Île de Groix and on to Bénodet

Our anchorage off Pte de la Croix at the eastern end of Île de Groix provided good shelter from the wind, which was forecast to build from the southwest overnight. It proved to be one of the busiest anchorages we had used. We slept well but woke on Sunday 9 September to a distinctly colder and greyer morning. Brave thoughts from the previous evening of early morning swims were immediately dismissed and we got BV ready for the sail westward towards Bénodet.

Whilst the weather was grey, the sailing was not. We had 15 knots apparent wind and, with only 3 tacks, made good time on our 39 nautical mile passage to Bénodet. Afternoon tea with Far Breton had to be delayed though because we were joined by a school of common dolphins. We were very lucky and they stayed with us for around 10 minutes; long enough to get some good photographs of them rather than my usual ones showing where they had just been!

To our right we passed by Lorient; very industrial and needing an extensive rebuild after WW2 it promised little to warm the soul. Its potential attraction for us was a quick look at the WW2 submarine pens and then on up Le Blavet River to explore the ramparts of Hennebont. We bypassed it this time but it may be somewhere to enjoy on our next trip to these parts along with the Aven and Belon Rivers which we similarly sailed past.

As we approached Bénodet we joined the stream of yachts returning after having spent the weekend around the Îles de Glénan. Navigation became more ‘follow-the-leader’ than chartwork. Expecting the place to be quiet, we were very pleased when we bagged the last space on the visitors pontoon.

Some of the olives, peppers and saucisson we’d purchased at the Quiberon market were a pleasant tapas before we enjoyed coq au vin for dinner followed by an evening walk into the town. This was time well spent as we found the car park where the following morning’s market would be held.

When we returned we found BV was surrounded by fish and remained so throughout our visit. Clearly they had spotted the ‘no fishing allowed from the pontoons’ signs and knew they’d found a safe haven.

BV with the Pont de Cornouaille behind