Pornic

On the west coast south of St Nazair and north of Sables- deOlonne, it's a very chicque, drying harbour set between some hills on a coast which is largely flat.

Home to more than a few classic boats, it's a great place for promenading, and when lunch time beckons has lenty of seafood restaurants. We found really good moules et frites in a bar where locals were eating.

 Looking out towards the entrance, there's now a marina (on the right) which seems accessible at all states of the tide, presumably in the old days waiting outside for the tide on a lee shore when the weather got up would be perilous. Lifting keel yachts that can take the ground are the order of the day.

The chateau is a conspicuous reminder of the wealth of the town in previous centuries

 

La Belle Epoque

 Well not exactly but the Deux Chevaux, Citroen 2CV (two taxable horse power) is an iconic image of rural France in the second half of the 20th century.

 We happened upon a group of enthusiasts who were out for a Sunday "voyage"

Above I had one exactly like this, same colour in the early 80's. We drove it down through France, Switzerland, almost over the Alpes (took the Mont Blanc tunnel) to Milan, Genoa and across to the South of France. 

Earlier version without windows in the rear in the rear pillars, I had one which was only around 405cc rather than the more normal 600cc, slow it was.

This cabriolet version was great, sadly my French isn't good enough to understand if the owner converted it.

And finally a lone and characterful 2CV from the village next to where we were staying, love the pirate flag and horns.

TS Mercury

 The Training Ship Mercury, or TS Mercury, was a shore-based naval training establishment which began in 1885 and ran through to 1968, from 1892 it was based on shore of the Hamble river in Hampshire.

For many years the dormitory was housed aboard a ship (the President ex Gannet) moored in the river

Today the site and those 5000 or so boys who passed through TS Mercury in preparation for careers in the Royal and Merchant navy is remembered by this memorial near the top of the little creek.

 The school's shore side site was developed for housing in the 1970's which stops short of the river and the creek, which leaves a quiet space for reflection and some useful dinghy parking for residents.
 

Nantes

 We sent an enjoyable day wandering around the rather nice city of Nantes, but in fact it was so enjoyable I hardly stopped to take photos. So here's an unusual collection.

Who you gonna call...

Walking across the Loire

This is a "guestometer" it counts the cumulative number of guests who have stayed in the Hotel Voltaire Opera.

The cathedral which was badly damaged by fire in 2020 is closed for repair, it was quite emotional to stand in front of something that has stood for nearly 600 years, something so precious, a living history and think that someone had tried to destroy it.

Perfect Day

Not sure it gets any better

 

 

Sea gull Saturday

 This gull had made her nest on our roof in Fowey then one morning we could hear the cheep , cheep, cheep of baby chics.

I was conscious not to disturb them, but couldn't resist taking a quick photo out of the skylight window.

Gulls more often that not can be pests, in fact a cheeky black headed gull swooped down and stole the doughnut Joseph was eating a couple of years ago. This seems to sum them up nicely

Horrizon

 Where the sea meets the sky

 

Wonder sailing

Wonder featured in one of my earliest posts back in 2009, before that I was involved with her about 20 years ago including going down every night for a bout 3 weeks, pumping her bilges while the planks took up after a spell ashore.

She's had a few owners since then including a spell over on the East coast and had an engine fitted along the way. While kayaking across the harbour at Fowey she came sailing lazily past and the owner stopped for a chat.

 He moved her down to Fowey about four or five years ago and enjoys day sailing out in the bay and even further afield. She looks really nice with her light coloured topsides instead of the original black, which although authentic rather disguised her hull lines which show up much better now. I believe he said that he's had another engine fitted, either way having auxiliary motor power makes a lot of sense and a more practical boat to sail, hopefully for another 100 years or so.

 

 

On the waterline

I'm not sure a kayak is the ideal platform for nautical photography, but in the absence of a suitable rib I thought I'd get out and close up with the Fowey River and Troy class boats on a lovely summer day.

Always best to start with the easy stuff, this one still attached to it's mooring allowed plenty of time to steady and frame the shot.

As things got more lively there was a balance between getting the shot and getting out of the way of the racing.

There was a good downwind run, down the harbour which offered a great position with very little paddling to keep station while the boats passed.

On the return legs I managed to predict and get to the turning  point ahead of the boats which made for some interesting close ups.

My camera is  Fuji XP60 waterproof but only a 5x zoom,

so I needed to get fairly close to the boats without getting in the way.

Easier staying clear when they have passed than when they are approaching.

And sometimes they just passed by at a perfect distance.

This one was a case of get the shot and get out of the way quick.

All of which was a lot of fun seeing the racing or at least a part of it up close.