Kids were ready for iPad time as we had just had lunch and we were happy with this as it was baking hot and we preferred them to rest out of the sun. Pat and I shared a celebratory Duvel and had a doze. Once things had cooled down a little we went for a walk. Esmé was desperate to go to the beach and wear her new bikini. We found the nearest Boulangerie and bought a baguette. The lady then promptly packaged up 2 pain au chocolate as a gift for the kids to eat tomorrow much to their delight.

Next we took a walk towards the beach, stopping at the tourist information office to check out the prices of the huge aquarium on the seafront. Think we'll visit this tomorrow. Then the beach. Kids played on the playground for a while before asking to swim. It was a long walk to the sea but the sand shelved gently and it was perfect for the kids to swim and play.

By this time it was getting quite late so we headed back to the boat for showers and tea. A lovely day but we're all exhausted now. Took a little time to plan the passage to Dieppe for Monday as tomorrow could be a busy day. Now we're in France the reality really is hitting that this is our life for the next two years. Although there are times we want to scream at the kids it's an absolute privilege to be able to spend this much time with them and I'm sure it is something we will all remember for a long time.