France

Wind and rain for most of the day. Flat water, but too windy for comfort before the Héaux de Bréhat lighthouse. The lighthouse itself sits on a reef, so inside is protected. Beyond, the sea should have been a cauldron, but big tides - full moon tonight - turned the sea into a eastward flowing river, robbing the waves of their strength. Being lucky, still. 40nm nearer to Spain!

Exciting sailing.

Short but nice video clip sailing away from Dinard (near St Malo), France. This after a great stop where without a plan things all came together, and the true spirit of humanity and collaboration shone through again. Thanks to Léo Lefebvre for being in the rubber boat and the iphone video work.
(Update: there are now two clips - click through to see the second one).

Past the first of the D-day beaches. Their normality was perhaps what impacted most.

Emotions. Sadness: that we Brits were so willing to fall for the peace-time propaganda of Brexit. A pulse of anger too. And puzzlement: at the twisted priorities of those who seek to drive wedges with scant regard for Europe's greatest achievement: peace.

Those were my thoughts upon arriving at Juno beach, location where Canadian and British forces disembarked in 1944.

Been a bit irregular on the blog posts lately but have managed a few Facebook updates. Remember to check here for those.

First landing. Calais. Come a long way.