Ten yachts and their crews from Hill Head, Portchester, Fareham and Warsash Sailing Clubs joined in a week of fellowship, good victuals and – oh yes – ‘la canicule’. The passages out to Vannes were varied: some left the Solent early allowing time to linger in favourite ports and anchorages, others delayed and made swifter progress, whilst two made a short passage from their ‘home’ berths in southern Brittany. We set up a (very successful) ‘WhatsApp’ Group to enable crews to keep in touch en route to Crouesty Marina, close to the entrance to the Golf de Morbihan, where we were to rendezvous with our French hosts.
The first event of our programme was the evening welcome, hosted by Monique Moutaud, President of the Vannes – Fareham Voile, and fellow members, held at the Crouesty Sailing Club. All the visitors were presented with a commemorative document case filled with ‘goodies’. The ambience was as warm as the weather, assisted by a fine rum punch apéro and wine-tasting.
The next day our passage through the Golfe to Vannes, dressed overall, in company with some of our French hosts, was made in steady rain. Our signal flags and bunting sagged a little, but they perked up, as did our spirits, when we came up the river and into Vannes’ harbour to be greeted by the sound of traditional Breton pipes.
The day finished with a reception and dinner at L’Espace Montcalm, once a Catholic seminary, to the accompaniment of an excellent Blue Swing Jazz Band.
The fine weather returned the following day, and we were off to Arradon to be taken in high-speed boats to L’Isle Ilur, a nature reserve in the Golfe de Morbihan. Here we were greeted by Gwen, one of the island’s resident custodians, who gave us an introductory talk, before leading us to join our hosts for the day, L’Association de Plaisanciers de Port de Vannes (APPV), for a magnificent picnic lunch in welcome shade.
In the afternoon Gwen took us on a guided walk to show us more of the history and flora and fauna of the Island, before we returned to Arradon bearing yet more gifts from our hosts, and the remains of the picnic, which the Fareham crews were still enjoying 2 days later!
A more formal occasion awaited us on the Wednesday morning with a rendezvous at the Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall), where we and our French hosts were received by one of Vannes’ deputy mayors. Speeches were exchanged and conversation flowed as we enjoyed canapés and kir.
In the afternoon, we all piled on to the Petit Train to see Vannes’ splendid buildings, including the fine Cathedral which some of us later toured under the expert eye of a local guide. In the evening our hosts took us to an oyster farm on the Golfe for a tour followed by a seafood supper – very unusually, the wine served came from New Zealand! There followed hearty singing as we basked in the setting sun.
A morning of tuning our skills at Godille – rowing over the stern of a dinghy – was scheduled for the next day. A welcome pursuit, as La Canicule – very hot air from the South – had reached Vannes. Amazingly, no one fell-in the harbour despite the temptation of the cool water in the rising temperatures!
In the afternoon, a game of boule was soon abandoned as our French hosts produced a keg of beer and a cooler! The heat eased a little in the evening as we dined once again at Espace Montcalm – this time en plein air, where we were treated to a display of Breton dancing, in which participation was not to be missed whatever the temperature!
The morning of our last full day in Vannes was free. In the afternoon we were treated to an invigorating presentation by intrepid solo yachtsman,Yvan Bourgnon, at the Maison des Associations. Yvan is renowned for his (very) long voyages in cabin-less catamarans to inhospitable places and is now turning his attention to the plastic which is defiling our oceans – look him up on You Tube!
The farewell dinner was held at Hotel Le Roof on the Conleau Peninsular in glorious weather. During the closing days of our stay in Vannes the harbour side was dominated by a vibrant festival of competitive running including the 177km Ultra Marin Rade du Golfe. We enjoyed a ‘bird’s eye’ view of its opening stage as the runners passed immediately below the hotel garden whilst we sipped our apéritifs! After another fine meal to the accompaniment of Blue Swing, speeches were made, gifts were exchanged (including John Herbert’s “Twinning Plate”), songs sung and fond farewells taken, but not before an invitation was extended to the French sailors to sail to Fareham in 2021.
The flotilla had the pleasure of a visit on the last day we were in Vannes by some of the Fareham folk (and their hosts) who were in Vannes for a civic visit and were hosted by individual families.
Planning for the return French visit starts now! If you’d like to be involved, please get in touch at jandgpickburn@gmail.com.
Postscript No. 1: Our sailing friends in Vannes presented each of the participating Clubs with a fine framed copy of the poster for this year’s Semaine du Golfe. It was passed to Warsash Sailing Club at the 2019 Lift-Out Supper.
Postcript No. 2 Joly and Val Lucas took their yacht Shining Light to Vannes in the Twinning Flotilla. They gave a very entertaining account of their journey to Vannes at Portchester Sailing Club on 30 November. It was a great evening, enjoyed by all.
George & Jill Pickburn
News from Vannes, 30 June 2019
Fareham boats dressed overall in Vannes Harbour
Ten yachts from sailing clubs of Fareham made the passage to Vannes to join the 10th Fareham-Vannes Twinning Cruise – four from Warsash SC, two from Hill Head SC, two from Fareham S&MBC and two from PortchesterSC. After mixed weather on the outbound trip, all arrived safely by 23 June at Crouesty Marina, where we were warmly greeted by our French hosts.
The next morning, dressed overall, but under grey skies and heavy rain showers, the fleet paraded through the Golfe de Morbihan into Vannes, where we were greeted by the sound of Breton bagpipes. The six day visit coincided with a “canicule” of very hot (35 deg C) air from N Africa, making for a couple of uncomfortable nights onboard.
Our French hosts arranged a wide variety of outings and fine meals for our enjoyment, including a reception at the Hotel de Ville where we were greeted by one of the town’s Deputy Mayors. At the weekend the harbour hosted the Raid du Golfe, a festival of running including the 117km Ultra Marin race round the Golfe de Morbihan. It made a fun, if noisy, backdrop to the final days of our stay in Vannes.
The fleet has now left Vannes and the yachts are making their ways variously onward or homeward; we send this update from a peaceful mooring off the Île au Moins . . .
Jill & George Pickburn in Stormbird
26 May : Three Fareham boats have set-off for Vannes.
Croisière de jumelage à Vannes, 2019
A party of boats and sailors has again been invited to sail to Vannes in Brittany in 2019 as part of the twinning of Vannes and Fareham. This will be the 10th such exchange.
We will be welcomed into Vannes on 24th June and depart on 29th June, and the cost of participation in the events in Vannes will be £120 per head. During our stay, we will be hosted by French families, enjoy convivial company both French and English, and visit local places of interest, not least the beautiful town of Vannes itself.
The Introductory Evening for the Cruise on 22 May resulted in 21 boats expressing interest in making the trip to Vannes.
A briefing for Skippers and Crews took place at Hill Head Sailing Club on 1st May.
There is a limit on the number of boats and participants, so if you are interested in cruising to Vannes, please let me know very soon so I can keep you in touch with developments.
To help you plan your visit, here is a map of Vannes and, on the backof the map, some suggestions for sites you might like to see. Apologies for the folds – it proved very useful on a previous visit!
George Pickburn – the ‘Vannes Driver’. e-mail: g@pikestream.plus.com
p.s. You can read about the 9th croisière jumelage from Vannes to Fareham in the French Brochure and in the Lobster’s Log Report.
Fareham - Vannes Twinning Association 
