Etel to Doëlan - Friday, 22 August 2003, 26 miles

Next morning we bought our bread, oysters and petrol, and then set out to explore the Lac d'Etel, the wide estuary above the bridge, by dinghy. This was most attractive, with numerous islands, some rocky, some wooded. We ventured into various creeks, where we had to steer a careful course through the withies to avoid the oyster racks. On the way back, the tide was still in flood, but we made adequate progress hugging the shore and finding some back eddies.

At 12:30, we raised the anchor and motored against the current to the entrance. The pilot told us to take the centre of the river this time. I sort of expected her to redirect us to the deeper water to one side across the bar, and it seemed bad manners to divert without her instructions! However, no problem with depth, now at the top of the tide.

Outside, we started on a reach with a South Westerly F3, but this soon veered to North East, top end of F3. We made Garrets, just outside Port Louis, then tacked to the Ile de Groix, then on port again clearing the Pointe de Kerroc'h. We decided to choose our destination depending on where we closed with the land again, as we hadn't visited any of the ports between Orient and the river Avon before.

Tied to the quay in Doëlan

At 17:00, we reached Doëlan. Two guys in a dory approached and asked if we wanted to moor. We said we wanted to dry out, as the 2 big, shared mooring buoys seemed very exposed at the entrance. This seemed ok with them, and they lead us to a quayside near the head of the creek.

After tying up, we walked round the head of the creek, and took a coastal path along the right bank to the entrance. We found an alimentation selling bread, but a bit far for the morning, a Coop Maritime where Ann bought a peaked cap, and then a bar on the left bank. For any other shops you had to go 5 or so Km inland to the nearest proper village.

Nice little port, but rather expensive for cats (€20) considering the lack of facilities.