PADDLER 21
More waves , stronger tides , and a more rugged coastline . We ’ re reaching Paon ( lighthouse ) up north , and we know things are at their best there , at least if you ’ re up for some action . A few tide races are running there , in between rock formations . All are very manageable , but not for the lost tourist . Ile-ar- Morbic and Raguénès-Meur provide some more rock gardening along the western side of Ile de Bréhat . You can choose to go through the bay , which is more sheltered or stay at the outskirts with some more tidal movement and wave interaction .
Interaction is what we are here for , so we stayed outside . Once back on the southern side , one must look for fast shipping . There can be a lot of movement from tourist boats and the ferry between the island and the mainland . From there , it ’ s ferry gliding back to Loguivy . Loguivy has a small harbour , and what meets the eye is the all-weather lifeboat that lies in front of the entrance . Items 2 and 3 ticked off !
DAY 3
We decided to stay on land for one of four days to do some recon and enjoy the scenery . Besides the local walk around eating pancakes in local pubs ( sorry , they are called ‘ crepes ’. Don ’ t dare to ask for pancakes ), we were in for more luck ! We didn ’ t know until we arrived at Loguivy that the local lifeboat station was holding an event where the lifeboat we had seen earlier was docked and open for visitors .
We could not let this opportunity slip away ! Years ago , we already visited the RNLI Lifeboat Station in Dungeness , United Kingdom . It was time to visit a French station and see how things worked there . We arrived at the event . Luckily , it was not overcrowded ,
and after queuing , we could enter the lifeboat itself . In four steps , we were enlightened on the life and work onboard .
All started on the aft deck with a general explanation of how the organisation works ; we made our way through the cabin while demonstrations were given on the water with life rafts . The explanations were pragmatic , teaching us about the crew and their specific tasks , equipment , etc . We could exit via the engine room back to the upper deck . This was a bonus !
We ended the day by walking to the nearby La Roche au Oiseaux , or Bird Rock . This is a rock formation sticking out of the woodland , overlooking the bay , the river Trieux , and the western side of Bréhat . It is romantic to see the sun go down over there – all peace and quiet . We even passed a local lady playing her harp there .
DAY 4
We call this last day ‘ Fooling around ,’ and does this need more explanation ? OK ! It was raining the whole day , I couldn ’ t chance it , not even a bit ! We agreed on more specific rescue training in the bay since we hadn ’ t been in the water enough already . It ’ s sheltered , which means almost no waves , but there was plenty of wind , rain and tidal movement . And this is all within reach of Loguivy !
It was the only day that we didn ’ t cover a lot of miles but covered a lot of rescue exercises ! We trained on combined rescues ; for example , the heel-hook assisted rescue with a third paddler laying on a tow to bring the raft away from rocks . We could easily train this very realistic and without a lot of risk .
PADDLER 21