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Set off with a fairly nice morning, but the wind steadily increased to 30 odd notts at times causing big steep waves, and although they were with us it was still uncomfortable. We finally arrived at Port St Lous Du Rhone, but the holding area off the river before the combined lock & road bridge was already filled with moored boats. No one seemed to want us to raft up to them and just as we were about to make a forced landing whether they liked it or not, the lights changed to "get ready". We headed back out into the river to turn around - hoping the mast would hold on for just a bit longer - and came back straight into the lock. We went below for about half an hour to eat, until we heard the bridge going up. We hadn't realised that the gates had shut behind us and we'd been locked down to sea level. Luckily it must have only been a few centimetres as the ropes didn't seem any different to when we tied up!
As we motored through the channel that leads to the sea, heading for Port Napoleon, we came across Navy services. We pulled up and went in to get some prices for raising the mast & hauling for the winter and decided to use them. A couple of days later the mast was up, and we were heading out into the med for Marseille, stopping for the night at Sausset Les Pins. The next morning, laid on the fordeck steering with the remote, we decided that the small islands to the South looked nicer than Marseille city and headed into one of the bays for the night. We anchored in 7m of crystal clear water, had dinner, then put on the wetsuit and had 3 hours of scrubbing the light film of algae on the bottom & thick mud from the canals off everything else. We had the cruising chute up ready as we set off the next morning, but the wind died and we chugged back the 30 odd Km to Port St Louis, anchoring in 1m of water with picturesque views of the container port & steelworks. We didn't want to go back and decided to anchor for one last night here. I had 20 last swims the next morning, bagged all the sails, took the boom off then motored back to Navy services to be lifted out for the winter.
As we motored through the channel that leads to the sea, heading for Port Napoleon, we came across Navy services. We pulled up and went in to get some prices for raising the mast & hauling for the winter and decided to use them. A couple of days later the mast was up, and we were heading out into the med for Marseille, stopping for the night at Sausset Les Pins. The next morning, laid on the fordeck steering with the remote, we decided that the small islands to the South looked nicer than Marseille city and headed into one of the bays for the night. We anchored in 7m of crystal clear water, had dinner, then put on the wetsuit and had 3 hours of scrubbing the light film of algae on the bottom & thick mud from the canals off everything else. We had the cruising chute up ready as we set off the next morning, but the wind died and we chugged back the 30 odd Km to Port St Louis, anchoring in 1m of water with picturesque views of the container port & steelworks. We didn't want to go back and decided to anchor for one last night here. I had 20 last swims the next morning, bagged all the sails, took the boom off then motored back to Navy services to be lifted out for the winter.
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