Sunday 31 July 2016

It was a sunny day with a cool northerly wind, a wind that was promised for a few hours before it turned southwesterley and freshened. We wanted to go in that direction so took an early departure enabling us to have a good sail for three hours or so along the Dunkirk coastline to Calais. Not the prettiest part of the world with heavy industry just off the beach including a steel works and three nuclear reactors generating electricity.

The wind died at lunchtime and the tide was still against us so we started motoring around Cap Gris Nez and on down to Boulogne. It was pretty full but the the obliging marina master suggested a slot which we took with a pontoon either side of us, we only protruded about 25 feet. He was happy with it so we were too.

Tomorrow we rent a car and take the ferry back to Dover to drop Jasper off thereby complying with the rules for the untrustworthy British. Same rules apply in Sweden but they trusted us to have a properly prepared dog for entry, the British don't trust us so we have to go to all this trouble.

Then we join the queues at Dover to return to the boat ready to make our penultimate passage of the trip.