{"id":12420,"date":"2026-08-16T20:40:11","date_gmt":"2026-08-16T20:40:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/kaibrueckner.de\/blog_amy\/?p=12420"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:56:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:56:45","slug":"camaret-sur-mer-3","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/kaibrueckner.de\/blog_amy\/?p=12420","title":{"rendered":"Camaret Sur Mer"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

After a restless night at the mooring buoy in St. Mary\u2019s, we set off at 5:30 a.m. with the first light and the ebb tide. Over the past few days, I\u2019d been very preoccupied with the weather and had been making myself crazy over whether it would be better to sail directly from here to Madeira (most probably considering the prevalent weather), but I ultimately decided against it. There was a light tailwind, so we sailed goosewinged. Unfortunately, the swell kept getting stronger and was coming more from the side, even though the wind direction hadn\u2019t changed, so the sails soon started flapping so hard that I had to reef them down quite a bit. We were now moving pretty slowly, but at least we were heading in the right direction. Toward evening, we were once again accompanied by dolphins. Somehow, that never gets boring and is always great fun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Les Voiles de Camaret<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
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We absolutely had to catch the favorable tide in the Chenal du Four between Ouessant and the mainland, because\u2014especially now during spring tides\u2014the current is so strong there that we wouldn\u2019t stand a chance sailing against it. But first, we had to cross a massive shipping lane (where the English Channel flows into the Atlantic). Of course this had to be done in the middle of the night and was quite an experience.
For the final few hours before reaching the Chenal du Four, we had to start the engine. The wind had almost completely died down, and we didn\u2019t have time for experiments\u2014unless we wanted to wait 12 hours (which we didn\u2019t).
Just around the corner at the Rade de Brest, the wind picked up again, and we were able to sail the last few hours in the sunshine all the way to Camaret. When I started to hear boats reporting to the Camaret harbor master\u2019s office on Channel 09 about every 5 minutes to request a berth, it occurred to me that I hadn\u2019t called ahead to ask this time. The last time I was here, there was so much space that I\u2019d somehow assumed I\u2019d find something anyway.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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9.5kn over the Ground in the Chenal Du Four<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The harbor entrance looked like a regatta starting line. I started to feel a bit uneasy. I had firmly resolved to at least try to radio the harbor in French, because that\u2019s what everyone else was doing. But by then I was so nervous that I immediately abandoned this noble plan. It was impressive how the harbor master, alone in a dinghy with a handheld vhf, could remain so friendly and relaxed amid the flood of requests and the chaos (the wind in the harbor had picked up to 20 knots by then)\u2014and communicating in English worked fine, too. There was still a spot left for my little 8-meter boat. I think the space was exactly 8 meters long, squeezed between two other boats. When I saw where I was supposed to go, I immediately started having second thoughts. \u201c\u2026say Kai \u2026sailing another 4\u20135 hours against the current into Brest might actually be kind of nice\u2026\u201d My facial expressions or body language must have given me away somehow. The kind harbor master told me not to worry\u2014if anything went wrong, he\u2019d push me with his dinghy. I had already begun my docking maneuvre now and there was no turning back. Two helpers were already waiting at the dock. Everything went well, and I even got some praise.
The office didn’t open until the afternoon, so I lay down for a bit until then. I hadn\u2019t gotten any sleep at all during those 30 hours. Once there, I found out that the annual \u201cLes Voiles de Camaret\u201d sailing festival was starting today. It\u2019s probably a bit like sailing into D\u00fcsternbrook marina during \u201cKiel Week\u201d, wondering why there\u2019s no space left and what all those boats are doing there. In any case, I got really lucky again.
I then took a little walk through the beautiful town, bought some shrimp, and celebrated and enjoyed my arrival. There were little stands everywhere with local and traditional music. Outside, the traditional ships (not all that big) were sailing back and forth. I really enjoyed it.
I went to bed early and was fast asleep when the fireworks woke me. I could see a little bit through the hatch, but fell asleep again almost immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Low Water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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High Water<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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By the next morning, it became clear that it might have been a mistake after all to sail so far east. I had actually decided\u2014because of the orca situation\u2014not to stop in Spain or Portugal, but to head out into the Atlantic and then turn south. From here, this now looked pretty unrealistic. It would have worked out great if I had started two weeks ago. But then I wouldn\u2019t have made it to the Scilly Islands, and anyway\u2026 if only\u2026 if only.
In any case, over the next two days I ran through endless possibilities. It was clear that if I waited for the perfect window, I could be waiting for a long. There was one window where I\u2019d run into a cold front in the middle of the Bay of Biscay, but otherwise it looked okay, and depending on how the next low-pressure system behind it moved, I might even be able to sail around Cape Finisterre at a safe distance and head straight on to Madeira. It wasn\u2019t ideal. During the day, I stocked up on provisions for two weeks and did a rigg check; in the evening, I went for a walk to clear my head; and the next day, I set off with a lump in my throat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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