Ile aux Moines in the Gulf of Morbihan
We ended our stay in the Gulf of Morbihan, by a few days at the anchorage of the large beach of Ile aux Moines. The village is not far away, the grocery store too and, more prosaically, the garbage containers as a bonus. The splendid weather allows us to enjoy the beautiful beach lined with colored cabins. If some vacationers are also sunbathing on the sand, the island is quiet enough in springtime to see a deer while walking in the alleys.
Before leaving the gulf, we go to the port of the island which offers a very attractive daily rate (8 euros per day for boats over 8 meters). We fill up with water, already well started by the washing machine. On the quay, restaurants give off tempting smells and we enjoy mussels and French fries in the sun before leaving to test our sailing boat.
Deserted anchorages on the island of Houat
After a short trip to the island of Houat, in the south of the Gulf of Morbihan, we arrived at the anchorage of the large beach of Gouret, in the east of the island. We already know it but this time, it is almost deserted and this is a first! The village is accessible by foot from the beach, through the paths built on the dune.
When the swell becomes unpleasant, we move to the beach of Salus, to the south. This one is lined with rocks that just need to be climbed and small caves to visit.
Stopover in Belle-Île, the good life
We then sailed to Belle-île, taking advantage of a downwind. The cross swell was a little bit disturbing Arthur and the children were waiting for the arrival with impatience (and a little bit of sea sickness). After two hours, we passed the Pointe des Poulains to reach the anchorage of Ster Vraz.
To get there, we passed in front of Ster Wen, a famous anchorage where you have to tie up to the cliff. During our stopover, we will see several training boats trying to do it with more or less success
We anchored as close as possible to the beautiful silver beach on a sandy bottom speckled with seaweed. There are several rocks, but they are clearly visible and do not pose any difficulty. On the other hand, when the wind changed two days later, we had to put a back anchor to prevent Arthur from touching the bottom.
To walk, we can go on foot to the port of Sauzon, 2km away, or take the coastal path whose gorse smells like coconuts. The children disturb the lizards that are lazing in the sun.
The only drawback of this place is the little connection and internet we can get. We are very dependent on it to research our future moorings, to take the weather forecast and of course to communicate.
We stay one week, the time for Guillaume to install our new autopilot and to wait for a favorable window to continue westward. When this window appears, we prepare a navigation towards the Glénan islands.
Direction of the Glénan archipelago
We lose some time to survey the secondary anchorage as we leave. The dawn is just breaking when we avoid the rocks and the few traps at the entrance of Ster Vraz. The children, awakened during the navigation, have difficulties to emerge and stay lying down all morning.
This half-day sail allowed us to test our new autopilot. We covered the 35 miles of our route in 7 hours, between upwind and downwind with about 10 to 15 knots of wind.
The arrival in the archipelago under the sun allows us to admire the clear waters and the dazzling beaches of the Glénan islands. We anchored at the East of the Loch Island in a beautiful deserted stretch of water. Well, not so much as we saw our first seal precisely there, to the great joy of the children! Unfortunately, there are also many small jellyfish, which does not prevent the girls from playing in the water in wetsuits.
It's been ten days since we left the Gulf of Morbihan and our reserves of fruits, vegetables and fresh products are almost exhausted. We decided to leave the islands to reach the mainland in the bay of La Forêt. It's a good timing because we have to go to Concarneau!
